Beginner Dog Training

A cue becomes “poisoned” when the dog’s association with the cue is ambiguous – it’s sometimes associated with positive reinforcement, and sometimes associated with punishment. When the association is ambiguous, the dog becomes confused and doesn’t know what to expect. Poisoning your “Come!” cue is the best way to ensure that she’ll stop and weigh her choices, then take off after the bounding deer, rather than come galloping to you when you call.

You may think feeding your dog is a simple matter of dumping food in his bowl and plopping it down on the floor in front of him. You may be wrong. Mealtime is fraught with significance for your dog, and loaded with opportunities for you to influence his health and his behavior. Failure to take advantage of these could actually contribute to the development and/or escalation of problems that might otherwise be averted. A few deliberate decisions and choices on your part can go far in creating harmony in your home.

You've no doubt heard the adage, You can't teach an old dog new tricks." If you have an older dog

Not so very long ago, trainers assumed that anyone who signed up for a basic obedience class was seeking that perfectly straight, sit-in-perfect-heel position. Classes were conducted with military precision, trainers barking commands as owners marched their dogs in a circle, jerking and popping on leashes and choke chains in order to achieve lightning-fast responses. Success was measured by speed and perfection of position, and advanced work was conducted with one goal – to show in American Kennel Club obedience competitions, earn obedience degrees, and achieve scores as close to that magic “perfect 200” as possible.

we start with shaping that behavior and backchain to the completed "Fetch" behavior.üGradually

There are many times in your dog's life when she needs to be able to control her impulse to engage in a behavior. Last month, we discussed Wait" and "Stay" – but impulse control goes far beyond these "don't move" cues. "Leave it" is another impulse-control behavior that is very useful for your dog to know. The cue means

mark the desired behavior with the click of a clicker (or the word "Yes!") and feed him a different treat.üPractice "Leave it!" with everything your dog likes in real life: food

one
can shape a new trick."

and who are appropriately reinforced for the ""right"" behavior

however.üMany small dogs reflexively resist being picked up

so he's trying it again.üIs this dog dominant or acting like an "alpha dog"? No; he's been trained to jump up and bite on cue."

The level of your children’s participation in your dog’s training program will vary based on the age and abilities of the children.