everything about your dogs

Showing posts with label dog training games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog training games. Show all posts

Preparing your dog for a new baby

Comment  
Expecting a new baby into your family can be very exciting and nerve wracking for a new Mommy, especially if you own a dog who hasn't been around babies very often. You're probably wondering, "Will my dog be good with the baby? What if he's not good with the baby? How should I introduce my dog to the baby? Etc..." All of these questions are very good concerns, but just remember, your dog is very attuned to your changing body, thoughts and stresses. By worrying about the "what ifs" you will just end up wearing your stresses all over your body language and your dog will pick up on your fears. By preparing yourself and your dog for the big new changes, you will feel better and more relieved that your dog will continue to be an important, well-behaved member of your growing family.

Months before the arrival of your baby, prepare your present fur baby by brushing up on all of his basic obedience commands. Does your dog know sit, down, stay, leave it, touch, look, come, go to your spot, off, back and heel? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you most likely have a very good Zen dog. Even if your dog does know all of these commands, practice them using training games such as, Go Find It, Hide and Go Seek, Constructive Tug, Active Fetch etc. Getting ready for a baby can be all consuming, and oftentimes, dogs end up getting less attention that they are used to and naughty behavior can pop up. Playing and doing training games will strengthen your bond with your dog and will sharpen up your dog's cues. If you answered no to the questions above you may want to call a professional positive reinforcement trainer to help you teach your dog all of these commands so that you feel more confident and in better control of your dog before you bring your baby home.

Down-stays, go to your spot, leave it, back and heel are the most important commands to focus on when getting your pup ready for baby. Down-stays and settle at your feet will be very important when feeding your baby on the couch and for telling your dog to settle when the baby is crying. To teach your dog to settle at your feet, tell Dino to lie down and stay right next to you. Click and treat your dog for laying peacefully at your feet. Place the treat on the ground in between his two front paws so that he is concentrated on the floor instead of what you have in your hands (a baby, bottle, etc.). Increase the amount of time between clicks and treats so that your dog will learn to settle at your feet for however long that you need him to. Always release your dog with a "Ok!" to tell him that he can get up. If your dog is allowed on the couch, practice the "off" command and click as soon as all four paws are on the ground. It's also important to teach your dog that he's only allowed on the couch when you invite him up. I like to say, "Up, up" and pat the couch twice to signal to my dogs that they're allowed on the couch or bed. Dogs that do not know the off command, shouldn't be allowed on the bed, especially if they show any territorial behavior. Also, if your dog has always been allowed on the couch and/or bed, but now you have decided to not let him because of the baby, make sure that you set these rules months before the baby arrives. Make sure that your dog as a comfy dog bed nearby the spots that you're dog used to lay on.

Teaching your dog to go to his spot or his bed, whichever you prefer to call it (just make sure it's the same thing all the time), is very helpful when you have a new baby. This way your dog will not be under foot all the time and your dog will be happy knowing that he's being a good boy waiting on his spot while you're busy with Baby. To teach your dog to go to his spot, lure your dog onto his spot with a treat and when all four paws are on the bed, click and treat. Do this two or three times and then phase out the lure, meaning, point to the spot without a treat in your hand. As soon as all four paws are on, click and treat. Be sure to toss the treat onto the spot so that the dog is associating the spot with the treat. As soon as your dog starts to "get it" and starts heading to his spot consistently, you can slowly increase the distance that you stand away from the spot. Turn this into a fun game by teaching your dog to go to his spot from wherever you are in the room, or even in the whole house. This will also help when you need to place your baby on a blanket on the floor. How cute is it that they'll both have their own spot?!

Speaking of blankets, teach your dog to stay off the blanket by leading your dog to the edge of the blanket. Click and treat your dog for staying off the blanket and say, "good leave it". If your dog goes to step onto the blanket, use on interrupter signal (kissy noise) to get his attention and then click and treat and say "good leave it" when your dog steps away from the blanket. Keep "proofing" this by leading him all around the blanket. Interrupt him and don't feed him a treat if he does step on it. Pretty soon you'll be able to say "leave it" to the blanket and to your baby, and your dog will know to step away and keep off of the blanket.

Teaching your dog to "back" up is also a helpful command because your dog will be very interested in getting his big wet nose into the action when you're giving your baby a bottle or changing him. "Back" is really easy to teach your dog and can also be turned into a fun game. Simply take a treat and move your hand towards your dogs chest, as soon as he takes a step back, click and give him the treat. Keep doing this until he is taking a couple of steps back. Then reward your dog by tossing the treat behind him onto the floor. Your dog will be backing away like a champ and will have a ton of fun chasing the treats that are raining down on him. He'll learn to stay out of baby business without being confused and upset by being yelled for just being interested in all of the new baby action.

Before bringing home your new real baby, teach your fur baby how to walk next to a stroller without pulling. You may look funny walking around the neighborhood with a babyless stroller, but it's all for a good cause. Most strollers have a water bottle holder on it, which is perfect for placing a cup full of training treats. Click and treat your dog for staying by your side and for staying behind the stroller. Every time your dog pulls, simply stop and "be a tree" until your dog takes the tension off the leash by himself and gives you attention. As soon as he slacks off the lead, say, "good, ok" and then continue walking. Do not just stop and have your dog sit because he will not learn to drop back by your side. Also, do not lure your dog into a heel and treat him otherwise your dog will learn to pull then stop then get a treat. A hands free leash that snaps around your waist will teach your dog to walk nicely without pulling and will keep your two hands free for holding the baby or keeping a grip on the stroller. This hands free leash by Jac Trac is perfect because you can adjust the length to keep your pup by your side. For big time pullers, a Gentle Leader by Premier will allow you to control your dog better while using a stroller and will help teach your dog not to pull. Put in the time and energy to train your dog to walk nicely by your stroller and the three of you will love going out for family outings. If you have any anxiety about whether or not your dog will like the baby, just remember that babies and toddlers usually mean lots of fun walks with the stroller and lots of food to clean up on the ground around highchairs. What dog doesn't love those two things?!

Another good thing to ease the transition for your existing fur baby is to purchase a real looking baby doll. Wrap it up in a blanket and carry it as though it were a real baby. Do your training sessions with one arm holding on to the pretend baby and one hand giving out toy or treat rewards for good calm behavior. This is a good exercise for young puppies who have a tendency to jump up and grab at toys. Teach your dog to automatically sit-for-pets and to sit and wait if they want a toy in your hand. Once your dog sits and waits, say "Ok get it!" and then toss the toy away from you. Always tell your dog when he can have something to prevent "grabby" behavior. Last thing that you want is for your dog to jump up to grab a poopy diaper! You can also practice putting the doll down on the couch or on a blanket on the floor and tell Dino to leave it. Leave it just means, "Don't touch it and look at me instead." Practice this "game" with all kinds of baby items and your dog will learn to not touch things that are baby related (diapers, bottles, toys, etc.).

Babies make all kinds of noises that may make your pup nervous if he's never heard them before. Get your dog ready for these sounds by playing videos of babies crying, laughing and screaming on Youtube, while you're doing your training games. Your dog will have a positive association with these sounds before Baby comes home and will not be confused and worried by all of the new commotion in your home.

There is so much more to baby and dog training that I'm going to have to write a novel about it instead of just a blog post! Check back often for more baby and dog training tips. I'll post another one soon about how to introduce your baby and dog for the first time! How exciting!!

Happy training!


Karma is Conditioning

Comment  
I had a moment of clarity today! Karma is operant conditioning. If you smile at someone, then they will most likely smile back. The positive effect will increase your desire to smile more often. If you thank your spouse with a big hug for taking out the trash, then they will most likely take the trash out more often and more willingly. If you say something mean to someone, they will probably not want to be around you. If you tell your dog, "Good wait!" for sitting patiently for his food bowl, and then put the food bowl down and tell him that he can eat it, then your dog will continue to sit nicely and patiently for his food. If you give your dog belly rubs every time you walk in the door, your dog will continue to roll over for his Buddha belly rub when you come home instead of jumping on you.
Karma, according to Buddhist philosophy, means that all actions- past, present and future- are all interrelated and connected by the law of cause and effect. Karma literally means action in Sanskrit and action is created by good thoughts that result in good intentions, that create positive outcomes. Being able to think, speak and act in a positive way requires skill and practice. Unskilled thoughts, words and actions result in more negative outcomes. With training, mindfulness and consciousness, a person can practice good Karma and more positivity, happiness and ease will follow the person on their path towards enlightenment.

Dog training is Karma in action. A good trainer is constantly present, in the moment, and understands that the law of cause and effect is constantly in action. People and dogs are constantly understanding life through the way that they operate on their environment and vice versa. If this happens, then that happens. Being mindful of every interaction with your dog takes training and discipline so that you are aware of all the ways that you are increasing or decreasing your dog's behaviors. For instance, when potty training a puppy, you may be unaware that you are "training" your puppy to pee in the house because you haven't been giving your puppy enough attention for going potty outside. If you are ignoring the good behavior of peeing outside, but giving lots of negative attention to your puppy for going inside, you are being "unskilled" in your mindfulness of your puppy's actions. You are creating bad Karma by thinking, speaking and acting too much when your puppy is doing something wrong. Create good Karma by being constantly conscious of your puppy's good behavior and you will increase the likelihood that your puppy will continue to grow up into a good, well-trained dog.

A lot of dogs are not "Zen" dogs because so much attention is placed on hyperactive, attention-seeking behavior. Raising a puppy is not the easiest job and requires a lot of intention and action. A puppy with the crazies requires a lot of attention, but as soon as the puppy passes out for a nap or is just laying around peacefully, the owner feels like he's finally off the hook and doesn't need to give him any more attention. However, when your puppy or dog is just laying on the floor being mellow, it's the most important time to give your dog a kind word and a loving pat. You must see your dog as a mellow, calm dog, then you must look for the behaviors you desire and reward them with lots of praise and attention. If you want your puppy to be a Zen dog, you must see it, believe it, act upon it and be grateful for the moments of calm and tranquility that you wish to share with your puppy. You will create good Karma, peace and balance within yourself and your puppy by being mindful of positive behaviors and experiences. Open your eyes, your heart and your mind to be a positively good dog owner with good Karma and a good dog.

Daily Good Dog Training Habits

Comment  
Training your dog doesn't mean setting aside two hours a day to put your dog through military style drills. Instead, think about how you can communicate with your dog throughout the day to teach him and show him how you want to spend your time with one another. Here are a few simple habits that you can start getting into with your dog that will make a big difference in your best friend's behavior:

1) Feeding your dog is the perfect opportunity to reinforce desired behaviors. For example, ask your dog to "sit" and tell him to "leave it" as you slowly put his bowl of food on the ground. If your dog's bottom comes up off the ground, lift the bowl up. His bottom should swiftly return back to the ground. If not ask him to sit again. Then slowly put the bowl down. If his bottom goes up the bowl goes up. Your dog will quickly realize that sitting patiently for his food will allow him to eat it faster. It will also reinforce your "leave it" command. Once the bowl is on the ground release your dog by saying, "Ok, have it!". Your dog will happily gobble his food down. Once your dog learns to sit patiently for his food, you can also skip the bowl entirely and hide little piles of his food all over the kitchen and/or house. Return to your dog and tell him, "Ok, find it!" and watch him race around the house using his sniffer to look for his food. Your dog will be happy to turn his feeding time into game time.

2) Apply the similar feeding technique to going outside for a walk. Life rewards are very important in training your dog because you do not want your dog to become food reward dependent. Anything that your dog desires can be used as a reward. For instance, if your dog wants to go outside for a walk, he must sit nicely and calmly before his leash is put on. Putting on the leash is a reward. Then ask your dog to "sit" and "wait" at the door. Slowly open the door. If your dog's bottom comes up off the floor, simply close the door. Then ask your dog to "sit" and "wait" again. If your dog is especially excited and crazy to go for a walk, you can use treats at first to teach him this concept by rewarding your dog for sitting and waiting. If you are very consistent with closing the door when your dog's bottom leaves the floor, he will quickly learn that his 'reward' of going out the door will happen more quickly if he calmly waits for your cue. Once the door is all the way open you can release your dog by saying, "Ok, let's go!". Practicing the "sit" and "wait" at the door consistently will teach your dog to be calm and well behaved near the door, which can also be applied to greeting guests that visit your home.

3) Teach your dog "up" and "off" if you allow your dog on your furniture. It's ok to allow your furry cuddle bug on the furniture, as long as you are able to tell your dog when he is invited and when he must jump off. By consistently telling your dog when his allowed and when he's not, you can also control when and where he can jump up for a cuddle. This is also useful when you're at a friend's house who doesn't necessarily want your slobbery best friend on the furniture.

4) Consistently teaching your dog to sit at all curbs is a very smart and safe habit to get into with your dog. It may save your dog from a devastating accident and will teach your dog to stay out of the street even if he gets away from you off leash. The life reward for sitting at the curb is hearing your release command, "Ok let's go!" and being able to move forward in motion again. Always say the same release command and always make sure your dog sits at the curb so that it becomes a habit for both of you. Your dog should begin to sit at the curb automatically and wait for your cue. This daily habit may just save your dog's life one day.

5) Along with your daily walks and off leash runs, dedicate 15 minutes a day to training games with your dog. Mental stimulation is so important for your dog's brain and happiness. It will also strengthen your bond and your dog will think you're the best human in the world. Play a controlled game of Tug-o-War, a fun game of Hide-and-Go-Seek, or a nose engaging game of Find It. Make it a daily habit to have fun with your dog!

These few daily habits will communicate with your dog throughout the day and make him a calmer, more zen dog who is happy to follow your consistent, fair rules. Dogs live for life rewards and to be able to do fun things so use them to reinforce your desired behaviors. You want to show your dog how to live in our human world and you want to teach him boundaries and rules for his safety and happiness.