Dog Training 101

A Good Dog Asssistance Dogs, LLC

Lesson Notes

Welcome To Dog Training 101

Here are some helpful hints for you to observe while training your dog!

1) Dog Training is nothing more than habits. We all develop habits by doing things repetitively and consistently. Everyone in the household needs to be on the same page regarding commands, how to say them, and when to say them.

2) Dogs communicate verbally and physically. Just as we do.

a) Commands: Just that. You are telling your dog to do something, not asking.

b) Praise: Should be warm and sincere. You are communicating approval rather than affection. Praise             your dog according to what he/she has just done. “Good Sit” “Good Down”

c) Corrections: Firm tone of voice. Do not YELL. Your dog is not deaf, and if they were, yelling would not do any good anyway. Remember, it is the behavior we are correcting, not the worth of the dog. Anger has no place in correction. But remember, to make the correction a worthwhile correction, something that the dog will remember the next time he/she is tempted to do that behavior again.

3) Don’t work any one exercise for such a long time, that what you are actually achieving is a correction for your pet. If rover has done very well in a short period of time, stop, come back and do another short session in 20 minutes.

4) Vary the times and locations of your practice sessions. Work indoors, outdoors, all reasonable forms of weather, the vet, the pet store, ect….

5)Practice at least 3 10-minute sessions a day, for older dogs. 7 or 8 5 minute sessions for puppies, or some dogs the first week. Each session should include 5 repetitions for 5-minute sessions. 15 reps for 10-minute sessions. This is of each command.

·         Lots and Lots and Lots of PRAISE

·         Correct with the proper amount of intensity.

6) Begin and End each session on a positive note. Make it fun. Use treats, something really special, that the dog only gets for training. Put his/her favorite toy away, and use it as a reward after each session---a quick 2-3 minute play session.

7) The key to training any animal is to establish a bond of trust and communication. Remember that dogs do not speak English, and we must teach them our language as we teach them. Remember to be fair and just.

8) Teach new lessons in a distraction free area, gradually adding new distractions only after the dog has demonstrated that learning has occurred. Be gentle until then.

9) Carefully plan each session, anticipate how your dog is likely to perform and how you will respond to that performance. For instance, know the area you are working in. Know where animals are, and how your dog will react, and how you will either praise or correct.

10) Give one single, clear command, and then proceed with absolutely no hesitation on your part as to your next move. Heel and start walking like you expect your dog to follow. If you hesitate, so will your dog.

11) Only give a command once, and then follow through with it. If you say, “sit” “sit” “sit” “sit”, then your dog learns to sit after you say it 4 times, as opposed to the first time.

12) NEVER EVER give a formal command that you can’t back up!

13) Don’t train if you are ill, irritated or frustrated, and don’t train if the dog is sick.

14)  Remember, dogs aren’t trained in a day----Even dogs that are already trained.  While your dog might obey the dog trainer, that doesn’t mean that they will obey you.  You have to earn their respect!

So, I really, Really Hate Stupid People that Call themselves dog people

This website showed up on one of my pages recently...and I really have to gasp in disbelief at the assinine stupidity of some people.
I have trained dogs for many many many many years, and have trained probably 5000 dogs and their owners or more.
Now I consider myself a Balance Dog Trainer, who uses a variety of methods.
Those who have had me train their dogs, know that the dogs are healthy and happy and "smile" when the remote collar or the prong collar comes out, because they know that they get to go work....
Here are some pictures of my dog,NONE OF THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN IN THE U.S., They were all taken in foreign countries, where, she had to endure 20+ hour plane flights to get there....

 Now this is what some idiot, so called dog trainer(whom, btw, has only been training for 3-5 yrs, never mentions how many dogs she has trained, etc....)

This is what the WHOLE DOG  has to say about dog trainers:
http://www.wdtbc.com/qualifications.php

Now, this woman takes three sessions to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash...I can do that in 10 minutes or less.....who would you go with?  Spend 200.00 or 50.00?


She takes 6 sessions to teach:  sit, down, stay, come and leave it.(notice there is no heel in this?).  Then she takes another 6 sessions to get your dog ready for a CGC.  Gee, I can have your dog ready for a CGC in about 4-5 sessions.....Wow....$475.00 for 6 sessions, times 2....that means she is charging almost a 1000.00 to get your dog a CGC Certificate.....Gee, I charge $300.00 for 4 sessions....and most dogs and their owners are ready for a CGC in that time....Give me 12 sessions, and you will be ready to a Rally or Pre-Novice Obedience titles with the AKC.  Heck, I have sent home 8 week old Rottie pups that could pass a CGC test.....

Ways Consumers May Recognize Trainers
Using Old and New Training Methods

So let's address this blatant misleading stupidity step by step:

Common Characteristics	Old Compulsion/Force-Based	Modern, Positive, Dog-Friendly
Basis for Training Approach	Theories and beliefs about dominance, e.g., people needing to be “alpha” dogs, and the need to use physical force to get total control over their dog.  Methods only used with dogs.(This is crap.  Horses don't train in halters, they train in bits, so "dominance" is used in other breeds as well)  Take inspiration from Woodhouse, Koehler and other dog trainers from the 50’s and today’s TV celebrity, Cesar Millan.	Knowledge of what scholars tell us about what dominance is and is not. Use science-based approaches that have been proven effective with many species(Sorry, don't go there...why?  Whales and dolphins don't traditionally bite the mailman, run out in the road and get hit by a car, or chew up your gucci purses); classical and operant conditioning(Heck, these idiots choose to throw out 1/2 of operant conditioning---positive punishment and negative reinforcement). Understand how dogs think, learn and communicate, how to work with dog’s natural instincts. Applaud Pryor, Sdao, Miller, Clothier(Oh, wait, she uses Prong collars!), TV’s Victoria Stilman.(who's a blatant condescending jackass that couldn't train her way out of a paperbag.)
Language	“Commands.” Stern voice and serious, flat facial expression.(Really?  Yes, I do EXPECT my dogs to be obedient, yes, I do tell them, I don't ask them.  Obedience could save their lifes, or the life of a human.  No, they don't have a choice in obedience---tricks, sure, but obedience no....So, yes, I issue commands, I don't ask them to do it But since the author of this has never met me, then how can she know that I don't smile when I issue commands?.)	“Cues” Smiling, playful, light tones in voice, encouraging words.(Yes, and asking, rather than telling a dog or a child to do something is the reason why dogs die.  The number one reason for euthanasia after illness/old age?  Behavioral issues...Gee, maybe they should have told their dogs, rather than begging them to be obedient?)
Tools	Choke collars, prong collars, electric shocks for undesirable behavior, only verbal praise. Leash is control devise.]Well, DUH!  So is a lead shank for a horse. Misuse of head halters. Most of us don't use head halters period.  Why?  Because they are a managment tool, not a training tool.  Why is it dogs "trained"(using that word very very very loosely here) by these fools never get out of a head halter, but wear it for life?....Gee....maybe because they aren't really trained? You know, when I am done training a dog, you can walk my dogs down the street in a buckle collar, or  off leash....bet you can't do that with the authors dog, with high distractions....Oh, wait, she will say that my dogs ignore those distractions because they are afraid of me or pain....Well, gee, I would rather them obey for whatever reason than get hit by a car chasing the cat across the street....Wouldn't you?	Buckle or martingale collar, clickers, variety of food, toys and activities to reinforce desirable behavior. Leash is a safety device. Head halters and no pull harnesses. Gee.....I use all those too.  Except for the no-pull harness and head halters. People, head halters were "created" with the thought of a horse halter in mind...However, there are some problems: Horses and dogs are not the same species.  They don't think, act or react alike.   Horse have a long muzzle, and the halter doesn't interfere with their field of vision, which is very wide set, allowing them to see predators....Dogs are the predators, with shorter more narrow muzzles....The halter will interfere with their field of vision.  Further, studies have shown that head halters can cause severe neck trauma in dogs.....
Techniques	Punishment. Fear of pain, pain. Frequent talk/use of “corrections” in training. Physically force dogs into positions, use leash “pops,” pin dog on ground to “show who is boss.”  Military-style approach to training dogs and people. Minimal praise and rewards. Bullshit.  In a nutshell.  This idiot author doesn't have a clue what I do, or what other so-called 'compulsion based trainers" do.  She has never seen me work.	Pleasure. Gee, my dogs seem to enjoy working....   Promise of reward. Gee, my dogs get rewarded...they get a pat on the head, a hug and a good dog.... Trade food, freedom and fun in exchange for learning new behavior. Ah.....so, if the dogs don't do what they are told, they are deprived of food, affection, and playtime?  Wow...>Talk about cruel. Use primarily positive reinforcement & positive punishment and dog’s natural drives and tendencies and way of thinking, learning, communi-cating. Wow...I don't think I call starvation positive Fosters mutual respect. Generous with praise and rewards. Yeah, somehow, I don't really have a whole lot of respect, nor would my dog, if you starved it, didn't play with her, or didn't let her have down time(ie, freedom),.....In fact, she would probably bite your ass if you tried to deprive her of her food.
Education	Informal, learned from apprenticing with other like-minded people. Devalue formal education in dog learning theory and science-based methods. Do not seek out new methods. Well, this is just a flat out lie, straight from hell: I have a BA in Psychology, Dog training degrees from 2 nationally recognized dog training schools, a degree in behavior from Purdue University School of Vet Medicine(whose behavioralist, btw, will tell you that PUNISHMENT WORKS), a certifiecation from Novartis in Behavior Modification, just to name a few..... And, since I was a founding member of dog training/behavior organization, yeah, we do have a code of ethics...One of those codes of ethics basically states that we don't do what we are not qualified to do, and we get the job done in a short amount of time, rather than wasting time and money of the client, piddling around.	Combination of formal education and experience. Value ongoing learning and education. View work as a profession.  Subscribe to Code of Ethics established by dog training/behavior association.
Dogs trained by these methods	Fearful, wait to be told what to do. Do not connect with owner without prompting. Generally know a limited number of basic behaviors. Trachea or neck may be injured through use of tools.. Again, these idiots don't know my dogs, that's for sure.  And, I will gladly put my high drive Rotties against any dog the idiot author might have in terms of off leash behavior.....Think I am slightly irritated at this asinine stupidity?  Yeah, just a bit. As to tricks and many behaviors, other than her basic obedience, my Rottie knows about 130 commands, ie tricks...I bet the authors dog won't pick up a dime off a marble floor and hand it back to her, open a fridge get me a beer or pepsi(and know the difference between the two) and bring it to me without eating the meatloaf in the fridge, open doors, turn on/off lights, maintain a 5 hour down stay at the head of a spiral staircase, because I told her to....pull a wheelchair, fly on a plane for 23 hours without potty time, alert not only my seizures but another dogs seizures...Know the difference between a drunk and a cop out of uniform, when I am unconscious in the street, bleeding from a head wound.  Hmmmm....and yet, she is a sad, sad rottie, who hates to work....and who is terrified of me....Yeah, right....Idiots...	Offer behavior without prompting; trust their owner, Connected, happy, willing, eager. Usually know many behaviors and tricks. Can be trusted to work off lead.