The Key to Effective Dog Training? Keep it Simple!

Dogs are very simple creatures. They are not burdened by the same emotional baggage as humans. They live in the present, and they learn from their environment, from experience and most of all, from their owners. Most of pet dog behavior has been trained by the owner – intentionally or unintentionally.

Owners struggle needlessly with their dogs’ behavior problems when they overcomplicate things. For example, we know that the keys to housebreaking are supervision and confinement. Yet owners will come up with an endless number of theories as to why their dogs are going to the bathroom in the house: he’s upset that Joe is away on business, he’s jealous of the new dog, he’s being spiteful and so on.

We know that fearful dogs are uncomfortable with strangers. Yet owners come up with all sorts of interesting theories as to why their shy dogs have bitten people – he was carrying a box, he had on red shirt, he smelled like another dog, etc.

As professionals we can be of tremendous help to our clients when we help them cut through complicated theories and focus on simple solutions.  Stick to the basics and keep things simple.

How do you housebreak a puppy when you live on the 3^rd floor?  Use the elevator.  How do you walk a dog on a prong collar when you have trouble attaching the prongs? You practice until you can do it.    

Purely positive trainers create complicated click-and-treat training protocols designed to encourage differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, while ignoring the undesirable behavior. This results in frustrated clients who give up on their dogs.  In contrast, balanced trainers teach their clients how to simply and effectively correct undesirable dog behavior.

We must never lose sight of the huge benefits that our programs have for our clients – simple, effective solutions that give fast results will help enhance the bond between dog and owner. With a  balanced approach to dog training, dogs learn what to do and what not to do.

Purely positive trainers teach owners how to respect their dogs’ feelings. Balanced trainers teach owners how to correct their dogs’ behavior.  Rewards are a good way to teach a dog what to do, but they are a bad way to teach a dog what not to do. Simple.

A Trained Dog is a Happy Owner

Dogs should be trained to sit/stay at various times throughout the day.

This photo is the “after” picture, where the owner has effectively transformed her two previously unruly dogs into polite and well-mannered dogs at mealtime, by using a simple but effective “stay” command while the family prepares dinner. In the “before” picture these dogs were hovering in the area competing for attention and food while risking more serious behavior problems such as resource guarding and intra-household aggression.

Instead of yelling and scolding, the owner now uses training. A simple solution to a common problem, and just one example of the way in which obedience training helps to eliminate undesirable behavior while at the same time teaching self-control, reinforcing healthy pack structure and preventing many common other related behavior problems. 

At mealtime and at other times when arousal is high due to the introduction of high-value resources (arrival of guests, food in the kitchen, walking on leash etc.), the old adage, “a trained dog is a happy owner” snaps sharply into focus.  Good dog training is always done in three stages, “instruction, correction, distraction.”  There are no quick fixes, this behavior is the result of hard work.

Training Your Dog Based on Internet Tips… Does Not Compute

 The great diversity of opinions available on the Internet makes it a valuable tool for learning, just as the vast array of products available online has made great bargains available to   consumers. But often a thing’s greatest strength is its greatest weakness. When it comes to training your dog, the variety and volume of online information might sometimes help dog owners solve  common behavior problems, but it often does more harm than good. 

It is risky to rely on what you learn online when it comes to things like dog behavior, because all dogs are different. Your dog is not “typical” - so  odds are that general advice will do more than good.   I know what you’re thinking – “his business is in-home dog training – he wants you to hire a professional dog trainer.”   I’ll admit that  -  but I will still defend the notion that you’re better off hiring someone to help you train your dog than doing it yourself .

My experience has convinced me that that the average dog owner is better served by having  a good trainer work hands-on with their dog, instead of surfing the web in search of answers, especially when it comes to critical behavior issues like fear and aggression.  

Over the years I have come to accept the proposition that there are many ways to train a dog. There is no perfect formula for every dog, and there is value to be found in most methods if you look deep enough. But a lot of what you read in books and online is “junk science.” When it comes to someone as important as your dog – who is after all a member of your family –choosing the right method is a serious matter that requires an investment in time and money. There are no shortcuts.

Dog Training's NILIF Principle

NILIF stands for “Nothing in Life is Free.” This practice  (also referred to by dog trainers as “The Deference Protocol”) teaches dogs that they must earn every good thing in life.

Pick up all the toys (and the toy basket if there is one) and put them in the closet.

Ask for a sit and give her one toy. Better yet, play with the toys with your dog - don’t leave her to occupy herself by finding things to do. Whenever you let a young dog move about your house and decide what to do next, she will usually make the wrong decision.

Even if she were to ONLY pick up her own toys, that’s still not a good habit to instill.  Leaving toys all over the floor teaches the dog to go looking for things to occupy herself. In contrast, having her sit and earn each toy from the owner, teaches her to look to the owner with interest instead.  Dogs who have toys scattered all over the floor – or who help themselves to toys from a basket or box – quickly learn to go exploring in order to find things to do. How is she supposed to understand that the shoe on the floor is not hers, but the rubber bone is ok?

But most importantly, the practice of helping herself to toys violates the NILIF principle. The dog should be deferring to the owner for every resource, including toys. She should never be helping herself to anything. She must earn all good things in life including toys, food, treats, petting etc. Nothing in life is free.

“Want a treat? Sit. Want to go out? Sit. Want your Kong? Sit.”  That’s what the dogs hear every day when their owners take leadership seriously.  In those homes, dogs are constantly deferring to their owners to earn everything they want, usually by performing obedience commands such as come, sit, down or stay.   

In contrast, some of the rudest dogs I’ve ever met help themselves to whatever they want in the home. The food bowl is full all day, toys and bones are everywhere and no area is off limits. These dogs are rude and ill-mannered - constantly demanding attention, counter surfing, object stealing and jumping on and barking at their owners.   They barge through doors and knock them down stairs.  They are rude because that’s the way their owners have trained them. Every day,  you are training your dog - whether you realize it or not.

Want to start teaching your dog some good manners?  Empty out the food bowl and make your dog sit for his food at mealtime.  Pick up the toy basket and put it in the closet. Ignore rude demands for attention and correct bad behavior when it occurs.  Implement some common sense rules and boundaries and make sure the whole family sticks with them. You’ll be amazed at the changes you begin to see in your dog’s behavior.  

 

Best Ways to Exercise Your Dog

Exercise means doing things with your dog, not just letting him run around alone in the yard. Dogs are social animals and require interactive play – they must play with you, their owner. Time spent alone running around in the yard will not solve your dog’s behavior problems. In fact, it may lead to more behavior problems, e.g. barking, digging, fence fighting.  It may actually increase, rather than decrease, a dog’s level of frustration.  An active, involved owner with a small back yard is a lot more fun for a dog than a detached, aloof owner who banishes the dog to “go play” in a big back yard. Steven Lindsay, in The Handbook of Applied Dog Training and Behavior concurs, “Putting a dog outside in a fenced yard is not enough to produce adequate exercise. The owner must become directly involved in the exercise activity, insuring that the exercise is done in a way that produces physiological and psychological benefit.” 

Dog parks and day care are not appropriate for every dog. But luckily, those are not the only ways to exercise your dog. Dogs enjoy fetch, jogging, long walks, swimming and playing games like tug-of-war and flirt pole.  

Tug-of-war is a great game to play with non-aggressive dogs, as long as you follow some basic rules. The owner should be the one to start and end the game, use only one object as the tug toy, put it away when you’re done and  teach the dog to drop the object on command.   

A flirt pole is simply a wooden pole with a length of rope and a toy tied to it.  Dogs with high prey drive love to chase and try to catch the toy. Dogs are not cats though, so be careful not to use the toy to make the dog jump up into the air, or your dog may be injured when he lands. Instead, make the toy “run” along the ground, simulating the movement of a running critter.  

Food games (like food puzzles or balls that dispense treats when hit a certain way by the dog) can be fun for dogs, providing much needed mental stimulation. While mental stimulation is not a substitute for exercise, don’t underestimate its impact on your dog’s overall well-being.  

Occupying your dog’s brain can be just as tiring as physical exercise. Take your dog with you wherever dogs are welcome.  Invest in a good obedience training program so that your dog will learn to be more pleasant and well-mannered, and he will be welcome in more places. (Plus the training itself is another great way to occupy your dog’s mind.)

By the way, if you’re thinking about getting a second dog to keep the first one company, think again. You just might wind up with 2 bored dogs instead of one. There is no substitute for human attention, love, guidance and companionship.

What's The Best Collar for my Dog?

What’s the Best Training Collar for My Dog?

As a professional dog trainer I am often asked, “What’s the best training collar for my dog?” People ask me that question about dogs I haven’t even met. It sounds like a reasonable question on the surface, but asking a trainer that question - before the trainer has met the dog - is like asking a professional decorator what the best color to paint your living room is before they’ve visited your home. The underlying implication is that one type of collar is best for all dogs.  This is not an accurate assumption. There is no “best collar” for all dogs, any more than there is a “best color” to paint everyone’s living room.

The training collar that you choose for your dog must be matched to:

·        Your training goals

·        Your dog’s temperament and drive

·        Your dog’s breed, physical condition and medical problems (e.g. damaged tracheas and any other physical factors that might require a harness instead of a collar)

·        Your training philosophy

Let’s start by defining what a “training collar” is. Unlike your dog’s flat collar, it is not a fashion statement. A dog can wear a flat (buckle or clip type) collar with an ID tag along with a training collar – the two are unrelated. So in the list below, we’re not going to mention flat collars (collars with a clip or a buckle that people hang an ID tag from), we’re only listing collars that are designed to help your dog learn to do something.

So the first question to ask is, “what are your training goals for the dog?” Typical dog training goals include stop pulling on leash, long distance recall, better control around the house, off leash heeling and so on.  Starting there, move down the list above and make sure you can answer each question. Once you’re done that, you are ready to start deciding what type of training collar might be a good choice for your dog. 

In this list below, I’m going to list the pros and cons of the common types of training collars, based on my 25 plus years as a professional dog trainer, having trained countless thousands of dogs. I am not endorsing the use of any of them for your dog. What you choose for your dog is up to you.  However I do have an opinion on each and I’ll share them below, along with some of the pros and cons.

Here goes: 

Choke collar – I’m listing this first because it’s the one that most trainers used at the start of, and throughout most of, the 20^th century. This was your basic training collar until it fell out of vogue in the 90s. The proper use of a choke collar is not to choke, but to alert the dog that you desire a certain behavior. Pros include its simple construction, and the fact that it’s easy to put on and take off, as long as you remember the “P” for puppy principle – if you’re going to be walking your dog at your left side, the chain should form the letter “p” when you’re holding it up in front of you before you put it on your dog. That way, a quick tug on the leash will allow it to close and then reopen quickly. If you put it on incorrectly (upside down) it will not release.   Cons include the fact that if used improperly (which is the way 99% of people use it who have not had professional assistance) it can seriously injure your dog.  (Personal opinion – I very rarely use choke collars on any dogs that I train. There are much safer and much more effective training collars than the old fashioned choke collar.)

Martingale collar – A Martingale collar is a fabric (usually nylon or cotton) collar that has a little loop at the top that allows it to snug up when needed, so that a dog cannot slip his head out of it accidentally when on leash. It is designed to be dropped over the dog’s head, and then tightened before use. Pros – it exerts pressure evenly, unlike a flat collar which can press directly against the trachea. When used properly it is safer than a flat collar, and if your dog’s an escape artist this collar is foolproof, nothing to malfunction like those plastic clips on flat collars, and IF (only IF) you remember to slide that metal part back and tighten it before you clip the leash on, it will be impossible for a dog to whip his head out of it. Cons – when new it is a little tough to slide the metal part back and forth to tighten and loosen it, so it can be a pain to put on and take off until it loosens up a bit. For safety, remember to take it off before crating your dog, especially if you attach your dog’s ID tags to it. (Personal opinion – this is my favorite “every day collar” for most dogs. Good to wear around the house, gives you instant control and the dog can’t accidentally slip out of it. But if your dog is a hard puller on leash, this type of training collar will not help much.)

Prong collar – Used properly, it is a safe, gentle way to teach hard pulling dogs how to walk nicely on leash and to help gain control over unruly dogs. Pros: works fast when used right. Much safer than choke collars. In fact a study on prong collars was done in Germany:

·        100 dogs were in the study. 50 used choke and 50 used prong.

·        The dogs were studied for their entire lives. As dogs died, autopsies were performed.

·        Of the 50 which had choke collars, 48 had injuries to the neck, trachea, or back. 2 of those were determined to be genetic. The other 46 were caused by trauma.

·        Of the 50 which had used prong collars, only 2 had injuries in the neck area, 1 was determined to be genetic. 1 was caused by trauma.

(Information about above study taken from an Anne Marie Silverton Seminar, http://www.cobankopegi.com/prong.html#AStudy)

Cons: Can cause some dogs to redirect, so not a good choice for some aggressive dogs. Not easy to put on and take off, and should not be used without professional assistance. Prongs must be positioned properly – high on the side of the neck and not over the trachea.    NEVER slip the collar over the dog’s head as you  can poke an eye. Dogs playing with  each other must NEVER wear prong collars (the other dogs can get caught in the prongs). ALWAYS remove the prong collar when the dog is not under your direct supervision. DO NOT put a dog wearing a prong collar on a tie-out or tether line. The prongs or the quick release catch can come loose when in use, so the dog should ALWAYS wear a nylon slip collar in addition to the prong collar. (Personal opinion: Should not be used without professional assistance, but when used properly can be an excellent training tool.)

Head Halter – Pros: Controls the head. Cons: More of a containment device than a training device, as the handler cannot deliver an effective correction for unwanted behavior. Therefore they are okay for control but not for training. Plus, dogs absolutely hate wearing them, in fact many dogs will completely shut down until they get used to them. Also, if not used exactly according to the manufacturer’s instructions, they can slip off at the worst possible moment. (Personal opinion – I rarely use head halters.)

Harness – I know this is not a type of collar, but have  included it here for clarity. If you want to teach a dog to pull something, or want to do some tracking, a harness is an excellent choice. But for dogs who already pull hard on the leash, it is exactly the wrong choice. Again, like the head halters that “purely positive” trainers are so fond of, harnesses are really more of a  containment device rather than a training device. (Personal opinion – not a fan. I only use them if I have no other choice, like for a dog who is likely to redirect at the handler on a  different type of training collar.)

Remote Training Collars (aka e-collars or “shock collars”) – must be used only by professional trainers who are experienced in their use. Owners who buy a remote training collar and try to use them without hiring a professional risk creating serious behavioral problems in their dogs.  (Personal opinion - They are not part of our basic obedience training program at Canine Dimensions, but they can be a valid training tool when used properly, for certain training goals, with the guidance of a professional trainer, with the right dog and under the right circumstances.)

The right collar for your dog might not be the right collar for your neighbor’s dog, it all depends on the temperament, health, breed and drive of the dog, as well as you own training goals. So if you’re in doubt about the right collar for your dog, don’t be afraid to get the help of a good professional dog trainer in your area.