Obedience training

Dogs are social animals that thrive on companionship and family life. If you have chosen to bring a dog into your home you will be rewarded with loyalty and enjoyment for years to come. You also will have a responsibility to teach your dog to fit into a human family and neighborhood. The first order of business is to find out how to communicate your expectations to your dog.

Animal training consists of rewarding desirable behavior without rewarding undesirable behavior, even accidentally. Most trainers use toys, food, praise and play to reward behavior. You may associate a particular sound, such as a squeaky toy with food. Gradually offer the food at longer and longer time intervals from the sound. Now you can use the squeaky toy to reward your dog at any time -- even when you do not have food. He will have learned that when he hears the sound-even the sound of your voice, his current behavior is the behavior you desire.

A dog’s social nature makes him sensitive to disapproval from family members, especially the leader of his family. Canine audible reprimands (growling) are used by dogs as consequences for inappropriate behavior. Reprimanding your dog by saying “No” will signal disapproval. Canine physical corrections (biting and pushing) are used by dogs as consequences for serious misbehavior. Collar corrections can be used to convey to your dog that he has committed a serious transgression.

Punishment (hitting, yelling, rolled up newspapers) is often recommended to alter behavior in dogs but has drawbacks. Punishment only works if it occurs every time the dog makes the same mistake. This is not likely to happen in the real world. If punishment only occurs when the offense is witnessed by a person, the dog associates the punishment with the person’s presence rather than with the offense. In addition, physical reprimands, especially involving a person's hands, can lead to fear reactions in dogs and even cause a dog to bite. If you have a reason to punish your dog within seconds of the punishable act, try not to overwhelm him so that he forgets what resulted in your disapproval. A collar correction and a growl from you are sufficient to indicate disapproval.

Each time you catch your dog doing something of which you approve, offer a reward. Teach your puppy the basic lessons at home. Be sure to reward your puppy when he sits, lies down, stays and comes. Obedience classes will let you work with your dog in a distracting situation and offer you the help of a trainer in perfecting his performance (as well as your own.) Obedience class will also introduce you to other dog owners and open up doors to dog activities for you and your family.

Basic Obedience Lesson

You can teach your dog just about anything by pairing a toy or food treat and a voice command with an action your dog takes. Often people are opposed to giving a dog food for simple obedience. I agree. However, giving a dog food to make the association between a word and the dog's actions is an excellent teaching method. The quickest way to your dog's brain, is through his stomach! Once your dog understands a command, by all means, you should not be buying his obedience with food. Just as he should not always have to perform cute tricks to get your attention.

You might also use a "clicker" to mark behavior you would like to see again by pairing the sound of the clicker with a food reward over and over until the clicker makes your dog look for the treat. This method of training has been used in non canine training for years. A dolphin trainer can't use a leash and collar and can't get the treats in the tank fast enough to reward specific behavior. By giving enough food treats accompanied with a "click" the animal learns that the clicking sound is good because of the food association and will repeat behavior that earns a click.

Here is an example of how you can use food to make an association with a command for your dog.

Teach your dog to sit on command by saying "sit" while holding a treat in your closed hand in a strategic position, directly above and slightly behind his head. Your dog will need to look up and back at the same time. He may jump around at first but don't move your hand. It may help to be near a wall so that he is limited in the area he can maneuver. As soon as he sits, immediately allow him to have the treat. His rump may not be on the ground for long so be sure you are releasing the treat for sitting and not for getting back up!

He will learn faster if you only say "sit" one time after you show him the treat, no matter how long it takes for him to actually sit. "Sit" should signal an opportunity to get a reward for proper action. It does not need to be repeated. Once, he does sit, even if it is accidental, allow him to take the treat and say "Good". This creates an association between the treat and your praise that makes your praise clear to him in the future. Most dogs associate your positive tone of voice with a reward automatically so praise is important even when it is not associated with food, but food doesn't hurt when trying to make the initial connection. Practice 5 times each day for one week. With repetition the command to "sit", will quickly be a signal to your dog to assume a certain position.

To be sure a command is understood, start alternating the food treat with praise rewards. Once your dog is responding reliably you should now add a reprimand when he fails to respond quickly. For example, you say "sit" but he takes a few steps as he gets ready. You say, "NO". Then reward him when he does sit with praise and no food. Now your dog understands what to do in response to a command AND that there will be a consequence for disobeying that command. Start to introduce distractions such as children in the room. Gradually increase the amount of distraction and change locations in which you require him to sit immediately on command.

Start thinking up all the things you want him to do on command and make those associations, NOW.

Shock Collars

Current methods of dog training include the use of physical discomfort or "correction" to change a dog's behavior. The most common form of correction comes from collars that give a physically unpleasant signal to a dog. If a dog trainer teaches a dog that proper behavior can PREVENT the discomfort, the dog will learn that his response (or lack of response) to a command is incorrect. The dog will modify his behavior to avoid collar corrections.

The most common training collars are called "choke" or "slip" collars. They can be made of are made of chain, leather, plastic or nylon. Some slip collars have prongs on the inside, called "pinch" collars. All of these devices work with a leash. When the leash is pulled and released the collar signals the dog with discomfort. If the dog has previously been taught to respond to a command with specific behavior, the collar can signal the dog when he responds incorrectly. If the dog is not taught how to avoid collar discomfort, a collar can be cruel and confusing. Incorrect use of the leash with a training collar can injure a dog's trachea or spine.

A shock collar is a type of training collar that can cause discomfort for a dog without a leash. The collar works using a radio signal activated by a remote control. An adaptation of the shock collar is used for invisible fencing. In the case of fencing, approaching a designated boundary delivers a shock to the dog through the collar so no trainer need be present. Another version of the shock collar, delivers a shock when a dog barks. Again, the collar is used without a leash, and in some cases, without a trainer present. A final version of the shock collar requires a trainer to be present and uses a remote control. The trainer can deliver a shock by way of the remote control anytime the dog fails to respond correctly to a command. Of course, the dog must have been previously trained to avoid the correction or the collar can be cruel. However, the shock collar does not have the capacity to damage a dog's trachea or spine like leash training collars do.

Shock collars can be activated by electrical interference. This could result in a dog getting an unnecessary "correction" which would confuse him. Trainers address this issue by having the dog wear a "dummy" collar that is incapable of delivering a shock when the dog is not working with the trainer. Owners of invisible fencing are often instructed to remove the dog's collar when electrical storms or power disturbances are likely.

All of these training collars are uncomfortable to the dog when activated. A dog must be properly introduced to ANY training collar so that his first experience is not frightening or painful. Dogs that are frightened or in pain, cannot learn well and may try to avoid the training session altogether with repeated confusing experiences. A trainer must deliver a consistent and well timed signal to a dog or the collar will not have the intended effect. The movements necessary to deliver a collar correction do not come naturally and must be perfected BEFORE working with a live dog. Many trainers compare the effect of each of the collars on their own arms before deciding which collar or setting to use with a particular dog. Practice the use of the collar until you are comfortable with its application. Once you know how to signal, deciding when to signal the dog is a much more important issue.

Many trainers use collars in conjunction with food rewards. When food rewards are used to teach a command and collars are used ONLY to correct faulty responses, dogs are less likely to become confused with training.

USING A COLLAR TO TEACH 

No longer en vogue The training method which uses a collar to teach a response to a command is called the Keohler method. Keohler's methods were used in the military first and then used among competitive obedience trainers.

A collar can be used to teach a dog to respond to a command. You command, "Bla bla!" and "correct" your dog by applying intermittent discomfort to his neck with the training collar until he responds appropriately. At first he can only respond correctly by accident. Only later, can the dog associate the command with the action that will NOT be corrected. The dog is learning to avoid correction by trial and error.

Using "Heel" as an example, the trainer intermittently "corrects" the dog by tightening and releasing the collar until the dog has his ear adjacent to the trainer's leg and moves at the same pace as the trainer. At the precise moment that the dog achieves the heel position, the trainer praises and discontinues correction simultaneously. If the dog does not maintain the heel position, the trainer reapplies the corrections until the dog happens on the position again at which time, trainer praises and removes corrections. With repetition the dog discovers the Heel position. The dog essentially learns, "if I walk a certain way, I will not be hurt by the collar."

When using a chain training collar the trainer must keep the leash slack except for brief instances of correction. The collar must immediately be allowed to go slack so the trainer can tell if the dog is heeling. If the leash stays taught, the trainer is dragging the dog around by the neck. The dog won't learn anything. In a class or public situation, it can be difficult to leave the leash slack without inviting other problems, such as contact between dogs in a group. A trainer's timing must be impeccable.

Obedience class participants are often instructed to turn or stop suddenly so that they set the dog up for a correction. This causes the dog to pay close attention to the trainer so as to watch for a sudden turn or change of pace. The dog pays close attention because if he does not, he will get hurt. Dogs acquire quite a vocabulary of commands based on this teaching method alone.

Because of the intensity of the experience described above, some dogs don't look forward to training and some even generalize their anxiety about training to other situations or to the leash and collar, or even the trainer. Some dogs become insensitive to collar corrections so that the collar is no longer effective. Because the only way to avoid correction is by discovering the one right way to behave, some dogs give up before they learn the proper response to a command.

USING A COLLAR TO REINFORCE

Using a collar to reinforce an already learned command is much less likely to confuse your dog. The pet must first be taught the meaning of a command. First, the trainer introduces a new command by showing the dog a treat. For Heel, the trainer holds the treat by his knee but does not let the dog have it. The trainer starts walking and says "Heel!". As soon as the dog's nose becomes glued to the trainer's leg, (really the treat), the trainer allows the dog to have the treat. The trainer may immediately offer another treat. Positively rewarding the proper response is easier than reprimanding the hundreds of improper responses. A dog knows that the command is a chance to get the treat. With repetition he'll know the word "heel" means assume the heel position to get a treat. So far no there's no leash and no collar but we haven't left the house, yet, either.

Now the trainer introduces the leash and moves outside. If the dog responds to the command to "heel" appropriately even with distractions such as other dogs and kids, the trainer can assume the dog understands the command. Now the trainer adds a training collar. The dog already knows the command means that he can earn a treat for appropriate behavior. Now he finds out there is a consequence for not responding every time. Used correctly, the collar assures that he will always respond correctly and quickly.

In cases in which a dog has already learned that the training collar is only effective with a leash, or in cases in which the training must take place at a distance from the dog (hunting and tracking training) a shock collar can be used to correct a dog without a leash.

Can you train a dog without any collar? Absolutely. If you always enforce your requests you may find that "NO" is always sufficient to gain compliance from your dog. When a canine-human relationship has a high level of communication, it may not be necessary to use a collar. However, often a dog learns that a person is not consistent and is confused by commands or disobeys commands because of a rewarding distraction. Once behavior problems develop, it is necessary to use training equipment to communicate with your dog. You may choose to use a training collar for several training situations:

• if your dog has a long established behavior you want to eliminate
• if you need to prevent highly rewarding behaviors such as chasing cats or stealing food
• if the behavior is dangerous and must be remedied immediately such as chasing cars
• if you need to teach response to a command in a highly distracting situation--such as in traffic.

There are many reasons to use a training collar but they are all motivated by the need to communicate with our dogs. Collars are one of the tools we have and should be used for just this purpose: to communicate clearly to the dog about the dog's behavior.

Motivation

Motivation is the key to your training success. Dogs continuously make associations between what they are doing and what happens in the environment. People do the same. You only touch a hot stove once. Thereafter your behavior is modified. This is true for dogs, too.

Some of the most common training failures that dog owners deal with are dogs that don't respond to commands reliably, especially dogs that don't come to the owner reliably. Certainly you can prevent problems by using the leadership model to raise your puppy but if your dog is already failing to respond to your commands, you've got to work on his motivation.

Most dogs learn to come when they are young or new to your home. You call his name, he comes over to find attention, toys and food waiting. Great foundation for a reliable recall. Trouble is, you haven't really taught him much even though you believe he understands his name. Instead of testing his understanding by setting up training trials, we usually start taking the dog out on the town and using his name when it's time to go home. Quickly the dog realizes that if he comes to you when out and about, the fun ends. Most people believe the dog is willfully disobeying when in actuality he is still learning exactly what we are teaching. Then we chase or catch the dog and punish him for disobedience. Now he knows for sure that coming to his name is NOT always a good thing to do. He also knows he should not let you catch him.

So in all commands that you expect to work under highly distracting circumstances (which should be ALL commands) you need to artificially set up trials that will prove to your dog and to you that the actual meaning of a command is understood by the dog AND by you before you can expect reliability. For training tips, our basic lesson gives you the foundation for establishing a new command. After this is done, you must keep motivation in mind.

The elements of motivation are very basic.

• You are your dog's leader from whom all blessings flow (See Leadership Plan) Otherwise a command from you has little value unless you are holding a treat which is better than whatever the dog would rather do.
• You have trained your dog to respond to a command with distractions
• You set up delays between the dog's response to a command and negative consequences.
  • Don't call your dog and clip on his leash. DO call your dog and play tug of war for a minute then clip the leash on.
  • Don't call your dog then reprimand him for what he was just chewing on. Do go to your dog when he has something he shouldn't, reprimand him and offer an acceptable toy.
  • Don't call your dog then give him a bath. Go get him or call him, give him a treat then take him to the bath.
  • Don't ignore your dog for lying quietly and playing with a toy. If you ignore behavior it goes away. Ignore your dog for pestering you for attention. Ignore your dog for begging for food. Ignore your dog for whining. DO go to your dog when he is entertaining himself and offer a treat or affection. Do reward your dog for quiet behavior every chance you get.

Be aware of the consequences you are providing for your dog's behavior at all times. Your reaction or lack of reaction is directly responsible for the response you get from your dog. It's not obvious which environmental occurrences are most noticeable to the dog unless you think about it. What did the dog do? What happened TO THE DOG immediately following?

Dogs that chew while you are gone can't possibly learn not to do this. It's fun. Dogs can learn that when you come home you usually are angry. They can even learn that you are more likely to be angry if there are pieces of cloth on the floor. But this in no way is connected with the dog's enjoyment earlier, while he was playing a game. Additionally, your dog can learn that being around you is complicated and your behavior is unpredictable. The amazing thing is that dogs are still willing to work it out. Don't betray a dog's loyalty by confusing him and forgetting about motivation.