YouTube - Edie - rescued yesterday an hour before euthanasia (Video by Eldad Hagar and Bronwyne Mirkovich)

This is an amazing video/story that warms your heart. So many times people just run towards a breeder if they want a new pup. I heard a statistic that some 3 million animals (dogs, cats) are euthanized each year in the US. It's a sad and shocking statistic. If only more people would go to their local shelter and spend time with the animals and find one that fits them. These animals are scared, depressed, and yearning to be loved. I thought I would share this video with you. If I could handle it, you can too! It ends on a happy note.

 YouTube - Edie - rescued yesterday an hour before euthanasia (Video by Eldad Hagar and Bronwyne Mirkovich)

Crate Training Rocks!

What does it mean to be crate trained?

To me, crate training does not mean that the dog simply sleeps there at night.

To me, crate training means that your dog has been taught that the crate is a wonderful place to relax, and that you are able to send him there on a cue ("Fido, Kennel Up!") at any time.

Why do it???

• A dog who loves his crate will choose his crate over your couch. Especially if you put come comfy bedding down in the bottom.
• A dog who loves his crate can be trained to "Go to your crate!" whenever guest come to the door, which can preempt jumping up, and pave a path for mannerly greetings.
• A dog who loves his crate will have less difficulty settling down in his crate for alone time.
• A dog who loves his crate is easier to travel with.
• A dog who loves his crate will have a safe and comfy place to call home when you are away. It will keep him out of trouble, and encourage resting, especially if you have exercised him.
• A dog who has been crate trained will have the opportunity to develop appropriate chewing habits.
• A dog who loves his crate has a place to be when you are eating meals (instead of under your feet).
• A crate trained dog will go into his crate when asked, and will remain there until released, even with the door ajar.

Here is a video on targeting which might help you begin a crate training protocol.

Communicate with Ease

This post is dedicated to my new dog friend, Abby.

First, what does healthy and easy communication LOOK like? Here is a video of Cooper and I working together. Cooper is one of my best friends - dog or human - and I think we have a pretty good understanding of each other's language.

The best ways, in my opinion, to communicate with your dog are:

• Learn to listen to your dog. Do you know what your dog is telling you with her body language and other signals, vocal and otherwise? There are a lot of great resources out there which can help, and I will link you to a good one here: Turid Rugaas/Image Gallery.
• Train your dog with positive reinforcement techniques. Often called, reward training, this technique can transform your dog from a self-centered, unfocused, and hyperactive pup into a calm, obedient, and happy playmate. The most common form of positive reinforcement training in dogs is lure-reward training. Here is some great info on the topic from the weblog of Dr. Ian Dunbar's (the "father of modern dog training") Dog Star Daily.
• Use a clicker to train your dog. Clickers are used for shaping behaviors. Shaping is a branch of reinforcement training where small pieces of behavior are rewarded on the way to the terminal behavior (the goal). Clickers make a clicking sound. The sound acts as a marker signal and the sound is always paired with the delivery of food. The click tells the dog, "That's It! That thing you just did earned you a reward!" I find clicker training absolutely fabulous, and with shaping games, you can teach your dog the value of being creative. For the definitive resource on all things clicker, go here.
• Load your praise by consistently using words like, "good boy," before you deliver the food or sound your clicker. With practice, your dog will learn that they are on the right track, and training sessions become much smoother for you and your dog.
• Be consistent! Really. I know it is hard. If you don't want jumping up or crotch nuzzling, never allow it! Preempt it by asking for an alternate behavior instead.
• Play! Use games and general goofiness to have a good time with your pal! Then, use the games (great ones are fetch and tug) in your training!

Reward training tells the dog what to do, and I encourage you to focus on telling your dog how to succeed. You should closely manage your dog's environment, especially in early training, to keep him from making mistakes and learning bad habits. Set your dog up for success by teaching him that you control access to many, if not all of the best things in his life, and that if he wants access to those things, he must learn to ask for them politely. All roads lead though you!

Of course, there are going to be times when you want to tell your dog NO. But it is so, so important to focus on telling the dog what you want him to do instead of what you do not like him doing. Here is a link to another great resource and blogger.

Another thing you are going to want to ask yourself is, "what is it about what my dog is doing that really bothers me?" Are you bothered that the dog is walking ahead of you or is it really bothering you that he does not seem to care that you are even out on the walk with him?

AND, "Is there something I can train my dog to do which will make what I don't want him to do close to impossible?" Phew! What a mouthful! The easiest example of this being - training your dog to SIT when she is motivated to jump up.

Another thing I find very helpful in training, is using rewards that are not food. The best rewards that are not food are, in my opinion, access to desired THINGS, and interactive games.
Here is an example of what "access to desired things" looks like. Remember, training requires repetition.

It takes a lot more than love to have a beautiful relationship with your dog. Dogs were bred to work, and if you work with your dog - training, exercise, games, breed specific activities, hiking, traveling, interacting - your bond will be strong. Consistent, gentle, and direct communication will get great results.

Remember, have fun when you train, listen to your dog, and always travel with a biscuit in your pocket!

"Train with Joy!"
~David the Dog Trainer

Trust, Fear, Stress, and Anxiety

There are a lot of things which cause dogs to feel uneasy.

Busses, cars, skateboarders, bikes, loud noises, the sound of nail guns (our dog, Vida, is really scared of this sound), other dogs, cats, horses, novelty, men with beards, people with sunglasses, people with bags, umbrellas, rain, thunder, fireworks, grooming and strangers are just a few examples of things which can frighten some dogs.

With any luck, you are living with a dog that has been properly socialized (for more information on the importance of early socialization, I will direct you to a wonderful site for dog owners, here), a dog who has been exposed to a large variety of experiences, and a dog who can now cope with the stress of our modern world.

If your dog has not been adequately socialized or if he has developed a fear to a particular stimuli, he may move further away (flight) from the stimuli, or attack (fight).

In the dog training world, we are faced more often with the fearful dog who attacks rather than retreats, and aggression in dogs is still considered the most serious issue pet guardians face. But, it is vitally important to also address the needs of any dog living with fear or anxiety, as to much stress can detrimentally affect the dog's health - of mind, body, and spirit (I will direct you to a great resource on fearful dogs, here).

I want to outline a few cases I am currently dealing with to illustrate my point and hopefully shed some light on the topic of "dealing with fearful dogs" at the same time.

Client A: When I first met her in her home, she would not approach me. The slightest move from me would cause her to flinch and flee. She was eventually able to take food from my hand, but she kept as much distance from me as possible. I have been able to bond with her through exercise and training, and now we are friends. She trusts me. When I knock on the door, there is certainly barking (possible indication of anxiety), but as soon as I enter she is happy as heck to see me. She has learned that my visits lead to walks, training, and fun. She has also learned that I am no threat. She "knows" me now. However, the world is still a scary place, and unfamiliar things are still scary for her. This dog is currently making great progress.

Client B: I first met this boy at his daycare. He "greeted" me by barking loudly, repeatedly, and with a lot of anxious energy (my interpretation). He was certainly not happy that I, a stranger, had entered the building (he was roaming the top floor with the owner of the shop, not playing with other dogs below). The second time I saw him at the daycare, he barked then jumped up and bit my coat. Then, as I moved toward him, he fled, barking as he backed away. When I went to his home for a private consultation, he barked repeatedly when I rang the doorbell, but he could not approach me, as he was on a leash (per my request). This dog has been working this week on mannerly greetings in the home,  the pet guardians are watching for signs of stress in the dog (keeping him under-threshold), and the pooch is making new associations with the doorbell and the entry of guests.

Client C: I came to his house. He was held in the arms of the pet guardian. I moved to the couch and sat. He joined me on the couch. I talked with the guardians, turned my camera on the pooch, went to make contact, and he attacked me, biting my hand and lunging toward my face. Now, I know that I should have seen the bite coming, but, at times, it is important for me to act like a member of the general public and not "act like a dog trainer" by being appropriate, reading dog signals, and modifying my own behavior to reduce the stress of the dog. Speaking of stress and reading dogs, here is a great site on the topic. This pooch has had a lot of good experiences since I saw him just a few days ago. The pet guardians have a plan, his guarding problems are being managed (for now), and he is happily doing sit-stays when people enter the house.

The common threads in theses cases are:

• The dogs lacked trust
• The dogs were under stress
• The dogs were fearful or anxious (here is a bit of info on the difference between the two)

The common thread in my treatment approach is:

• To create a "Yippie!" response to the things (triggers) which once caused stress, anxiety, or fear through reward training. 

Here is a great reference on an approach to dealing with fear in dogs which looks spot on. Pay close attention to the section which states "any threats or retaliation from the stimulus (as perceived by the dog) or any anxiety or punishment on the
part of the owner or handler, will further add to the pets fear or anxiety." We, at David the Dog Trainer, agree wholeheartedly.

Thanks for reading, and happy training!

Check out the David the Dog Trainer YouTube Channel!

We have great videos uploaded on YouTube. Check them out here!

David the Dog Trainer--Official Bio!

Hi all!

So we are so excited to have David as part of our Idawg team that we wanted to share a little about his background with you so you can understand his experience, training, and maybe where his training approach comes from. So enjoy!

"David Hogan, CTC, holds a Certificate in Training and Counseling from the San Francisco SPCA Academy For Dog Trainers, under the direction of Jean Donaldson, where he graduated with honors. David has been working with dogs since 2003, and in 2006 he launched his own business, David the Dog Walker. In 2007, David the Dog Trainer was added as the training branch of the business.

David is a positive reinforcement trainer who emphasizes the importance of establishing humane control and relationship building between pet dogs and their people. David specializes in clicker training, leash training, training walks, off-leash training, and obedience training. David recently prepared a client for his therapy dog training test (http://www.tdi-dog.org/), which they (pooch and handler) passed with flying colors.

David is committed to his clients and their success with their pets, and is as equally committed to continuing his own education and training. David attends seminars and workshops with leaders in the field of dog training and behavior, and is fortunate to have had the chance to learn from experts such as Terry Ryan, Dr. Ian Dunbar, Pia Silvani, and Sue Sternberg, to name a few."

Have fun when you train!
~ David

Off Leash Time! by David the Dog Trainer

Allowing your dog to spend time off leash is critical for his mental health, and may be one of the only ways to get him the high intensity exercise he needs.

If you do not spend time training your dog to behave when off leash, you are going to get frustrated when he ignores your request to come when called.

One of the best places to begin training off leash obedience is in a fully fenced yard with few distractions or at a park (where you can find a bit of solitude) on a long leash.

Here is a link to a video of me and Vida working on the Recall in our favorite park.

When you practice, never call your dog to you then provide a nasty consequence. You must not call your dog with your standard, "Fido, Come!" (which usually gets rewarded) and then inadvertently apply the worst consequence (from Fido's standpoint) - you leave the park. This rule goes for all communication and is called "poisoning the cue." Reward the behaviors you like and do not punish the dog for the non-response. Perhaps he does not "know" it as much as you think.

Language and Dogs by David the Dog Trainer

Let's agree on a few things before we get started, shall we.

1. Dogs do not speak English (or whatever your native language might be).
2. Dogs communicate with each other through body language, vocalization, and scent. Here is a bit of info from Wikipedia.

Just how smart are dogs, is a question to ponder as we discuss language and communication. Here is a wonderful video about animal learning. In the video we meet a dog with a 300+ word vocabulary.

In order for dogs to learn what we want from them we have to make sure that we know how to effectively communicate what we want. We must be consistent in our feedback if we are to expect consistent results.

There are more than a few ways to communicate with your dogs. I am going to focus on result-oriented communication, and look how to:

• Tell your dog that you approve and want more of a particular behavior.
• Tell your dog that you do not approve and that you want to see less of a particular behavior.

Here are possible ways that you can tell your dog that you approve of what he is doing. You can add:

• Attention
• Affection
• Food
• Games
• Interaction
• Friendly Looks
• Etc. 

When you are approve of your dog's behavior, and hoping to see more of it in the future, you are attempting to reinforce (reward) that behavior. If you think you know how to reward your dog, and you have good timing (the rewards should come right after the behavior), you should see the behavior increase.

There are also plenty of ways to tell your dog you do not approve of his behavior, and I am only going to focus on two:

• Reward Removal
• Instructive Reprimands 

Reward removal is often accomplished through time outs and self-removal. Instructive reprimands are often repeated cues, "Outside, outside, outside" (given when a pup is about to have an accident in the house) or "Sit, Sit, Sit!" (given when your instructions are blown off). Instructive reprimands do presuppose, however, that the dog has been trained to "know" what the commands mean. Yes, many times dogs are focused on something else and are "too distracted to respond," but I would not advise someone to "never repeat your commands" because that is too restrictive to make sense. I  believe that we need to tell our dogs what we do not approve of and how their behavior makes us feel. I also believe, however, that the best way to get the results we want is to manage the environment (when possible), train with rewards, set the dog up for success, and be consistent with our feedback.

There are, of course, other ways to attempt to punish (make decrease) behavior, but I am not going to cover them, as I am in the business of promoting reward based training methods. Collar corrections are the most blatant example, and you need not look far to find a trainer or a friend using corrections to punish behavior. What I want to know about the dog who is trained by corrections is how they do off leash or on a flat collar.

Let's talk more about human to dog communication and how to nurture a good relationship.

The first thing you can do to establish good lines of communication with your dog is to be consistent, train with rewards, and have fun with your dog during bonding activities (walks, games, trips, etc.). It is going to be vitally important that your dog trusts you, so be sure to be gentle with your dog and learn how to interpret his language so you know when he is stressed, fearful or upset. You are also going to want to make sure you do not confuse your dog by giving him mixed signals. Dogs will often be confused if you are inconsistent about what is favored and what is not. If you do not want your dog on the couch, give him a comfy spot on the floor and never, ever let him on the couch.

A great way to teach your dog basic obedience is through lure-reward training, popularized by the "grandfather of modern dog training," Dr. Ian Dunbar. Here is a link to his fabulous, interactive blog. When you train your dog to do certain things like sit, lay down, come when called, etc. with reward based techniques, you are doing your dog a great favor. It is the way children are taught (good behaviors are rewarded with good grades), and punishment does not work that well in contrast (the recidivism rate is high for punished criminals). Now, I do realize that dogs are not humans, but as a trainer experienced in both correction and reward based techniques, I can say from personal experience, that dogs are happier when trained with rewards and reward training is easier to apply.

It is your responsibility as a person who lives with a dog to provide your dog with exercise, stimulation, play, and instruction. Your dog is going to look to you for answers - they want to know what they should do, they need direction, and many of them need a job! A specific, challenging job. Never forget, most dogs were bred for WORK and many of them are expected not to perform behaviors which they were bred to perform (dig, stalk, chase, bark, attack, guard, etc.). We want our active, working dogs to behave like pets. We want them to be "good dogs." We wonder why they are "bad." Most of the time, dogs are misbehaving and frustrating to us because we are not communicating well, we are inconsistent, and they are under exercised and under stimulated.

Please take the time to learn how to communicate with your dog. Learn how to listen to them and how they are "talking" to you. Enroll in a dog training class or find a fun group activity to engage in with your dog. It is also very important to note if your communication is working. If your efforts are leaving you completely flustered, you might consider talking to a trainer about how to open up the lines of communication with your dog.

Listen, love, teach, play, and live in harmony with your canine companion.

PACK LEADER dog training - By David The Dog Trainer

I am going to explore the popular notion of "leadership" or "pack leader" training. I am not an expert on this topic, but I know enough to be useful in the debate, and can, hopefully, help you find the best resources to help you understand how to have the best relationship with your dog.


Proponents of this kind of "training" seem to advocate that the best way to have a well behaved dog and the best way to have a healthy relationship with your dog is to BE THE ALPHA.

Pack leader training seems to be rooted in dominance theory. Dominance theory is a misunderstood and controversial topic, especially when it comes to its application in the dog training world. There is a ton of writing on the topic. Here is a book by Dr. James O'Heare that you might want to look into on the subject. I have read him before, and have appreciated his work.

What dominance theory seems to imply is that within a social group there exists a hierarchy in relation to resources. The most dominant member of the group, by definition, gets first pick of the resources.

My understanding of why organisms would adopt a hierarchical structure is to reduce conflict amongst the group. If I am not mistaken, the idea of linear dominance actually comes from the study of chickens who seem to establish a pecking order. Here is some info on chickens from someone who, I am sure, knows more about the topic than I.

One reason so many people seem attracted to the idea of pack leader training is that it is mistakenly assumed that wild wolves live by a similar practice, and since wolves are ancestral dogs, then it makes sense that we should do as the wolves do. There is a ton of new research on the topic, and I am going to provide you with a few links below:

International Wolf Center

Science Daily's "Using 'Dominance' to Explain Dog Behavior is Old Hat."

Welfare in Dog Training's "What's Wrong with Using 'Dominance' to Explain the Behaviour of Dogs?"

I also have come to understand that there are different theories about what exactly dominance theory is exactly.

We have:

contextual dominance theory - A has dominance (first choice of resource) over B in relation to the couch but dominance in relation to the pet owner.

alpha type-ology - Dogs are either Alpha types, Beta types, or status seekers (always looking to achieve a higher status through conflict).

linear dominance theory - There is a clear top dog at all times who gets first choice off all the resources.

Etc.

Here is where pack leader training gets problematic for dogs and their people:

Maintaining Alpha status often requires confrontation, physical punishment, intimidation, or force.

Pack leader training seems to be masking plain old positive punishment training. It usually comes with a lot of collar corrections and physical punishment. If people are going to advocate "pack leader training," and are getting their desired results through the application of punishment, I think it would be more helpful to call it what it really is, and look at learning theory as the cause of the behavior change.

If "pack leader training" is only a fancy way of labeling punishment training, then the consumer should know punishment's potential side effects and just how tricky it is to give timely and consistent "corrections." Here is an article on the subject - too many ads on the page, but sound advice, IMO.

Here is Wikipedia's definition of social dominance theory.

Here is the ASVAB position on the use of dominance theory in the behavior modification of animals.

Here are some words on training from the Humane Society of the United States.

This blog is by no means an exhaustive examination. I hope it promotes discussion and commentary.

As always, thanks for reading, and I encourage your comments.

Posted by David the Dog Trainer
http://www.davidthedogtrainer.com/

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Idawg Welcomes Aboard David The Dog Trainer

We are so excited to announce that Pacific Northwest's Dog Trainer Extraordinaire, David The Dog Trainer, has become part of the Idawg team! Our goal is to make IdawgClothing.com not just a destination for big dog apparel and soon to be accessories, but also a community where dog owners can come and discuss all things "dog".  David will post regular blogs on a variety of dog training topics and will serve as an advisor on our Idawg Forum in the "dog training" area. We welcome you to ask questions, post comments, and engage in healthy doggie dialogue.

David has been an active personal dog trainer for several years and has dedicated his work to helping people have harmonious relationships with their pet dogs. On this blog you will find opinions, videos, and information on dog training, in general. No guarantee is stated or implied in these blog entries and if you follow any of the advice in it, you do so at your own risk. If you ever feel that you, your dog, or others are at risk because of your dog, please seek the services of a professional dog trainer. Other than that disclaimer, we hope you enjoy reading his dog blogs!