I’ve just been reading a blog post titled It Works! How to Stop an Approaching Dog in an Emergency, by  Patricia McConnell. Her blog is one of my very favorites, and I like her books and DVDs a lot too. Anyway, in that article she takes an idea from another dog trainer, Trish King. It’s called the “emergency sit stay.” You have already trained your dog in calmer times to do a sit-stay behind you. So you do that. Then from the ever-ready bag or pocket of treats that you carry, you grab a handful and throw them toward the approaching dog or dogs. They stop to eat the goodies, and you and your dog get away. McConnell does warn that this won’t stop a really aggressive dog but it works in a lot of situations. (Might your dog want to eat the treats? Well, you wisely saved some and you give them to your dog as a result for slinking away! — That’s my contribution to this tip!

Here’s a one-minute video made by McConnell which shows the part where treats are thrown and the dogs go to eat them:

Ever Had Dogs Run Toward Your Unfriendly or Scared Dog? is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

So at one point or another in the process, whoever is doing the feeding asks the dogs to sit. LarryDog is almost 14 and sitting is getting a little harder for him on our tile floor, so we don’t usually ask him  till just before the food is going on the floor.

I’m not sure if you can see LarryDog’s tongue, but it is sticking out a bit as he waits!

Now the food is in position and LarryDog is focused on it. The very second I took the picture, my husband said, “Okay!” and Larry moved faster than you might think an old dog could!

We feed Lola nearby in the living room.  She always sits as we walk across the room toward her feeding spot. Here she is watching intently as Kelly puts her dish down.

Dinner at last! As you might guess, with all this reinforcement, our dogs have great sits at any time.

Use the Sit to Make Dog Dinnertime Calmer is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Does Your Dog Bark at the Door?

By Aidan Bindoff

Does your dog bark when you have a knock at the door? Follow this simple plan to end excessive barking at the door.

Many dogs will bark when they hear a knock at the door. This is probably to announce the arrival of a new person to their territory. They learn pretty quickly that a knock on the door is quickly followed by a visitor.

But what if a knock at the door was only occasionally followed by a visitor?

Some dog owners have quick success at reducing barking by simply knocking on the door repeatedly throughout the day. With no visitor appearing at the door, the knock sound soon stops being associated with the visitor. At first, the barking will probably get worse. After a few repetitions, it should start to reduce. Don’t lose heart if it doesn’t appear to work for a little while.

When your dog gets really good at not barking when he hears a knock on the door, invite someone around to help out. Just have them knock on the door every minute and not come in unless your dog hasn’t barked. Do this for about 5 or 6 repetitions, no need to overdo it.

You can speed things up by rewarding your dog for being quiet when he hears a knock at the door. A further refinement is to make the knock a cue to lay down on a mat, or to sit quietly by the front door. This is a very polite greeting indeed!

If you have a doorbell, the same procedure applies. If your doorbell has different ring tones, try to set it to use only one ring tone.

This is certainly not the only approach to ending barking at the door, but for the majority of dogs it is the easiest and most effective approach. Try it and see!

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of http://www.PositivePetzine.com, a free resource for people training their own dog. Each edition is packed with helpful tips for training your dog using the latest pet-friendly methods that work fast and don’t require a degree in animal behavior to use. PLUS, check out the huge archive of useful articles on just about every dog training topic you can think of!

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Does Your Dog Bark at the Door? is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Pulling on leash is a widespread problem, and I have found with my own dogs that it takes a certain amount of determination on my part to overcome it!

If you’d like to download the sound file, here it is. Just right-click or whatever Mac users do, to save it:

http://www.training-dogs.com/sound-files/leashpull.mp3

A Tip to Stop Leash-Pulling is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

When you are angry or upset, you should take a time out for yourself from the dog, whether you are training at the moment or not, till you can collect yourself. This needn’t be a physical time out – I often find that just turning away from my dog for a moment while I take a deep breath or two is sufficient. Try this sometime yourself.

The thing is that you are not likely to make the best choices in communicating while you are fuming. A simple firm “no”  should be enough at that moment for just about any behavior you dislike.  People often assume that if the dog did something that we would call “wrong,” that the dog will evaluate it the same way and understand that the reason we are screaming at the top of our lungs and waving our arms around is that he was “bad.”

Dubious, dubious.

People sometimes say, “But the dog looked so guilty…” Well, I am not positive that dogs feel guilt. It’s an emotion that is derived from doing something we know to be “wrong.” Do dogs think that way? My best guess is that when a dog looks “guilty,” he is probably reacting to your anger. He can certainly tell that you are not a happy camper at that moment, whether or not he has any clue about why. I think his responses are more to your body language than to the fact that, say, he pooped on the Oriental carpet sometime in the past ten hours while you were out.

Another common assumption is that this ranting act will teach the dog how you want him to change his behavior. If you just caught him doing something you don’t want him to, it could work – though arguably not as well as a more reasoned approach on your part.

So in sum: if you are angry with your dog, or upset with him, take time out to cool down. I think you will be glad you did.

Dog Training Tips: When You Are Upset or Angry is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

There is a movement afoot to encourage us to play with our dogs. New books and DVDs are coming out, and training experts are suggesting that we lighten up and play. Great advice for most humans, I’d say, and most dogs could have told us that in the first place. In this tip, I’m talking about human-dog play, but dog-dog play is also valuable for our canine friends.

So how can you use play in training? Here are two ways:

1. You can use play as a reward when the dog does something you want it to. For example, you ask your dog to sit and it does. At the moment of sitting, you click your clicker if you are using one (get my free ebook  Seven Steps to Clicker Training Success with Your Dog to find out more about clicker training), or you say “Yes!” or “Good!”

Then instead of giving the more conventional food reward, you whip a toy out of your pocket. It could be a chew toy for a tug of war or a squeaky toy for the dog to chase… whatever your dog likes and is appropriate for your location.

2. The whole training project can be turned into something fun. For example, if you want your dog to walk on a loose leash, one of the main tricks to teaching this  is to stop abruptly if the dog is pulling out in front of you. In some versions of this method, you then walk the other way. Well, depending on your fitness and the dog’s size, this can be turned into pure play:

You and the dog are walking along together on leash, in a place with enough space for movement in various directions. The dog starts pulling. You quickly go off in another direction — it can be 180 degrees, but it can be any angle. If necessary, you take a few walking steps to get the dog heading in the right direction, then you jog or flat out run a ways, the dog happily keeping up. You can slow to a more moderate pace, but then the moment the dog pulls ahead, you charge off in a new direction. I’m almost out of breath just writing about this, but I could keep it up for quite a few changes. How about you?

If you have favorite ways of playing with your dog that have a training element, do comment below!

Dog Training Tips: Play as You Train Your Dog is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

When one puppy does hurt another one, often the hurt one will stop playing for a while and move away. By this happening repeatedly as the litter grows up, puppies learn bite inhibition, that if they pretend to bite but use less force, the games continue. So the puppies begin to develop what’s called a soft mouth. This is one of several reasons that it’s important for puppies to stay with their mothers and littermates for a couple of months or so after birth.

The puppies’ mother or other adult dogs in the household will also correct the mouthing. If a puppy bites them, they may growl, curl their lips at the puppy, or get up and walk away.

Your Role in Training Bite Inhibition

If you get a puppy of whatever age, one of the first things for you to do — and it will naturally happen in the first day, most likely — is to determine just how far along your pup is in learning bite inhibition. At this stage, you are not looking for NO mouthing or biting. It’s actually much better for their training process if they will learn to develop a gentle bite. This is because if your dog should bite later on in life, the bite will do far less damage if the mouthing process has been allowed to develop into that ability to bite gently.

Of course, all this takes time and you will be enduring some sharp nips in the process.

Puppies often mouth when they are excited, or when they first wake up to an exciting new day. At those times, or at any time that your puppy mouths, here is what you or your children can do. Kids are more likely to be mouthed than adults because they are more lively than we are.

Say “ouch!” or yelp like another puppy would. Or say NO in a stern voice. Then stand up if you aren’t standing, and turn away from the puppy. Put your arms around your chest, to be less interesting to the pup. Stay like that, silently ignoring your puppy for around half a minute. Then resume interacting in a gentle manner.

Ian Dunbar has a wonderful DVD on training puppies which explains this in a lot more detail. Bite inhibition is actually one the very most important things you need to teach your puppy, and he explains why. See my review of Sirius Puppy Training here. One of the things I’m happiest about regarding this website is that hundreds and hundreds of people have bought this program and presumably gotten their puppies off to a better start in life. But with or without that DVD, keep at the bite inhibition process and within weeks you will see progress.

Puppy Training Tips: Bite Inhibition is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Seven Ways to Use the Sit with Your Puppy or Dog

1. If your dog tries to charge into or out of the house, you can teach him to sit until you tell him it’s okay to go.
2. Ditto for getting in or out of vehicles.
3. Our dogs sit and stay before going to their bowls to eat. This is convenient, and I must say we’ve impressed a lot of dinner guests with this trick!
4. Another good time to use the sit is when you think your dog might jump up, like when those dinner guests ring the doorbell and there’s excitement as they enter.
5. It is useful in connection with teaching a dog to come to you and to sit in front of you.
6. It could save your dog from injury, or even save its life, if the dog was about to go out on a street with traffic and you called out, “Sit!”
7. It can make your dog less intimidating to a child who is about to pet your dog, with your permission of course.

A nice benefit of the sit is that dogs generally watch you closely when they are sitting, so you have their attention. Being able to get your dog’s attention when you want it makes life much more pleasant. Teaching your dog to sit also can strengthen the bond between you and the dog, as it’s something you two are doing together. You may think of it as a command, but the dog may think of it as something fun that he is doing with you. And here’s another tip: the more fun you bring to the sit or to any dog training, the more happily your dog will pay attention to you! That’s win-win.

Dog Training Tips: The Sit, Part 3 of 3 is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

This dog training tip uses clicker training methods. if you aren’t familiar with clickers, you can get a free copy of my ebook Seven Steps to Clicker Training Success with Your Dog by subscribing to my weekly email newsletter. The link takes you to the page where you can find out more and sign up if you wish.

Put a clicker in one hand and a small treat in the other. For most dogs, the treat can simply be a piece of their dry kibble.

You and your dog or puppy should be alone in a place without distractions such as other dogs or people. Indoors is generally less distracting than outside, but a quiet yard is fine. You want enough room that you and the dog can move around.

You also want to be where you have a small container of the treats out of reach of the dog, so you can grab another one easily.

Your dog should be standing up or walking around as you begin this process. Show him the treat in your hand, close enough that he can smell it and at about eye level. He may move forward to sniff it or he may just watch you. In any case, raise that hand with the treat up higher than his head and back over his head… so he has to sit in order to keep watching you.

The very instant that his rear touches the ground or floor, click the clicker. Then open your luring hand – that’s the one with the food — and let him take the treat from your outstretched palm. (This is a much safer method for your fingers than giving him the treat right from your fingers! I always give treats from my palm.)

Now, what if the dog doesn’t sit when you try this? What if he jumps up for the treat,  moves away as you raise the treat, or does something else? You don’t click or reward because he hasn’t done what you want. You can say something like “Too bad!” if you want to, or just say nothing. Then create a bit of a timeout, for example, turn around or just stand looking out at nothing for a few seconds. Then try again. Normally, dogs get the sit quite quickly, as it comes naturally to them to sit in order to see the treat. If you still have trouble after a try or two, be sure you are moving the treat in a way that would naturally make the dog move into a sit.

After the treat has been consumed, walk to a different place in the room and repeat the process. Do this quite a few  times in a session, but I wouldn’t go more than about 10 minutes, and only 2 or 3 minutes for young puppies. You can do several sessions a day. 

Dog Training Tips: The Sit, Part 2 of 3 is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Why start with the sit? Here are five reasons.

1. It’s easy to teach a dog.
2. You’ll be using it with the other commands.
3. Even very young puppies can understand it.
4. It’s important for good manners with people.
5. It’s the thing my dogs do when they want to please me and aren’t sure what to do, and this can be very convenient.

If your dog already sits, you may get some ideas for how to improve the process.

Teaching the Sit

Put a small treat in in one hand. For most dogs, the treat can simply be a piece of their dry food. You and your dog or puppy should be alone in a place without distractions. Indoors is generally less distracting than outside, but a quiet yard is fine. You want enough space that you and the dog can move around a little.

You also want to be where you have a small container of the treats out of reach of the dog, so you can grab another one easily. Do this at a time of day when the dog hasn’t just been fed.

Your dog should be standing up or walking around as you begin this process. Show him the treat in your hand, close enough that he can smell it and at about eye level. He may move forward to sniff it or he may just watch you. In any case, raise that hand with the treat up higher than his head and back over his head… so he has to sit in order to keep watching you.

The very instant that the dog’s rear touches the ground or floor, say “Good!” and open your hand. Let him take the treat from your outstretched palm. (This is a much safer method for your fingers than giving him the treat right from your fingers! I always give treats from my palm. This point could be a dog training tip in itself.)

Now, what if the dog doesn’t sit when you try this? What if he jumps up for the treat,  moves away as you raise the treat, or does something else? You can say something like “Too bad!” if you want to, or just say nothing. Then create a bit of a pause, for example, turn around or just stand looking out at nothing for a few seconds. Then try again. Normally, dogs get the sit quite quickly, as it comes naturally to them to sit in order to see the treat. If you still have trouble after a try or two, be sure you are moving the treat in a way that would naturally make the dog move into a sit.

After the treat has been consumed, walk to a different place in the room and repeat the process. Do this several  times in a session, but I wouldn’t go more than about 10 minutes, and only 2 or 3 minutes for young puppies. You can do several sessions a day.  

In the next two dog training tips, I’ll cover some ways the sit is used and how to train it with a clicker.

Dog Training Tips: The Sit, Part 1 of 3 is a post from: Training Dogs Blog