Clicks Instead Of 'Good Boy' For DOG TRAINING

The first major improvement in dog training since choke chains and spiked collars, click and treat has quickly establishing itself in becoming a big hit in the world of dog training. Currently, there are over 10,000 trainers who are using this training method everyday. 

One advantage to using this form of training at home is it’s easy to learn for both the dog and his trainer!

Originally used to train marine mammals, click and treat breaks down the process into two separate steps, information and motivation. The click is the information, the treat is the motivation. While other trainers still work on these two steps, they try to teach them all at once, which can confuse the animal and slow down results.

Dog getting clicker training. Tika, the 3-year-old Australian Shepherd rescue agility dog,
loves it when the clicker comes out.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most trainers will verbally praise a dog for good behavior, while at the same time motivating the dog to repeat his actions. This can be a good method, however it takes longer for the dog to understand which behaviors and actions caused the praise from the trainer.

With the click and treat method, the processes are easily taught. In normal training, a person would say “good boy” when a welcomed action occurs and proceed with giving a treat. The clicker becomes a substitute for verbal praise and can actually catch the “good boy” behavior quicker than saying it, letting the dog know exactly which behavior he is being rewarded for.

Another way to look at click and treat training is viewing it as a secondary reinforcement, while food, water, physical affection and play (things the dog wants) become primary reinforcement. When you take a dog for a walk, the leash works as a secondary reinforcement. It is obvious to the dog that the leash is not taking him for a walk; the owner is, however, it triggers a reaction in the dog, telling him that the leash will let him know where he will go and where he will not. And if he reacts to the leash with good behavior, his reward will be a nice leisurely walk.

Click and treat works the same way. When a dog hears the clicker, he will know that he performed a good behavior and as long as he keeps hearing a click, there is a treat coming his way. So, the clicker works as a secondary reinforcement, teaching him boundaries and appropriate behavior.

A couple advantages of the click and treat method include;

1) Faster response than verbal praise. The clicker can identify the exact behavior at the time it happens.

2) It takes the place of treats. While motivating the dog to hear clicks, it will also teach him to work without the expectations of having treats given to him each time he does something good.

3) If the trainer is working at a distance from the dog, the clicker will still work, without having to be right next him.

Are you ready to try clicker training? 

The first thing you’ll need to do is go to your favorite pet supply store and invest in a clicker. The clicker is nothing fancy and should just cost you under five dollars. While you’re there grab some pocket treats, little bits of dried liver work well.

A good method to use when getting started with click and treat is to stand in front of the animal. Click the clicker and give a treat. Continue doing this for 20-30 minutes, or until the dog becomes startled by the sound of the click. This will familiarize him to the clicking sound, while teaching him that every time he hears it, he has done something good. After he gets the hang of it, begin by adding commands, such as “sit” and “stay.”

Click and treat has proven to be a simple, yet consistent training method with quick results. So for the trainers out there who are looking for a new and innovative way to motivate and praise their animals, get out there, buy a clicker and... click!

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CRATE TRAINING a Puppy

Quite a few owners are employing crates to help teach their puppies. Several dog owners consider crates to be mean, terrible and restrictive but for those who have never used one you probably should look at the rewards.

A greyhound lying in his wire dog crate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many pets look at the crate as being their personal spot. This is particularly true if it has been utilised since they were a puppy. Young dogs usually do not perceive  the crate as a punishment, but as their den. If the crate is in a location where the puppy is able to go in and out many pets will use their crate on their own as a place to nap.

If your puppy is accepting and comfy with his crate he will be more than happy to be in it if you have to leave your house. This means that you don't worry about your dog chewing or destroying things when you're not at home.

Crates will also be wonderful when you have infants in the home. The dog will often take advantage of this space to escape while he wants to be left alone. It's important that you teach children to respect the dog's crate and not use it to play in. Kids should understand that this spot belongs to the dog and just the puppy and to leave the pet alone when he is in his crate.

Crate training may also help with house training. Puppies hate to dirty their bedroom. You will see that a puppy who sleeps inside a crate is less likely to have accidents. Keep in mind that the dog must be allowed out at regular times particularly when he is small. You do not want the animal to be forced to do his business inside the crate, if he's left in it too long. This might grow to be a pattern if the puppy spends a lot of time in his crate.

Crate training is also beneficial to help with additional instruction. In case your young puppy does start to play rough you can utilize it for a time out spot. You can even use the crate to keep your pet quietly restricted should you have visitors over who are not people who love dogs.

Dog crates can be a very valuable training tool, and will make living with a dog a great deal easier in lots of various ways. If you are thinking about buying a puppy you need to really look at the merits to getting a crate. 

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Why the Use of a Training DOG COLLARS Sometimes Counterproductive

Dog halter-style collar Photo by Elf
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dog trainers, especially those who are not professionals in the field, usually confuse dog training with control. In any dog-man pair, the human always have the need to gain control. This is not really bad except that sometimes, the man abuses the privileged of control. 

Dog training collars provide that control. While the intention is normally good- to remove unwanted (but instinctual) behaviors of the dogs for example- the process of training is sometimes incorrect and abusive of the dog's weaknesses and the tools used for training are not well-adapted to the needs of the dog.

We, humans, often forget that dogs are individuals too. Some dogs are very aggressive and hard to control, some are funny and gives us much comfort and joy, others are just laid back and refuse to undergo training and some are naturally fast learners while others are slow learners.

Training collars were invented to gain enough control over the canines, however some people fail to adhere to the basic principles of these tools. Choke or chain collars, for example, are one of the very first tools invented to help lessen the tension between man and dog.

But there are people who overuse and misuse the choke collars. Some handlers are so harsh that many dogs experience neck damages and some even choke to death. In short the use of this type of collars is very dangerous, if not counter-productive.

Some handlers, on the other hand, lack sufficient knowledge on the specific collars that would work well with their dogs. For example, the popular choice of collar these days are the electronic dog collar due to its remote access to dogs which provide continuous "training" for even when the owner is not around. While this may be a popular alternative to old fashioned dog training collars, many people just don’t completely understand its disadvantages.

There are some very mundane reasons as to why collars could be, at times, counterproductive. For one, there are people who just don’t take the extra time to check if the collar is fit or not. With improper fitting, the collar could pinch the skin (especially the Martingale collar) and scratch it causing burning spots.

These are very uncomfortable to dogs as much as having skin lesions would make someone feel irritated. The rule of thumb for getting the right fit of collar for your dog is to allow two to three inches gap between the attached collar and the neck.

Another reason why dog collars could be potentially counterproductive is that they work on the principle of pain and fear and not really on discipline. Electronic training collars work by sending electronic shocks to the dog wearing it or unpleasant sound that will discourage the dog from barking.

Even when it proves to be efficient in delivering its purpose- to distract the dog from barking- the results are not as good. Why? Because the dog starts to lose its confidence.

Quick fixes for behavior control are more often than not tempting to use and leads to overdependence to control devices. While doing it the long way usually proves to be more valuable.

Therefore, before one chooses a dog training collar, it is recommended to do your research first so your dog's comfort would not be compromised. 

BOREDOM and variety

Boredom and variety are always inter connected in case of dog misbehaving. Yes. This is true. Many a times, boredom can be managed with variety of materials that will distract the animals to a greater extent.  Hence, the dog may not do the abnormal or unwanted activity arising out of the boredom experienced by it. 

Boredom experienced dogs may have different types of behavioral patterns.  For example, some dogs will be seen barking continuously and some may be engaged always in some digging activities. 

There are many ways to get your dog out of its boredom activities. Many toys are available which simulated duck, dog, rodent etc. 

These may be kept inside the crate and in particular, puppies love these items.  A buster cube with multiple treats may be placed in the dog’s shelter and the animal soon understands on how to roll the buster cube to get the treats it prefers. A Buster Cube is an ingenious toy use for simulating and activating your dog during play and feed time.  Instead of placing the food monotonously in one place, change the place of feeding suddenly. 

Such actions will be helpful for removing the boredom like activity in your dog. Activities pertaining to boredom need to be redefined well by the dog owners.  This will help them to a greater extent to drive away the unwanted behavior patterns in their pet dogs. 

For example, some dogs may often have destructive biting characters and will be seen biting chair, cloth, mats, and everything that can see. After ruling out the teething problem if it is a puppy, provide it with some large sized balls, mineral mixture based bone materials, etc. Such variety of materials help to reduce the boredom related activities.   

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