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This week has been all about teaching people how to walk their dogs. I have had dogs that knew how to walk but were having problems with stimulation. I had dogs that were puppies and we were walking for the first time with structure. All in all every session has gone extremely well. Both dogs were valuing the reward system that was motivating to them. The dog that had issues with stimulation and had certain types of behaviors like howling. We found out why and was able to work through the behavior.
So many times for us as people we take things personal when it comes to our dog. We don't want to be that dog owner where on the walk it looks like we have no control and our dog is barking, lunging, pulling, growling, and yes, even howling.
The one personal goal that I set out to do when I started to work or learn about dog training was to walk a dog. If I could learn that then I would be happy. My dog Snickers was the hardest dog for me to walk in my life time and career as a trainer. Mainly because I tried everything, got frustrated felt embarrassed. I had no confidence in myself at all. The goal was simple. If I can get him to pay attention then I could walk and bond with him more. My goal was to change our relationship into a more beneficial one for both of us. He needed to feel like he was providing me with a service and that service was a friend while I cleared my head on the walks. His benefit was that he to got to one provide a service and two it was working his mind to practice self control and his physical as we got exercise. Most people get the dog for the exercise partner. The hard part is we are ready to hit the ground running. Our dogs first instinct is to hunt on the walk. If the nose is able to hit the ground it will find a curious smell and want to know more.... like where it is. That starts the tracking behavior. You know, the zigzag side to side behavior.
How'd I changed the walk for both of us? I started from the beginning and made a good focus cue. My clients would know this as learning it's name. Once I get a good reaction with this then I can start to teach the dog leash manners. So if he/she bolts on the leash I will simply say no before the leach gets tight and wait for the dog to look at me come back to me. Most of all settle. As soon as that happens and we reset. I will reward him/ her with my behavior marker with where he/she is walking. If the dog looks at me I will continue to reward with treats or affection. Most of the time in the beginning it's a combination of both. As the dog understands this game I will continue to tell the dog my reinforcement word and go longer without the treats but still encouraging. That is really it in a nut shell. The biggest part in training or teaching your do anything is timing. You have such a small window to correct and reward. So remember that you are learning as much as the dog is learning. You're watching to see how he/she responds when they've lost all attention. You're gathering all of that information as well.
So what to do when those pesky distractions come into play and throw a monkey wrench into your good walk? The goal is to find a distraction and approach only if your dog is receptive of you. If you move to close and the dog is not receptive no problem. Just wait. Step in front of the dog. Step between the distraction and the dog. Keep the dog backing up. Before asking the dog to do anything tell them know then help them move backwards or stand strong in the position. Once your dog realizes they are not going to what it wants with that current behavior it will offer something else. When this shift happens ask for the dogs attention by using the focus cue. If the dog looks at you mark the behavior and reward. Then take a step closer. It'll be a rinse wash and repeat until the dog learns to how you need him/her to approach different things. So many times we aren't able to communicate properly. We need to make sure we are directly confronting our dog and letting them know we disagree with the behavior. Remember the domestic dog was bred for a purpose. To help us with service. Take the dog as a computer and you hold the usb with the knowledge and once you download that information to the dog it goes ahah! I got it. We must learn to communicate. Let them know we protect them and guide them. When that trust builds and they have nothing to be afraid of, you see an amazing friend that everyone loves because he/she loves everyone and is confident. It's not just attractive with us humans. Wouldn't it be nice to let your dog off leash in a store and know that your dog is going to respect dogs, people and the environment they're in. It starts with trust with you and building his/her confidence in them. Praising them at the right time. When they make a mistake, allowing them to try again. That develops confidence.
Until next time!