Videos
Bringing out the best in a cat or dog is a hands-on task. Seeing it in a video is often better than reading it. My goal with these videos is to make behavior management easier to understand and implement.
Who wants to stay? We may not want to but a dog can, if we motivate him. Mick is just learning that if he watches me, and then I show him the money (treat), he can wait for me to come back to his side to get reinforced with a snack and a hug and a kiss. He’s new at this so we’re taking baby steps. After giving the command, I stood in front of him for a few seconds to remind him of his job. They I backed up a about 4 feet and then stood there for only…
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How much garbage and other poop should a dog eat on a leash walk? You can yell LEAVE IT! and jerk hard on the leash but your dog may only learn to move faster in his quest for dangerous junk. Besides, scaring your dog with a harsh reprimand could damage the trust you’ve worked hard to build. All dogs want to scavenge when they’re away from home because foraging is natural for them. Their survival in the wild depends on it. Never mind that great dog food is abundant at your house; our dogs are sure that the Great Famine…
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Dogs of any age can learn to walk well on leash and come when called. Start by setting the kid up to succeed with no distractions. I told Mick to heel, only expecting him to stay somewhere in the same county. Of course, he forged ahead. Already pretty good at coming when called (when leashed) I told him, “Mick, Come!” and backed up to remind him of what he needed to do to earn the treat, a kiss, and me telling him how good he is. He’s learning to stay closer when leashed and that the opportunity to earn great…
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Mick is getting clear on the concept of “Down” on command but he still needs a little hint so he can succeed every time. There’s no point in putting an early skill to a test too soon. After a canine student of any age has the idea, the food lure can be a partial movement. After a dog gets that right, you can repeat with just a tiny movement of the treat toward the ground. His enthusiasm shows that he has no anxiety about this. Mick will be ready for the command without the food next. One baby step at-a-time,…
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Out-of-control behavior in a dog of any age can drive you crazy. Reprimands and physical corrections teach nothing, except more intense agitation. Instead, you can “redirect” your kid to earn an immediate reinforcer (a click) and a food reward. She’d much work for you than annoy you anyway. Here is step 1 of target and clicker training.
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Mick is only a kid. He’s not ready to be trusted to behave if we left him loose in the house at night. A dog is a denning creature but a puppy needs to go there when his folks tell him to. So that he isn’t forced (he’d quickly learn to hate it) he gets to choose. I made it easy for Mick by rewarding each baby step with a tiny treat. As he walked into the crate I “captured” the behavior I wanted by saying, “Mick, Crate!” You’ll see later how he follows the command without argument.
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Digging dogs can damage a great yard. Don’t punish; it’s normal behavior. Instead, give that dirt dog its very own wonderful digging box. Make it attractive by loosening the dirt, misting with water, and burying tasty, challenging food-dispensing toys. Everybody wins.
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Dogs love to work for food. You don’t need to push a puppy to ground. Give the “Down” command as you use a treat, as a lure, to show that kid what you want. When Mick “follows the money” he earns the payoff. You’ll know when your dog is catching on because she’ll start dropping when she hears the command. Then give her the food when she’s completed the job. Take baby steps with the babies.
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Puppy kindergarten teaches healthy play during the sensitive period of socialization. Mick and his BFF (Welsh corgi) wrestle with wild abandon. A fun loving pug considers joining the fun and then says, “Ah, no. I’ll find a kinder, gentler smack down.” For all the juvenile canine fisticuffs and trash talking no one ever gets hurt. They’re all delighted to have another go next week. Aztec Animal Clinic gets it right.
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Young Mick (now 15 weeks old) has been practicing his recalls. We started with a little tug using a short leash. Now he comes reliably from longer distances but we still use a long line. It’s easy for people to hope for reliability too soon. That would frustrate everybody. Instead, you can prevent a failure by using a leash every time until your dog’s recalls are pretty darn good (they get better but are never really 100% reliable). No one is perfect, including Mick Nichol. He always gets a treat, praise, and most importantly a hug and a kiss for…
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