Raina works on a simple impulse control exercise by leaving the treat, looking at me and making eye contact, I then mark and reward from the treat bag. Never give or allow them to eat the treat they were being trained to ignore!
Category Archives: Elite Instinct Canine Training Tips
A collection of tips and tricks and best practices.
Terrific Tip Tuesday
Well it’s been awhile but i hope to stay back on the blog bandwagon!!!
Raina
This week’s terrific tip Tuesday is all about how to proof your stay.
REMEMBER you must train on THE DOG”S schedule not your own!! Just because your 9 month old pup has performed a down stay in your living room for 20 minutes while watching american idol doesn’t mean he can do a 30 second down stay in your local park. Do not put expectations on your dog that he cannot fulfill or else you are setting up to damage your relationship and happiness in working with you.
First make sure you change only ONE VARIABLE AT A TIME. Some of the biggest variables you have to change to proof your stay
Distance
Distraction
Length
Environment
Lets stick with those 4 for now. First off change your environment, do the back deck instead of the living room but make sure all you change is the environment and set your other requirements low. In other words make it a 10 second stay in a new environment instead of that 2 minute stay in the living room you had worked up to. Slowly work up to the two minutes in the new environment making sure you only move according to the dogs schedule IE what he is successful at 4 out of 5 times before you raise the criteria!!!
As you can see in the example above once he is fine in the new environment at 10 seconds you can start to change the length or “raise your criteria” in other ways for the stay. Take note however you are always working on only ONE thing at a time. Lets say in that session he has mastered a minute long down stay on the back deck (new environment) now take 2 steps away from him instead of standing right next to him (get it????)
Your options in proofing are endless but take baby steps and make sure you are never raising criteria to high to quick. If you notice he breaks the stay more than once in a set of 5 back down the variable you were working on, stop bouncing the ball, or taking 15 steps away.
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to email me if there is a specific thing you would like to see our Tuesday blog post on! EliteInstinctCanine@gmail.com
Focusing on Consistency- Part 2 The Plan
Abby and I reflecting on life
Everywhere in life we have a plan. Think about it, you have a plan for the night, a plan for the weekend, a plan for vacation, and a plan for dinner that evening. You even have plans for how your children will grow up or maybe how the world will end one day. Why wouldn’t you have a plan for your dog training session??????
Get with the planing program!
It doesn’t have to be documented in official memo style and approved by the president (though if you are working with a professional dog trainer they will help you get your plan solidified and ensure that it is beneficial to you and the canine) but at least know what you are going to do and how you plan on doing it. Now with that being said……….i change my plan a hundred times a day!!! That’s ok though, because i’m changing it based on my dogs AGENDA and the FEEDBACK he is giving me while we are training. You do not have a plan so that you have to stick to it like gorilla glue, you have a plan so you can keep focus and maintain CONSISTENCY in your training session.
Depending on the time of day, what i have already accomplished with my dog that day, and both our moods i will pick what the object of our plan will be. If i have been gone all day and Raina is crazy full of energy I will not jump right into long downs, that is not fair to her to drill such a static exercise. I would do something fun first like go outs where she gets to use her energy bursts for good. THIS is the main factor in working on the dogs agenda for your plan. I already know the process on how to train go outs, so i will start where we left off in our last session and see how she performs. Following my plan allows me to focus completely on the dog and keeping these as CONSISTENT as possible so we both learn with fewer mistakes.
I know this may be confusing at first, or even extremely complicated and overkill, but you cannot be upset or mad at a dog who doesn’t have good obedience if you never bothered to train him right in the first place.
PLEASE remember bringing a dog into your life IS A LOT OF WORK. I can vouch first hand that it is fully worth the work you put into your pup or dog to have a wonderful canine copilot for the rest of your life.
A word of advice when choosing a trainer
The love of a canine
When trying to choose a trainer or behaviorist to help your family and canine i would like to give a few pointers. There are hundreds of “trainers” out there, and not every trainer has the skill set or capability to handle every dog or situation. I have referred out potential clients to other trainers in cases i either didn’t have the time or compete understanding of the dog’s issues or did not feel that the owner or family was wiling to do the work necessary to fix the behavioral traits that were exhibited. A mark of a GOOD trainer will be thorough pre-screening of the family and canine (s) prior to money exchanging hands. I require a registration form/questionnaire to be filled out prior to my FREE 1 hour behavioral consult. Yes that means i DRIVE over an hour on my own time and money to visit the potential client and K9s before a dime is exchanged. Yes i have performed MANY free consults and NEVER provided training for the family for numerous reasons, and i am sure i have been taken advantage of a few times, but I am NOT a dog trainer for the money, this is not my job that pays the bills. Please be weary of anyone who expects money up front prior to even meeting you or your dog, let alone experiencing his behavioral or training issues to ensure they have an understanding of the family and the canine. I train my search and rescue dogs thousands of hours a month so that others may live, not to make a buck, and i will not compromise a family and their dog so that i can pad my bank account.
Secondly please remember that not all certification programs for dog trainers are created equal, and just because you have a trainer who has graduated from a dog school or dog online academy does not mean they are qualified! There are many different associations you can join and international programs you can pay thousands of dollars to in Canada and other countries so that you can become a “professional”. It is essential that you also look at the trainer, their own dogs, and their experience. I started training dogs over a decade ago, and i have plenty of “certifications” and letters after my name from various organizations for demonstrating my knowledge and experience training dogs, but my real life experience training and raising dogs is what taught me more than any book or school, and I do not know everything, I have SOMETHING to learn from EVERYONE.
I feel i have a natural talent with dogs, an understanding of them on a deeper level then most, a way of communication with both the dog and the owners that you cannot buy from any “school” or verify through any test (which has been confirmed by all my clients both human and canine i have worked with over the years). I have an open mind i am always ready to learn whether it is from another dog handler, another dog trainer, or the client or canine i am working with and i love to develop new relationships with other humans who enjoy canines as much as i do. You will not see a flashy website with big words to try and impress you, all you will get is just me, in my muddy dog hair covered clothes that smell like liver treats. Yes i have the paper proof of my knowledge, i have the initials after my name, but most importantly what i have to offer is me, and i challenge you to invite me over to meet your dog, no strings attached, and lets see what i can offer you. I cannot guarantee you the snappiest, showy cookie-cutter obedience routine, that is your job as the dog’s handler, but what i can offer you is the TOOLS needed to achieve that. I can teach you how to COMMUNICATE with your dog CONSISTENTLY, i can help you earn his RESPECT and his yours, and I can get you the FOUNDATION needed to achieve whatever you wish with your canine companion. Yes we do believe all dogs should be canine copilots for life, and no i do not whisper……I translate.
Terrific Tip Tuesday
*We must stress the importance of working with a professional certified dog trainer when you have a dog that displays ANY aggression. The trainer will ensure situations are set up so that the dog is not overwhelmed, the problem is not worsened, and that you feel confident as the handler. Please do not try this without consulting a professional first.
Raina with attention in her “look” command
The focus of this weeks post is how to manage leash reactive dogs in the presence of other dogs. It is always embarrassing when you go to the vet or on a walk in your neighborhood and your dog lunges and barks aggressively at every dog he or she see’s. One of the major factors that is put into play with leash reactive dogs is they default to the environment, and do not trust the handler. It is easy to combat this and set your dog up for success.
Start in your living room with a bag of high value treats in your pocket. When your dog makes eye contact mark the behaviour (say yes or use a clicker) and feed a peice of treat (your dog must already understand what a clicker means, if you would like to start clicker training with your dog please see our website.) Continue to do this for 5 minutes 2-3 times a day all around your home when it is calm and quite. The idea is to reinforce to the dog that this is a desirable behavior and it will get you good rewards! Once he or she is readily offering you eye contact you can pair your command with it i usually use eyes or look. Once you are getting the eye contact say “look good girl good look yes” and give her the treat. Continue this for 4-10 session depending on the dogs response. Once you can say “look” and your dogs head whips around and makes eye contact with you then you know you are on the road to her understanding the command. Next you need to generalize this command, that means start taking her to different places (still with little to no distractions and keeping her close by you) and give her the command, rewarding when she makes eye contact. If she doesn’t oh well, you can show her the treat she could have gotten and walk around waiting a minute before re commanding.
Once she is steadily responding to your command you can start slowly adding distractions. If they are to much (she doesn’t make eye contact when asked ) DO NOT GET FRUSTRATED. This is YOUR fault, you have raised the criteria too high too quickly. This is the biggest mistake that owners make and it is not the dogs fault, why would you punish her and degrade your relationship? Go back to a calmer situation and cement in her attention to you and eye contact for a few sessions, then move on to distractions again. NEVER BE AFRAID TO DROP BACK IN TRAINING. The best trainers are the ones who work on the dogs AGENDA not their own!
The eventual goal is to proof the command so that she automatically reacts in any situation no matter how distracted she is or how many dogs are around to bark at. This command and training also reinforces her attention to you and not the environment. It will desensitize her to reacting to other dogs and give you guys a good head start on the ULTIMATE relationship you would like to have!
Jennifer Culver CPDT-KA IACP
The Packs all here!
With over a dozen dogs milling about some sleeping, some chewing on bones and others scoping out what to do next you can see what a stable, calm pack can look like. These dogs range from my 6 pound chihuahua to my 65 pound high drive working shepherds all living happily in the same pack. My work as a dog behaviorist and dog trainer has allowed me to manage an ever changing pack of dogs. It is not as simple as throwing a bunch of dogs into a backyard, you must be able to communicate effectively with your dogs and have a solid foundation set in your training methods. This is not something made for TV, this is real life, this is MY life.
Terrific Tip Tuesday
EICT has begun to realize that just reaching out to it’s clients through weekly training is not enough. I want to let as many people as i can have the ULTIMATE relationship with their dog. I want to teach as much as i can, and pass on my dog knowledge to all. I am currently accepting email’s with short common problem descriptions, example My dog pee’s in the house and he is 2 years old. I am positive you are not the only owner experiencing this problem and every Tuesday i will pick one of the problems to blog about. So what are you waiting for EMAIL ME EliteInstinctCanine@gmail.com Don’t forget if you would like a Free Dog Behavioral Consult to visit our website.
Raina
Follow you, Follow me
I have so much in life to be thankful for, and i’m not sure that i even realize it all yet! My work with canines is amazing, its groundbreaking, and it comes from within me. I feel like i have so much to offer, i just want to yell it from the roof tops……….this is how to live life with your dog!!!!!!! I try to express some of it on here, or in my video’s on youtube but i just don’t think i do it justice. I think, i hope, and from what i’ve heard, i am very capable of communicating it to my clients but i just want to reach more people, let them know that i can ensure they have a better relationship with their dog!
Pack member #10 Emeline
Weiss is our newest member, he was turned over to Life Long Tails and is being fostered by us in hopes we can groom him to be a search dog or detection dog of some nature. He and his brother were pretty shy pups last week when he came home, and weib (pronounced vice) did not know a single thing about how to “talk dog” with other canines. He would growl (yes growl at 12 weeks old) over bones, and challenge the adult dogs in the house without blinking twice. The look of confusion on his face when the stood over him and growled back, or offered a quick snap when approaching too fast when they were sleeping, or even when they play bowed to him in invitation to play he just didn’t get it. 5 days later and Weib play bows and chases the other dogs around the back yard, understands if he puts his ears back he can submit to the other dogs and release pressure from himself, and gathers he has a place in the pack. His barking and whining is now at a minimum as he feels more comfortable with himself as a canine. The difference in him is drastic, he loves to swim, go on hikes with the shepherd girls, search for cadaver and play fetch. What my pack of dogs can do is teach a pup how to be himself, they are miracle workers! Now don’t get me wrong my dogs are not perfect, they each have there own flaws like we all do but my pack has helped rehab hundreds of aggressive, neglected, abused, or plain confused pooches over the years. One on one with my clients they are impressive and provide the stability that is needed when i work with other peoples crazy canines, but as a pack, as my group of dogs in my house they are a group of educators, a collaboration of canines fit to help anyone with me, their leader in front. I’m not sure why i call them my canine copilot pack, the name just stuck around a few years ago and it fits. The pack is ever changing as we see dogs come and go but they are right there beside me every step of the way. Follow you, follow me, my canine copilot pack has built a reputation for themselves and they are ready to help!
If you are having problems with your canine and would like help please email or call us!!! Check us out online http://www.EliteInstinctCanine.com
The art of playing with your dog
The tugging beast
Part of having a good relationship with any dog is play time. At Elite Instinct Canine we pride ourselves on having fun with our pooches! There is of course an “art” of playing with your dog and the girls would love to demonstrate it for you!
Emeline taking the tug
What we stand for
Sometimes a pictures is worth a 1000 words
Elite Instinct K9 Training 