Training

but don't respond if he targets the new item. Give the cue for the first item and click/reward when he targets the first item.üAnother item has been introduced

Resource-guarding in dogs – that is, protecting valuable possessions – is a natural, normal behavior. Yet at some point we humans developed the arrogant...

I found the concept of a vibration collar potentially useful. But in practice, there were a number of things I didn’t like about the...

with the treats delivered right at her side

Silent cues are useful in any situation where your dog can't hear you, whether he's across a field from you, with you at a parade, if he's deaf, or suffering age-related hearing loss. There are two philosophies about training dogs with hand signals. Some people like to use small, subtle signals, barely visible to the human eye. A tiny finger movement cues the dog to lie down. Another elicits a sit. A small wave sends the dog into heel position. Impressive – it appears that the dog is mind-reading!

I used to show my dogs in competitive obedience. In the beginning, the opportunity to earn obedience titles and show off my dog's training appealed to me greatly. But as I evolved toward positive training methods and a more fulfilling relationship with my dogs, the military precision of the show ring lost its charm. I realized that it made no sense to have a relationship with my canine pals based on warm interaction and communication outside the ring, only to march in cold silence next to my dogs inside the ring. I stopped showing and turned my efforts toward family dog training and activities that were more fun and flexible, like agility and canine freestyle.

Great job to all of you amateur and professional dog trainers! Developing these skills in our dogs takes – first and foremost – an owner who is interacting with her dog and paying attention to what the dog says" in the conversation. That's the very foundation of a good relationship between two individuals of any species! The following are some of my favorite submissions from among the hundreds that Whole Dog Journal subscribers sent in – including one selected at random to win one of my books! We had to make a random selection; there were too many great submissions to choose "the best" one!"

Being able to teach your dog to move away from something when asked is an invaluable tool, both for your dog's safety and for your sanity. Note: Be sure to repeat each step eight to 12 (or more) times, until your dog eagerly responds to the cue before progressing to the next step.

When I get an email asking for help with a 6-month-old puppy who’s still not house-trained, I’ll bet you this: That puppy’s owner doesn’t...

Last week a trainer friend stopped by to visit with her three dogs: Star, Kaiya, and Lhotse. As we were chatting, Laura confessed to me that she thought she'd ruined Star's "fetch" with the clicker. "She had a great retrieve," Laura said, "until I started clicking her for it. Now she just drops it as soon as I click. I stopped working on it because I knew I was messing it up." I chuckled to myself. I knew this would be a fun - and easy - training fix.

The goal with a recall is for the dog to respond to the “come” cue automatically, enthusiastically, and without hesitation. This is safety-critical behavior. If your dog is heading toward a busy road coming to you when you call her could save her life.

Vibration collars are frequently suggested as a good tool for communicating with hearing-impaired dogs. I hadn’t had much experience with them, so when I...