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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.
May 2008 - Posts
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 I wanted to share a great example of how positive reinforcement training can help dogs and people. I am always thrilled to hear that more dogs are being trained using this effective and humane method. This is also a way that you can help people and dogs by donating to a worthy cause.
As reported in Sun Valley Online.com, Positive Partners Assistance Dogs in Hailey, Idaho needs donations. They were promised up to $20,000 by an anonymous donor if they receive matching funds by September 30th.
The article continues, “We need to raise the matching funds by Sept. 30,” said Executive Director Fran Jewell. “We plan to launch a new video describing the program, participate in a dog walk fundraiser alongside Expedition Inspiration, and hold various neighborhood gatherings to raise awareness of our program.”
Positive Partners, founded in Hailey five years ago by Jewell, differs from most service dog trainings programs in several respects. In addition to training dogs for specific individuals, it uses “clicker” training, perhaps best known for its use in training whales and dolphins.
As described on the Positive Partners site, they are different from other assistance dog programs.
How Is PPAD Different Than Other Service Dog Organizations?
- Positive Partners seeks to provide custom trained dogs to service the need of each person with disabilities. Other organizations train standardized dogs and people who receive their dogs must have a disability that fits the dog's capabilities.
- PPAD trains their dogs utilizing operant conditioning with a training protocol developed by Clicker Training Pioneer, Morgan Spector (author of Clicker Training for Obedience).
- Partners will not kennel dogs for an intensive training program after a year of home life with a puppy raiser. Positive Partners will utilize the puppy raiser as part of the training program that begins in puppy hood.
- And, they help people train their own service appropriate dogs for personal assistance work.
One fundamental difference between Positive Partners and other service dog training organizations is that there is less stress on the dogs in this program. The client that will eventually live with the dog and benefit from their unique skills is much more involved in the training. Other programs have a transition period when the dog goes into a kennel for six months or more at the age of 12 to 18 months. This happens after the dog stays with a puppy raiser and becomes accustomed to living with a family.
The changes cause a lot of stress and can cause a higher rate of dogs to drop out of the program.
Read more about the matching $20K matching funds challenge grant or about the Positive Partners program.
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 Before becoming a professional trainer, I had the normal questions about dog training that most people have. I researched the topic online, read other books and was horrified at the suggestions being thrown around with ease by many different sources. Choke your dog with a choke chain, use a shock collar, squirt your dog in the face with a squirt bottle or throw cans with marbles or pennies were frequently suggested because “that is the way you train a dog”.
I finally read The Culture Clash and things crystallized for me. I found an intelligent point of view that was in sync with my desire to learn how to teach dogs in a logical, humane way.
Jean has a highly entertaining, no-nonsense approach to her writing that brings dog training into the human perspective in such a way that makes sense. She is highly scientific in her approach, but also uses entertaining analogies and stories to make her points. She has chapters on many fascinating topics including dog intelligence and morality, predatory and social behavior, socialization and fear aggression, behavior problems and training strategies.
One of my favorite chapters includes a description of a planet run by a species called “Gorns”. In the entertaining chapter, humans happen to be the companion animals to the Gorns and Jean sets the stage for a comparison of how dogs perceive their environment. The human in the chapter is “lucky” because he gets to live inside with the Gorns, but is attacked every time he urinates in the toilet, watches videos, eats pizza, or reads certain books. All of these behaviors are considered behavior “problems” to the Gorns.
She continues to make the comparisons between often misunderstood dogs and the human example in the chapter to highlight how tragic it can be for dogs that do not receive proper instruction, care and socialization in their daily lives. It talks about how the person in the Gorn’s world has not seen another person since he was a child, and when he finally sees one on the street he is curious, excited and sometimes afraid. Since he doesn’t know how to act around other humans, the Gorns keep him away and he lives a life of isolation. The chapter continues to use analogies to explain why punishment-based training is unfair and how sometimes dogs pay the ultimate price for lack of socialization and training by people.
Her other chapters are filled with specific training suggestions from everything to socialization, Kong stuffing strategies as well as specific training suggestions. She lays out detailed instructions to help your dog move from “Kindergarten” to “College-level” training status.
While all of Jean’s writings can be complex and full of a lot of information, I find The Culture Clash to be easy to read and hard to put down.
I know that The Culture Clash has been extremely popular since it was first published in 1996, but to find out how many people Jean’s landmark book has touched, I went to the source. Charlene Woodward, Publisher at Dogwise.com, said, “The Culture Clash is one of our top five selling books year in and year out since it was published and it is selling more now than when it was first published.” Dogwise is the single largest source of dog training related books anywhere. The second edition was published in 2005 and is revised and expanded with an additional eleven thousand words of Jean’s insights.
There is no doubt that Jean feels that dogs should only be treated humanely using consistent, fair methods and she is not shy about telling the reader. But, she also backs up her point of view with facts and makes the whole experience enjoyable.
Her book had such an impact on me that after reading the Culture Clash in 2001 I studied with Jean at her world-famous Academy for Dog Training in San Francisco, CA. and became a full-time professional dog trainer after that.
Whether you find that The Culture Clash changes your life, as it did mine, or you just want to read a well-written, jam-packed dog training book from one of the top minds on the subject I highly recommend this book.
Jean Donaldson also has a new book called Oh Behave! Dogs From Pavlov to Premack to Pinker as well as, Mine! about resource guarding, and Fight! about dog-dog aggression.
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 Come when called, or recall, is one of the more important behaviors that you can teach your dog. It can also be frustrating to teach if you don’t know some simple rules. Sometimes people get frustrated because their dog “just isn’t getting it” as quickly as they would like. I don’t put a timeframe on training. There are many variables including the skill of the trainer, the amount of time spent training, the timing and consistency. See some ideas for improving your overall training skills.
To have success with teaching “Come” follow these general rules:
- Don’t use it to start something your dog doesn’t like.
- Don’t use it to end something fun.
- Say it only once – always, and then make it happen.
Exercise
Here is a basic exercise that you can practice using the above rules: - Have your dog trail a leash to use as an aid in situations that you think he might not come to you such as a dog park or in your backyard.
- Call him ONE TIME, gently bring him back to you by gently tugging the leash or tapping your leg and pet him wildly (fun!)
- Reward him with something that he doesn’t normally get (chicken, roast beef, dried liver, etc.) then release him and say “go play” and allow him to play for a couple more minutes.
Eventually you can do these exercises off-leash and stand a couple of inches away from him, increasing distance as he improves. If his friends distract him, you will be ready to gently grab his collar, and do the above exercise and then say, “go play”. We want him to understand that COME means come to you, receive a yummy treat and then go back to what he is doing.
At the beginning, don’t call him to put the leash on and take him home. Instead, go up to him put the leash on and go. We don’t want him to think “Come” means the fun ends. Always put yourself in a situation to make it happen after the FIRST time. There will be times that you choose not to say “Come” because you can’t make it happen at this time. You should also practice with a long line (12-30 feet) to make sure he knows that it doesn’t matter how far away you are from each other, “Come” means “Come”.
If you can practice for just a few minutes each time you are in a park situation, your dog will eventually listen very well. Make sure you keep the following in mind:
- As always, don’t repeat cues
- Don’t say the cue such as Come unless you know you can help him get it right within 2-3 seconds
- If he is able to do behaviors using the leash, you can drop the leash and continue working
- If you see regressions, move your dog away from the distraction and do a quick training session to remind him what is expected of him
Other Recall Strategies
Some dogs do “flybys” and run by their person or stop short when asked to Come. Here are some tips to overcome those challenges.
Flyby Prevention
Practice with your dog on leash and gently bring him all the way to you before releasing him
Be consistent with your instruction of how you define a recall. If you say, “Come” you need to help your dog complete the task before you reward him or release him
Stop Short Prevention
Some dogs do not come all the way to their person. This often happens because they are waiting for a toy to be thrown or are waiting to see if the “fun ends” and they are being taken inside or out of the park.
- Don’t always end the fun when you ask your dog to come to you. If you are in a play situation, ask him to Come, reward him and then say, “Go Play” and allow him to go back to what he was doing
- If your dog stops short, you should work on associating “Come” with running behind you. This way, if you can motivate him to run past you, it will be easy to block his path and get him to stop right in front of you
- Ask him to “Come” and when he is close to you, say, “Yes” or ‘Click’ and throw a toy behind you
- Your dog should run past you to get the toy. If he isn’t use a more interesting toy or a treat
- If you are tall enough, you can also throw the toy between your legs and allow your dog to run through your legs. This way, he will be in position to stop right in front of you for the next step.
- The next step occurs after he is routinely running past you when he hears “Come”
- Say, “Come” and as he starts coming towards you, say, “Good, good, keep it up!”
- When he arrives near you, don’t throw the toy, but encourage him to come all the way to you
- Then, block his path and say, “Yes” and give him a treat or throw a toy as a reward
You can learn the basics by watching my Beginning Come When Called Video. Questions? Visit my Forums and ask away!
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 It is very important to work with your puppy to teach him or her to have a soft mouth. Dogs don’t naturally understand to be gentle around people unless they are taught the correct way to interact with us.
I currently have a client that has a wonderful 9-month-old Labrador Retriever puppy. He is in no way “aggressive” in his behavior, but has the roughest mouth I have ever worked with. Each time I give him a treat or a toy, I have to remind him to be gentle or he gives me painful, bruising bites. He is not trying to hurt me, he just wasn’t taught properly when he was a puppy to be gentle around hands. My client was not thrilled to learn that she can continue working with him and he might improve, but he might not.
If a puppy never learns to have a soft mouth when he is really young, his “default” bite will be rough. It is related to their physical development and also the history of their behavior. Try and change the way you do something after doing it for a long time. It is sometimes very difficult.
Another reason to put time into these exercises now is insurance against the time that your dog might bite out of fear or pain in the future. If a dog has a soft mouth, he can control his mouth and warn someone with a less damaging bite if he is under duress. Even the simple act of grooming a dog can result in a snagged mat and pain for the dog. A dog with a soft mouth might just grab your hand to tell you to stop, a dog with a rough mouth might send you to the hospital.
You can do some very simple exercises to increase the chances that your puppy will have a soft mouth when he gets older. Practicing a few minutes a day is a good investment to help prevent painful bites.
Keep in mind also that it is not a good idea to only toss treats to a dog. This creates a dog that is used to snapping when treats are around and doesn’t teach him to be gentle.
Soft Mouth Exercise
Practice during one meal per day with your puppy.
Basic
- Take a piece of food and put it in your fist
- Move it towards your puppy
- If he sniffs or licks your hand, say, “Yes” and open your fist and give it to him
- If he bites it (even if it doesn’t hurt) say, “Ouch!” and move your fist away
- If he gets too excited when you say, “Ouch!” say it much quieter
Advanced
- Take a piece of food and put it between your thumb and forefinger
- Move it towards your puppy
- If he bites it (even if you just feel teeth – it doesn’t have to hurt) say, “Ouch!” and move your hand away
- If he sniffs or licks your hand or gently grabs it, say, “Yes” and give it to him
- Do these exercises for one meal per day to practice
I also recommend that you teach your puppy the rules of tug as well as how to drop things on cue.
You can learn all the exercises mentioned above and more in my Puppy Biting Video. See a sample of my Puppy Biting Video and teach your puppy to have a soft mouth today.
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 If your dog gets easily distracted
outside, increasing the frequency of your dog's attention towards you
is an important strategy to practice. This behavior lessens the normal
desire to constantly scan the environment for distractions. It is also
a very basic way of “starting the conversation” with a dog. If your dog
learns to check in by looking at you, it will be easier to ask him to
do things that you like such as walking nicely, Stop or come to you.
There are two strategies to increase the frequency of eye contact with your dog.
- Shape the behavior. Shaping consists of rewarding behaviors as they happen. Examples include looking at you, walking near you, and not pulling on the leash.
- Cue the behavior. Cueing is the process of asking your dog to do certain behaviors. This will come after some practice with shaping. It is much easier to ask a dog to do a behavior after he has done that behavior in the past.
Watch Me
This is the cue that I will use in this post. You can use anything that makes sense to you. Other suggestions include: Look at Me, Watch, Focus, etc. You can also use your dog’s name to mean, “Watch Me” as long as you are consistent in its use. Learn more about consistency in dog training.
As with all training, first start inside without distractions to get the behavior started. The exercises will be much easier inside with minimal distractions and then you will have to adjust your expectations when you move outside. Stay farther away from distractions outside at first, or block your dog's vision with your body until he looks at you. I use two strategies for teaching Watch Me. I start by shaping and then I teach the verbal cue. Shaping Strategies
- Hold a treat to the side of your head and look at your dog
- Wait until he looks away from the treat
- Make a small noise with your mouth to entice him to look at you, if needed
- Click and treat, or say, “Yes” and treat when he just looks anywhere but the treat
- After you get some repetition at this level, increase your expectations until he looks closer to your face or directly in your eyes
- Make a small noise with your mouth to entice him to look at you, if needed
- Click and Treat
- The next step is to get more duration and say “good boy” as he is doing the behavior to get more duration before each click and treat.
Teaching the Verbal Cue "Watch Me"
After you get some reliability with Shaping, you can add the Cue “Watch Me”
- Say, “Watch Me” ONE TIME
- Then start with the strategies above in the shaping section
- Make a small noise with your mouth if your dog needs help turning around
Leash Walking and Eye Contact
- The next step is to combine this with movement. Do the same strategies above while your dog is on leash inside your house.
- Put a toy or a treat down on your floor.
- Work on the Shaping Strategies first and then work on Cueing him
- Reward him with a Click and Treat when he looks at you
- Use this when someone comes in the front door or when he wants to say “hello” to a dog outside. Ask him to “Watch Me” and then allow him to go say hello.
- The main lesson is “You want something? You need to look at me first.”
Daily Strategies
- Work inside first
- Take ONE step outside in front and wait for eye contact before walking further
- If he doesn’t look at you within 30 seconds, move back inside and work there
- Reward him for looking at you inside by moving outside
- Use his favorite toy as a reward when he looks at you -- play a quick game of tug
Have questions? Ask in the Forums.Want to see leash exercises as well as other training tips? Buy my high-quality dog training videos and watch instantly on your computer after purchase.
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 Finding strategies to properly exercise dogs is an ongoing challenge. As puppies get older they might slow down a bit, but they still need daily mental and physical stimulation.
I frequently hear the puzzled remarks of people that have a backyard, but their dog still doesn’t behave properly. It is important for you to remember that dogs often do not self-entertain. Dogs find things to do in whatever space they are in, often choosing activities that we deem inappropriate. Backyard examples include digging, barking and chewing on landscaping.
Sometimes people remark that there must be something wrong with their dog because they still need so much time and attention even though they are in the backyard for hours a day.
Dogs need structured play and training no matter how much space they have to roam. The fantastic benefit of a backyard is that it provides easy access for training sessions, games of fetch and play.
The other issue that I see with backyards is that people get into the habit of letting their dogs out, playing in backyard and not going on walks. The biggest issues that can arise for dogs that don’t get a lot of time out of their yards are decreased skills in leash walking as well as dog-to-dog interactions.
If you have a backyard, I urge you to continue leash walking, training, management, dog-to-dog and dog-to-people social skills throughout your dog’s life.
To make the most out of your backyard, and to avoid problems, I recommend the following tips:
I want to hear how you make the most of your backyard. Share by commenting on this post.
Questions? Ask in the Forums.
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 I recently read about a new rescue organization devoted to helping Australian Cattle Dogs find a good home. Australian Cattle Dogs were included on my list of high-energy dogs and it is not surprising that many people find them extremely challenging.
As reported on YourHub.com, The Rocky Mountain Cattle Dog Rescue, founded by Bunny Eisele, of Denver, is a group dedicated to saving and fostering cattle dogs to be adopted into homes around Colorado.
The Australian cattle dog is a heeler breed -- a mix of collie, Dalmatian and dingo, according to Eisele.
"They are bred to herd and bred to be tough," she said. Inherently, cattle dogs were bred to work on a ranch, herding livestock.
However, because of this attitude, Eisele said often many of them who end up in shelters are put down because they aren't sociable dogs. Cattle dogs are suspicious of strangers, so they won't run up to people and ask for attention. Instead, Eisele said, cattle dogs prefer one-on-one care and develop bonds with their owners.
I agree with everything in the article and have been fortunate to work with many Cattle Dogs over the years. I find them to be extremely smart, hard working and very confident. They can be a bit reactive around other dogs and also a bit more challenging to socialize, probably due to their Dingo heritage.
Make sure you do your homework and have a lot of extra time to devote to training and exercise if you plan on adopting a Cattle Dog. They are quite unique and not for the couch potato guardian. If you are in the Denver area and are up for the challenge of a very unique breed, contact the Rocky Mountain Cattle Dog Rescue. Their site can be found at www.rmcdr.com or call 303-991-1869.
Do you have experiences with Cattle Dogs that you want to share? Many people have never had the chance to meet one. Post your comments below.
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 The other day a client asked me why her 1.5-year-old dog urinates on her living room rug about once a month.
My answer? I don’t know.
Just because I am a professional dog trainer doesn’t mean that I know why dogs always perform certain behaviors.
There are many possible reasons for dog behaviors and people often attribute specific reasons for a behavior, when in fact, it is difficult or impossible to prove.
For instance, common reasons that I hear to explain why dogs urinate in a specific location include:
- Spite
- Dominance
- Anger
- Mad at their person for being left alone
These reasons are all possible, but impossible to prove. I focus on specific observable behaviors and rule out basic strategies before trying other theories. In the conversation with my client I told her that there are many possible reasons for housetraining missteps, but I recommend that she manage her dog’s access to the rug and reward her for going in the correct location.
This is basic behavior modification. Prevent an inappropriate behavior and redirect it into an appropriate behavior. Rewarding for the correct behavior is also a powerful strategy because it increases the likelihood that the rewarded behavior will happen again.
There are a few topics that people often label with reasons that are impossible to prove. I always recommend focusing on tried and true behavior modification techniques.
Here are a few of the most common topics and my recommended training assessment and strategies.
Behavior Issue: Aggression Towards Dogs
Common, Unprovable Explanation
Aggressive dog is alpha or dominant My Assessment and Training Strategy
Identify triggers that cause the aggression and practice desensitization and counter conditioning.
Behavior Issue: Aggression Towards People Common, Unprovable Explanation
Aggressive dog is alpha or dominant
My Assessment and Training Strategy
Identify triggers that cause the aggression and practice desensitization and counter conditioning. Do not put the dog in the situation where he might exhibit the behavior again and learn that aggressive behaviors work. This will increase the likelihood that the dog’s aggression will escalate.
Behavior Issue: Difficulty Being Left Alone
Dogs might exhibit housetraining accidents, barking or destruction
Common, Unprovable Explanations - Spite
- Dominance
- Anger
- Mad at their person for being left alone
My Assessment and Training Strategy
Look at general housetraining and management strategies to alleviate the accidents and destruction. Look at desensitization strategies to noises that might be causing the barking. Increase training and physical exercise to alleviate boredom. Assess possible separation anxiety and treat accordingly.
Have you heard reasons for dog behavior and wonder if they are accurate? Share what you have heard, or ask questions in my Forums.
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 It is often difficult to know how a dog will react to a cat until you see them together. This topic is important if you already have a cat and might be considering bringing a dog into the family.
Even though I don’t have a cat for daily practice, 2 of my 3 dogs are totally fine with the small number of cats they have come into contact with. Trooper, however, doesn’t seem too thrilled when he sees a cat on the street. If I ever needed him to live with a cat, I would work on the following exercises.
To successfully and safely introduce a dog and a cat you should practice similar strategies that you would as if you were introducing two dogs, in which one or both were uncomfortable.
- Manage your dog’s behavior on leash so he is NEVER allowed to chase the cat
- Slowly and systematically introduce him so the event does not result in your dog getting anxious or chasing the cat
It could take a LONG TIME to get to a point where you feel comfortable allowing your dog near your cat. It depends on your dog’s prey drive, how good your timing is, and how much time you spend on the exercises.
The main rule of thumb with cats is that they should always have an escape route. Your dog should never be allowed to corner your cat or one or both could get seriously injured, and you are negating one of the rules -- never allow your dog to chase the cat.
Try this:
- I strongly recommend using clickers for this
- Have your dog on leash
- Keep him far enough away from the cat so he is relatively calm
- AS SOON as he sees the cat, click and treat (if you are not using a clicker, say, "Yes")
- If your does not take the treat, use something better and/or move farther away
- Keep repeating this until your dog is calm at this distance and then move a bit closer
- If your cat moves at any point, click and treat AS SOON as your dog sees him move
- Try and end the session before your dog gets anxious
- If he gets anxious, move him farther away
Over time, the strategy is for your dog to not feel like chasing the cat, because he was in the situation many, many times and never actually chased the cat. You are doing something called desensitization and counter conditioning. You are lowering the intensity of your dog's normal reaction and countering it, or replacing it, with a different behavior. You can also improve your chances for success by doing more training such as working on Off Leash Control, Come, or Leave It (shown in the Counter Surfing video).
I have many clients that have dogs and cats and they actually play together. Many times the cat will playfully taunt the dog and then jump out of reach each time. Your chances for success are really good if you introduce a young puppy to an older cat and start the exercises from the first greeting.
Let me know if you have more questions in the Forums, and good luck!
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 Bringing a second dog into the home often sounds like a good idea, but it can also cause problems in certain situations. Here are common reasons for getting a second dog and my thoughts on why it might or might not be a good idea.
My Dog is Bored
You might have the best intentions for getting a second dog to act as a playmate for your first dog, but it might not solve the problem. If your first dog is bored, there is a good chance that he or she is not getting enough time and attention in the form of exercise and training. The second dog might entertain your first dog somewhat, but the new dog will not train himself. What you might end up with is having two bored dogs, with the second dog being less obedient due to your lack of time.
My Dog Has Separation Anxiety
If your first dog has separation anxiety, getting a second dog might help alleviate some of the problems. However, you could end up having two anxious dogs on your hands. If your dog does not like to be away from people specifically, getting a second dog will not solve the problem. Also, if your dog has high levels of anxiety the second dog might start to get anxious as well. I always recommend that people address behavior problems or training issues with the first dog before bringing a second dog into the mix.
My Dog is Dog Aggressive
Sometimes people think that getting a second dog will get their first dog accustomed to dogs and it will be easier to introduce him to other dogs in the future. This strategy is not recommended. If you practice a sound desensitization and management strategy you might end up with two dogs that like each other. However, depending on the level of aggression of the first dog, you might end up with anxious or injured dogs as well.
My Dog is Doing Great and I Want A Playmate for Him
Great! This is when you should consider getting a second dog. I always recommend that the first dog is about 90% of where you want him to be in regards to socialization and training before bringing another dog home. Assuming you have the time to devote to acclimating your second dog into the mix by doing the necessary socialization and training, go for it!
I am always amazed at how often I hear people say, “Having a second dog really isn’t too much more time than having one dog.” There are exceptions to this, but it doesn’t take any more time to have two untrained dogs. But, to have two well trained, properly socialized, healthy and properly groomed dogs takes a lot of time!
Before You Get a Second Dog Consider These Points
Second dogs frequently receive less training and socialization than the first dog. To properly socialize a second dog (especially a puppy) he should be trained and socialized separately so he learns to be independent and well behaved on his own. I frequently see second dogs that have more behavior problems because their issues are not addressed individually.
It is also important to teach dogs to be alone in crates or other areas of the house so you can train dogs individually without barking and anxiety from the dog that is alone. When you can only train dogs together, it is more difficult to focus on each dog’s individual needs. Second dogs should also be taken to training classes or taught using my videos for teaching. Working with two dogs takes more time.
Other considerations are the time and expense for vet bills and food. Proper vet care can be extremely expensive, especially for puppies and older dogs. It would be tragic to give dogs less medical care because the expense of two dogs makes proper care too costly.
I hope this helps you decide if it is time to get a second dog. I have three dogs and believe that they are happier because of the companionship. But, it is important to weigh all of the options before making a decision. Keep in mind that you can always take your dog to dog parks and other locations to play with dogs, but your schedule might not be as flexible to provide two dogs with the time and attention they need.
It would be great if you would share your experiences with getting a second dog or why you decided to hold off.
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 I get asked this question very frequently. My basic rule of thumb is that all dogs should receive at least 60 minutes per day of physical exercise and 15 minutes of training to be happy, well-adjusted dogs. This is just a starting point. The numbers can vary greatly depending on the age, breed and individual requirements of your dog.
One very important factor to consider is that dogs need physical exercise in addition to mental exercise in the form of training or other tasks. I have worked with many dogs that have the proper amount of physical exercise but are still destructive or unruly because they are just bored.
How Can You Tell If a Dog is Bored?
Boredom usually presents itself in the form of barking, destruction, or digging. The challenge with assessing boredom is that some of the indicators are the same for separation anxiety, which is a separate issue.
If a dog participates in the minimum amount of exercise per day and does not have signs of separation anxiety, I will recommend more training or physical exercise to see if that alleviates the problems.
What Breeds Need the Most Exercise?
In my experience, herding and working dogs historically need a lot of exercise. However, I have been surprised over the years with Pugs that have as much energy as a Border Collie, or a Visla that is really mellow and sleepy. You have to be prepared for a wide range of needs if you are thinking about getting a dog.
Also, puppies of any breed require a lot more time and attention than most people realize. As they get older, the more mellow breeds often calm down by the time they are two years old, but sometimes they don’t.
My List of High-Energy Dogs
This list is from my experience. I usually don’t like to lump dogs into categories and risk unfairly labeling them, so please use this only as a rough guide. There are always exceptions to any list.
I use this list when someone calls and they tell me they are not super-athletic or don’t necessarily have a lot of time to run their dogs in the park. I would tell them that it is more risky to get one of these breeds because of their high energy. Even though I have worked with many exotic dogs over the years, I am going to stick to more mainstream dogs with this list. Keep in mind that if you are getting a mixed breed you can use this as a rough guide, but there is no way to know for sure what exercise requirements your dog will need as he or she gets older.
- Boxer
- Husky
- Doberman
- Poodle
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador Retriever
- Visla
- English, Brittany and Springer Spaniels
- Irish Setter
- Weimaraner
- Most Terriers - especially Jack (or Parsons), Rat, Pit Bull, Staffordshire, Boston, Border and Wheaten
- Most
herding dogs including Belgian Shepherd, Collie, Border Collie, German
Shepherd, Shetland Sheepdog, Australian Shepherd, Australian Cattle
Dog, Kelpie, and Briard
- Portuguese Water Dog
This covers a lot of different dogs, and is by no means a complete list. There are exceptions to every dog as I read through the list. I have worked with really mellow Labrador Retrievers, but mostly they need a lot of running and training. In general, Bernese Mountain Dogs are often thought of as low-energy, but I have worked with my share of high-energy Berners.
In my experience Corgis, even though they are a herding dog, don’t need as much exercise as many of the other herders.
Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking a little dog like a Yorkshire Terrier doesn’t need that much time or exercise because they are so small. I have worked with some Yorkies that could give my Sheltie and Collies a run for their money. And, very consistently, ALL dogs need a lot of time to maintain their happiness and well-being.
Tragically I see dogs that are blamed for being unruly because they are not receiving the proper exercise and that they need to be happy. If you are going to get a dog, please make sure that you have thought it through and have the time and attention that your dog will need.
Ranger, one of my Collies, needed 2-3 hours of exercise and training per day when he was a puppy. I still give all my dogs at least 90 minutes of time and attention every day, sometimes more.
Questions about dogs? Visit my dog training website and buy my dog training videos, read my training blog, post to my forums, or listen to my radio show. What has been your experience with
your dog's energy level? Have you been surprised by a different level
than you were expecting? Share your thoughts.
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 Destructive behaviors such as chewing on furniture or digging in the backyard are one form of inappropriate behavior. Demand behaviors are also inappropriate and are another way of describing a dog that is asking for something in a way that is deemed inappropriate. Examples include jumping for attention, play nipping for attention, barking for you to throw the tennis ball, or barking to get let out of the crate.
My strategies for working with dogs that exhibit destructive or demand behaviors are as follows:
- Teach them what behaviors you think are appropriate and reward those behaviors
- Teach them that just because they did the appropriate behavior does not mean they always receive what they want
- Use timeouts to stop the inappropriate behavior pattern
The first strategy is to teach your dog appropriate behaviors and reward those. To achieve this goal, one option is to shape behaviors by rewarding anything that your dog does that is better than the demand behaviors. Keep in mind that this doesn’t have to be something really specific such as sitting or lying down.
I will use barking as an example. If barking is the inappropriate behavior, you need to create a list of behaviors that are more appropriate than barking. Your list of appropriate behaviors might look like this:
- Being quiet
- Sitting
- Lying down
- Chewing on an appropriate toy
- Walking by you
- Sniffing the ground
- Lying on his bed
- Wagging his tail
Your list of possible appropriate behaviors might be short because your dog doesn’t know a lot of behaviors. In that case you should do more training. Options for more training include, go to bed, down, sit, roll over, take a bow, shake or high five. More training will help in a number of ways: - You will be spending time with your dog and working to alleviate boredom – one common reason for destructive or demand behaviors
- More training results in your dog having a history of getting rewarded for appropriate behaviors, which will increase the likelihood that he will do those behaviors again
- Focused training sessions will hone your ability to read your dog’s signals and increase your ability to communicate with your dog
Notice that all of the behaviors listed above are not “training behaviors” such as “Sit” or “Down”. Chewing an appropriate toy is not something that you necessarily need to train, because it often happens naturally, but it is better than barking. What I want you notice and reward is ANYTHING that is appropriate. With demand behaviors a dog wants something from a person and thinks that the behavior that he is exhibiting will result in obtaining what he desires. You should teach your dog that the annoying demand behaviors NEVER result in him getting what he wants but the behaviors on the list of “approved” behaviors MIGHT get him what he wants. The reason I said “might” get him what he wants is that your dog needs to learn that just because he performed a behavior that is appropriate does not always mean that he will get what he wants.
Even with puppies as young as 7 weeks old I often see demand behaviors starting after they learn that sitting gets them a treat. After a while, they will sit and bark – as if they are saying, “Hey, I sat! Where’s my treat?”
Note: consistency is incredibly important. If someone in your household lets your puppy out of the crate for barking, for instance, your puppy will keep barking because it has worked in the past. The next step is to teach a dog that just because he performs an appropriate behavior doesn’t mean he will always get a reward. I accomplish this by working on duration of behaviors combined with timeouts.
Duration of behaviors are important because you want to make sure that your dog does not think that being quiet for one second is all that is required of him. He should learn to be quiet for longer periods of time each session until he realizes that barking is just not an appropriate way to ask for things.
Note: barking is a complex topic. I, for one, do not expect any dog to be quiet all the time. Dogs do communicate by barking. With my dogs, I acknowledge their barking and then ask them to be quiet. I taught them this using timeouts. If you have more questions about barking, ask in the Forums. This post does not explain all of the nuances of teaching a dog not to bark in all situations, it is about barking for attention.
Timeouts are used to tell a dog that his behavior caused all the fun to end. You can execute a timeout in a number of ways:
- Leave the room
- Put the end of the leash gently over a doorknob or under a table leg and walk away
- Put the end of the leash over a fence or around a tree outside and walk away
- Put your dog in a crate or behind a baby gate and walk away
There are a lot of misconceptions about using the crate for timeouts. I will write another post about timeouts at some point, but for now, just don’t worry about using the crate as a timeout as long as your dog is okay with the crate. It is not recommended, however, to put a dog that has separation anxiety and panic attacks in the crate. More questions? Ask in the Forums. The final strategies can be accomplished by using my “10-minute Exercise”. I use this as a very structured way for my clients to easily practice all the strategies above. Continue reading, and you will find out a really great way to teach your dog not to be demanding.
10-minute Exercise
Once your dog performs an inappropriate behavior decide if you have 10 minutes of focused time for your dog. Being focused is important. If you don’t have the 10-minutes right now, put your dog in the crate to prevent him learning bad habits and work with him later when you do have more time.
If you do have 10 minutes, do the following:
- Ignore the inappropriate demand behavior or stop the behavior if it is in the destruction category such as digging or chewing
- AS SOON as the inappropriate behavior stops, say, “Yes” or ‘Click’ and treat if you are using a clicker
- Ignore your dog for 5 seconds, or you could say, “Good dog” during that time, if necessary
- After 10 seconds of appropriate behavior, ‘Click’ and treat
- Ignore your dog for 20 seconds and then ‘Click’ and treat
- If inappropriate behavior occurs during the time that you are ignoring your dog, say, “Timeout” and gently put your dog in the timeout area (have your dog wear a leash and trail it behind him if he has a tendency to run off when you say, “Timeout”)
- Leave your dog in the timeout area for 5-30 seconds and come back and get him
- If he is barking, whining or scratching, wait until he is quiet before removing him from the timeout area or you will be rewarding another inappropriate demand behavior
- After removing him from the timeout area, go back to a shorter amount of time (if he could not be quiet for 20 seconds, reward after 10 seconds)
- Continue doubling the time, rewarding for appropriate behavior and using timeouts for inappropriate behavior until your dog understands what behaviors are appropriate
Troubleshooting
- Do short sessions – that is why I start with 10 minutes. Eventually you will realize that your dog is behaving for longer periods of time and then you can actually do much longer sessions, but start slow.
- Talk to your dog if needed during the time in between full rewards. Verbal encouragement can help a dog understand what is expected, even if he isn’t getting the full reward that he wants.
- Make sure you say, "Timeout" AS SOON as your dog does the inappropriate behavior and gently and quickly move him to the timeout area. Timeouts are designed to make it crystal clear what is inappropriate. This can only happen if your timing is good.
- Work on your timing in general. Using a Clicker can help tremendously with this exercise. If you are not using a clicker, say, “Yes”. Listen to my Clicker Training radio show or ask questions in the Forums if you want more information about Clicker Training.
- Be patient. If your dog has been rewarded in the past for behaviors, it might take a while for him to understand what the new rules are.
- Be really consistent. If you don’t want your dog to jump, does a timeout happen if he leaves his feet one inch, or only if he touches you with his paws? If you can’t answer this question, it is impossible to be clear to your dog.
- Focus on the correct behaviors and reward those. Often people just focus on the final, inappropriate behavior and miss all of the good behaviors their dog was exhibiting.
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 Did you know I have a weekly dog training radio show? I cover a variety of topics and take live calls during the show. If you miss my live show you can also listen to any of the shows directly on your computer by selecting the corresponding link below.
Dog Afraid of Thunderstorms and Fireworks?
Originally broadcast 05.01.08
Show Description
Learn how to help your dog overcome his
or her fears. Learn positive reinforcement techniques to desensitize
your dog to noises as well as herbal remedies to lower stress.
Dog Training - Off Leash Control
Originally broadcast 04.24.08
Show Description
Learn how to train your dog to be off
leash and have the control that you are looking for. Jeff Millman will
discuss methods used in his dog and puppy training videos as well as
other dog training tips.
Novice Dog Trainer? Get better!
Originally broadcast 04.17.08
Show Description
Things
you should and shouldn't do when you are training your dog to be the
best trainer you can be. Often successes come with the details. Learn
some of the fine-tuning strategies to get your dog to the next level.
Jeff Millman is a private, positive reinforcement Chicago dog trainer
and also has a dog training video and community site.
Get Ready for a New Puppy
Originally broadcast 04.10.08
Show Description
Not
sure what you should buy in preparation for your new puppy? Listen to
dog trainer Jeff Millman of Watch and Train to find out suggestions for
the essentials when you bring home your new family member.
Puppy Housetraining Horror Stories and Troubleshooting
Originally broadcast 04.03.08
Show Description
Housetraining
tips for the difficult dog. Does your dog or puppy eat feces? Does your
dog go potty outside and then immediately come in and go on your nice
rug? Does your dog go in his crate? This show is for you! Listen to
Jeff Millman of WatchandTrain.com talk about housetraining strategies
and troubleshooting tips for housetraining, crate training and more.
Applicable for any age dog.
Dog Park Training Tips
Originally broadcast 03.27.08
Show Description
Taking a dog to a dog park can
be fun, but also full of surprises. How do you identify an aggressive
dog? How do you break up a dog fight? How do you get your dog to pay
attention to you at the dog park? Listen in and find out these answers and more.
If you ever want to listen to my most recent show or see what is
scheduled next, just visit the the main page of my site: Watch and
Train Still have questions about any of the topics? Ask in the Forums.
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 I was walking my dogs this morning and realized that I use a cue all the time that you might want to use with your dogs. What is the cue? “Flowers”.
What could “Flowers” possibly be used for? I use it to tell my dogs not to urinate on a specific location. I see the remnants of so many irresponsible dog guardians that don't pick up after their pets that I am hyper-sensitive to making sure that people know that most people are responsible and don't leave a mess. Many people spend a lot of time and money making their gardens attractive and I don't blame them for being upset when people allow their dogs to mark them.
To teach this cue, use the same principles as you would to teach any cue. Gently prevent your dog from doing the inappropriate behavior, say the cue one time, guide your dog into the correct position and reward.
You could use another cue such as, “Let’s Go” which generally means to keep moving. But, I see this cue as a bit different because it also means not to urinate.
How to teach “Flowers”
- Practice first before your dog is urinating.
- Say, “Flowers” one time and then guide your dog forward a few feet and then give a reward
- Once your dog is reliably doing the behavior, you can start using it when he starts to urinate
- If you are consistent, your dog can learn where it is not appropriate to urinate
Troubleshooting
- Make sure you say the cue one time and then gently guide your dog away from the flowers and give a tasty reward
- Scan the environment in front of you so you are prepared to give the cue as soon as your dog gives an indication that he has chosen an inappropriate spot
- If your dog does not react really quickly, you can start running after saying, “Flowers” and gently guide your dog to follow you. This will motivate your dog to move quickly after hearing the cue.
This is just one example of how to teach a dog a new cue. The possibilities for creating useful cues in dog training are endless. I would like to hear what cues you have created with your dog!
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