Kaya Discdog

Teaching Heel

Heel can be one of the more difficult behaviors to teach to your dog. Fanny Gott has a unique technique where she starts out walking backward and having the dog follow her. She states that it is easier to watch the dog and reward. I was a bit skeptical that it would be easy to turn the other way and get the dog to follow you. It works in one session we walked backwards for a little while and then when I began to walk forward she seemed to pay close attention to me. When I tried to teach it just walking forward she would pay attention for a few seconds and then rush forward. I would have to stop and then she would pay attention again. We were getting a yo-yo effect instead of getting the constant attention. At the end of the session we attached the leash. At first it threw her off and then she picked it right back up.

Teaching Your Dog What No Means

Many people teach their dog the zen or often called leave it command. I decided to use the word NO because it is often what I say to the dog when they are touching something they shouldn't. Just because you yell No at them doesn't mean that they understand what you are saying. The only thing they understand is that you are really upset with them. No should be voiced like anyother command and shouldn't be yelled. Once your dog has been taught what the word means in several different places it can be used effectively to keep the dog out of things you don't want them to touch.

Training Level E-Book

Sue Ailsby has published her new book Training Levels Steps to Success and is now selling it in e-book format. You can purchased it in hard copy for $44.99 plus shipping or the e-book format for $25. If you are using a Kindle for reading the book (which I currently use), you can purchase the PDF version on your computer and email the book to your Kindle using the Kindle email address. You will need to put convert in the subject line. After a few minutes the book will appear on your Kindle converted and ready to read. This is the only training book you will ever need.

Click on this picture to purchase Hard Copy



Click on this picture to purchase E-Book

Dog Training On The Road

Maybe not on the road but at least in the school playground. We went to practice come on the school playground but instead of leaving me she wanted to stay right by my side. This is not a bad thing either.

I did discover that at one time she had no problem running through the playground equipment but this time she shyed away from it. She wouldn't follow me through the tunnels. We were able to get her to go down the slide once. I know it's been a while since we had gone but she seemed to show some fear and hesitation this time.

Training is definitely a continuing process because once you think they know something it's not always the case. That's why sometimes you have to go back to the basics.

We also had to take a trip to the vet's. Bailey got conjunctivitis to the point that her eyelid was swollen. She was stressed at the Vet's. The poor thing sat under my chair and shook. I held her while the vet but stain in her eye to see if she had a corneal abrasion and it was all I could do to keep her still. The vet tried to give her a treat but she won't eat a thing if she is stressed. She didn't want it later either because she probably knew where it came from.

In stressed situations she will not take a treat so I can't really do any training. I am hoping with more exposure that she will become less stressed in unfamiliar settings.

Dog Journal 9/26/11

I had grandious dreams of great training sessions and then reality hit. We really only got two training sessions in because of football games and practices. We did go to the Casey County Apple Festival to see how she does in a crowd. She was sporting her Gentle Leader (because she doesn't like to bark with it on). She was stressed in the crowd but was willing to stay close to my side. When we stopped I didn't have to tell her sit, that was an automatic. We did get a few requests to pet her but I declined because any time a stranger sticks a hand out she backs away. The more they try to pet her the more she backs up. One little boy did touch her from behind but she never flinched. We didn't stay long and she looked like a real professional. Then we took her to the park without the Gentle Leader and her true colors came out.

So we will work on the original goals from last week with the hope of have three training sessions instead of just two.

1. Zen - Bailey will focus on a bowl of treats and not really pay attention to me. She also tries to steal food and wants to remain close to the bowl.
Goal: To have Bailey leaving food on the floor, on the couch, and on the table.

2. Watch - Bailey will give me eye contact but in Level 3 she is suppose to give eye contact for 10 seconds.

3. Come - Our goal is to work on come three times a day for five minutes for eight weeks. Susan Garrett has a good article about the consistent work of come. So starting tomorrow we will work on it for eight weeks gradually increasing the distractions.

Dog Journal 9/20/11

1. Zen - Bailey will focus on a bowl of treats and not really pay attention to me. She also tries to steal food and wants to remain close to the bowl.
Goal: To have Bailey leaving food on the floor, on the couch, and on the table.

We worked on Zen as you can see in the picture. I had to stop here a few times with my hand. But for the most part she has improved and was able to walk around the treats without always trying to touch them.


2. Watch - Bailey will give me eye contact but in Level 3 she is suppose to give eye contact for 10 seconds.

I forgot to work on this one. We worked on trying to make a video instead but unfortunately my camera won't upload it.

3. Come - Our goal is to work on come three times a day for five minutes for eight weeks. Susan Garrett has a good article about the consistent work of come. So starting tomorrow we will work on it for eight weeks gradually increasing the distractions.
We worked on come once in the house and once in the garage. There was only one time she didn't come.

Organizing a Dog Journal

It's hard to find time to do all the things I want to get done. Organization is a great way to keep goals and get them accomplished. My new goal is to every Monday organize a training schedule for the week. We have accomplished quite a few tricks and there is some intermittent training as time allows but I feel that I really need to have a focus. Training will move along at a quicker pace with organization.

Dog Training Journal :  9/19/11

1. Zen - Bailey will focus on a bowl of treats and not really pay attention to me. She also tries to steal food and wants to remain close to the bowl.
Goal: To have Bailey leaving food on the floor, on the couch, and on the table.

2. Watch - Bailey will give me eye contact but in Level 3 she is suppose to give eye contact for 10 seconds.

3. Come - Our goal is to work on come three times a day for five minutes for eight weeks. Susan Garrett has a good article about the consistent work of come. So starting tomorrow we will work on it for eight weeks gradually increasing the distractions.

Another goal will be to give a daily update on our triaining. We are working on the old levels on Level 2.

Training a Dog to Generalize

It's amazing how through training you learn to communicate even though you have not formally trained an action. Bailey likes a good game of fetch with her ball. She often will go find it if you ask her too. We ask her to find it often because it distracts her from barking. Today I put out my hand and pointed to it that I wanted her to put the ball in my hand. She tried to figure out what I was talking about. Her new offered behavior is her paw. So she stuck out her paw. Well even though that wasn't what I wanted exactly she was now close enough I could get the ball out of her mouth. She never holds on to it, so she is very willing to release the ball but just doesn't understand that I want the ball in my hand. She has learned if she wants to keep playing fetch she must bring the ball close enough to me and will drop in on the floor. If I'm on the computer it often gets dropped underneath my chair.

She also did well with barking tonight. Even though the other dogs were barking she would just run to the window and bark a couple of times. I would say thank you and then she would leave the window. Sometimes I think she barks out of boredom so I try to play fetch with her frequently.

Bailey's Training Progress

I discovered another great article from Shirley Chong. She is somehow affiliated to Sue Ailsby because she has the article about leading the dance written by Sue. I found this article interesting because she breaks down come into steps. One of the first steps is to start in the bathroom with come. It's similar to the way you charge a clicker the first time you use it with a dog. You say the word -  Come - click and reward.

She also has a good article that breaks down the steps of a retrieve. I started Bailey off with a dumbell toy. The toy was behind my back and then I would show her the toy. Any interest she showed in the toy would get a click and we progressed to opening her mouth on the toy. I have been leaving the treats in front of her while we work as Zen practice.

Bailey's Training Journal

We have accomplished getting a weave between the legs while walking forward and a figure 8 around my legs. We are still working on going to the mat. She is willing to go to the mat when we are close but she is still having a hard time working at a distance. She can paw a target or target with her nose.

Calling come is an all day thing. Calling from barking at the window or anytime she in not in the room with me. We didn't work outside very much because of the rain. But we did work on loose lease walking. I still feel like I'm not able to communicate just walking on the leash loosely because of the distractions outside. I feel like I am not communicating what I really want from Bailey. I keep watching videos of different techniques to see if one really strikes me. My apprehension of properly teaching the walking is what I think is really holding us back.

Working On Teaching Dog To Come

After reading Susan Garrett's article on teaching your dog to come, I have focused on calling come in the house and outside. Outside always has been a distraction because Bailey definitely has some scent hound in her. There could be nothing outside but as long as their is a good scent on the ground she has totally lost her focus. I purchased a 20 foot leash to train Bailey with because I still do not feel comfortable with just letting her loose.

When we had Amelia it was a short time after we got her and she would come. She could even be recalled if the other dogs escaped out of the house and she was hot on their heels. She really wanted to please. Bailey just has a totally different view on life making it harder for her. But I am hoping that practicing three times a day for 5 minutes will pay off in the long run. Come always seems to be one of the most important commands but yet really takes the most control of your dog.

We have also been working on weaving under my legs as I walk. We have tried it a few times here and there with a lot of targeting the stick but we have progressed to simple pointing under the legs and she has started weaving. We still need to work on chaining the behaviour so that she will keep weaving and not just stop and wait for another treat.

Teaching Your Dog To Come or Recall

Come is probably one of the most important commands to teach your dog. No one wants to play a great game of chase when you have to leave. Come is not a difficult behavior but it has to be worked on frequently for it to be reliable. I have discovered that some dogs are more willing to come than others. Some are also more easily distracted making them inconsistent with come.

Try using the recall game to teach come.

The Recall Game
This version copyright 2005, all rights reserved, Rebekah Pless
Free for use by anyone as long as author info remains intact.

Having a dog who will reliably come when called is one of the best things in life. This means FREEDOM for your dog. Here is how to teach your dog to RUN to you each time you call it.

1) NEVER call your dog unless you are CERTAIN you can enforce the command. Each time you call your dog and he does not immediately come to you to receive a food reward, you take a step backwards in his learning to come when you call. It is important not to make mistakes when teaching the recall. DO NOT CALL YOUR DOG if there is ANY chance you cannot enforce the command. EVER.
2) NEVER call your dog to you for anything unpleasant. If you need to interrupt a play session, or you are going to trim nails, or if you are about to do anything to your dog that he does not enjoy, GO GET THE DOG. Do not call him to you.
3) FOOD REWARD every single recall. EVERY SINGLE ONE. This means keeping treats in your pockets at all times.
4) Smiles are required equipment when calling your dog. NEVER EVER call your dog in anything but a praise tone of voice. Correction will NEVER help a recall. Your dog must WANT to come when you call.

To play the game you need at least 2 people, and several is great. Each person is given a handful of very small soft treats. I prefer tiny pieces of hotdogs or string cheese. Pieces should be VERY small, even for a larger dog or puppy. I slice a hotdog in half and cut the pieces the size of a nickle. Once people have their treats, they should take a seat around the room with as much room between them as the room will allow.

One person takes the puppy or dog and points him towards the person who is going to begin the game. This person may do anything to get the puppy to come towards him except say the word COME. Clap hands, smile, laugh, show the treat, call PUPPPY PUPPPPY PUPPPPY, or the dog’s name. When it is CLEAR that the pup is committed to going to the person, and ONLY THEN, say the pup’s name, and come. For example, Bailey, COME! It does not matter if the puppy is almost to you, as long as the pup hears his name and the word COME while he is going TOWARDS the person calling.

Hold the hand with the food right up next to your body so that the puppy has to come all the way up to you and touch you to get the treat. Do not feed the treat until you are holding the puppy’s collar. This prevents the “snatch and run” game. Praise and pet the puppy cheerfully while he is getting his treat. Once the pup has had his little tiny treat, it’s time to point him towards another person who does the same thing.

It is extremely important that the participants understand they are NOT to say the word COME unless the puppy is already doing just that.

Play as long as the pup is interested. Main rules, Do not say COME unless the puppy IS coming, hold the treat up CLOSE to your body, and you must be holding the collar to feed the treat.

This simple game does more to build a reliable recall than any other training you can do. Your pup will quickly learn that his name and the word come means TREAT. Each time you call the pup and reward him for coming quickly to you, you build a more ingrained and reliable response. If you are consistent and train this game at least 2 to 3 times per week, you will have a dog who will ALWAYS come when you call it. Most owners list this as a top priority for their dogs. Here is a fun and simple way to attain this goal.

Practice often! Your pup will love this game, and so will your friends.

Some Tips For Training Come

• Don't run after the puppy. Back away a few steps and they will become interested.
• Squat down so your not standing over your puppy when they return. It's less threatening.
• Don't ever use come if something negative is going to happen after they come, like having to stay in a crate while your away.
• Make sure their name is always used in a positive connotation. If you need to tell your dog no don't attach their name, instead you can make a sound to distract them.

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Looking through youtube videos the other day, I found some videos that said Susan Garrett's Five Minute Recall. The title intrigued me because I thought could come be taught in 5 minutes. So after finding the article I discovered that you need to work on come three times a day for 5 minutes. I had one of those lightbulb moments, I had never thought of training come that much. But of course the results would be great if you trained that often. The idea is also to start with no distractions and then slowly add varying degrees. So the key to teaching come is practice, practice, practice,...

Navy Seal Funeral Dog

Jon Tumilson's dog, Hawkeye, was devoted not only in life but in death. You can see from the photo taken by his cousin, Lisa Pembleton, how this dog mourns his owner's loss. My daughter asked how the dog knew he was in the casket if he couldn't see him. I told her I thought that the dog could probably smell him and could tell that he had died. You can tell by the photo that the dog was well loved.

Teaching Sit and Down

Many times SIT and DOWN are usually the first two commands that you want to teach your dog. They can be very useful in many applications and paired with other behaviors. Such as walking down the street and stopping to look before you cross the street. It's great if your dog can sit and wait while you look instead of pulling into traffic.

There are two ways to teach SIT. You can get your clicker out and click/treat when they sit on their own. The other way is to use a piece of food as a lure and hold the food above the dogs head. The food should not be so high that they have to jump for the treat but high enough that they will have to point their head up causing the back end to sit, so they can see your hand. When the dog is seated on the ground you can click and treat.

DOWN can be taught using three different methods. You can wait for a dog to lay down on his own and click/treat like you did with sit.

The second way to teach a down is to take a piece of food in front of the dogs nose and bring the treat to the floor. Often just following the food to the floor will cause them to drop their whole body to the floor at which point you click and treat.

The third way is a great way to teach the smallest of dogs to lay down. You will have to sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you with your knees slightly bent. Taking a piece of food you will lure the dog under your knees. Your knees should be low enough that the dog has to drop to their belly. When they are in the down position you can click and treat. Repeat the process a few times, then add the command. If you think your dog has got it try asking them to DOWN without going under your legs.

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Training Your Dog To High Five

Haven't had much time to post anything but we have been busy working on dog training. Loose leash training has been a struggle. Started with clicking and treating for loose leash walking but everytime I clicked she would start pulling again. I have just been walking backwards or changing direction when she pulls on the leash. It has been hard to get her to pay attention with any distractions and believe me it doesn't take much. It can be an interesting smell in the grass which can not be noticed by a human.

We have been working on a high five. I started by using a plastic lid for a paw target. Anytime she placed her paw on the lid I clicked, after a little while I raised the lid up in increments higher and higher until we got to a good high five. After several times of getting a high five with the lid I added the command, next I used my hand with the command. Sometimes she didn't understand, so I picked up the lid again and used the command. You will notice in the video sometimes she is a bit eager and uses two paws instead of one. But we will keep shaping it until we only get one. I think she started to use two because I had to tape it a couple of times to do it right.

Dog Training With A Smile

I didn't realize how much Bailey really enjoyed her training until I went to watch the video. I was tickled to see her grinning right in front of the camera. I guess she was working on her cameo for the big time.



I had planned on showing the whole video but have had some real difficulty having it load so I gave up and I will just communicate with words instead of pictures.

We worked on WATCH (eye contact) with a heel. I really want to get her to the point were she is really paying attention to me. We started out slow, I don't think she was really getting it at first. After watching the video, I don't think I was rewarding as fast as I should either. But by the end of the video she was really trotting next to me paying attention. But the best part was the smile on her face from the beginning.

Using a video is a great way to get to really see what is going on especially if you don't have any one to critique your actions.

Funny Videos

I think this dog would be great to train because he seems to be a very quick learner.  I wonder if they are able to keep him in a crate.

Working on Eye Contact

We worked on eye contact today. She got a click for looking into my eyes. I progressively worked on getting a longer look. I have always been amazed at the way some of the dogs watch their owner. If you watch some of the obedience videos you can see how the dog is fixed on the owner waiting for the next command. Bailey knows to look at me when she wants something but I want her to learn to hold her attention for longer periods of time.

She has the markings of a Australian Cattle dog but their is more hunting dog in her. She loves to carry things in her mouth. The first thing she does after I open the crate is grab a soft toy. Not for chewing mind you but she wants it to carry around. She will drop it long enough for me to get her harness on then she wants to pick it right back up and carry it outside. She will point at birds and any bird hopping around on the ground is far game. I think she could be trained to use her nose that is one of her favorite things to do when we go some where new is to put her nose to the ground and sniff along.

More On The Road Dog Training

It's funny how you can teach behaviors without even really trying. Bailey is very calm and quiet in the car. You can leave her in the car and she won't bark or whine. Thankfully I have really reinforced that behavior without really trying.

My son has been having late night football practices that never seem to end on time, so I have taken this opportunity to take Bailey to do some training. My daughter and I practiced the come game, calling Bailey back and forth. She did very well till she decided to take a detour around a car, but she did come by the least direct route. We felt that that was a good time to stop the game and move on to other things.

We worked on being close to the action without barking. We couldn't get close to some men standing next to the fence but she had no problem standing next to the fence with the crashing of helmets and the shouting of coaches. To me some quiet men by a fence are a whole lot friendlier than the players but Bailey doesn't think so.