Dapper Dog

During my tenure as a dog walker, I found that not all of my clients’ neighbors were particularly thoughtful dog owners. When walking your dog, you have every right to enjoy as stress-free a stroll around the neighborhood as possible. Here are some tips for working toward that goal.

Incessant barking, aggressive, or free-roaming dogs all have the potential to derail your training sessions or make walks with even a well-trained, well-socialized dog extremely unpleasant. The first line of defense against any of these situations is open communication. Do not be afraid to confront your neighbor, politely, clearly and firmly, regarding any problem you are having. You may find that your neighbor was not even aware that there was a problem and works to address it immediately. If the problem continues, however, you may want to consider contacting local law enforcement or a third-party mediator.

One of the most common complaints people have about their neighbors’ dogs is barking. Barking is an important means of communications for dogs. However, incessant barking is not only disruptive to neighbors; it’s also an indication that the barker is stressed out and insecure about his environment. For these reasons, this particular issue is covered under federal, local and state noise ordinances.

Many people choose to leave their dogs tied up outside for portions of the day. Sometimes this may cause no problem at all. However, I myself have encountered both extremely aggressive dogs tied in the front yard and dogs tied on a long enough line that they can still run into the street to charge the dog I’m walking. If you can not find an alternate route, situations like these can become dangerous.

I have also encountered dogs left in their front yards without any form of restraint or proper supervision. The owners of these dogs are often under the impression that this is okay because either: their dog is friendly, or they do not believe that their dog would leave the property. This is an extremely dangerous situation, potentially for everyone involved. Even if a roaming dog is friendly, he may approach another dog who is not; he could even get hit by a car while crossing the street to do so. Furthermore, there are very few dogs who, given the choice, would never leave their property. Leash laws exist in most every locality for these reasons, among others. In my opinion, we all have an obligation to address such situations for the safety of the roaming dog as well as ours and our dogs’.

While confronting a neighbor about his or her pet can be daunting, it is often necessary. Often times, serious conflict can be avoided through a polite, yet frank conversation. In a residential area, all humans and pets need to share the space; and this means that everyone has to do his or her part to keep that space safe and pleasant. If your neighbor isn’t living up to his end of the bargain, you have every right to stand up for your and your pet’s happiness and safety.

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

The most common difficulty people have when walking their dogs is pulling on the leash. However, it’s not unheard of for a dog to simply “refuse to move” when out on a walk.

Some dogs will suddenly flatten themselves to the ground, sit, or lay down and not want to go any further. If your dog is one of these, you need to take steps to make him feel more confident.

For some dogs, many things out in the world are frightening or overwhelming. Couple that with the fact that being on leash can make some dogs feel as though they are trapped and could not run away if they needed to; and you can see why a less-than-confident dog might panic and not want to walk on his leash. In order to help a dog like this feel safer and enjoy his walks, start small. Begin by acclimating your dog to being on his leash in an environment in which he’s comfortable. Simply let him sit or walk around the house with his leash on. Periodically, walk over and give the leash a gentle tug; just enough so that your dog feels the pressure. Then say, “yes,” give him a treat, and walk away. Once your dog is moving comfortably around the house with his leash on, begin to ask him for a little movement. Hold one end of the leash and walk as far away from your dog as it will allow without becoming taut. Kneel down and encourage your dog to come to you. When he does, use your reward marker and give a reward. The next step might be to encourage your dog to follow you just a step or two while you’re holding the leash.

Once your dog is comfortable walking the way you’d like in the house, you can begin practicing in the back or front yard. Moving outside may still be quite frightening for your dog, so you may need to use even better rewards and start the process over (reward your dog simply for feeling a periodic tug on the leash, then for walking to you across the length of the leash, then for walking with you a few steps). When your dog is comfortable in the yard, begin taking him off your property only very briefly. At this stage, heading back home will probably serve as a powerful reward for walking just a handful of yards down the sidewalk.

This process may sound monotonous, but once you get your dog moving outside just a bit, he should gain confidence very quickly. Once that happens, walking will become its own reward; for you and your dog!

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

Walking a dog who barks and lunges at other dogs, people on bicycles or anything else is understandably frustrating and embarrassing. Fortunately, there are effective methods of combating such behavior, and I’ll give you a basic overview of those methods here.

The overarching goal of this type of training is teaching your dog that calm, polite behavior is the way to get what he wants; frenzied outbursts are not. In order to accomplish this goal, reward your dog for exhibiting the proper behavior in the presence of something that would previously have elicited an outburst. For the purposes of this article, let’s say that it’s other dogs. If you are comfortable using a clicker, it will be extremely helpful here. Begin with your dog far enough away from another dog that it’s not too difficult for him react calmly. When your dog notices the other dog but does not bark or lunge (i.e., looks at the other dog calmly or looks back at you), he gets an especially great reward (like chicken, cheese or a hot dog). Using this procedure, you can gradually move your dog closer to the other dog.

If you are unsure of your ability to catch this (sometimes momentary) calm behavior before an outburst occurs, you may want to use a head halter, such as Premier’s Gentle Leader™ while doing this training. A gentle leader gives you the ability to calmly encourage your dog to turn back toward you when he sees another dog, rather than overreacting; then you can reward that behavior. If your dog is wearing a flat buckle collar and lunges toward another dog, not only have you lost the opportunity to reward that calm moment; but your dog is experiencing the uncomfortable sensation of the tight collar around his throat in the presence of another dog, which will likely exacerbate the problem.

When teaching your dog to react calmly to frightening or exciting things, it’s helpful to understand his motivation; you can use this as a reward for calm behavior. For example, if your dog barks and lunges at other dogs on walks because he doesn’t like other dogs, a good reward might be moving away from another dog. On the other hand, if your dog barks and lunges because he wants to greet another dog, an opportunity to do so would be a more appropriate reward. If you’re unsure, a well-versed positive reinforcement trainer or behaviorist can help you.

Extremely boisterous outbursts can really ruin a walk with your dog. What’s worse, it can (understandably) discourage you from walking your dog as much as you otherwise might. Given how important it is to get out in the world with your dog, teaching him to react calmly to whatever he may encounter out there is really worth the effort.

Further Reading and Viewing

Working with On-Leash Aggression by Jean Donaldson Video

Dog Training Tutorial- Distraction Part 2- Healing Reactivity- by Tab 289 YouTube

Bat for Reactivity by Grisha Stewart YouTube

Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog by Patricia McConnell and Karen B. London

Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog by Emma Parsons (a Karen Pryor Clicker Book)

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

One challenge many dog owners face to teaching their dogs to walk nicely on leash is distractibility. Some dogs really want to investigate every sight, sound and smell. The following is a great approach to handling a highly distractible dog.

The first thing to do is to spend a little time teaching your dog that it really pays to stay close to and focused on you. Start off with a low number of distractions; inside your house is a great spot. Use your clicker or “yes!” when your dog looks at you and then give him a treat. Next, begin doing this while moving around. In this way, you encourage your dog to move with and maintain focus on you. If you’re careful to give treats frequently enough, this will become a really fun game and your dog will want to stay glued to you.

Next, begin to play this game in the presence of a few more distractions. If you have a big backyard in a fairly quiet neighborhood, that might be a good place. You might also ask a local dog trainer if you can use his or her training space while there are no other dogs there; or take your dog to an empty tennis court. Once your dog is able to stay focused on you in this environment, you can begin using the distractions as a reward for that focus. While walking around your (empty) tennis court, watch for your dog to make eye contact with you. At that moment, click or say “yes,” give him a treat, then tell him, ”okay, go sniff!” and encourage him to investigate the net or an abandoned tennis ball.

Repeat this procedure in increasingly distracting environments, keeping in mind that consistency is key. Before you know it, you will be able to help your dog transfer these skills to your daily walks.

Your dog encounters a lot of interesting things out in the world. While his darting this way and that can be frustrating, remember that he doesn’t know any other way to get to what he wants. It’s your job to teach him. So get to work!

Further Reading and Viewing
Dog Training Tutorial- Distractions- Part 1 by Tab289: YouTube

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

If you’ve owned dogs, you’ve probably realized how persistent pulling on leash can be. Dogs aren’t naturally inclined to walk at a consistent, moderate pace the way we are; they like to stop and sniff, or charge toward interesting things.

Additionally, every step your dog takes toward something he wants while he’s pulling on the leash teaches him that pulling gets him closer to what he wants. Given these challenges, convincing our dogs to walk like we do takes quite a bit of training. In order to accomplish this training, you need to teach your dog:

1. what he CAN and SHOULD do to get where he wants to go, and;
2. that pulling on the leash will NOT get him where he wants to go.

Addressing the first lesson requires that you stop in your tracks any and every time your dog pulls on the leash, and proceed only when he looks at or moves back toward you (when there is slack in the leash). In order to give your dog a viable alternative to pulling, you need to show him that staying near you pays off. In the beginning, this may mean rewarding your dog with a treat every other step. It’s helpful to use a clicker for this portion of the training if you’re comfortable doing so. You will also need to begin with as few distractions as possible (you may even want to start by practicing inside your house). From there, you can gradually decrease the frequency of the rewards and later, increase the level of distraction. If there is a particular object your dog wants to investigate, access to that object may be an even more powerful reward than a treat. In this case, when your dog is walking nicely along with you, say, “okay!” and usher him over to the object of interest.

You now have an understanding of the basic principles of loose-leash training. However, there are innumerable variations on the theme, some of which may work better for your dog than this very basic plan. Furthermore, it’s tough to get the hang of loose-leash training without seeing it in practice. So be sure to check out some of the videos listed at the end of this article.

Leash training can be somewhat monotonous and logistically challenging. In the end, though, all it takes is a few deep breaths and some consistency and before you know it taking your dog out will be a walk in the park!

Further Reading and Viewing Suggestions

Dog walking equipment choices for training and fun

Dog Clicker Training Basics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFgtqgiAKoQ
Disclaimer – I do not recommend letting your dog off leash on the street at any time. I do not recommend letting your dog off leash under any circumstances unless he is properly socialized and until he has had extensive and successful recall training.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT8VDgR_Koo&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kt_pi1z1sA

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

Many dog owners have heard of clicker training but don’t have much practical experience with it. Clicker training is extremely useful in a wide variety of dog training endeavors. However, while the theory is fairly simply, the technique can trip up novice trainers. I’ll try to give you an understanding of what the clicker’s sound means to your dog so that the theory is easier to apply!

Let’s start with the word ‘reinforcement’. The simplest way to put it is; reinforce a behavior and it’s more likely to happen again. Very much like what we think of as a reward, no? So when using positive reinforcement to teach your dog a specific behavior, your role is to ensure that the behavior is consistently rewarded (with a treat or perhaps a game of tug). This is where a clicker comes in handy. You will click your clicker when: your new puppy steps into his crate; the doorbell rings and your dog sits still rather than barking; you tell your dog to “leave it” and he looks away from the tasty morsel on the floor. The click tells him, “good job!” right then and there. Trainers call this a reward marker.  Once you’ve marked the good behavior, you can deliver the reward. Your standard “good boy!” can also serve as a reward marker, but there are several advantages to a clicker:

• In most cases, a reward will only reinforce a particular behavior if it’s given immediately after the behavior is performed. Once your dog understands that a click means a reward is coming, you can easily teach him that this is still the case even if the reward takes a little while to get to him. This makes it easier to reward a behavior from a distance or simply to take a moment to get a treat out of the cupboard.
• In your dog’s mind, any reward marker he hears applies to the most recent behavior performed. Because a clicker makes a very brief sound, and because it can be used from a good distance or when you’re unable to speak, it’s great for marking very specific behaviors you might otherwise not be able to mark in time.
• Dogs are masters of discrimination. They notice miniscule differences that we often do not. Therefore, the variations in wording and intonation that often accompany verbal reward markers such as “good boy,” can have unintended effects on your dogs’ behavior. The consistency of the sound a clicker makes solves this problem.

Clicker technique takes a little practice, but it’s well worth the effort. It can be a big help with everything from simple commands, to aggression on leash, to dog sports. So grab a clicker and get training!

Further Reading

Clickertraining.com
Don’t Shoot the Dog- By Karen Pryor
Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs- By Karen Pryor

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

We humans don’t have the option of spending every moment actively playing with our dogs. There are plenty of fantastic toys available which help to provide your dog with constructive activities for his alone time.

Many “enrichment toys” focus on innovative methods of dispensing food. Your dog’s brain is built for problem-solving. Working for his food requires your dog to use that ability, which helps to fulfill his need for mental stimulation and to tire him out.

Toys such as Kongs, many toys in Premier’s Busy Buddy line, and sterilized (uncooked) bones can be filled with all kinds of yummy things. You can even use a little bit of yogurt or low-fat peanut butter in some and freeze the toy. It will take many dogs a good amount of time to work the food out of these toys, making this a great option for crate- or alone- training. Just take care to choose the right chew toy for your dog; Kongs come in varying strengths for dogs with varying levels of enthusiasm for chewing.

Many treat dispensing toys, such as Premier’s Kibble Nibble, Tug-a-Jug, and Linkables, have a large enough capacity to hold your dog’s entire meal. Rather than simply plopping down a bowl of kibble, having your dog work it out of one of these toys gives him some mental stimulation and you a bit more quiet time. Premier’s Magic Mushroom is a slightly more challenging option.

A great non-food-related option is Kyjen’s Puzzle Plush line. These stuffed toys give dogs a chance to work their problem-solving muscles and are also a great outlet for terriers and dogs who like to pull toys apart. If your dog is a particularly good problem solver and requires even more mental stimulation, you might look into puzzle toys like those made by Nina Ottensen.

If you know what to look for, it’s easy to find toys that will help keep your dog busy when you need to do your thing. Bring home a puzzle for your dog; you’ll both be happier for it!

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

Walking your dog is a great bonding and training opportunity and is essential to your dog’s well-being. Playtime fits this description as well. However, it can be tough to suss out which games are best. Here are some tips to point you in the right direction.

You may have heard that tug of war can make your dog aggressive. On the contrary, tug games provide an excellent outlet for a dog’s natural predatory drive; they are also great energy burners and training rewards. However, tug games can become dangerous if you don’t lay down some ground rules:

• Simply because of their size, small children shouldn’t play tug with most dogs.
• Play with designated toys only.
• Your dog should be taught a “drop it” command so that the game can end when you say so.
• Your dog should be taught that if his teeth touch your skin, the game ends. This rule is beneficial not only in the context of tug-of-war; if applied consistently, it will help your dog learn to be gentler with his mouth in general.

Many of us like to wrestle with our dogs. Here, you must keep in mind the specific behaviors that wrestling entails: jumping/ pouncing, pinning, scratching, mouthing/ biting and sometimes chasing. Unless you are equipped to train your dog in such a way as to ensure that he does not try to elicit a wrestling session by pouncing on an unsuspecting child or elderly person, wrestling with your dog could get you into a tough spot.

We’ve all seen bomb dogs, search and rescue dogs and the like on TV. The work these dogs do is extremely rewarding for them because using their scenting ability to solve problems is great mental stimulation. Most scent work training begins with simple games, many of which you can play with your dog at home:

• Put a small treat in each depression in a muffin tin and then cover them with balls of slightly varying sizes. Encourage your dog to find the treats and watch the fun begin!
• Hide treats around the house and tell your dog to find them. Start off easy, letting your dog see where you’ve hidden a treat, and teach him to “go find”. Then make the game progressively more difficult.

You can also try putting your dog in a sit-stay, then hiding and having your dog come and find you. Be sure to give plenty of rewards and praise when he does find you. This game gives your dog some mental stimulation via problem-solving, and it can help to teach and strengthen your dog’s “come” because it makes coming to you so much fun! Yet another way to make a game out of teaching “come” is to call your dog back and forth between two or more people, rewarding each time he comes. You can change up the order and eventually work to strengthen your dog’s response by adding distractions, such as one player holding a toy.

There are plenty of safe, productive games which allow you to have fun with your dog and train him at the same time. So get playing!

Further Reading
Controlled Tug Games: A Novel Reinforcer – By Aidan Bindoff; http://www.clickertraining.com/node/727
Play Together, Stay Together – By Patricia McConnell and Karen London
Play with your Dog – By Pat Miller

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

These days, dog owners have a lot of options when purchasing dog walking equipment. Here are some suggestions to help you decide what to use.

For those teaching their dog to walk nicely on a leash, I recommend a front-clasping harness. Though there are pros and cons to each, Premier Pet’s Easy Walk harness and those made by Softouch Concepts are both good options. Many people also see an improvement in their dogs’ pulling behavior using the Sporn harness. Although this harness clasps in the back, rather than tugging backward, the padded parts under the dog’s front legs tighten a bit.

Many people have found head halters to be helpful in getting their dogs to stop pulling. In some cases, a head halter may jump-start your leash training. However, it is not my first choice because: most dogs really don’t like it, so it requires that you take the time to acclimate your dog: it forces dogs to focus on their owners rather than teaching that it pays to do so: and it can come off, so it is usually necessary to use a collar and second leash as well.

If your dog walks nicely on leash and you prefer a flat buckle collar to a harness, that is fine. When fitting a collar, make sure that you can not pull it over your dog’s head. As long as you can fit two to three fingers under it, it is not too tight. There are some dogs whose heads are not sufficiently wider than their necks to allow for this configuration. In this case, many people use a martingale collar; the type often seen on greyhounds. These collars tighten when your dog pulls, so as not to slip over his head. However, they can only tighten to a limited degree, so they are unlikely to harm or traumatize your dog the way a choke chain can.

There are numerous accoutrements you can purchase to make your walks easier and more fun. If you are training your dog on walks, you will probably want a treat pouch and clicker. Many varieties of both poop bags and poop bag holders are now available. You can also purchase a small pouch for your dog’s ID tags so they aren’t so noisy. If you have reason to be concerned about dog fights, you can purchase a citronella spray, such as Premier’s Spray Shield to carry just in case.

All the available equipment options can be confusing; but if you know what you’re looking for, picking out gear for your pup can be lots of fun!

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.

A nice big, fenced yard can be a great place for a dog to play or hang out with you. But getting out on the town is also essential to your dog’s physical and mental well-being. Here are some of the reasons taking your dog for a walk is so important.

Most people underestimate the amount of exercise their dogs need. Lack of sufficient physical exercise can cause a dog to be frustrated and antsy, which often leads to behavior problems. Many owners think that their yard provides sufficient opportunity for their dogs to burn off steam. In reality, most dogs left out in yards on their own for hours spend most of that time lying around. Those who don’t often get into trouble and develop bad habits: They bark at dogs and people through the fence and come to believe that this is their responsibility; they dig, either through gardens or under fences; they eat poop or even potentially more harmful things.

Physical exercise isn’t your dog’s only need. Dogs need mental stimulation as well; and a backyard can quickly become boring. In order to provide the mental stimulation your dog needs, you need give him access to new sights, smells and experiences. Going for walks with your dog gives him a bit of physical exercise and gives you the opportunity to take him to new places, to smell new smells, and to meet new friends. On top of that, walks are a great time to get in some training, which makes them a great time to strengthen your bond with your dog. If your schedule does not allow for daily walks, there are likely a few high school students in your neighborhood who’d be more than happy to walk your dog for a very reasonable price.

So get out there and make your dog’s day: Take him for a walk!

Guest Contributor–Danielle Grand has spent the last decade working to parlay her affinity for animals into a dog training career. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was involved in an experimental study on canine cognition. She has also obtained her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College and attended numerous dog training seminars conducted by respected behaviorists. At home in New York’s capital region, she works closely with colleagues and mentors to expand her expertise; she hopes to help forge strong, happy relationships between many dogs and their humans.