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Learn about the day to day life of a successful private dog trainer in Chicago, IL. Gain insight into the challenges of being a trainer as well as tips to help you with your dog.
November 2007 - Posts
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This morning I took my three dogs, Ranger, Trooper and Linus to the park. This is a necessity since I have two Collies and a Sheltie and live in Chicago. Until someone moves in with a flock of sheep to keep them busy, it is my responsibility to provide them with a heavy dose of physical and mental stimulation. So, I took them to a park near my house and played Frisbee with them and threw the Kong on a rope. As usual I also worked on training to keep them sharp. I asked them to stop, come, go left, go right, finish, stay, etc. They had a lot of fun and were their normal goofy, wonderful selves. A few minutes after we got there, a nice woman brought her 6-year-old Chihuahua into the park and asked if he could play. I said, "sure." She mentioned something about it being a good opportunity for him to run around. Her dog, Bosco, seemed perfectly happy walking around, sniffing and exploring; things that city dogs don't necessarily get to do a lot since they are usually on leash. After about three minutes, the woman proceeded to leave and said something about, "Well, I guess he doesn't get it. He doesn't want to run." Then she left. I guess in her mind Bosco had to run or it wasn't worth her time to stick around. Maybe she thought that running was the only activity that showed that he was enjoying himself. I am not sure. It started me thinking about the varied activities that dogs do. Some dogs like chasing other animals, playing fetch, getting belly rubs, sniffing on walks, or cuddling on the couch. But, how do we really know when they are having fun? Maybe Bosco was having fun just sniffing around, or more likely, his person knew that he was bored. My three dogs each have their own desires for fun. Ranger loves to be chased, Trooper loves it when I grab the leash in the park and trail it so he can bite it. Linus loves fetch. How do I know? Because they continue to do the behavior. It is basic animal learning theory that states that an animal will do a behavior more than once if it is reinforcing in some way. If an animal repeats something, it is either to soothe an anxiety, a physical desire (eating to alleviate hunger), or because it is fun. If you are not sure what your dog likes. Try many activities until you find something that he likes. I routinely do things once and wait and see if a dog responds in a positive way. For instance, I will pet a dog for a short amount of time, wait a minute and see if they move towards me or look at me, and then start petting them again. You can teach dogs to communicate their desires to you if you are observant and responsive. Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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It is a bit ironic that this is the recommendation that I repeat most
to my clients. But, this makes a HUGE difference in training. Any
animal learns faster if there are clear instructions. If you ask your
dog to do something and they don’t do it, there are a few reasons that
they did not perform:
• They did not hear you
• They don’t know the cue
• They don’t want to do the cue
• They are distracted and lost focus on what is expected of them
It
doesn’t matter which of the above reasons a dog doesn’t perform. You
should pay attention to being a good teacher and achieving a reflex
response by asking your dog to do something, wait for a moment, help
gently – if needed, and then reward after your dog does the behavior.
Don’t
worry about your dog getting something for “nothing” by rewarding if
you help your dog by gently helping. The key is to get repetitive actions that eventually turn into a reflex response. An example of a helper is gently
pulling the leash after saying, “Come”. Eventually your dog will do the
behavior on his own.
See more tips at WatchandTrain.com Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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Yes, I love football. My wife is not too thrilled with this “problem”
but she overlooks it once (or twice a week) during the winter. But, you
know what? Your dog and your
spouse doesn’t have to suffer! Use this as a structured training time
to train your pooch. Here is one example of how to use your football
time efficiently: - Don’t feed your dog his breakfast that day to make this even more of a special event
- Take your dog's food bowl and put it out of reach of him
- During
the game, take small handfuls of it and periodically give small bits of
it while he is lying nicely either next to you on the couch or on the
floor
- Add more time in between tidbits to work on increasing patience and working on a nice “down stay”
- You can also stuff bigger portions or treats in a Kong or other stuffable toy and give it to him to keep him busy
- During the commercial break get up and do 2 minutes of training
- Introduce more advanced placement commands and reward these: examples include “go to bed”, “lie down next to couch”, etc.
- Once the game starts again, sit down and continue
What could happen by the end of the season: - Your dog will see you plop on the couch, remote in hand and lie down next to you
- Your dog will see you sit down and go to his “spot”
- Your dog will learn to be patient when he is not getting full attention
- You will have a better trained, happier dog
- Your spouse will be appreciative of all the hard work you put in and will enjoy your well-behaved dog even more
To find more suggestions for training, visit WatchandTrain.com Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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In my daily dog training life I am constantly asked a simple question:
How much exercise does my dog need? The answer depends on your dog.
When my Collie, Ranger was a puppy, he needed three hours of exercise
per day. How did I know he needed that much? When I did not provide him
that much he was agitated, barked in the crate, was destructive and was
just not as enjoyable to be around.
I probably could have
gotten away with less, but what I did was what I recommend for all of
my clients: train and exercise at the same time. A walk wasn’t just for
exercise, but I worked on training, I chased him (one of his favorite
activities) only after he came when I called him. I taught him all kind
of silly but mind-exercising activities and tricks including “coffee
table” – run around the coffee table, “hand-off” – take whatever object
is in my hand as you run by, “nose down” – put your nose down between
your paws, etc.
As with most dogs, as he got older his
requirements lessened a bit, but he still is very high energy and LOVES
training. My other two dogs love it as well. My Sheltie is high-energy
as well, and my other Collie, Trooper is much lower energy but loves
training.
I always recommend a MINIMUM of an hour of
heavy-duty exercise including brisk walks, games of fetch, tug, or
running at the dog park in addition to a MINIMUM of 15 minutes of
training per day. Start there and adjust it as necessary.
Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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It is so important to gently handle your dog throughout his or her
life. I received a typical call today from a client that is afraid
because her dog growls when she puts on his harness.
The
challenge with growling is that it is much better than biting, but it
does signify a problem that needs to be worked on. If you put your dog
in a situation where he growls, and you move away from him, then he is
learning that growling is effective and he can do it when he is scared.
If he growls and you ignore it, he might bite.
If you notice
growling, do not punish it. Move gently away and make a note of what
you were doing right before the growling. Let’s just say you were
putting on a harness. You need to break down the complete action into
small steps and desensitize your dog to each step. For instance,
putting on a harness could be broken down into these big steps:
1. Show your dog his harness
2. Move harness towards your dog's head
3. Open head hole
4. Move harness towards dog
5. Put harness over dog's head
6. Rest harness on dog's back
7. Move hand towards paw to bring it through front leg hole in harness
8. Lift paw
9. Put paw through hole
10. Lean towards dog
11. Touch clip under belly
12. Clip harness under belly
Each
one of those steps could take a long time. For instance, step 4 “Move
harness towards dog” could elicit a fear response. If this happens, you
have to go at a slower pace, both while you are doing the exercise and
take more days to achieve this step.
After each step, I
recommend saying, “Yes” or Clicking and treating. If your dog shows any
fear, move more slowly and end on a good note and then stop the
exercise before he gets worked up.
If he is constantly getting worked up when you do these exercises, you are moving much too quickly.
To
prevent issues like this, handle your dog throughout his or her life
and give treats toys, or food after doing the handling. Done correctly,
your dog will love it!
Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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Performance is something that changes moment to moment. When you are
training your dog, you need to always pay attention to how well she is
doing. If she is consistently distracted by something in the
environment which causes her behavior to fluctuate, you have a few options. - Train another day. You might be at the dog park
providing your pooch with some much needed exercise and you realize
that she is extremely distracted and not paying attention to your cues.
Get SOMETHING - even as simple as a sit - and then let her play.
- Move
farther away from the distraction and keep working. Do a quick session
and then reward a snappy response by allowing her to go back to what
she was doing.
- Provide more help. If she is distracted and is
not listening when you say, "Come!" have her trail a leash and hold it
before you say it again. Then, say, "Come", gently
pull the leash towards you, tap your leg, walk backwards, etc. To help
the behavior happen. Then, reward her and do it again. When she does
the behavior on her own, let her go back to what she was doing.
More tips like this can be found at my online video site. Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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I got a sad call from a new client yesterday. She said her dog was
showing signs of dog-dog aggression and, from the advice of someone in
the dog park, she hired a trainer that uses choke chains. She said
initially the training wasn't too physical, but she ended up firing him
because of his increasingly abusive techniques when dogs were around
her dog.
She noticed that since those sessions, her dog has gotten
worse, and more anxious when dogs come into view. I was not surprised
and told her that is one of my main reasons for never recommending
physical, or fear-based training.
From a learning perspective this is what can happen and probably happened in this case:
- Her dog showed signs of aggression
- She
got "popped" with the choke chain which is called "positive punishment"
(many people and trainers incorrectly call this "negative
reinforcement")
- The pain possibly stopped her barking, but
actually increased the anxiety (she was anxious about dogs coming into
view because now it meant pain for her)
- Her behavior escalated
over time because now she became anxious about getting anxious. The way
I explain this is that the pattern has been consistent that she will
bark at some point, and now she has to worry about two things: the dog
and the pain associated with the dog
- She can't win. Either she shows anxiety and gets choked, or she has to quietly endure a situation that causes her fear
Dog-dog
aggression can be modified using only positive reinforcement. I have
been thinking about it for a while, but I am going to write a Dog
Aggression E-book as soon as I can. I am editing videos for my dog training video
site, but it will be a while before I have a dog aggression video. An
E-book can be helpful and I have to help people realize that you don't
have to use abusive methods to work with an aggressive dog. Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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Everyone is busy. My wife and I are taking a guitar class together and
it is amazing how the week flies by and I realize I haven't practiced
enough. I am sure you are busy as well and can never find enough time to train your dog. Here are some tips to help you find the time. - Do short training sessions before EVERYTHING that your dog wants. Examples include walks, dinner, belly rubs, games of fetch.
- Use
what I call the Calorie Bowl. Portion out your dog's daily food
including a few tasty treats and put it on the counter out of reach.
Grab handfuls of it throughout the day and do quick training sessions.
When the food is done, your dog is done eating for the day. No worries
about overfeeding and it forces you to think about daily training.
- Use Kongs to feed your dog. Extracting food out of Kongs is a great way to provide your dog with mental stimulation.
- Have
a favorite outside-only toy that your dog gets for good behavior on
walks. Give it to him or her for a snappy behavior such as walking next
to you for 20 steps. Then, take it away and ask for more of the
behavior before your dog gets it back.
- One of my favorites:
put training sessions in your calendar. Everything else is scheduled,
why not training? One of my private client's favorite things about our
sessions is that it reminds them to do weekly training. If you schedule
it, you will find the time!
More tips like these can be found in my streaming online dog training videos. Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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Wow is it hot. In Chicago it has been near 90 degrees every day for
more than a week. I feel for those of you in hotter areas such as
California or Arizona.
But wherever you live, it is important to
keep in mind some basic safety tips for dogs. If you ever suspect your
dog having problems due to the heat or ingesting something, get him or
to the vet immediately.
Summertime hazards can be found in many
places. This is not a complete list, but some of the more common
issues. You can also visit the ASPCA site for up-to-date information on a variety of issues.
Overheating.
Dogs can overheat on normal walks or even faster in the the car. Take
lots of water with you, avoid the heat of day, take shorter walks, and
NEVER leave a dog in a car alone, even with the windows open. A car can
heat up to a lethal temperature in minutes. Just don't take a chance.
Theft.
Dogs can get taken for medical experiments, dog fighting, or for their
companionship. There has been a rash of small dogs getting taken out of
cars in Chicago. The thieves smash the windows and take the dogs. Some
police think that the thieves might look for reward signs and return
the dog to the rightful guardian to claim the reward. Evil. Dogs also
can get taken when tied up outside of stores or coffee shops or out of
backyards. Be careful.
Ingesting Antifreeze.
This is the main reason I never let my dogs drink out of puddles. I
don't want them to get in the habit of doing so. Even a small amount of
antifreeze can kill a dog, and to make it worse, the sweet taste
attracts dogs.
Ingesting chocolate.
There is a lot of great information out there about the toxicities in
different types of chocolate. Dark chocolate and baker's chocolate is
the most dangerous, but it is a good idea to keep all chocolate away
from your dog. Here is an article about the dangers of chocolate at About.com.
 Ticks. Ticks
have got to be the nastiest looking creature out there. Besides the
skin irritations they can cause, they can also carry Lyme Disease. Make
sure you check your dog thoroughly after every romp in a potentially
tick-infested area. Learn more about Ticks at this informative website.
Giardia. Dogs
can get this parasite from *** of other dogs. So, if you are out more
with your dog in the summer, make sure you are in a clean area. Here is
an article about Giardia. As you can see, it is a complicated topic.
There are a lot more dangers for dogs out there, if you have more that you would like to talk about add a comment to this post.
Have a safe summer. Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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I created this community to help people learn about dog training, but also want to make sure you know about my online dog training website.
You can learn how to housetrain your puppy, learn how to train your dog
to perform proper leash walking, teach your dog to come when called, no
jumping on guests or counter surfing. There is so much bad, harmful information out there touting the benefits of abusive dog training methods or strategies based on legend or myth. I want you to realize that you can be kind to your dog and have a beautifully, well-behaved companion in your home. I am currently working on my next video which will show you how to teach your dog to Stop on cue.
The
videos are extremely high-quality and since I am so confident about their ability to help you, I offer a
100% Money Back Guarantee. You can review the videos and the
accompanying notes for 10 days with no risk. I put a lot of time and energy
into producing video lessons that are helpful, easy-to-use and can help dogs
all over the world. I hope you like them.
Watch and Train.com, online dog training videos. Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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I
was interviewed in April by the Chicago Reader about a horrifying
situation about a dog trainer in the Chicago area arrested for animal
cruelty. Read the article.
I was interviewed to get a the perspective about, as a positive
reinforcement trainer, why I think other trainers use abusive methods.
A
lot of people don't think about the implications of who they hire to
give them advice about the raising of their pet. Whether they think it
is "just a dog" and you "just train it" or they just assume that dog
trainers are screened by the state in which they operate, I am not
sure. Besides requiring a business license, dog trainers are not
screened or regulated in any other way at this time.
I don't
think that this is critical because then it could open up all other
kinds of questions. Who would do the screening, what would the criteria
be, what types of training would be allowed, etc.
But, what you
can do is to screen dog trainers yourself. Check references, check
their training credentials, go watch them train if they teach classes.
A bad trainer can give you terrible advice and really ruin the physical
or mental well-being of your pet.
Dog trainers should be versed in learning theory, be members of organizations such as the APDT, attended seminars by other skilled trainers, studied at schools such as the Academy for Dog Trainers and/or worked closely with other trainers in a internship or apprentice situation.
You are hiring someone for his or her knowledge and experience. Make sure you know what you are getting. Now I want to hear what you have to say. It is so much more fun if you take part in the conversation. If you are not a member, all you need to do is Join.
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