Cynologist

The recipe described in this section is a ten-week plan for the successful teaching of the obedience commands as described in chapter 7. Perform three workouts per day, approximately twenty minutes per workout (no less than fifteen minutes). Allow at least one hour of rest between workouts. There should be thirty total workouts in a two-week period. Sometimes learning new things can be stressful, especially at first when not only are the concepts new, but the methods of teaching are new as well. Some nervous-personality dogs will be especially stressed. Dogs sometimes refuse food during the early stages of training. If this happens, freeze the program wherever you are and simply repeat the skills you are working on until the dog relaxes and begins to accept treats again. This process may require three or four workouts but it is worthwhile to develop your dog's positive attitude towards obedience. Weeks One and Two 1. Teach HEEL command. Repeat a series of three to five circles, seven times (total of thirty to thirty-five repetitions). Perform a series of five four-step HEELS four times (total of twenty repetitions). 2. Teach SIT command. Teach BREAK command. Place your dog in a SIT, pause, and release with BREAK. Read more [...]

To make training practical you will need to add controlled distractions. Distractions are things (food, cats, toys, etc.) or situations (traffic, thunderstorms, veterinarian offices, etc.) that will cause our dogs to become temporarily diverted from their normal "good" behavior. Distraction training helps your dog understand that obedience commands, along with the appropriate corrections and praise, are consistent ingredients of his life regardless of change. Make a list of the most distracting items/situations that are difficult for your dog. Rank these distractions from the hardest to easiest. Begin distraction training with an item or situation other than the most difficult. For example, if your dog goes bonkers with people at the door, start distraction training with a distraction you listed as "easy" such as a toy or food. Distraction training is usually easiest with two people — one to work the dog and one to work the distraction. As your dog establishes self-control, increase the difficulty of the distraction slowly, working towards the most distracting item or situation. Distance has a great equalizer. Always start the distraction training process by having the distraction at the greatest practical distance Read more [...]

Define the "Yes" and the "No" to teach what is good praise. To teach what is not good, say "No." Only giving praise, without the NO, will not develop the sense of "right and wrong" needed for your dog. If effectively taught and consistently reinforced, NO is a valuable tool in the obedience language. Functionally, NO will mean: you (the dog) are doing something wrong; stop what you are doing and pay attention to me (the owner), and I will tell you what to do to get praise! How does this complex meaning get taught? Teaching NO is part of the reinforcement phase in obedience training. To teach your dog NO, you will give a quick snap and release of the leash (leash signal) while simultaneously saying NO. Give a command you wish your dog to do. If performed, praise. If not performed, give the corrective NO (diversion) and re-command with the initial command (redirection). An example of the verbal pattern for a dog who needed to be corrected twice for failing to SIT is: "SIT," "NO...SIT," "NO...SIT," (the dog sits)... "Good SIT." The corrective NO technique will need to be understood, practiced, and mastered to assure that NO is fair and understood. The leash signal required to perform an effective correction is a quick Read more [...]

Teaching each command will have four phases: Teaching, Reinforcing, Testing, and Applying. The teaching phase is designed to teach your dog the meaning of each command. During the teaching phase you will be helping your dog by manually placing him in positions and repeating a cue word such as SIT so he associates the work with the action. You may need to repeat these exercises with as many as one hundred repetitions before you begin reinforcement. Teaching is a one-time experience, and reinforcing will continue throughout your dog's life. You only have one chance to teach your dog well. Take your time and get it right. Do not begin to exact performance (reinforce) any command before your dog has demonstrated a complete understanding of the command. Be patient. The reinforcement phase of each command will be characterized by a removal of the physical assistance used to teach each command. Food reward will be reduced to provide a "random" reward scenario. Quality verbal praise and motivation are essential during this phase to maintain a positive experience for your dog. The reinforcement phase will transfer the responsibility for completing the commands from you to your dog. Your dog will begin to learn boundaries Read more [...]

Behind every success story is a plan. The key to successfully training your dog is no different. Before you begin teaching your dog anything, develop a plan for what you will teach first, second, and so on. Having a prepared plan will help you develop excellent timing. Distracted dogs have short attention spans. Giving a command and praising three or four seconds after your dog has succeeded may not link the praise with the action. Being very timely with both praise and correction will help your dog learn faster and understand exactly which action is desired and which action is inappropriate. Poor or sloppy leash handling reflects a very casual attitude towards training. Your dog will have a tough time taking you seriously with sloppy leash handling. The effect of getting a proper leash grip is like a lecturer clearing his throat to get your attention. Get a grip! Place the thumb of your right hand in the loop of the leash. Make another loop in the leash to take up the slack and loop it over your right thumb. Your left hand should find a spot on the leash toward the stitching near the buckle. Hold the leash so that the buckle lays flat but minimum slack is in the leash. Your left hand will be rather close to the Read more [...]

The obedience command language must be a positive expression of communication for your dog. Obedience training is not punishment. To ensure this, the language of obedience commands should be positive, fun, well taught, and well received. The tools for achieving these concepts are food, a joyful voice, happy facial expressions, precise and patient teaching, and an eager teacher. Most dogs are food motivated. The secret to food training is getting the most result for each treat. Start out by using a tiny treat for every success. Always use a cue phrase like "good dog," "good boy," "good girl," "good (insert dog's name here)," or "good (insert command here) "After your dog becomes accustomed to the training process (approximately one month), decrease the frequency of treats. The next step is to treat only for patience building or distraction training. Finally, reward randomly so your dog is kept guessing (and working) for the next reward. Important Note During the following obedience command training instructions, where we have written praise with "good..." you may insert a click-and-treat reward if this is your preferred style of training. You must use the right "bait" to "catch" a command. Sometimes you will need to Read more [...]

There are many varied methods and styles of obedience training for dogs. It is important to research your local trainers as thoroughly as possible before making a commitment to any one program or option. Some of the options available are group classes, private instruction, and pre-training programs. Some well-crafted programs include combinations of these programs designed to capture the best of each type. Teaching your dog in a group class environment can be very distracting. Your dog will have to ignore the action going on around him and focus on learning. If your dog falls behind, you may be pushed toward moving your dog ahead to exercises for which he is not prepared. This may sour the training experience for both you and your dog. Before signing up for an obedience class, visit a current class and observe the dogs and owners. Take special note of how the instructor handles owner-and-dog teams that have fallen behind. A good instructor can balance the special needs of the stragglers without penalizing the teams who are on pace. Don't underestimate the value of obedience commands being professionally taught. Whether or not your dog "listens to you" depends more on your relationship with your dog than who teaches Read more [...]

Place is a command used to indicate to your dog where you would like him to go and lie down. When on PLACE, your dog may get up and turn around but cannot leave the PLACE. The PLACE may be moved from room to room or outside (like on a deck) but must be rein-troduced after moving the PLACE.

Teach the PLACE Command

HEEL your dog across the object you have selected as the PLACE. This object may be a dog bed or fleece mat or a small carpet. When you are directly over top of the PLACE stop (your dog will SIT automatically) and give your dog the DOWN command. As your dog DOWNS, command PLACE and point. Praise your dog with “good PLACE.”

Advance the PLACE command by doing a DOWN in motion over the place object, and just as your dog DOWNS, command PLACE and praise. Next HEEL up to the place. Bend over and point to the place and command PLACE. Praise when your dog lies down on the place.

Reinforce the PLACE Command

If your dog leaves the place, lead him back, give a corrective NO, and re-command PLACE. Make sure you lead your dog back to the place before correcting him. Do not use the DOWN command to remind him of the position he should be in. If your dog has difficulty, perform more teaching exercises.

Regardless where your dog is or what he is doing, he should come to you and SIT directly in front of you when called and wait for further direction. Read and understand all the steps prior to teaching your dog COME. The COME command exemplifies your dog's overall understanding of your rules, clarity, and consistency, as well as the respect level he has for you. Your dog will COME when called if your relationship is positive and well balanced. COME is the position of being within the same two-foot-to-a-side square but positioned directly in front of you. When called to COME, your dog should stop whatever he is doing and immediately proceed into the square and SIT. Your dog should remain in the SIT until released or given another command. The command has the same meaning regardless of how far (or close) your dog is to you. Teach the COME Command The hand signal for COME is a motion with your right hand, similar to sweeping poker winnings off the table and into your lap. Your right hand starts shoulder height with arm extended fingertips. Sweep your hand toward the center of your chest. Stand approximately two feet directly in front of your dog with your dog in a SIT. Grasp the leash with your left hand with minimum Read more [...]

Once you have taught the concepts of position holding for time, position, and distance, you are ready to introduce the corrective NO. Slowly increase the target time goal. Increase by five-second intervals until you can consistently achieve twenty- to thirty-second sits. If your dog breaks the position, leash, correct with NO, and reposition your dog. Repeat this until your target time goal has been achieved. If your dog begins to repeatedly fail the SIT exercise, lower the target time goal by several seconds and repeat until your dog improves. If your dog feels that the treat signals the end of the position-holding exercise, brace him on his shoulders with the palm of your left hand while he is eating the treat. Make sure he does not get up and praise. After he relaxes in the position, release him with BREAK. Alternately, when your dog gets up quickly, correct with NO and re-command with SIT. Praise and release. Increase the distance you walk away from your dog. Walk around your dog in a circle. Change the circle direction and walk in the opposite direction. If your dog gets up and walks away, take the leash and move your dog back to the initial position, correct with NO, and re-command SIT. Repositioning your dog Read more [...]