The Power of Positive Reinforcements

8/13/2019 The Power of Positive Reinforcements

1/681Copyright 2012 Positive Training Ltd. | www.dogtrickacademy.co

Visit www.dogtrickacademy.com for more amazing dog-training information, videos and training guide

By Jean CoteTe Power oPOSITIVEReinforcements

The Key To

UnleashingYour DogsTrue Potential

REINFORCEMENTS

The Power Of


2/68

03 A Note From Jean

06 Hollywoods Little Secret

10 Canine Freestyle Inspiration

13 A Dog Is Truly Mans

(Or Womans) Best Friend

16 Search & Rescue and

Law Enforcement Dogs

19 Its Not Just For Dogs!

23 Your Dogs Deepest Desire

26 Coming When Called

Walking on a Loose Leash 34

Avoiding Food Possessiveness 39

I Love Getting Groomed! 43

Sit, Lie Down and Stand On Command 50

Spin, Roll Over and Figure Eight 58

More FREE Stuff On The Way! 66

3419

50

13

contents

Te Power oPOSITIVEReinforcements

10

06

16


3/68

A Note From Jean


4/684Copyright 2012 Positive Training Ltd. | www.dogtrickacademy.com

Visit www.dogtrickacademy.com for more amazing dog-training information, videos and training guides

Te Power oPOSITIVE Reinforcements By Jean Cote

Dear Dog Owner and Friend,

I would like to personally thank you or downloading my eBook. I can remember a not-so-distant pastwhen I was in the same shoes as you are, trying to make sense o all the different training philosophies onthe Internet.

No matter where I turned, or whosework I studied, there was always aconflict in the different approachesto training a dog. Some experts werestrong advocates o being the packleader, others believed in correc-tions, and some even in bribery.It was hard to know which trainingmethod was the best, and whichone I should train my dog with.

In the beginning, I trained the waythat the experts told me to. Tey allseemed to have such well-behaveddogs, so I listened and did as theysaid because I wanted to have thesame results.

But it didnt take too long beore Iound mysel correcting my dog with pops on the leash (pulling sharply on the leash, which jolts the dogsneck) anytime my dog broke a stay position or pulled on the leash. Ten, to make matters worse, I had

adopted the belie that my dog was trying to dominate me by jumping up or walking through the doorwaybeore I did.

Long story short, the end result was a very obedient dog. But the obedience came at the cost o having adog who was living in constant ear: my dog didnt want to get corrected or be dominated.

Ten, I asked mysel this very undamental question: I I were a dog how would I like to be trained?My answer was a painul pill to swallow, which was that I wouldnt want to be trained the way that I had

A NotefromJean





been training my dog. So I knew that I had to make a changeand started reading dog training books andattending seminars. What I discovered changed my lie: my dog stopped living in ear and I was finally ableto communicate with my dog without the use o orce or corrections.

What really got me thinking outside the box was reading about animal trainers that were training theirdogs by using only positive reinorcements. And I mean they were the best o the best, world agility cham-pions and movie-set dog trainers.

Tis was a massive eye-opener or me because I had always been taughtto punish my dog whenever she did something wrong. But positive

reinorcement training is the complete opposite! I learned that, instead,I needed to reward the good behaviors and choices. So I tried itand itworked!

I ell in love with this method o training. Afer a ew weeks o trainingwith positive reinorcements, I noticed a difference in my dogs behav-ior and how she interacted with me. Her tail would start wagging andI could tell that she was having so much un with this type o training.

Since then, my ocus has been to use this new way o training to strategi-cally teach my dog to do all sorts o neat tricks. She now can clean up her

toys, etch, play chess, jump over objects, and much more!

Ten I started training and competing in dog agility, and we were verysuccessul. Weve even won several 1st place finishes.

So my goal with this eBook is to invite you to have the same experience and transformation with your dog. Ivewritten this eBook to be very easy to follow and understand. Please give it a try with your dog and practice theexercises given. Tey will work with dogs of any breed, size or temperament.

I you have any questions, concerns, or need clarification on anything that is in this eBook, you can find meon the www.dogtrickacademy.com discussion orum.

Best wishes,

Jean Cote


6/68

Hollywoods Little Secret





Te real challenge was whenwe (my amily and I) brought

home a crazy, destructive, ear-ul and energetic husky puppyLaika which put my mindto work. Trough the internet Ilearned (and Im still learning)how to use positive reinorce-ments to communicate andtrain Laika.

Te best part is its ALWAYSun, because youre creatinga love bond with your dog. Iam enjoying EVERY trainingsession since I know positivereinorcement training. Laikais now a super intelligent dogand every day makes me proudand shows me that were on theright together.

- mara & Laika

Te first movie I watched that had a dog as a main character wasthe movie Bingo. Even to this day, I still remember the storyline: thecountless hurdles that Bingo had to overcome, and the bond that wascreated between Bingo and Chuckie (the two main characters).

I youve never watched the movie, the storyline goes like this: Bingo

is kicked out o the circus or being araid o jumping through a fire-lit hoop. A young boy named Chuckie finds him and takes care ohim. But there is one problem: Chuckies amily is moving 1,000 milesacross the country and his parents wont allow Bingo to come withthem.

Chuckie tries everything to make his parents understand how im-portant Bingo is to him. Hes the only riend that he truly has. But itall alls on dea ears and Bingo is lef alone once again. But this time,Bingo is determined to be reunited with his best riend Chuckie, andso the journey begins!

In the movie, Bingo runs, gets kidnapped, rides on the roos o cars,and does whatever it takes to get back to his riend Chuckie.

Hollywoods Little Secret





I never realized it at the time, but this movie had a big influence on me. When I reflect back on it, I can seethat that was the moment I decided I wanted a dog, and that I wanted to be best riends with my dog. I wasalso amazed at how Bingo was able to do those cool tricks in the movie.

Bingo can be seen doing over 130 different behaviors in the movie. He skateboards, plays video games,makes phone calls, taps out Morse code, plays chess, catches fish, gives high fives andmy personal a-voritehe even does Chuckies math homework!

What an incredible dog! But surely this dog isspecial and must be one in a millionright?

But, as I later discovered, the dog who playedBingo was actually ound in a dog pound in Cali-ornia. And i someone hadnt ound him there,taken care o him and trained him properly, thenhe would never have made it onto the movie set.

So, how did they train Bingo to do all o thoseancy tricks and behaviors? I cant be a hundredpercent sure because I wasnt there, but the waythat Ive been able to reproduce the same tricksshown in the movie was by using positive rein-

orcement training.

Te trick that I loved the most in the movie wasPlaying Chess. I made a promise to mysel that I would find a way to train my dog to play chess, whateverit took. I achieved this several years later with my dog, Onyx.

But it wasnt easy! I had to invest hundreds (i not thousands) o dollars on dog-training classes, books andseminars. Most dog-training schools that I turned to were only designed to make the dog obedient, with-out ever ocusing on the cool tasks that I wanted to train my dog in, like playing chess.

And I didnt quite agree with their training philosophy either. Te way that they achieved an obedient dog

was by correcting and dominating the dog. Tey had silly rules like walking ahead o your dog through adoorway, and putting the dog onto his back.

Tis training method and philosophy didnt produce the result that I wanted. I wanted to become bestriends with my dog, and train my dog to do really cool tricks that I saw in the movies.

It wasnt until a ew years later that I discovered positive reinorcement training. It seemed strange at firstbecause it is the complete opposite o what everyone else was teaching. Te undamental difference is that





the dog is rewarded or good behaviors and choices instead o beingpunished or the bad ones.

With my first dog, obbie, I was nave and ollowed the traditional train-ing as previously explained. But my dog was in a constant state o ear(due to being constantly corrected). He wouldnt etch a ball i his liedepended on it, and we never even went or a walk because he wouldbark at everything he saw.

Although I loved obbie, we were ar rom being best riends and I was

never able to teach him any cool tricks. So our relationship never grewto the level that I wanted to, and the day I moved out o my home, I lefobbie in the good care o my sister.

Sadly, I didnt discover positive reinorcement training until later on inlie when I had my second dog, Onyx. Te difference was night and day. Itrained Onyx to do countless tricks, including all those I had seen in themovies. And to this day we still enjoy training together!

So, in this book, Im going to spill the beans on positive reinorcementtraining and get you started on the right pathand also the path thatwill enable you to train your dog to do all those cool tricks you see inmovies.

Are you up or the challenge? It wont be easy in the beginning and it willtake effort and dedication. But I can promise you one thing: it will getmuch easier the more you practice. Until one day, you wont even haveto think about it.

Tis is kind o like how you started driving. At first, it was very difficultand you had to ocus on the road, the steering wheel, the pedals and

mirrors. Now you can do it effortlessly. Te same thing will happen withpositive reinorcement training i you practice it enough times.

Are you excited yet? I you find yoursel challenged or things are notworking, you can always find help at the www.dogtrickacademy.com dis-cussion orum. Tere are thousands o other dog owners on there whotrain their dogs using positive reinorcement training.

Positive reinorcement has reallychanged the way I think aboutdogs, and dog training. I used tobe a Cesar Millan an, but once I

turned over to positive reinorce-ment training, I never lookedback.

My dog, Shivon is my best riend.I cant imagine my lie withouther. We have a strong bond, whichwas ormed thanks to positivereinorcements, love and devotion.You just cant get that using cor-rections, alpha rolls, choke collars,etc. With the power o positivereinorcement training, I was ableto teach Shivon obedience (such

as stay, and loose-leash walking),but I was also able to teach heramazing dog tricks, like painting,playing the piano, and carryingmy purse. Positive reinorcementtraining changed my lie orever.Its amazing what praise, treats anda little tool called a clicker can do.

- Maya & Shivon


10/68

Canine Freestyle Inspiration





Isnt Youube a wonderul thing? A ewyears ago, I was browsing the Internetone night and stumbled upon this You-ube video o a Canine Freestyle per-ormance on Britains Got alent.

I you dont know or have never heardo Britains Got alent, its a V show inBritain where talented people rom allwalks o lie compete against each oth-er. Tey have singers, dancers, acrobats,magiciansand now even dogs!

In this particular video, the CanineFreestyle perormance was by Kate andher dog, Gin. Tey completed dozenso jaw-dropping tricks. Everyone in theaudience was completely amazed andthe judges couldnt believe that a dogcould do that.

CanineFreestyleInspiration





Personally, I was totally impressed with the tricks and handling displayed by Kate and Ginso much sothat I began to train my dogs to do the same tricks as in their perormance. I trained my dog to stand onher hind legs and stand tall like a human. It was really un!

But I think that when most people watch this video, they think to themselves, Tis dog is great, but theresno way that my dog could do that.

And thats totally untrue. In act, Kate struggled with training her dog in the beginning. She was asked to

leave every dog-training club that she joined because her dog was so badly behaved. Tey even told herthat she was never going to be able to train her dog!

But what spirit Kate has! She was determined and did not give up. She decided to work hard at trainingGinand as a result, millions o people can now see her perormance on Youube and be inspired by it.

Tis story is so inspirational! I Kate could learn how to train her dog, even afer being told by the expertsthat she was a lost cause, then surely you can, too!

And even i you dont know how to train your dog yet thats okay! Everything begins with a thought, adesire and a vision. I your outcome is to train your dog to do really cool tricks, then theres a way to train

your dog to do them.

Its kind o unny: a while back someone had asked me on the www.dogtrickacademy.com discussion o-rum how they could train their dog to jump rope. With my limited imagination, I told them that it wasimpossible because dogs werent human. A ew days later, another member posted a video o their dogjumping rope. My belie that it was impossible had clouded my perception o what was actually possible.

I now believe that you can train a dog to do anything you want. So dont believe it when someone tells youthat you cant train your dogbecause you can!





A Dog Is Truly Mans (OrWomans) Best Friend





A Dog Is Truly Mans(Or Womans) Best FriendDogs are such an incredible species! Some dogs spend their entire lives helping their human counterparts,with many dogs literally being mans best riend to people with disabilities, including the blind and hardo hearing.

Te way that these dogs are trained is very interesting. Each dog is uniquely trained to help the individualthey will be working with. For example, a dog who is going to assist a person in a wheelchair is trained to

pick up objects rom the floor, whereas a dog who will be assisting a blind owner might be trained to avoidobstacles.

Te skills taught are always dependent on the particular disability the dog will be helping with. It can be avariety o tasks, including opening and closing doors, turning lights on and off, and even helping with thelaundry.





Tese dogs are trained by proessionals. Te trainers begin by lookingat puppies and dogs who have excellent temperaments around strangersand children. Next, they evaluate how the dog reacts in various situa-tions, including highly stressul ones. Tese tests are to determine thedogs natural response, so as to make sure that the dog will be a good fitor the disabled person.

Now, this does not mean that the dogs who do not pass the tests areunworthyquite the contrary. Any dog can be trained with enough pa-tience and determination. But because a disabled person relies heavilyon their dog, it is important that these dogs be the best-tempered dogspossible, so as to avoid any problems down the line.

Once the trainers find a dog who suits their high standards, they be-gin the training. Tey start with basic obedience behaviors like sit, stay,come, down, heel. Tey then train the disability-related tasks that theperson will need, such as detecting medical problems.

Tese dogs are trained or approximately 120 hours over the course osix months or more! And i the dog is required to do a lot o tasks, orexample when helping a quadriplegic person, then it might take up totwo years and $20,000 to train that particular dog.

Why am I talking about service dogs? Because I want to inspire you!

You can use the same training concepts practiced by these proessionaldog trainers to train your own dog at home. Yes, this means that you cantrain your dog to help with the laundry or turn the lights off i you wantto!

And the best part is that you can achieve this by training only or 15 to20 minutes a day. I know that this might sound impossible, but its true!Tis is the way that Ive trained my dogs to do their really cool tricks, andI rarely trained more than that per day.

Wouldnt it be awesome i your dog could help you around the house? Ithink so.

Does positive reinorcementtraining work? Yes very much so.My 2 year old youngster RaKismet was recently attackedwhilst out walking with me byanother dog. Fortunately we bothescaped physical injury but it lefmy boy psychologically scarred.So much so, that i he heard orsaw another dog, he went into a

total over-reaction tantrum to apoint where all I could do washang on.

Six weeks later, Ra Kismet, withthe aid o Positive Reinorcementraining is now happily trottingpast dogs barking behind ences,seen or otherwise, to a pointwhere afer the occasional glancein the direction o the barkingdogs, he will re-set himsel, tailwagging madly and his trauma to-tally orgotten. All this was done

on a loose lead, sof collar usingclick/treat. Positive Reinorcementraining is, in my opinion, theonly way to train. Not only does itresult in a well-mannered dog, butone whos so happy to work withyou, loves you and bonds with youin the way man or womans bestriend should, with complete love

and loyalty. - Mary K Gill &

Ra Kismet


16/68

Search & Rescue and LawEnforcement Dogs





Search & Rescue andLaw Enforcement Dogs

When I was twelve, I ound asix month old Border Collie/Labmix. She was crazy, hyper, andeverything in her path was chewedapart. I had never trained a dogor any other animal beore, but Iknew one thing no one wouldever lay a hand on her. I startedresearching how to train dogs andound some amazing videos odogs that perormed tricks andlistened to their owners everycommand. I wanted that or Missy.

She now knows sixty tricks andcommands all thanks to teaching

her with Positive Reinorcements!!Weve created a really strong bondrom working as a team and Ivelearned how amazing and intel-ligent animals are.

-Danielle & Missy

In my opinion, the noblest task that a dog can do involves search andrescue, police work and other specialty work like cancer detection.

Were all amiliar with the classic image o a man trapped up to his neckin snow due to an avalanche and saved by a search and rescue dog. Tesedogs are incredible! Tey can find missing children and locate specific

scent derived rom a piece o clothing.

I remember watching the television ollowing the Haiti earthquake, andthey were using search and rescue dogs to find people stuck in the rub-ble. Tese dogs were trained to walk on the rubble until they smelledsomeone trapped underneath. Ten they would bring their handler tothe spot where they had detected the person.





Some o these dogs are even trained to detect explosives. You might haveseen them at the airport. Tey are actually highly accurate.

In 1972, a dog named Brandy had successully avoided a tragedy whenshe ound a suitcase ull o C-4 explosives at the New York City airport.But at that time, detection dogs were not normally used and it was bypure coincidence that Brandy was there or a demonstration on detectingbombs.

Tese dogs are highly trained and they begin the training as puppies.Tey first train the basic obedience skills so that the dog is well behavedin a variety o locations, and then they train to detect specific smells.

So, how does this relate to your dog? You can use the same training tech-niques used to train search and rescue dogs to train your dog to finditems in your home. You could train your dog to find your lost keys orV remote control.A ew years ago, I trained my dog, Chase, to find my keys. Id spray a littlegarlic juice on them to make them easier to find, and then Id hide them

all over the house. I would put them behind the bed, on the couch and onthe computer desk. Chase was so excited to look or those keys. We reallyhad a blast playing this game.

Tese sorts o tasks can be extremely beneficial, especially i you ofenlose or orget your keys. Te purpose is really to stimulate your dog. Dogsreally depend on their noses or hunting, so you might as well use theirdrive or something constructive.

Need help training your dog? Find the Keys is one o the dog trainingchallenges over at www.dogtrickacademy.com and you are welcome to

join in!

Te power o a clicker andpositive reinorcement is lie-changing. Its been called briberyby those who dont understand.

But why would I want to punishmy dog or being araid? Or pun-ish a dog simply because they justmight not understand what I wantthem to do? And thats essentiallywhat I was being asked to do.

When I started treating her withthe respect she so deserved, andrewarding her or all her good be-havior, her whole attitude changed- much the same as happens withus as humans. Te bond that hasdeveloped between my dogs and

me is based on mutual respect andtrust, and is deeper than one canimagine. Positive reinorcementtraining is the best and only wayto go - our dogs deserve nothing

less. -Jackie & Makena


19/68

Its Not Just for Dogs!





Its NotJustfor Dogs!

Did you know that all sorts o animals can betrained? Pigeons, chickens, parrots, dolphins,whales, dogs and even cats can be trainedwith positive reinorcements!

Recently, I saw a Youube video o a cocka-tiel (a parrot) that was trained to etch smallmulti-colored discs rom one end o a tableand bring them back to his owner. In thevideo description, it said that this behaviorwas taught in only a week by giving the parrotseeds or various good behaviors.

Te owner trained her parrot by rewarding

our specific behaviors:

1) Nipping and biting the discs2) Picking up the disc3) Walking with the disc4) Putting the disc in the owners hand.

Each behavior was trained individually, start-ing with the first one. Once the parrotwas successul, they moved on to thenext behavior until the parrot could

retrieve.

Isnt it really cool how she was able totrain her parrot to fetch? It gets better!





I used to be a corrective basedtrainer, but I slowly started chang-ing my methods as I got intoadopting special needs dogs. Butone very special dog has com-

pletely changed me into a PositiveReinorcement trainer. Oliver is astreet dog with serious ear-basedaggression. I started out withOliver using a mix o correctivemethods and positive methods.But Ollie kept getting worse, notbetter. I talked to other trainers intown, and they all were telling meto keep doing what I was doing...But I knew it was wrong. Olivercertainly needed a different ap-proach.

I began joining orums, andreading books recommended tome, and have completely crossedover to the positive side. I am stillworking on issues that my igno-rance caused with Ollie, but we areslowly overcoming his ears.

-Sara & Her DogsOliver, Mouse, Boo, Scout and Zoe

A little while ago, I couldnt believe what I had just seen A new mem-ber had just joined the www.dogtrickacademy.com discussion orum,and she mentioned that she had trained her cat to do all sorts o tricks.I was a little skeptical, because I had always been told that cats are nottrainable. o be honest, I was expecting a cheesy trick like a cat chasinga red dot, which they all do.

But when she posted some videos, I was utterly amazed at what shehad accomplished! Her cat had been trained to respond to the com-mon obedience commands such as sit, down and stand. But what re-

ally impressed me was her cat doing all sorts o trickssome that wereincredibly advanced, like leaprogging over her dog.

Tis is such a great demonstration o the power o positive reinorce-ments. Her cat was more trained than most dogs will ever be. Andwhats even more amazing is that this cat only had three legs!

I she can train her cat to be well behaved and do tricks, surely you cando the same with your dog! Right?

Tis story brought back memories o a trainer I used to be good riendswith. She desperately wanted to go to dog-obedience school, but didntknow how well received she would bebecause she kind o had a spe-cial request that not too many students had.

Her request was definitely special: she wanted to train her pig insteado a dog. And, surprisingly, she ound a good and open-minded train-ing acility that allowed her to bring her pig in or training classes.Tis training class ocused on positive reinorcement training and,amazingly, it worked! By the end o her training, her pig was just astrained as the dogs And she even continued her training into agility

and her pig was able to complete agility courses.

How amazing is that? Again, i someone can train a pig to behave, sure-ly you can train your dog, too!

Its no secret that Im a seminar junkie. I love learning and using mynewound knowledge to improve my lie. I attended this one particularseminar, and the inormation presented was a bit o an eye-opener orme.





Te presenter talked about how whales are trained to jump out o the water. And, to my surprise, the big-gest misconception is that people believe they are trained with electric shocks. Tis couldnt be urtherrom the truth!

Whales are actually trained with positive reinorcements. Tey are taught that i they jump out o the waterand make a big splash, they will receive a delicious fish (or several).

Tere are many ways to train a whale. One o them is by tying a rope rom one end o the pool to the other.Ten, the whale is given a fish each time it swims above the rope. Tey gradually move the rope higher

and higher until the whale has no choice but to jump out o the water to go above the rope and get the fish.I think that its incredible how we can train such large animals simply by strategically giving positive rein-orcements. And whats really cool is that your dog can be trained the same way!


23/68

Your Dogs Deepest Desire





Beore you can begin to train your dog, you must first find out what your dog values most.Tere are our primary reinorcements that you can train your dog with. Tese are:

1. Food and treats2. oys and play

3. Verbal praise4. Physical touch.

Now, think about your dogs behavior and analyze his excitement to each one o these primary reinorce-ments. Which one o these excites your dog the most? Rate them all on a scale o 1 to 10.

For example, here are my dog Onyxs results:

1. Food and treats 10/102. oys and play 5/10

3. Verbal praise 6/104. Physical touch 4/10.

Your results are probably going to be different rom mine, and thats perectly okay! All this test does istell you what you should be training your dog with. With my dog, Onyx, I would primarily use treats butwould also use verbal praise as she values both.

Next, you need to dive a little deeper into this primary reinforcement.Within each group, there are sub-categories o reinorcements, and your dog is going to respond to each one differently.

Lets take ood and treats or example. Tis is a very big category that could include all sorts o oods such

as kibble, broccoli and steak. It helps to be specific in what your dog values, because it tells you what youshould be using to train your dog.

Make a list o what your dog values or each o the primary reinorcements. Tis can be anything rom yourdogs avorite dog treat, to his avorite toy, a special word or tone o voice, or a special place that he likes tobe touched.

Your Dogs DeepestDesire





For example, here are my dog Onyxs results:

Food and Praise:

1. Cooked meat like bee or chicken 2. Hot-dog sausages 3. Dry treats.

oys and Play

1. Long tug-toy made o abric

2. Empty water bottle 3. Plush toy that squeaks.

Verbal Praise

1. Good girl! 2. Yeah! 3. Woo-hoo!

Physical ouch

1. Gentle touch on side o body

2. Massaging neck and ears 3. Stroking shoulder blades.

Your list is not going to be the same as mine. Every dog is unique and your dog will value different things.I even had a dog on the www.dogtrickacademy.com discussion orum who valued peas and carrots morethan meat. How about that!?

Tepositive reinforcement you choose or training your dog should ideally be consumed in less than fiveseconds. Tis is to allow you to practice numerous repetitions in a short amount o time.

Lets say that you were to give your dog a cookie each time he did something right. Ten your dog wouldspend 30 seconds or so eating the cookie and cleaning up the crumbs, plus he would get ull afer only fiveor six cookies. So a cookie is not ideal or training. But i you were to train with pea-sized treats, then theywould be eaten in less than two seconds and your dog wouldnt even be ull afer five minutes o training.I have one more tip or you! Create variety in your positive reinorcements so that your training sessionsdont become boring and predictable. rain your dog with chicken one day, sausages the next, and steakthe ollowing day.

You should now be ready to start training your dog! Have fun!


26/68

Coming When Called





Did you know that the #1 problem that dog owners experience is that their dog wont come when they wanthim to? So i your dog ignores you when you call his name, then you are not alone!

In this training guide, I will discuss the potential reasons your dog might not be willing to come to you.Ten, I will give you three simple exercises that you can practice at home that will get your dog to comerunning.

Te first thing that you must evaluate is whats in it for your dog? Is coming to you a rewarding or painfulexperience?

Lets take a common scenario:

A dog runs out o the ront door and runs reely aroundthe neighborhood. Te owner panics and desperatelytries to get the dog to come back. He tries yelling the

dogs name but the dog doesnt respond. Ten he triesyelling, Come and still the dog ignores him.

Te owner is by now uming with anger. He walks up tohis dog and yells at his dog, Fido! Get over here! andthe dog, out o ear, finally comes to the owner. Ten theowner gives him a scolding to punish the dog or run-ning out o the door.

What has the dog learned rom this experience?

I you look at this scenario rom the dogs point o view,you would realize that the dog was actually rewardedor running out o the ront door, and punished orcoming back to his owner.

Tis means that this scenario will unortunately hap-pen againand next time the owner will have an evenharder time to get his dog to come to him.

ComingWhen Called





Let me explain in greater detail:

Imagine the dog, bored out o his mind and locked up inside the house all day. All the dog wants to do isexperience a little reedom, explore the world and eel alive. So when the dog sees the ront door standingwide open, he sees it as an opportunity to experience these things.

And as soon as the dog runs out o the ront door, that behavior is instantly rewarded. He gets to run any-where he wants to, sniff anything he wants to everything is rewarding to him!

Why would the dog ever go back to his owner? Especially since the owner is so angry the dog knows hes goingto get punished once he comes back.

Te dog will weigh up both options, and the one that is most rewarding will win every time. So the dogweighs up: running ree and eeling aliveor returning to the owner and getting scolded. Tats a no-brainer or most dogs.

Te owner in this scenario is well intentioned: he wanted to punish the dog or running out o the rontdoor so that it never happens again. But all the dog understands is that coming back to him is a painulexperience.

By understanding the power of positive reinforcements, you can analyze situations and see what reinforces

your dog. Tis is an invaluable tool that you must master to become a great trainer.

What could the owner have done differently?

Ideally, you would want to prevent this behavior by training the dog to remain indoors. But new dog-owners might not be prepared or have the experience to train this beore it happens. So, heres what I woulddo i I were in the shoes o the owner:

Assuming that they lived in a residential area with cars driving regularly, I would have no choice but to goafer the dog. But heres what I would do differently: I would not get angry; I would entice the dog to cometo me and sound exciting. Tis way, the dog would see that coming to me is something pleasurable. I would

even give the dog a treat or coming to mei I didnt have one, Id bring the dog home and give him a treat.

But aferwards, I would immediately start training the dog to stay indoors when the door is open. I woulddo this by rewarding the dog or making the good choice o remaining inside the house. And I would do itvery slowly and incrementally, like this:

1) First, I would open the door slightly and analyze the dogs behavior. I the dog remained calmand ocused on me, then Id throw him a treat.





2) Ten, I would continue to reward the dog or remaining calmly inside the house while I slowlyopened the door until it was ully open. I would also keep a hand on the handle so that I couldquickly close it in the event that he decided to run outside.

3) Finally, I would challenge the dog by making it enticing to run outside, while continuing toreward his good choice o staying calmly inside the house. I would walk outside and out o viewor a ew seconds, or throw a toy outside and reward the behavior o staying inside.

By practicing this training game with your dog, youll be teaching him that it is much more pleasurable tostay inside the house as opposed to running out o the ront door. Plus, it will be extremely beneficial whenyou bring in groceries or anytime you need the door open or a while.

You can even continue building on this training game! You can add a break command to let your dogknow that hes allowed to go outside. But make sure that you reward him when he comes back inside sothat he still sees value in being inside the house.

Below are some easy exercises that you can practice with your dog. Tey are the same exercises that Ive usedto train my dog to come on command.

Recall Exercise #1: Te Boomerang

Requirements:

A helper Your dogs primary reinforcement.

Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to teach your dog to come to you upon hearing his name or the commandCome, and that coming to you is rewarding.

Set-Up:

Pick a large room in your home that is not distracting to your dog. Stand about six to eight eet away romyour helper, so that your dog can run back and orth between the two o you.





Exercise:

1. Have your dogs primary reinorcement in your hands or ready to give it once your dog gets to you.

2. Begin the exercise by asking your helper to hold your dog. Ten call your dogs name and entice yourdog to come to you. (You can alternatively use the command Come.)

3. As soon as your dog gets to you, immediately give him the positive reinorcement.

4. Now its your helpers turn. Ask your helper to call your dogs name and to give him a positive reinorce

ment once the dog gets to him.

Step-1 Step-2

Step-3 Step-4

Summary:

Practice this exercise a dozen o times or so every day or a week. Youll instantly see a difference in yourdogs response to his nameI guarantee it!





Recall Exercise #2: Te Rocket Launch

Requirements:

A helper A large outdoor area Your dogs primary reinforcement.

Description:

Te purpose o this drill is to build your dogs drive to come to youso that your dog comes running asast as possible!

Set-Up:

Find a large outdoor area where you can train your dog off-leash, like a backyard or a enced-in park thathas no distractions nearby (including other dogs).

Instruct your helper to hold on to your dog until you call your dogs name or say the Come command. Apractical way or your helper to hold your dog is by holding the chest area, so that the dog can look at youas you walk away rom him (see picture).

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by asking your helper to hold your dog while you walk about eight eet away.

Ten, try to entice your dog to come to you using your voice.

You can do that by saying, Are you ready? Want to do something un? in an exciting and cheerul toneo voice. But do not say your dogs name or the Come command, as this will be the release word.

2. Once your dog is ocused entirely on you, say your dogs name or the Come command. And as you

say it, your helper should immediately let go o your dog. Tis will result in your dog coming to youmuch aster than usual.


4. Now its your helpers turn. Ask your helper to call your dogs name and to give him a positive reinorce ment once the dog gets to him.





ip:

o build even more drive, waituntil your dog gets halway toyou, then immediately turnaround and run away rom yourdog. Tis will trigger your dogschasing instinct and your dogwill now run as ast as he can toget to you.

Summary:

Tis is my avorite exercise! Ipractice it with my dogs all thetime when I am at the park orwhen I notice that my dog iswalking too ar ahead o me. Itreally makes training un, too!

Recall Exercise #3: Te Right Choice

Requirements:

A helper Some distracting objects Your dogs primary reinforcement.

Description:

Te purpose o this drill is to teach your dog to come to you even i there are distractions, and that comingto you is more pleasurable than investigating the distractions.

Set-Up:

Pick a large area where you can train your dog. It can be either inside or outsideyou wont have to run inthis exercise so it can be done in a smaller area than the previous drill. But you will need to have a mini-mum o eight eet between you and your helper.

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by placing some distracting objects on the floor between you and your helper.





Make it easy or your dog to be successul. Start by placing boring distractions like a shoe or newspaper,then, as your dog learns to ignore those, place more distracting objects like toys and treats.

2. Ask your helper to hold your dog. Ten call your dogs name and entice your dog to come to you. (Youcan alternatively use the command Come.)


4. Now its your helpers turn. Ask your helper to call your dogs name and to give him a positive reinorce ment once he gets to him.

Step-1 Step-2

Step-3 Step-4

ip:

I your dog stops at the distracting object, it means that your dog has made the wrong choice so you shouldnot give your dog any positive reinorcement. Ten, move the distracting object urther away rom the linebetween you and your helper. I your dog goes out o his way to get the distracting object, then you willneed to remove it and use a less distracting object.

Summary:

Your dog will come afer practicing the first two exercises, but he most likely wont do so in a highlydistracting environment. So please practice this exerciseit could save your dogs lie one day.


34/68

Walking on a Loose Leash





Walking on a LooseLeashalk about ironic. Just beore I wrote this chapter, I went to the pool store to purchase some cleaning sup-plies. And on my way there, I noticed a young girl walking her dog. Tey looked like the perect fit or eachother, but there was one problem: her dog was completely dragging her around.

Her retractable leash was ully extended and her dog was a good 1015 eet ahead o her. It was almost likea scene out o a movie, the girl almost having to run to keep up with her dog. I wished that I could have

helped her. Hopeully she will read this eBook. Although this story may seem extreme, is it unortunatelya big problem or many dog owners. Teir dog learns early on that pulling on the leash is an acceptablebehavior, and when its lef unchecked, it turns into a really nasty habit.

Te solution is simple. But first, lets analyze why your dog wants to pull on the leash.

Te traditional dog trainer will tell you that your dog is pulling on the leash because your dog doesntrespect you as a pack leader, or that your dog is trying to dominate you. And that the solution is to correcthim with pops on the leash But that is all nonsense!





Te truth is your dog is getting reinforced for pull-ing on the leash! Tats rightyour dog wants to ex-plore the world, smell new things, meet strangers andmeet other dogs. But if your dog is allowed to pull onthe leash to get to those things, then the behavior ofpulling is reinforced by getting to those things.

Remember, a positive reinorcement can be any-thing that your dog values. So, or example, i yourdog values meeting another dog, then getting to

meet that dog can be deemed a positive reinorce-ment.Tus, i your dog pulls on the leash to get to anoth-er dog, then the behavior o pulling is rewarded bymeeting that dog.

So, what can be done about it?

Tere are two things that you can do to prevent yourdog rom pulling on the leash. First, you must limitaccess to anything that might reinorce your dog in

the behavior o pulling. Tis means that you will have to stop walking whenever your dog pulls, or that yougo in the opposite direction.

Second, you must reward your dog or the behavior that you wantwhich is walking nicely with you onthe leash without pulling. You can easily tell your dog, Good dog! or give him a treat while hes walkingnicely with you.

Te ollowing exercise is designed to teach your dog not to pull on the leash. It will work with any type odog, regardless o size or breed. However, i your dog has developed a habit o pulling on the leash, then itwill take longer to get your dog to stop pulling.

Loose Leash Exercise: Te U-urn

Requirements:

A six-foot leash (non-retractable) A at-buckle collar on your dog Your dogs primary reinforcement.





Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to teach your dog to become aware o the pressure on his collar and to de-termine whether the leash is tight or loose. Tis will also teach him that pulling does not get him closer towhere he wants to go.

Set-Up:

You will need to practice this exercise in a very large outdoor area like a park, a parking lot or a large yard

somewhere you have lots o room to walk around and wont be bothered by anyone.

Exercise:

1. Once you are at the park, make sure thatyou hold your leash by the handle so thatyour dog has lots o room to move aheado you i he chooses to. But as soon as yourdog pulls, you must immediately turn inthe opposite direction.

2. Afer a ew repetitions, your dog will be-gin to walk nicely on the leash. Give yourdog a positive reinorcement or walkingnicely with you.

ip:

Once you are able to easily walk your dogin a large park area, practice this same ex-ercise on the sidewalk and where there are

distractions nearby.





A more advanced technique:

I you want to challenge your training skills, only re-ward your dog when he is in the reinorcement zone(see attached diagram).

ry to visualize a straight line going rom your lef allthe way to your right. Anything that is behind this lineis what is called the reinorcement zone. Tis means that

your dog is only given a positive reinorcement when heis behind this line.

ip:

o keep your dog in the reinorcement zone, hold yourpositive reinorcement near to or on your hip beoregiving it to your dog. Tis way, he wont go in ront oyou.

Summary:

Although this is an advanced training technique, it is highly beneficial i you planto do agility or obedience trials in the uture, as your dog can clearly see your bodylanguage and hand signals.


39/6839

Avoiding Food Possessiveness





Te first dog we got as a amily was an off-white Lhasa apso named obbie. He was an extremely energeticand loyal dog, but unortunately we had no clue what we were doing in terms o training. So we did thingsthat resulted in obbie guarding his ood rom us.

I we got too close to his ood bowl, he would stop eating and growl at us. And i we tried to take it awayrom him, he would literally bite us.

Although it would be easy to blame ob-bie or this behavior, my amily unknow-ingly did some things that encouragedthe behavior, while at the same time wedid nothing to prevent it rom becomingworse.

As a child, I would bug and pet obbiewhile he was eating. Now, anyone withany basic understanding o dog training

will tell you that this is a very bad idea,but my amily didnt know.

Can you imagine a worse scenario thanthis? Actually, we did many things wrong!Te worst thing that we did was give ob-bie table food while we ate so that hewould stop whining. Little did we know that this was actually reinforcing the behavior!

Tese mistakes were o our own doing, and it wouldnt be until a ew years later that I realized how my ac-tions impacted obbies behavior. Ten I learned all about conditioning and counter-conditioning, and I

practiced some simple exercises with my second dog.

Te difference was night and day. I went rom having a dog who would growl at me, to being able to putmy hand in my dogs ood bowl while she was eating (yes, Ive actually tried this!).

What exactly did I do in the exercises?

Avoiding FoodPossessiveness





I created a positive association to being near the food bowl. I gave my dog something incredibly delicious, evenmore so than what she was eating so that she would see me as someone who adds value to her food bowl, notsomeone who takes it away.

Below, you will find the exercise that I practiced with my dog. Practice it on a daily basis even i your doghasnt shown any signs o ood possessiveness. Its much easier to prevent a problem rom occurring thanto have to deal with it once it becomes a habit.

And i you have a puppy, this is the perect time to do this exercise as the conditioning will last him a lie-time!

CAUION:

During this exercise, you must be alert and visually attentive to your dogs responses. Be careful and if you seeyour dog showing his teeth, growling, lunging or trying to bite you, you should immediately stop this exerciseand seek professional help. Although this exercise has proven to be extremely beneficial for my dogs, I am inno way responsible if your dog bites or injures you.

Food Possessiveness Exercise: Just Delicious!

Requirements:

Your dogs regular meal Highly desirable food or treats.

Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to associate pleasure to you being near your dogs ood during mealtime, orwhile he is eating.

Set-up:

You will need to practice this exercise while your dog is eating rom his bowl.

Exercise:

1. o begin this exercise, you will first need to give your dog his regular portioned meal. It can be eitherbreakast or dinner.





2. While your dog is eating, walk towards your dog and dropa highly desirable ood or treat inside his bowl. It can be steak,chicken, cheese or anything that your dog would see as morevaluable than his current meal.

3. Practice this exercise or a ew days. Ten, once your dog be comes more comortable with you being near him while hes

eating, you can begin to touch his body while at the same timeput the higher valued ood into his ood bowl.

ip:

Te goal o this exercise is to change your dogs perspective aboutyou being near his ood. Food is a scarce resource in the wild anddogs will protect it. But with this exercise, you will be trainingyour dog that good things happen when you are near his ood.

For advanced trainers:

Once your dog is comortable with you being near his ood, youcan pick up your dogs bowl and add the highly desirable ood or

treats inside. Tis way, when you give it back to your dog, it willbe better and tastier!

Possessiveness over toys and bones:

Tis same concept can be applied to possessiveness over toys and bones. Te only difference is that youmust give your dog something o extreme value (that is more valuable than the toy or bone) as you take itaway. And I recommend that you give your dog his toy or bone again once hes eaten the delicious treat.

Tis is a win-win situation for your dog: he gets to eat a delicious treat and he gets his toy or bone backwhata great deal!

Important:

Be patient with your dog! You should only work at your dogs current comort level. I your dog shows signso discomort, then stop there. Trow a ew treats in his direction and continue to work at that level untilyour dog accepts you coming closer.

Step-1

Step-2


43/6843

I Love Getting Groomed!





I Love GettingGroomed!

In the last chapter, I introduced you to our first amily dog, obbie. He was quite the adventurous little dogand he loved getting dirty.

But the problem is that obbie hated being groomed. In act, trimming his nails was a huge struggle andyoud never know when he was going to snap and bite you. It was so bad, that we couldnt even bring him

to the groomer without worrying about what might happen.

His aggressive behavior diminished greatly once we started to exercise him daily. But his distaste or beinggroomed, touched and handled remained. What we did was bribe him with treats while we groomedhim. But we had to be quick because assoon as the ood was gone, the bad be-havior returned.

My original instinct to use ood wascorrect, but my understanding and ap-plication opositive reinforcements was

wrong. I was giving the ood at thewrong time, and sometimes Id evengive the ood right afer obbies badbehavior. Tis actually reinforced thebad behavior!

What I did with my second dog wasto use the ood to reinorce the behav-ior o being calm and accepting o mytouch. She would only receive the treati she was in a peaceul and calm stateo mind.

Did it work? Absolutely!

My dogs now love being groomed! And Im not exaggeratingone o my dogs will actually jump up onthe grooming table to be brushed. Tis is solely due to the act that I created a positive association to beingtouched and groomed.





Will this work with any dog? Yes!

Ive successully used this training concept with an older dog, about ten years old, to overcome her ear obeing petted on the head. For some reason, she was earul o anyone touching her on the head. I suspectthat her previous owner might have hit her.

I practiced the exercise below or one week. Te results were remarkable! She was allowing me to touch heranywhere on her body, including her head and ears!

So i your dog is not enthusiastic about being touched, groomed or examined, then you will love this ex-ercise! And i you have a puppy, this will be even better because the conditioning that you do now will lasta lietime!

CAUION:

During this exercise, you must be alert and visually attentive to your dogs responses. Be careful and if you seeyour dog showing his teeth, growling, lunging or trying to bite you, you should immediately stop this exerciseand seek professional help. Although these exercises have proven to be extremely beneficial for my dogs, I amin no way responsible if your dog bites or injures you.

Grooming Exercise #1: I Love Your ouch

Requirements:

Highly desirable food or treats.

Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to create a positive association to your touch, so that you can touch any part

o your dogs body. Tis is essential to being able to groom your dog.

Set-Up:

Ideally, you should exercise your dog with a walk or a hike beore practicing this exercise. Tis will makeyour dog calmer and it will be easier to train him.





Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise with your dog in a standing or sitting position. You will also want to have your treats ready in one handwhile leaving your other hand ree to touch your dog.

2. ouch your dog in an area with which he is comortable, likehis back, side or neck. As soon as you eel your dogs ur, immediately give your dog a treat. Tis simple exercise will teachyour dog that the sensation o being touched equals getting atreat, which is a pleasant experience.

3. As your dog becomes comortable with your touch, you cangradually move to more sensitive areas like his head, nose, lips,paws, tail, etc.

Analyze your dogs response to your touch. I your dog is un-comortable or showing signs o stress when being touched in aspecific area (like licking his lips, yawning, tail between the legs),then work around that area or a ew days until your dog can ac-

cept your touch there.

Remember, this type of training takes time and requires patience.

ip:

o make this exercise more efficient, bring a treat to the same hand youve touched your dog with before giv-ing it to your dog. Tis will increase the value for him of your hand being near his body and touching him (seeattached pictures for clarification).

Step-1

Step-2





Grooming Exercise #2: Te Grooming Experience

Requirements:

A grooming brush Highly desirable food or treats.

Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to create a positive association to

the sight and eeling o a grooming brush. Tis will make yourgrooming sessions much more enjoyable as your dog will seethe brush as something pleasant.

Set-Up:

Practice Grooming Exercise #1 or two minutes beore at-tempting this one. Tis will make your dog calmer and moreat ease. You should also place your dog on a grooming table orwherever you are planning to groom him on a regular basis.

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by placing the brush directly againstyour dogs ur. It can be anywhere on your dog but ideallyin a location that he enjoys or doesnt mind.

2. As soon as your brush touches your dogs ur, immediatelygive your dog a treat. Tis simple exercise will teach yourdog to associate the sensation o the brush with receiving atreat, which is a pleasant experience.

3. Once your dog is calm and relaxed with the sensation o the brush, stroke your dogs ur once with thebrush and then immediately give him a treat.

Continue practicing this exercise until your dog is comortable with you brushing every part o his body.

Step-1

Step-2





ip:

As your dog begins to enjoy being brushed (due to the treats being given), you can increase the amount obrush strokes or every treat that you give. You could stroke your dog two, three or our times beore givinghim a treat.

Summary:

I know that this exercise is time-consuming, but the results are well worth it! Te time that you spend nowwill give you a dog who enjoys being groomed.

Grooming Exercise #3: Te Evil Nail Clipper

Requirements:

A helper A nail clipper Highly desirable food or treats.

Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to create a positive association to the sight and sensation o clipping yourdogs nails. Tis is such a great exercise to practice with your dog, because once this is trained correctly,trimming your dogs nails will be no big deal.

Set-Up:

Since you will have both hands tied up with your dogs paw and nail clippers, your helper will be in chargeo giving your dog a treat at the right moment. Let your helper read these instructions.

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by picking up your dogs paw with one hand, and placing the nail clippers adjacentto the paw with your other hand. Te goal is get your dog to eel the nail clippers without trimming anynails yet.

As soon as the nail clippers are touching your dogs paw, your helper should immediately give your dog atreat.





Practice this simple exercise with all our paws, and dont pro-ceed urther until a day or two later.

2. Once your dog is comortable with seeing and eeling the nailclippers, the next step is to actually trim

one o your dogs nails.

Begin by picking up one o your dogs paws with one hand, andtrimming a nail with the nail clippers with your other hand.Each time a nail has been clipped, your helper should immedi-ately give your dog a treat.

Be very careul not to be quick in this exerciseyou want tomake this as pleasant as possible or your dog. Cut off smallslivers o nails in the beginning or training purposes.

ip:

You dont have to trim all o your dogs nails all at once! Teobjective is to make trimming your dogs nails a pleasant ex-perience or your dog. So i your dog is becoming anxious ornervous, let him go and continue this exercise a ew hours later.

Summary:

Tis might be another time-consuming exercise, but the conditioning that you do now will pay off later,when you will be able to trim your dogs nails with ease.

Step-1

Step-2


50/68

Sit, Lie Down and StandOn Command!





raining your dog to respond to the basic obedience commands is extremely beneficial or numerousreasons.

Personally, I use the basic obedience behaviors like Sit and Down to control my dog in highly distract-ing environments and dangerous situations. For example, I always get my dog to sit beore going outsideor exiting a vehicle. And i there is another dog nearby, I can get my dog to sit quietly while she watcheshim walk by.

But i this doesnt convince you to train the basics, this should: by mastering the basics, you will be laying

the oundations or training more advanced behaviors. Because what you really learn while training thebasics is the mechanism o behavior conditioning.

In practical terms, training your dog to do a ancy trick such as Spin is done using the same techniquesas or the basic obedience behaviors.

Sit, Lie Down and Stand OnCommand!





Are you ready to start training your dog?

Tere are two ways that you can teach your dog the basic obedience behaviors. You can capture it by wait-ing or your dog to do it and reward it with a positive reinorcement. Or, you can lure the dog into theposition by using a piece o ood.

Both o these training techniques will work. Te capturing method might take a while to get your dog tooffer all three behaviors, but i you are patient then this will work. I personally preer the luring techniqueand I ocus my training guides on this training method.

Te only drawback to luring is that it will only work i your dog is ood-motivated. I your dog has no in-terest in ood, then you will have to use the capturing method. Some more advanced training techniqueslike shaping and targeting could be used, but because o their complexity, I cannot discuss them in lengthin this eBook.

Your dogs irresistible treats!

Beore you begin the exercises below, it is extremely important that you first find a ood or treat that yourdog really loves. It must be something that excites your dog to the point where he would do anything to getit. It can be anything he loveschicken, sausages, bee, liver, etc.

Obedience Behavior #1: Te Sit

Requirements:


Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to amiliarize yoursel and your dog with the luring technique by gettingyour dog in the Sit position.

Set-Up:

Find a non-distracting environment where your dog can ocus entirely on you without getting interruptedor distracted. It can be anywhereor example, your living room, your basement or your bedroom.





Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by holding a treat in ront o your dogs nose. But do not let your dog eat the treatuntil he is in the Sit position.

2. Next, move your treat upwards and orwards so that your hand moves towards your dogs eyes and ears.

3. When you move the treat in this manner, your dog will have no choice but to Sit in order to ollow thetreat. Tis gives you the opportunity to reinorce the behavior o sitting. So as soon as your dog sits, im

mediately release the treat and let your dog eat it.

4. Once your dog has mastered your lure and is easily lured into the sit position, you may want to add aSit command. You can do this by saying it one second beore you lure your dog into the position.

Heres a summary o each step that you must do:

Step 1:Say the command, Sit.Step 2: Lure your dog into the sit position.Step 3:Release the treat.

Step-1 Step-2

Step-3





ip: In order or this training technique to work properly, you must have precise timing. Tis means thateach step must take place within one second o the previous one.

Command Only:

It may take your dog a week or two beore he can perorm the behavior without you having to lure him.Tis is normal and its just a matter o repetitions. So keep practicing! I your dog is really not getting it,then come to the www.dogtrickacademy.com discussion orum and we will help you.

Obedience Behavior #2: Te Down

Requirements:


Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to amiliarize yoursel and your dog with the luring technique and to teachyour dog the Down position.

Set-Up:

You can train this behavior with your dog starting rom either a sitting or standing position. But I person-ally find it easier to begin rom a sitting position

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by holding a treat in ront o your dogs nose. But do not let your dog eat the treatuntil he is in the Down position

2. Next, move your treat downwards so that your hand moves towards the middle o your dogs ront legs.

3. When you move the treat in this manner, your dog will have no choice but to Lie down in order toollow the treat. Tis gives you the opportunity to reinorce the behavior o lying down. So as soon asyour dog lies down, immediately release the treat and let your dog eat it.

I your dog has trouble ollowing the lure, try releasing it halway down and gradually move it lower until





you can get your dog into the down position. And i you have a small dog, you may want to practice by theedge o stairs, so that you can move your lure lower than your dog.

4. Once your dog has mastered your lure and is easily lured into the down position, you may want to adda Down command. You can do this by saying it one second beore you lure your dog into the position.

Step 1: Say the command Down.Step 2: Lure your dog into the down position.Step 3: Release the treat.

Step-1 Step-2

Step-3 Step-4

ip:

Once your dog has mastered both the sit and down behaviors, you can easily alternate between the twobut be sure to give your dog a treat or each behavior!

Command Only:

It may take your dog a week or two beore he can perorm the behavior without you having to lure him.Tis is normal and its just a case o repetition. So keep practicing! I your dog is really not getting it, thencome to the www.dogtrickacademy.com discussion orum and we will help you.





Obedience Behavior #3: Te Stand

Requirements:

Highly desirable food or treats

Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to amiliarize yoursel and your dog with the luring technique and to teachyour dog the Stand position.

Set-Up:

You can train this behavior with your dog starting rom either a sitting or down position. But I personallyfind it easier to begin rom a sitting position

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by holding a treat in ront o your dogs nose. But do not let your dog eat the treat

until he is in the Stand position

2. Next, move your treat backwards towards you so that your hand moves away rom your dog.

3. When you move the treat in this manner, your dog will have no choice but to Stand in order to ollowthe treat. Tis gives you the opportunity to reinorce the behavior o standing.

Make sure that you move your lure just enough so that your dogs hind legs are straightened. Be careul notto lure your dog too ar, as you would then be rewarding your dog or walking instead o standing.

4. Once your dog has mastered your lure, and is easily lured into the stand position, you may want to adda Stand command. You can do this by saying it one second beore you lure your dog into the position.

Step 1: Say the command Stand.Step 2:Lure your dog into the stand position.Step 3: Release the treat.





Step-1

Step-2 Step-3

ip:

A really un game to challenge your dog is to alternate randomlybetween all three behaviors. So you coulddo: Sit, Down, Standand then do Down, Stand, Sit.Tere are actually 27 different combinations! ryitbut make sure that you give your dog a treat afer each one.

Command Only:

It may take your dog a week or two beore he can perorm the behavior without you having to lurehim.Tis is normal and its just a matter o repetitions. So keep practicing! I your dog is really not getting it,then come to the www.dogtrickacademy.com discussion orum and we will help you.


58/68

Spin, Roll Over andFigure Eight!





What really got me interested in dog training was the desire to train my dog to do tricks. And once I wasable to train my dog to do a trick, I was instantly hooked!

I remember the first trick that I taught my dog was, Shake a paw.Although very basic in nature, it wasthe coolest thing to me. And this developed into all sorts o tricks like Jumping into my arms and Clean

up your toys.

Teres nothing quite like having guests over and see-ing how amazed they are when my dogs perorm thetricks. Te one trick that everybody loves is Shy,which is my Siberian Husky touching her nose withone o her paws. Its extremely cute!

In this chapter, I will give you some training guidesthat you can use to train your dog to do tricks. Tese

tricks are not complicated and any dog can do them.Plus, youll be using the same luring technique as de-scribed in the obedience training rom the previouschapter.

I your dog has not mastered the basic obedience be-haviors rom the previous chapter, I recommend thatyou do that first. Tese tricks are slightly more diffi-cult to train and will require a good understanding oluringbeore you proceed.

Also, some tricks will require your dog to be able to sit or lie down. For example, your dog must first beable to lie down beore you can train him to, Roll over.

Okay, lets get started!

First, be sure to have some highly desirable ood or treats that your dog really loves. It must be somethingthat excites your dog to the point where he would do anything to get it. It can be anything he loveschick-en, sausages, bee, liver, etc.

Spin, Roll Overand Figure Eight!





rick #1: Te Spin

Requirements:


Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to teach your dog to Spin in a circle numerous times.

Set-Up:

Find a quiet and non-distracting environment so that your dog can ocus entirely on you.

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by holding a treat in ront o your dogs nose. But do not let your dog eat the treatuntil he completes the criteria described below.

2. Next, move your treat in a semicircle, going to the right. I you can imagine a circle around your dog, youwill want to move your treat starting rom your dogs nose to your dogs tail or rear end.

Tis way, your dog will be doing a hal circle while ollowing the lure. As soon as your dog completes thehal circle, immediately let go o the treat. Tis will reinorce your dog in this behavior.

3. As your dog becomes comortable ollowing the lure in this manner, you can then move the lure in acomplete circle. I you do this correctly, your dog should then do a complete circle. Again, immediatelylet go o your treat once your dog turns around.

4. Practice the previous two exercises until your dog ully masters them and can do them effortlessly. Tenext step is a little more challenging: it requires that you lure your dog in two or more circles beore yourelease the treat.

First, begin by training your dog to complete one circle. Ten, once your dog can do it easily, move yourlure in a circle twice in a row beore releasing the treat. You can incrementally make it more challenginguntil your dog is doing our or five turns beore you release the treat.





Step-1 Step-2

Step-3 Step-4

Step-5

5. I you want to associate a command to the behavior o spinning, then you will need to say your com

mand, Spin one second beore you lure your dog into the position.

Step 1: Say the command Spin.Step 2: Lure your dog to spin two or three turns.Step 3: Release the treat.

Please be patientit may require a week or two beore your dog will respond to the Spin command with-out having to lure him.





rick #2: Te Roll Over

Requirements:


Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to teach your dog to Roll over numerous times.

Set-Up:

It would be ideal i you could train on a sof surace like carpet or a grass area, as a hard floor might not becomortable or your dogs back.

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by placing your dog in a down position. Hold a treat in ront o your dogs nose, butdo not let him eat it until he completes the criteria described below.

2. Next, move your lure to your right and towards your dogs shoulder so that your dog has to look side ways to ollow the treat. Your dog should remain in a down position or this.

Once your dog has ollowed the lure and is looking towards his back, immediately let go o the treat. Tisis an uncomortable position or your dog, so you want to build value in being in this position by givingpositive reinorcements.

3. As your dog becomes comortable ollowing the lure in this manner, you can then move the lure urtheruntil your dog drops onto his side. Immediately let go o your treat once your dog is on his side.

4. Te biggest challenge in teaching the roll over is to get your dog to roll onto his back. Some dogs reallydont like the eeling o rolling on their back, so you will need to make sure that you give your positivereinorcement with lots o praise as soon as your dog completes his first roll over.

An easy way to get your dog to Roll over is to do the exercise as described above, but with momentum.What I mean by this is i you move your lure quickly towards your dogs shoulder, and i he ollows it withenough momentum, he will have no choice but to roll over.





Step-1 Step-2

Step-3 Step-4

Step-5

5. I you want to associate a command to the behavior o rolling over, then you will need to say your com mand, Roll over one second beore you lure your dog.

Step 1: Say the command Roll over.Step 2: Lure your dog to roll over.Step 3:Release the treat.

ip:

In order or the command to be properly conditioned, you must have precise timing. Tis means that eachstep must take place within one second o the previous one.





rick #3: Te Figure Eight

Requirements:


Description:

Te purpose o this exercise is to teach your dog to Figure eight in and out o your legs.

Set-Up:

Find a location with a non-slippery surace like carpet, grass or asphalt. raining your dog on a hardwoodor ceramic floor might be slippery or your dog.

Exercise:

1. Begin this exercise by placing a treat in both o your hands. Hold your right hand in ront o yourdogs nose, but do not let him eat it until he completes the criteria described below.

Place your lef hand behind you and between your legs. Lure your dog towards the middle o your legs andwiggle your lef hand until your dog notices that you have a treat in it. Once he sniffs your lef hand, im-mediately let go o the treat and let him eat it (see pictures).

Te goal o this exercise is to get your dog to ollow the lure in your right hand, and to notice that there isood in your lef hand.

2. Next, you will want to do the same exercise as above, but this time once your dog has noticed the treatin your lef hand, you will want to move your hand around your leg. As soon as your dog goes aroundyour leg, immediately let go o the treat (see picture).

3. Te final step o this exercise is to continue the lure to the other side. You would begin the same way asabove, but afer your dog is lured around your leg, you would continue luring him with your right handaround your other leg. Tis will result in your dog doing a complete figure eight in and out o your legs.

4. Associating a command to this behavior is a little challenging because most dogs rely heavily on visualsignals to do this trick. What I recommend instead is that you teach your dog to ollow hand signals asopposed to a verbal command.

The Power of Positive Reinforcements

Documents

Transcript of The Power of Positive Reinforcements