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Showing posts from April, 2024

Week 3 Homework and Notes

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     NOTE 1:  ALL TRAINING SHOULD BE DONE WITH TRAINING COLLAR AND TRAINING LEASH ON AT FIRST.  ONCE YOU CAN GET TO YOUR GOALS ON LEASH INSIDE, THEN YOU CAN WORK WITH YOUR DOG INSIDE DRAGGING THE LEASH OR OFF LEASH (IF APPROPRIATE) AND ON LONG LINE OUTSIDE. NOTE 2:   DO NOT LEAVE METAL TRAINING COLLAR OR TRAINING SLIP LEAD ON WHEN YOU ARE NOT ACTIVELY TRAINING YOUR DOG. NOTE 3:  PLEASE PUT ON YOUR METAL TRAINING COLLAR CORRECTLY.  ALSO BE SURE TO HOLD THE LEASH CORRECTLY. This is a link to a leash article on our business blog.  Leashes How to Hold Them and How to Fold Them . NOTE 4:  START EVERYTHING AT THE BEGINNING IN ENVIRONMENTS THAT ARE EASY FOR YOU.   YOU WANT TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT YOUR DOG HAS LEARNED AND HOW TO HANDLE YOUR DOG IN LOW DISTRACTIONS FIRST, SO THAT YOU WILL BEGIN TO FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IN MORE COMPLICATED OR HIGHER DISTRACTIONS LATER. NOTE 5:   THE GOALS ARE PLACES TO WORK TO IN...

Week 3 Management and Maintenance

 Management tools are a way to give yourself a little break from training and hyper vigilance, as are the way that you use them.   These are your physical management tools and their uses: Crate:   You can use this to feed either dog in while the other is out, you can use this as a rest time (dog's actually could use more sleep than they get, and space to just relax), let wiggles relax in it when Bruce is out sometimes (as Bruce does need to have his free alone time with you),  Collar: ( that does not come off or slip lead)  A halter does not, as other trainers say, control the "bitey end" of the dog.  A halter also is not a great tool for preventing lunging and it is possible for them to get it off.  I use this when I am umbilical cording the dog.   I am holding onto the leash whether I am sitting down for tv (or even have it in a sit on the dog configuration, just remember that sit on the dog is a 30 + minute exercise) or walking around...

Week 2 Videos

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Socializing better with friends (not that he was bad just a bit too excitable and humpy in the beginning):   Teaching ball retrieve and bring inside: Long Place Inside Leash Dropped with Best Puppy Friend, Bluey (very hard for both of them): Send to Place and Recall Practice Reps from More of A Distance Inside: Circle Place Inside with Leash Dropped: Sit Stays Inside with Leash Dropped:

Week 2 Long Place

  Long place is technically the 4th step in the overall place command:   First step is intro.  Intro is just walking the dog and letting them pass over it.  "Place" is said when all paws are on the place. Second step is teaching the dog to step on the place themselves. Third step is teaching them that there is a boundary they should not step off. Fourth step is beginning to proof and advance this exercise by having them keep themselves on the place for a period of time.   Trainer only gets involved if they try to leave. This teaches your dog that you might very well be in a seated position when they are in a place (while the third step has started the idea that you may be moving around the room).   This is tricky for dogs as they usually want to be petted or cuddled when you take a seat, but it is important that owners have time to read, work, eat a meal, and so on without constantly needing to pay attention to their dog.   Usually ...

Week 2 First Three Steps of Place

   THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PLACE (STEP 1): STEP 1:   Position your place equipment in the middle of the room. STEP 2:  Start walking your dog around the room. STEP 3:   Walk  with your dog over the place area.   When all four paws are in the place, say "place". STEP 4:   Repeat step three from every angle of the place mat or bed (remember dogs can totally interpret something as "just from this direction", so help them to learn to generalize the command by doing this). STEP 5:  After several (15 or so) repeats of this, stop short of the mat, and see if the dog is ready to step on themselves.   SEND TO PLACE (STEP 2): STEP 1:   You still have a leash and collar on your dog.   The place (board, mat, dog bed) item is in the middle of the room so you can walk around it, and use all sides to place your dog (so that they do not generalize). STEP 2:    Now as you a...

Week 2 One of Many Ways to Start Fetch with Your Dog or Puppy

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  Equipment:  15' long line Training Collar Chuck-it type ball (easier for puppies) OR other favorite toy STEP 1:   Have your puppy near you on the long line.  You can have the line short at this point to keep them near you. STEP 2:   Throw the ball as you say "get it". STEP 3:   (Super important for the bringing back) Wait until your puppy latches onto the ball before saying "let's go".   DO NOT say "good boy" or "let's go" until they have a grip on the ball. NOTE:   If they don't go after the ball, first make sure you have not picked out a time the puppy is tired or has already trained enough.  Remember you want to do this when the puppy is fresh and ready to go.  If they are, but something has just distracted them or inhibited them, go towards the ball yourself with the puppy.  They will normally go and grip it after this. STEP 4:    Make sure your dog comes towards you.   If they drop the ball along the way, ...

Week 2 Lets Go

  Equipment needed: Long Line, Training Collar, Food Reward (if that is what we are working with)   STEP 1:  You will be wanting to hold the end of the long leash for this one. STEP 2:     In the opposite hand, you will want to be holding the food reward. STEP 3:    Let your puppy get distracted.  If they go to the end of the line, just keep constant tension on until they turn towards you.   When they look at you OR they are not putting pressure on the line (in other words distracted but not going to the end of the line and they do not need to be looking at you) say the command "let's go". STEP 5A:   When your puppy starts to come towards you, say "good girl/boy" and then  they get to you give them the food reward. STEP 5B:   If your puppy does not turn towards you, give a little tug on the leash, and the instant they lock eyes and come towards you say "good boy or girl" encouragingly until they get to you.  ...

Week 2 Spin or Follow The Hand

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  This is just the beginning of the spin trick.   There are more steps later on to have the puppy or dog doing this on their own for the verbal only or signal only command. Equipment needed:   dog or puppy, six foot leash, flat collar that does not come off of head, treats, place to sit or kneel down (can be done standing too, but usually you need to start lower down.   NOTE:  TREATS SHOULD BE SMALL FOR PUPPIES AND NOT THAT BIG FOR DOGS EITHER.   THEIR KIBBLE CAN BE USED FOR THIS. STEP 1:    Hold handle of leash in one hand. STEP 2:   Put treat in the other hand. STEP 3:   Make sure you have the puppy fairly close to you on the leash. STEP 4:   Place the treat close to or right on the puppies nose if needed in a closed hand. STEP 5: Then lure with your hand so the puppy's head turns to start.   Don't expect more than a head turn at first.  If they do go all around with their body at first, the...

Week 2 Recall The Very Beginning

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Equipment Needed :   6' Leash (week 1, afterwards we will use 15' long line); Training Collar Explanation and Goal of Exercise:   Formal command that requires the dog's immediate response to the command in a straight line that ends very close to the owner/handler/trainer in a sit position (auto sit). Uses for This Exercise:    This is an immediate directive to return to owner.   This can be just to leash up, or the owner/trainer/handler could see danger up ahead.   This exercise done well and to a standard can not only return your dog to you, but avoid some dangerous situations (hole in the ground, barbed wire, away from wild animal that has come into the yard ET). The following are steps for this exercise: STEP 1:   Start off in a heel. STEP 2:   Close up your feet into the auto sit position, when your dog is walking in heel position.   If your dog does not go into auto sit, be sure to give th...

Week 2 Lured Heeling Step 1

  STEP 1:    Lure your puppy or dog into a sit in heel position (puppy's shoulder should line up with your leg) on the side of you and facing in the same direction as you .  When sitting in position, you can give your puppy the food reward. STEP 2:   Before heeling, be sure to have a food reward in your left hand. STEP 3:   Now you want to stand straight with the treat now held above your dog's nose.   Remember though, that you still are luring him into the heel position that you want.  Arm should be extended slightly in front of you (not off to the side) to lure your puppy's head forward straight and slightly beyond your leg. STEP 4:   Say "heel" and step forward with your left foot.  Your treat hand should be held slightly in front of your puppy's nose. STEP 5   Go a number of steps forward (be sure that you can retain your puppy's focus (If it is difficult you probably need to reduce the steps).   If your puppy walks or...