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