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How to Stop my Dog's Barking: Causes and Solutions

7/16/2015

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Excessive barking is annoying. No one likes it and can wear on even the most patient pet parent. Here are three causes and solutions of unwanted barking:

Bordom
Dogs want to go and do.... All the things! There are smells to be sniffed, bones to be chewed, and squirrels to chase! You might be tired when you come home from work, but your dog isn't.

You can aleviate your dog's bordom barking by increasing how much he uses his brain. Stuff a hollow bone or toy with a portion of your dog's food and some peanut butter. This fun (and cheap!) chew encourages your dog to lie down and unstuff his puzzle instead of being on edge. Once he is finished he'll find a comfy spot and lay down.


Physical exercise is also a great bordom buster. Flirt poles and fetch are wonderful games to teach and play. Neighborhood walks are great a couple of times a week but play and training can give you more bang for your buck. Try these three games, for three days with three sessions of three minutes each. You will see the change, I guarentee it.

Noise Sensitivity
Your dog could be jumping up and barking at "nothing" for a few different reasons. He could be scared of certain noises such as a garbage truck or your washing machine. He could associate sounds of the garage door opening with your arrival/departure.

Try to identify noises that your dog barks at and either use something like the Sound Proof Puppy App or simply get a recording on your phone or other device. You can turn it down very softly and reward your dog for calm behavior. Conuter conditioning will take place and your dog will become calmer


Barking at The door or guests
If your dog is barking as guests arrive out of excitment you want to focus on teaching impulse control games. Games such as "Its Yer Choice" and "Zen Bowl" can have an incredible impact on their ability to control their excitment. Along side teaching alternative behaviors such as going to a mat or bed at the sound of the door bell.  


If your dog is barking at guests out of fear then you will want to first work on greeting strangers outside the home. This is best done under the guidance of a qualified professional.  Using classical conditioning you must work to change the underlying emotion and the behavior will change. 


In contrast raising your voice or phyically correcting your dog's barking will not treat the cause. It might stop the unwanted barking in the moment which makes it seems like it is working. Barking is only a symptom, you need to determine the cause and from there decide how you want your dog to behave and teach them how. 

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"A tired dog is a good dog." Yea, or maybe your dog just needs to learn to relax.

7/13/2015

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I've heard this phrase, you've heard this phrase, it is actually pretty okay advice. Most dogs are understimulated both mentally and physically and once around the block is not enough to quell their energy. Heck with some dogs a two hour walk isn't enough. So you start playing fetch and walking for two hours but still your dog is full of energy. "He could go all day", you tell me and I believe you! Because you have inadvertantly created an athelete so now you must sustain that athelete or deal with his wrath. Are you seeing the problem here? More exercise means more energy and when you don't meet that need unwanted behaviors intensify.


So what is an owner of an energetic dog to do? The answer is simple, teach them how to relax. Since we know that behavior that is reinforced get repeated we can do just that. Catch your dog when they are doing nothing. That's right, reward the nothing. This is such a hard concept to grasp because we humans are so obsessed with pointing out the wrong. Think about it, what do you want your dog to do a vast majority of the time? Most answer that they want their dog to lay in their bed or in other words, do nothing. 


Dogs that seem to have endless energy are the ones who are not getting enough restful sleep. Dogs need to sleep about half the day away and puppies need almost 20 hours! That frantic energy that seems to turn your darling into a hell beast is the same as a toddler screaming that they aren't tired. Self soothing through crates and tethers can help your puppy or dog learn their natural rhythm and therefore become more relaxed and less hyper.


In addition to rewarding the nothing the following behavior can be taught using a mat. This is how many service dogs are trained to relax in public places. This is also perfect for families with new babies as the dog can do settle time while your little one does tummy time.
 I tell my puppy clients that if they only teach their puppy one thing it should be this:


Settle on Mat: This will allow us to start to capture calmness. We will start by building up a doggy magnet to our selected mat. This mat can be anything, a dog bed or a bath mat it doesn’t matter but the mat should be the same for this exercise. We will start by creating a “doggy magnet” and we will see the dog start to gravitate toward the mat whenever it is presented. Then we will be able to put it to a verbal cue for later use with the door/visitors and other high energy situations.

 Step one: Set up the space. We want a mat and a chair set up in a space with no other easily accessible things that might attract your dog’s attention. Have something to occupy your hands/attention such as a book/laptop/tablet and a handful of tasty treats.

Step Two: Bring your dog to the space on leash and simply sit down and wait. As soon as they step a paw onto the mat, drop a treat on the mat. We are not using a marker word as usually it implies excitement and action while this is quite the opposite. Reward if the dog STAYS on the mat with another dropped treat.

·         If he attempts to “mug” your treats simply ignore him, which is why you have something else to occupy yourself.

Step Three: After a couple dropped treats for being on the mat now wait for either a sit or a down, reward with a dropped treat. Now that your dog has offered the sit/lay down do not drop treats for just being on the mat. If he stays in his sit/down drop another treat preferably between his paws.

Step Four: Once the dog is lying down continue to drop treats until your handful is gone. If he gets up just wait for him to lie back down and then continue to drop treats. Once your handful is gone use and end cue such as, “All done”, get up, unleash, pick up the mat, and continue with your daily activities.

Step Five: Once your dog has the hang of lying down on the mat every time it is around we can start to reward calm behaviors instead of just dropping treats. A list of calm behaviors

·         Slinging hips to one side

·         Deep breaths/sighs/Yawning

·         Squinty eyes/blinking/Staring at a fixed point

·         Head down

·         Relaxed ears

Tips and tricks: Try not to reward the same behavior again and again, smart dogs will try and offer those in particular and that is NOT calmness (it's cleverness). Start with the same amount of treats every time and slowly start to raise the amount of time before the next treats, you should be lengthening every session slowly.


 

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Success Stories: Taking a very wild and anxious dog, creating a wonderful companion.

7/8/2015

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About two months ago I was contacted by a gentleman named John about training his German Shepherd, Chopper and lab puppy. After speaking I find out that Chopper had previously been living on a chain. Of course this meant that he had a multitude of unwanted behaviors and maybe aggression towards family members. The family had been wanting to get a dog and their heart went out to this "damaged dog". The lab puppy, Gage, had been in the works for weeks before they found Chopper. 

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Add to this that they have a special needs daughter, a pregnant daughter, an elderly Chihuahua, and a cat. A dog that has ended up on a chain, generally is there for one reason, lack of training. A dog jumps/barks/chews and since the owners don't know what to do the dog gets resigned to the backyard in a run or on a chain. Losing mental/physical stimulation and human contact will drive any dog insane, it makes my heart break when I have to think about it. No living being should be neglected in such a way.

Taking in a dog like this is a challenge in and of itself. Chopper, for all intents and purposes was feral. He frantically paced the room, jumped onto family members, nashed his teeth, barked at anything that moved or any sound, pulled like crazy on leash, and barked at their special needs daughter. Chopper was going to take a lot of work and dedication. I was hesitant to even accept the case. I posted to a trainers group after the consult and almost everyone suggested rehoming, something that I cover in all consultations. The family wanted to give it a try first, "Chopper has had such a rough life and been bounced around. I don't want to do that to him again." But other family members were very unsure, and rightly so, Chopper was a lot of dog. There was a puppy to consider and my biggest concern, a baby due in four months. After really thinking it over I decided to accept the case. I worked with the family every week for six weeks. Impulse control, relaxation, and basic household manners were our focus.

Chopper had wild eyes and a glazed expression. My heart broke when I first met him and I instantly bonded with his dad, John. It takes a special family to put themselves into such crazy situation on purpose. A few times during our consult I moved too fast or talked too loud and Chopper jumped into my lap and barked in my face. Thanks to years of working with these special animals I managed not to flinch. I didn't think Chopper would bite me, but in the back of my head I was worried about it. Chopper pinned Gage to the ground twice, not in an aggressive way more of a lack of social skills. I also decided to try and get Chopper to play because the amazing power play has. He did tug a bit with me, then became too excited so he grabbed and humped my leg....

In only my second visit Chopper was a different dog. The frantic energy that had greeted me only a week ago had seemed to fade away. The eyes that looked up into mine offering eye contact were thoughtful and clear. On my third visit, the jumping up was almost a non issue as well as his mild "aggression" issues. He was becoming easier to handle on leash and that meant he got more exercise. His brain could finally calm down and start to focus. Training Chopper was becoming easier and he was shaping into a great dog.

Gage, the lab puppy on the other hand was WILD! He was waking John up in the middle of the night, peeing in the house, latching onto Chopper's neck to the point of pain, and just being an unruly little jerk! Puppies in and of themselves are a lot of work almost as much if not more than a two month old baby, because that is what they are. Finding a puppy's natural schedule and working with it is very important. Because of the chaos of the situation Gage didn't have a natural rhythm. I had been offering different ideas for managing the 3:00 AM crazy puppy time but to no avail. I asked how much sleep was Gage getting? The answer was not very much. Puppies need to sleep 18-19 hours a day, Gage was getting maybe half that. We instituded a little bit of "ruff love" which involved teaching Gage to self soothe in his crate.

Our sessions had extended to every other week. On my eighth visit after I came in and sat down in our usual routine, rewarding quiet behavior, I asked how the week(s) went. "Great, things are going great!" I sat and listened to how well the dogs had been behaving. The daughter had moved out taking her Chihuahua and cat with her. Gage had taken to the "ruff love" program and they were able to see when he was tired and give him appropriate naps. Chopper now understands the routines of relaxation and any new scary or exciting thing can quickly be taken care of to the point of non issue.

The family knows that they have to keep training to maintain the progress they have made and create two very well behaved dogs. It has come to their attention that Chopper is uncomfortable around children so that will be our next hill to climb. With his amazing understanding of relaxation we should be able to progress quickly. They also want to develop off leash skills with both of the boys and continue to reap the benefits of incredible dog training.

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A Click and Treat For Jurrasic World

6/15/2015

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***Spoilers for Jurrasic World Below***
I know what you're thinking, Ally is a dog trainer not a movie critic and you're right. BUT when Hollywood makes my dreams come true I feel like I have to say something. 
From pretty early on in watching trailers for Jurrasic World it was clear they were training Velociraptors. From the second I saw that I was wishing that they would use positive reinforcement. They blew it out of the park, the raptors are trained with a clicker. All be it incorrectly but HEY! THEY ARE USING CLICKER TRAINING TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE MOST LETHAL AND INTELLIGENT ANIMAL OF ALL TIME!

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After watching Chris Pratt click and toss dead rats to the raptors the movie could only get better. Once his background is explained it makes perfect sense to me. Owen Grady was with the US Navy before coming to work at Jurrasic World. The Navy has been using clicker training to train dolphins for open sea missions since the early 1960s with such greats as Bob Bailey and Karen Pryor.
Later in the movie after being forced to use his raptors in a way that he fundamentally disagrees with they are confronted by the I-Rex. Owen realizes that the I-Rex is part raptor and the pack found a new Alpha. (I'm letting that term slide for now because I believe it was used for lack of a better term.) After many really cool action sequences Owen and crew are again confronted by the raptor pack. Gazing into eachother's eyes the relationship is remembered and the raptors are back on team human. To me that was perhaps the most beautiful seniment of the entire movie, relationship over intimidation. 
        "I don't control them, it is a                             relationship". 
Any animal can be trained using positive reinforcement. There is no need for force, fear, or intimidation whether you are training your pet dog or an extinct killing machine. All animals would rather work to get what they enjoy rather to avoid what they don't like. This is not just a hollywood idea, in the video below keepers are using clicker training (with a beep instead of a click) to teach Hyenas to willingly give blood. Hyenas are considered one of the most aggressive animals in the world. There is no such thing as an animal too aggressive for positive training. 

Jurrasic World gets five stars from me! I have already seen it twice and will probably go and see it again. Jurrasic Park was a favorite movie of mine since I was a kid. Thank you for making it even better by using modern training techniques (though for the record it is one click per treat) and making manly man Chris Pratt care more about relationship than anything else!
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The Secret to a Calm Dog (Part Two How to Hook Your Dog on Stuffed Toys)

5/11/2015

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In my last post I talked about the idea of stuffed toys and how they can improve your life with your dog. Today I want to talk about how to hook your dog on stuffed toys. Even if your dog isn't very food motivated they can learn to love their kong, it just takes a little training.

Start with your dog's kibble and some high value mixer like canned dog food. Call your dog into the kitchen and stuff the kong right in front of them. Tantalize them with a lick or two as you stuff and act really excited about the food you're stuffing in it. Like you are holding yourself back from devouring it yourself. (Pro tip: Put the kong upside down in a coffee mug for easy stuffing) Don't mix the kibble with the tantalizer but rather layer it so it is easy to un-stuff.

Once you've finished stuffing it excitedly move over to your dog's bed and give it to them. Here is the trick, only let them chew for thirty seconds. Then get their attention with a super yummy treat and toss it away so your dog has to move away from the kong. Scoop up the kong and put it in the fridge for ten or so minutes, then give it again and repeat the process. The reason for this is to build excitement, anticipation, and enjoyment your dog relates to the kong. Think about when you're doing an activity you enjoy and you are called away. All you want to do is get back and continue that fun activity. We  can create the same feeling in your dog
You are doing several things here: 
  1. Preventing Resource Guarding by reinforcing a trade
  2. Preventing/treating separation anxiety by creating good feelings when you leave and slight disappointment when you come back
  3. Building your dog's value for the kong
  4. Building your dog's value for laying in their bed (if your dog takes the kong of their bed try tethering them to a heavy piece of furniature so they can only be on their bed)
  5. Encouraging calm quiet behavior

Continue this and lengthen the time your dog gets to sit and chew. Try by increasing the time in thirty second increments. If at anytime your dog becomes disinterested in the kong (and it isn't empty) you have given it too long. Take it away and try again in another half hour. Also be sure to change up what you are mixing in so your dog doesn't get bored. The more food motivated your dog the easier this process is and the less time you'll have to spend to hook them. The less interested your dog is in food the longer this can take. Very food motivated dogs will love this so much you can simply get the dog kibble wet and freeze it for a cheap and easy version.

It is a good idea to replace just one meal a day (usually dinner) with a stuffed kong. The hungrier your dog is the quicker the process will work. It has been shown over and over that animals prefer to work for their food. This is one of the most natural and benefitial ways for your dog to eat.

In my next and last post on this topic I will talk about different ways to stuff kongs. From the very easy for a beginner dog, to advanced kong stuffing for super clever and experienced dogs.

What do you think? Will you give it a try? Any questions or comments? Leave them below!

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The Secret to A Calm Dog

5/4/2015

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This is the first in a series of two posts about my favorite training tool, the hollow stuffable toy. Find part two here

One of the first comments almost everyone makes about my dogs is how calm they always are. While Yuna has always been rather laid back, Stark is a high energy, very driven dog. But he knows there is a time and a place.

He has learned this because of hollow stuffable toys.

Rubber toys like Kongs can be filled with your dogs regular kibble mixed with something like plain yogurt, wet food, gravy, or peanut butter. Allowing your dog to work for their food is a natural outlet for dog's need to hunt and search for food.  If you replace your dog's food bowl with a hollow toy your dog will become calmer and happier. 


The reason for this is because when your dog works out food from a kong they generally lay down. Their blood pressure goes down because the act of eating and chewing is calming. Their heart rate goes down because they are relaxed. The best part is that they are being rewarded for all that good wanted behavior! Taking 10 minutes a day to stuff three or four toys can give you a calmer more enjoyable dog. 


It is an easy fast solution for many common unwanted behaviors. In the next post I will talk about how to hook your dog on stuffable toys even if they aren't very food motivated. Training your dog to love these toys is fast, fun, and easy like all the training that we do!

For Example Here Are David Letterdog's Top Ten Thing Your Dog Can't Do While Chewing on a Kong (by Dr Ian Dunbar):

  • -Chew carpets, curtains, couches, clothes, chair legs, children's toys and electrical cords or consume famous books on dog behaviour.
  • -Bark incessantly. The dog may still bark at disturbances, but it is less likely to bark recreationally because now it is busy chewing recreationally.
  • -Run in ever-decreasing obsessive compulsive circles, anxiously chasing its tail, or excessively licking or chewing paws and the root of its tail, causing self mutilation.
  • -Play-bite or mouth your hand, nip ankles, grab the lead or play tug o-war with your tie or trousers.
  • -Destroy garden furniture and hoses, consume cat feces and dog stools or eat flowers and poisonous plants.
  • -Dig. Certainly the dog can hold a chew toy in its jaw and dig, but if really working at treats inside the chew toy, it would hardly be inclined to dig a hole to bury the chew toy.
  • -Noisily lick private parts in the company of great aunts or children.
  • -Lick your face with the same tongue that was used to perform number 7.
  • -Borrow the car, write bad checks or run up the charge card. (just checking to see if anyone is actually reading this article.)
  • -Become bored or anxious and otherwise dream of bolting through the front door or escaping from the yard.
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Cue verses Command in Dog Training

5/1/2015

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It might just seem like semantics but this small difference implies a major shift in your thinking about your dog.

When you teach your dog a behavior using luring, shaping, or capturing; we wait to put it to a word until the dog can do the behavior when prompted every time. This lets us pair the word with the behavior so that the dog learns it in just one or two sessions. It is very efficient and easy for the dog to learn. The more words your dog has learned the simpler and faster the process will become to your dog.

When you teach your dog a behavior using escape/avoidance using a word from the start is important to give the dog a chance to avoid the leash jerk, butt push, ear pinch et cetera. In this case you are commanding, “Do it or else”.

The latter is not the type of relationship that I want to share with my dog. I want my dog to trust that I will keep them safe no matter what. They listen when I ask them to do known behaviors to the best of their ability and my training. Whether it is leaping over agility jumps or coming to me even though there is another dog in the next yard. They know that good things come when they listen not that bad things happen when they don’t.

But what will I do if they don’t listen? I try and figure out what I did wrong and learn from my mistakes. Was my young dog off leash when he should have been wearing a long line? Bad human! Did I point my body at the tunnel when I wanted my dog to jump? Bad human! Did my dog get into the garbage when I didn’t walk him and let him wander the house alone? Bad human! Dogs will be dogs until we teach them the rules of living with humans and give them outlets for their natural doggy-ness. Dogs are more than willing to learn if we teach them.


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Why Positive Training Works

3/30/2015

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Training dogs and their people is something that is not only my profession but my passion and my past time.  If you’ve seen me train either my own dogs or yours you might notice how it looks like effortless fun to me. Because that is exactly what dog training is to me, fun! Whether I am working on some cool new freestyle trick or serious behavior modification, both the dog and I are having a blast!  Even in the most difficult cases I never feel a need to get rough or correct the dog, in addition to being un-fun it is usually 100% counterproductive but we’ll talk about that in another post.

Dog training should be fun; the most effective way of learning is through playing games for not only dogs but for humans too. It makes sense right? That is why websites like luminosity.com and brainmetrix.com are centered on games to train your brain. Even learning information through song is a form a playing, School House Rock anyone?  And I’m sure we all remember how un-fun learning can be with boring or disparaging teacher, in fact I hate math because my 1st grade teacher.  She would relentlessly drill us on addition and subtraction and then shame kids that got it wrong…. I still hate math and will do almost anything to avoid it. There were, of course kids that were VERY motivated by that and would strive to never get an answer wrong, me on the other hand? I would cross my arms, stare at my desk and either refuse to answer or purposefully get it wrong. Ms Sakamoto would correct and punish me anyway, if I could have bitten her I would have, instead I was sent to the principle.

I never want to be that teacher; I never want to force a dog into something they don’t understand or find scary.  Not only because I don’t enjoy it but I know it can leave a lasting impression that could rear its ugly head later. Or force a dog to act in a way that could be dangerous. I understand methods that use a heavier hand, I have seen them work. (Yes I’ll admit that they work they wouldn’t be this sticky if they didn’t) I can also admit that when introduced correctly and gradually things like prong or shock collars can be usable tools but I still would never choose to use them.  It simply isn’t necessary to me, very un-fun to the dog and ultimately counterproductive to the bond we share with our dogs.

I love the relationship that I have with my dog Yuna, she is my best friend and goes everywhere with me.  She chooses to stay next to me with or without a leash, she hogs the bed, she loves to run with reckless abandon, and she understands that she isn’t allowed in the street without permission. Every now and again we even get into arguments along the lines of her saying, “Don wanna don hafta” but I am insistent and she more often than not agrees with me. Though every now and again I’ll agree with her point of view and she’ll “win” the argument. Our relationship is a constant give and take like any other friendship I reinforce her through praise, play, and companionship and she reinforces me with her unconditional love and great company. I wouldn’t trade our relationship for the world and hope to give that to every person and dog that I train. I’ve seen what positive motivation can do and that is why I choose to live my life on the positive side of things.


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    Ally is a trainer, behavior consultant, artist, and writer. She has been working with animals almost her entire life and enjoys every second of it.

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