Category Archives for "Training"

What is Clicker Training

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Training

What is Clicker Training? Simply put, clicker training is an easy and effective animal training method that has become popular over the past ten years because of its gentle approach. Clicker training is also often referred to by its scientific name: operant conditioning.

At its most basic level, clicker training uses the way that a dog interacts with its environment. It encourages a dog to repeat behaviors that have positive consequences and refrain from behaviors with negative consequences.

However, in order for a dog to connect positive reinforcement with an action, it must be rewarded as good behavior occurs and not a moment afterward. Thus, a clicker becomes beneficial in training because it makes a distinct clicking sound that stands out to the ear of a dog. The clicking is quicker and more effective than praising a dog for good behavior. When a clicker is used with positive reinforcement, it becomes a powerful tool to train and improve the behavior of a dog.

How to Use Clicker Training

Clicker training is first taught by associating a clicking sound from a clicker with one treat. Your dog will quickly learn that one click equals one treat as a reward for good behavior. A dog will associate that whatever behavior they just did earned them one treat, reinforced by the clicking sound.

This proven training method can be used to train complete tricks and behaviors. Remember, in order for clicker training to be successful, you must click at the exact moment that a behavior occurs. When your dog sits, the clicker clicks.

Think of it this way: clicking is like taking a picture of the behavior you want your dog to repeat again and again. After you click to “take the picture”, you will give your dog a treat to train a behavior with positive reinforcement.

Within two or three clicks, a dog will quickly associate a click with a reward. If a dog wants another treat – which he will – he will be encouraged to repeat the good behavior again and again.

At what stage should you give up the rewards and only use the clicker for training? The answer is never! A clicker is not intended to replace a reward; it is used to emphasize that good behavior earns a treat. If you stop giving your dog rewards, the clicker will quickly lose its power as a training tool.

A strong reward after a click will yield the best training results for your dog.

Clicker Training: Put It to Practice

According to clicker training expert Karen Pryor, “101 Things to Do with a Box” is an excellent concept to use to enter into clicker training for the first time. This is a training tool taken from a dolphin research project in 1969, published in the Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior.¹ The approach can be used as a crossover training tool for dogs of all ages and sizes.

1. Use a plain cardboard box of any size. Trim the sides until they are three inches tall and place the box on the floor.
2. Click your dog for anything they do related to the box. Example: if the dog sniffs the box, click and provide a treat.
3. Do not help or encourage the dog to interact with the box. Allow him to play with the box naturally, and click and provide a treat for repeat behavior.

Use this same training method for several sessions until basic behaviors are reinforced. From there, take it to the next level. Click the dog for nudging the box, pawing the box, getting inside of the box, dragging the box, etc.

Click the moment the behavior happens and not a second after. As soon as your dog hears the click in this second level of training, he will stop to receive a treat. The dog will understand that the click is used to mark his behavior, and he will repeat that behavior again and again to get a treat.

Sources:

1. “101 Things to Do with a Box.”www.clickertraining.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

Target Training

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Training , Tricks

Becoming the Pack Leader

By Sally Gutteridge | Behavior , Posts , Training

In nature, puppies have a so-called “puppy license” for the first 4 or 5 months. During this time, older dogs will let them get away with all sorts of puppy behavior without retaliation. If the older dog doesn’t feel like playing with the pup, then he will often just get up and move away, or else give a quick verbal signal that he isn’t interested. Only once this “puppy license” has expired do the pups start getting real lessons in manners from the other dogs.

During her seminars, Patricia McConnell often shows two videos of Bailey, a beautiful golden retriever pup. In the first video, Bailey is perhaps 4 months old, and is chewing on a child’s stuffed toy. The woman owner tries to get the toy away from the dog by using outdated “dominance” techniques such as grabbing the puppy by the scruff of the neck and trying to make it submit to her. Retrievers are mouthy dogs and by their nature love to chew on stuff. So can anyone guess what happens after a month or two of such “training”?

In the second video, Bailey is around 6 months old. Again the dog is chewing on a toy, except that now he’s quite a bit larger. He snarls as the owner tries to get the toy away, and snaps at her hand. The owner is still faithfully following her trainer’s orders and trying to get the dog to submit to her authority. So what happens next?

Bailey was put down before he reached one year of age.

It didn’t have to happen! The dog wasn’t aggressive by nature, but simply ruined by bad training and horrible conditioning. Unfortunately, some trainers today still rely on outdated and now proven false research going back to the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s.

In her 12-page pamphlet “How to Be the Pack Leader“, Patricia McConnell states in the introduction:

“Dogs need to feel secure to be truly happy; that means they need to feel secure that you will be the pack leader, and that they can count on you to take charge. But being the pack leader is often misunderstood. It doesn’t mean that you forcibly dominate your dog. Rather, leadership is more of a mental quality in which you set boundaries without intimidation.”

The pack leader isn’t always the strongest. Many of you have perhaps seen and wondered how a household with several dogs, sometimes the bigger dogs will acknowledge a smaller and physically weaker dog as the pack leader? Surely that alone is enough to debunk the old-fashioned myths about the biggest bully always becoming the pack leader?

So, how do we dog owners become the pack leaders? Well, it isn’t so much a matter of forcing ourselves into the position as getting our dogs to accept us as such. Sounds much tougher than just pinning a dog to the floor in an alpha roll, doesn’t it? Well, yes, it requires a bit more work, and a bit more thought, and a bit more effort.

During his presentation, Anders Hallgren put up a slide with common training advice that soon had us all nodding our heads in recognition. I’m sure you’ve heard them all, too. Perhaps you’ve even been faithfully following them as an integral part of your training routine…

• Don’t let the dog walk first out through the door.
• Don’t let the dog eat its meal before you eat yours.
• Don’t let the dog be positioned higher up than you (physically, like you on the floor and the dog up on the couch).
• Don’t let the dog be in the bed or on the sofa.
• The dog should pee only to empty the bladder (don’t let the dog mark when taking a walk).
• Punish severely all protests, like growling and the like.
• Always be sure to win tug of war and other games you play with the dog.
• Don’t greet the dog when coming home.

These rules are misconceptions and have very little to do with pack leadership. Some, however, do have value in terms of dealing with other possible problems, such as separation anxiety (greeting) or the danger of letting dogs run out of the house into the street (not going first through doors). In terms of leadership, however, none of these rules will help you gain the top role. Pack leaders have a special role in the group and do special tasks. Anders Hallgren summarizes these as:

• Initiates moving from the location.
• Leads the group to special places, like hunting grounds.
• Chooses prey.
• Initiates the hunt.
• Directs during the chase.
• Calls off the hunt.
• Seldom initiates social activities, but does not turn away.
• Often is the subject of affection.
• Finds places to rest, and lies down, thereby making the group relax, too.

What we dog owners should do is perform activities that mimic true leaders in the wild:

• Take goal directed walks that lead to interesting places.
• Choose types of activities (courses, mental training, etc).
• Give the dog a starting signal.
• Tell the dog in which order the activities shall be.
• Call off the activities.
• Let the dog greet, but don’t initiate the greeting very often.
• Always respond with affection when the dog makes contact.
• Rest at certain times and thereby get the dog to relax, too.

To summarize, becoming a pack leader in your dog’s eyes will require active involvement and daily training. Are you up for it?

Holding The End Of The Leash Properly

By Jean Cote | Posts , Tips , Training

There are many different kinds of leashes on the market today; each one has its own practical and aesthetic appeal. So holding the end of the leash is going to be different with each kind. When shopping for a leash, you will need to consider your dog’s size and age. Keep in mind that small dogs and puppies should have light weight leashes while larger dogs should have stronger and heavier leashes.

There are different lengths of leashes available; the majority of leashes come in 4-foot, 6-foot or 8-foot lengths. For training purposes, a 6-foot length leash is ideal and recommended. The longer leashes are used when your training requires you to be at a distance from your dog.

Leashes come in many different materials. The most popular leash today is the nylon leash. Its low price tag, along with the variety of colors and designs makes it a popular item amongst dog owners. They are used in every day situations as well as dog training.

But for those of you who want the absolute best, the leash of choice is made of leather. These leashes are more attractive, but most importantly, they are superior in strength and are much easier to hold a grip.

There are also leashes made out of cotton, which are also easier on the hands than nylon, especially if the dog tends to pull. Cotton leashes can be bought in very long lengths, some up to 30-feet long, making them ideal for training outside or in any unenclosed outside areas.

Retractable leashes have gained popularity in the last few years. They have a unique feature to extend and retract automatically while the dog moves around. This gives the dog more space and freedom to walk while avoiding the leash from getting tangled in his legs. These leashes are usually higher priced than regular nylon leashes.

A retractable leash is definitely not recommended for dogs that aren’t already trained to walk on a loose leash. Many dog trainers believe that these leashes encourage the dog to pull; the mechanism of the leash creates a constant pressure on the dog’s collar, which leaves the dog unable to tell when the leash is tight or loose.

For situations when you need to keep your dog close to you, a traffic leash can be useful. Usually made of leather, traffic leashes are between 15 to 18 inches long and feature a large handle loop. A large dog can easily be held close to your body if equipped with a traffic leash.

When training agility equipment or any other activity that involves obstacles, it’s often recommended that people use a training tab or a short leash of about 8 inches long. The reason for using these short leashes is to avoid the dog from getting caught in the obstacles or in his legs, while still allowing you some control over the dog if the need ever arises. It is very useful when beginning training your dog as you can use the leash to lead him through an obstacle or catch him before he runs off.

Learning how to hold the end of the leash properly can avoid many potential problems. Many dog owners make the mistake of wrapping their leash two or three times around their hand. This can be very dangerous for you safety, since it leaves you unable to let go of the leash if you ever need to, especially when walking a bigger and larger dog.

A proper and effective way to hold the end of the leash is to insert your thumb in the loop at the end of your leash, and to grab the middle of the leash or any distance you need. With this technique you can add or remove length to your leash by grabbing further or closer to your dog.

Overall, holding the end of the leash is a personal matter and you may choose to hold it whatever way you like, but now you will know of a new way to hold it. Try it during your next walk and see if you think it could be beneficial.

What are Service Dogs?

By Jean Cote | Posts , Training

A Comprehensive History of Dog Training

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Training

Dog training has evolved through the centuries and will continue to evolve in the future as we continue to refine and develop new training techniques. Positive reinforcement based training was something unheard of 50 years ago, and now in 2011 it is a training technique used by all major dog training centers around the world.

Let’s explore the history of dog training…

Hunting Training
The earliest dog training involved teaching dogs to assist in hunting. The hunters needed help when they went hunting and a dog could assist them in finding and retrieving their prey. There is nothing quite like hunting near a lake and getting your dog to swim in near freezing temperature just to retrieve a prize. This help the hunters tremendously and many hunting breeds like the Spaniels, Terriers, Pointers and Retrievers are still employed today.

Military Training
When World War I began dogs were often used in combat for various purposes. The military needed dogs to be trained quickly so they would train many dogs at the same time. Some of the dogs were trained as guard dogs and others were trained to detect mines and explosives.

The early military dog training techniques were ones of constant correction. The dog would be physically punished for not obeying the trainer’s commands. The punitive system went in to include collars with shocking systems. The idea of dominating the dog and becoming the Alpha and the pack was born and quickly spread all over the world after the war.

Modern Dog Training
After World War I it was considered normal to punish the dog for any misdeeds committed by the dog. Punishment equipment was invented like the prong and choke collars. The idea was that if a behavior is punished then the dog would learn to never do it again.

For example, training a dog to walk loosely on a leash was done by punishing the dog any time he pulled on the leash or walked out of line.

Fortunately, in 2011 we have evolved from these dog training techniques and are now getting the dog to do what we want on his own by means of positive reinforcements.

Assistance Dogs
Dogs have been shown to be terrific assets to those with visual or auditory impairments as well as those with limited mobility. These dogs must be highly trained as well as companionable. In addition, they are carefully selected as they must have the right physical ability and temperament. They then are put through an intense training that is reward based (positive reinforcements).

These dogs are trained to ignore distractions and to take direction. They are taught to lead or communicate and follow commands. It is imperative that these animals be thoroughly trained as any mishaps can endanger the lives of the owner. Most assistance dogs are trained by professionals and then introduced to their owner or trained alongside their owner.

Police and Drug Dogs
Drug, Search and Rescue, or Bomb Squad dogs are highly trained in tracking and alerting skills. Police and protection dogs are trained in controlled aggression. Each animal is highly skilled in their respective field and are not interchangeable in other areas. Dogs trained in tracking abilities are less likely to be trained using heavy handed techniques, while police and protection dogs are.

Medical Dogs
The latest dog training is taking place in the medical field. Dogs are being trained to use their highly sensitive noses and sniff out medical conditions, such as cancer. So far studies on the subject are limited but they show promise and could potentially lead to saving human lives  through early detection.

Dog Sports
Popular dog sports include Flyball and Agility. Flyball is a relay race with four dogs, and Agility is an obstacle course set up for a single dog to run while being coaxed by his owner. Training to run these sports is almost always based on positive reinforcement. Practice and consistency are also very important.

Family Pets
While much of modern training still involves punitive systems, positive reward based systems can be more effective and easier on everyone. Tricks and basic commands can all be taught gently and easily using positive reinforcement methods. The sheer number of methods and options we have today are indicative of how much joy and help they can bring into our lives. They also show our dedication to finding more humane and loving dog training techniques to train our dogs.