Ready to Try Dancing with Dogs

What Is Canine Freestyle?

Canine freestyle or dancing with dogs is a terrific way to develop a strong, loving relationship with your dog.  You can design personalized dance routines to your favorite music, and take to the dance floor with your dog.

K9 freestyle is a dog sport for pet owners who love their dogs and want to spend time forming a bonding relationship with them, while having fun at the same time.  

K9 Freestyle is a personally designed routine that combines dancing with your dog, using tricks and obedience training set to music.  As your progress through your dance routine, you’ll form a bond between you and your dog, becoming an inseparable team.  

The trick training and synchronized dance routine physically and mentally stimulates your dog, which is great for his cognitive function.

Is K9 Freestyle Physically Demanding?

You create dance routines to suit your physical abilities, so you can make it simple or demanding.  Anyone can participate in dog dancing.  Men, women, young, and old enjoy this dog sport.  The dance routine is set to whatever music you enjoy.  It can be soft, slow, loud, boogie-woogie, or rap.  You decide what music is best suited for your dance team.

Is Dance Experience Required?

No dance experience is required to have fun dancing with your dog.  It’s up to you to decide the dance steps and tricks your team performs.  The dance moves can be as basic or advanced as you want.  Even basic tricks make wonderful freestyle routines.

What Should Your Dog Know before Beginning K9 Freestyle?

The only thing your dog should know before starting canine dancing is basic obedience commands.  It’s always a good idea to attend a basic obedience class before starting any other dog sport, whether it is rally, performance obedience, agility, or freestyle.  Your dog should know basic commands, such as sit, down, come, stay. He should also be friendly around people, and other dogs because freestyle is performed off leash.

How Much Time Should You Spend Training for K9 Freestyle?

It’s up to you  how much time you spend training tricks for canine dancing.  Most dogs learn quickly with just five minutes of training, a few times a day rather than long training sessions.  You teach freestyle using positive reinforcement, not punishment.  This makes the training fun for both of you, making progress easier.

Do K9 Freestyle Competitions Require only Purebred Dogs?

No.  What is great about canine freestyle is that all dogs can participate.  Mixed breeds, purebreds, young, and old dogs have fun competing in freestyle.  National freestyle organizations present titles to all dogs who present winning dance routines.

Canine Freestyle is an enjoyable dog sport for people and dogs of all ages.  Put on your dancing shoes and start dancing with your dog.  You’ll be surprised at the bond you form with your dog and the fun the two of you will have together. 

See an amazing example of this incredible dog dancing routine with Carolyn Scott and Rookie.

Resources:

World Canine Freestyle Organization

Clicker Train Your Dog and You'll both be Happy

Getting Ready for Clicker Training

Clicker training is an effective, positive method of teaching your dog basic obedience, advanced obedience, and competition behaviors.  The clicker method uses the theory of operant conditioning, which involves positive reinforcement when your dog performs a desired behavior.  

You use the clicker to mark the correct behavior, so your dog knows what’s expected.  Once you mark the behavior with the clicker, you give your dog a treat right away.  You use progressive steps to train your dog using the clicker method of training.

Your Dog Offers the Desired Behavior on His Own

The crucial element of clicker training your dog is to get the desired behavior without physically pulling, pushing, or dragging the dog.  Your dog should offer the behavior on his own, learning what the desired behavior involves.  Physically forcing him to perform a behavior is a negative approach to dog training. 

An example of rewarding a desired behavior is attempting to teach, “Sit”.  When your dog sits, click and treat.  It doesn’t matter when he sits or where he sits, just click and treat whenever he sits on his own. 

Don’t give a cue for “Sit” yet but continue clicking and treating whenever he sits.  Soon, your dog will be sitting just to get the treat.  When he’s comfortable with sitting and understands why he’s getting a reward, you can add the cue, “Sit”.  It doesn’t take long for your dog to understand the cue and begin responding to the word, “Sit”. 

Click to Mark the Desired Behavior

The key to clicker training is to click at the right time.  Clicking too soon or too late only confuses your dog.  The instant your dog gives the desired behavior, click and treat.  If you give your dog a treat, even a few seconds after the behavior, it won’t be effective.  Your dog won’t associate the correct behavior with the click if the treat is too late.  It’s better not to give the treat at all if you can’t deliver it to your dog immediately. 

Reinforce Your Dog’s Behavior with High-Level Treats

All dogs are different and have different likes and dislikes.  To reinforce clicker training, choose treats that your dog loves.  Most dogs will not work just for praise or a pat on the head.  Treats are considered the primary reinforcement because almost all dogs will work for food. 

Once your dog performs the correct behavior for eighty percent of the time, you can gradually fade out the treats.  If your dog has a setback or becomes distracted by something else, add the treats back to the training.

Advancing Beyond Basic Clicker Training for Distance and Duration

Make the desired behavior harder for your dog once he knows the cue.  Extend the time he has to sit by a few seconds, gradually adding more time. 

When teaching the command, “Stay”, for instance, stand next to your dog while asking him to stay, and click for staying while you stand next to him.  Next, take a step away then come back to your dog, and click and treat him.  

Eventually, your dog will stay no matter how far away you get.  You can apply this method for any of the behaviors you want your dog to learn. It’s great for distance work, targeting, and basic commands like sit, stay and down.

Add Distractions and Continue Clicker Training

Once your dog responds to the cues and the clicker, add distractions.  Distractions are the most difficult obstacle your dog has to overcome.  Begin clicker training with distractions outside in the yard before bringing him to a busier spot. 

When your dog gives the desired behavior when a neighbor is in the yard or a child rides past on a bicycle, then it’s time to move on to harder distractions.  Bring your dog to the park or a public event.  When he gives the correct behavior, click and treat in the same way as when there were no distractions.

You should add distractions gradually, especially with reactive dogs.  If your pup has difficulty with the distractions, go back inside and continue clicker training the basics until he’s more comfortable.

Finally, Fade the Clicker

The final step in clicker training your dog is to fade the clicker.  Begin slowly, using praise as the treat after clicking.  Return to using the clicker whenever you want to teach a new behavior.  You can use clicker training to train your dog for agility, obedience competitions, therapy dogs, or service dogs.

Good luck with your clicker training! 

References:

Clicker Solutions: “Basic Clicker Training”

Clicker Lessons: “What Is Clicker Training?”

Image: Elf at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

4 Easy Steps to Teach Your Dog to Fetch

Hunting dogs like golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers and setters love playing fetch, but not all dogs take to this game naturally. 

The good thing is that your dog doesn’t have to be a hunting dog to learn how to fetch.  Teaching your dog to fetch is fun and useful.  You can use fetching in many other dog activities too, such as obedience, water rescue, service dog training, fly ball and agility.  Following a few basic strategies to teach a dog to fetch will get even the most reluctant dog to learn reliable retrieving.

What You Need to Teach Your Dog to Fetch

You don’t need many supplies to teach your dog to fetch.  Small, tasty treats that your dog really likes are the most effective training aids.  Your dog will work much better for yummy treats, rather than for dry biscuits or kibble.  The better the reward, the more progress your dog will make.

Another helpful tool is a training clicker.  Clickers are sold at pet stores or dog training facilities for only a dollar or two.  They last a lifetime and are indispensable when it comes to training your dog.  Your dog learns faster and remembers more when using the ‘click and treat’ method of dog training.

Choose a fetch toy like a ball, Frisbee, pull toy, or rubber dumbbell.  Anything he can pick up easily works well as a fetch toy.

Step One

Fetching an object involves training your dog to go after the object, pick it up, bring it back to you and put it in your hand.  The main goal of teaching fetch is not for your dog to chase after the object, but to put it in your hand.  So, the first thing to train your dog is to give an object to you.

The first step is to take the fetch toy and put it into your dog’s mouth.  Don’t tell your dog to take it but quietly place it in his mouth.  Most likely, he won’t want to take the object and will spit it out.  When he spits out the object, click and treat him.  Keep repeating this behavior over and over until your dog spits out the object into your hand every time.

Add a cue when your dog is reliable with this behavior.  It can be, “give”, “thank-you” or any other word you want to use.  Practice the behavior, using the cue for a while and then begin rewarding your dog only when he puts the object in your hand when you use the cue.  Don’t reward him if he spits out the object without you asking for it.

Step Two

The next step in training fetch to your dog is to teach her to hold onto the object for an extended amount of time.  If your dog is reliable at giving you the object with the cue word, then she already knows how to hold the object. 

Another method to teach the dog to hold the object is to gently place it in the dog’s mouth and hold his mouth closed for a second.  Say your cue word, click and treat, then let go of his mouth.  Have your dog hold the object a few seconds longer each time until he is reliable with holding the object.  Eventually, add the cue, “hold”.  Keep repeating the hold behavior until your dog holds the object until you tell him to give it to you.

Step Three

Now that your dog knows how to give and how to hold, it’s time to teach him how to take.  Hold the object a few inches in front of your dog.  When he makes a move toward the object, click and treat him.  Practice this behavior repeatedly, treating your dog for touching it, or putting his head near it, touching it with his mouth and finally grabbing it.  You want your dog to reliably reach out and grab the object.  Move further away with the object and when your dog grabs it every time, add the words, “get it” or whatever other cue you prefer.

Putting It all Together

Now, it’s time to put all three behaviors together, and stop rewarding each behavior.  The only behavior that you’ll reward now is “give”.  Begin by holding out the object and say the “get it” command.  When your dog takes it, don’t treat him.  You can give verbal praise but no treats. 

The next step is to toss the toy a few inches away from you and say, “Get it,” or whatever your cue is. When your dog brings it to you, say, “Give”, then click, and treat immediately when he drops it in your hand.  Don’t make him hold it in the beginning.  You can add longer holds when your dog knows the behavior better.

Gradually begin putting the object further away from you.  Continue with clicking and treating when your dog gets the object and places it in your hand.  Within a few weeks, your dog will be running to fetch the object and racing back to give it to you.  

If you have any other tips for teaching a dog to play fetch, please add them in the comments. Anyone teaching fetch will appreciate it.

Canine Good Citizen Award Requirements

Courtesy of Jon Hurd/Laertes: Flick

What Are the 10 Tests to Earn the AKC Good Citizen Certificate

Can your dog pass the 10 tests to earn the AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate?  

If not, you can teach your dog how to be an AKC Good Citizen in only five minutes a day.

Start working on each test with your dog for five minutes, two or three times per day and he should pass without a problem.  Good luck!

About the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program 

The American Kennel Club offers a Canine Good Citizen test that certifies all dogs as reliable and friendly pets and respected community members. Dogs must pass 10 tests to be awarded the Canine Good Citizen certificate.

According to the AKC, once dogs pass the ten Canine Good Citizen tests, they are certified as "reliable family members, as well as community members in good standing." The reasoning behind the Canine Good Citizen Test is to train dogs that are welcomed in the community, in homes, in public places, and are friendly with other dogs. Purebreds and mixed breed dogs are eligible to receive The Canine Good Citizen Award.

Training your dog for the Canine Good Citizen test helps you work with your canine buddy, bonding and having fun at the same time. Your dog can benefit from learning the 10 tests for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Award, becoming loving and friendly member of your family.

10 Canine Good Citizen Tests

1 Accept a Friendly Stranger

This test requires your dog to let a stranger come near and speak to you in a friendly way. A friendly stranger should be able to speak to the you while your dog remains calm at your side.

2 Sit Politely While Being Petted

This test requires your dog to let a friendly stranger  approach and pet him while he's with you. Your dog should remain calm, without jumping or nipping at the friendly stranger.

3 Handling and Grooming

This test requires your dog to stay calm while being groomed or handled by a veterinarian, groomer, or friends. This practical test also shows that you're a responsible dog owner, and you're aware that your dog should behave at the groomer's and vet's office.

4 Loose Leash Walking

Loose leash walking tests your control over your pet. You can walk your dog on either the left or the right side. While walking, your dog must keep the leash loose without tugging or pulling you, even with distractions.

5 Calmly Walking Through a Crowd

This test requires your dog to walk calmly through a crowd of people. Many dogs find crowds intimidating and distracting and often react either aggressively or overly excited. If your dog can walk calmly through a crowd, then he shows that he is well trained and welcomed in public places.

6 Sit and Stay

The Sit and Stay test requires your dog to sit in an area that you tell him, and stay there until you return and take him out of the stay. Your dog can either sit or lay down for this test.

7 Reliable Recall

Your dog must show that he will reliably come when you call him.

8 Calm Reaction to Other Dogs

For this test, you have to walk your dog close to other dogs and they need to act politely with each other. Your dog also has to stay by your side.  No sniffing, lunging, barking or other reactive behavior is allowed.

9 Distractions

This test presents distracting situations to your dog, for instance a person in a wheelchair rides past, someone on crutches walks by or a vacuum runs near your dog. Your dog must exhibit confidence and calm behavior in all distracting situations, showing no fear, excitement, or aggression.

10 Separation from Owner

Your dog must demonstrate that he can be left with a trusted person while you're out of sight. Usually, you give your dog to someone else and then leave the room. Your needs to stay with the other person and demonstrate good manners until your come back.

American Kennel Club
Canine Good Citizen Dept.
P.O. Box 37914
Raleigh, NC 27627-7914
(919) 816-3532
email: cgc@akc.org

Teach Your Dog to Use a Treadmill: Step-by-Step Guide

I know my Collie never runs out of energy, even when he gets the zoomies outside.  When I bought a treadmill, I decided to teach him how to use it.  He loves every minute he's on the treadmill now, and it gives him all the exercise that I wasn't able to give him. 

Dog exercising on the treadmill

According to the National Academy of Sciences, one quarter of pet dogs are obese.  If your dog is overweight, he can develop many health related problems just like people do.  Diet and exercise keeps your dog at a healthy weight, preventing complications, such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Things You Can Do with Your Dog for Exercise

It’s hard to give a dog all the exercise he needs, especially if you own a highly energetic dog.  Taking your dog for a twenty minute walk is not enough to keep him fit.  There are many ways to exercise your dog other than just a daily walk. 

If you have a fenced in area or trust your dog to stay with you in the yard, playing ball or fetch is a great way to get your dog running, which develops both his muscles and heart.  

Another idea is to set up agility equipment in the yard or take a class where your dog can exercise both his brain and his muscles.  Making five or six jumps in the yard and teaching your dog to run the course is an excellent source of exercise.

When you don’t have the time or the space to do these activities with your dog, a treadmill is the ideal solution.  It offers your dog all the exercise he needs, no matter if you have a small or large dog.  Teaching your dog to use the treadmill takes patience but once your dog is comfortable on it, he will love it.

Pet supply stores do sell treadmills made for dogs, which have guardrails for safety, but don’t’ feel that you don’t have to buy a special treadmill for your dog to use. He can learn on yours. It works just as well for your dog.

8 Steps to Teach Your Dog to Use the Treadmill

Remember that your dog will not be able to do all these steps in one day.  It can take up to two weeks to follow these steps completely and have your dog really enjoy climbing onto the treadmill.  Be patient and your dog will run enthusiastically onto the treadmill in no time.

1. Have a handful of your dog’s favorite treats ready.  Your dog doesn’t need an entire dog biscuit for a treat.  A small kibble size treat is fine.   Train the first five steps with the treadmill OFF.  Don’t turn on the treadmill until your dog is comfortable and shows no hesitation when getting on. 

2. If you use a clicker to train your dog, it can be used for the treadmill, as well.  If not, that’s okay.  Just use the word, “Yes”, when your dog does the correct command.  Be patient and enthusiastic when training your dog to use the treadmill.

3. Introduce your dog to the treadmill by letting him sniff it and walk around it.  Place a treat on the treadmill and allow your dog to take the treat.  When he takes the treat, either click or say, “Yes” enthusiastically.  Only do this for a few minutes and end the training session for the day.

4. Next day, begin the same way, allowing your dog to sniff and walk around the treadmill.  Most likely, your dog will already associate the treadmill with receiving treats.  This time, climb on the treadmill yourself and call your dog to you.  If he puts even one paw on the treadmill, click and treat or say, “Yes” and treat.  The objective is to alleviate any fear your dog may have with standing on the treadmill.  Continue this exercise until your dog gets on the treadmill with you without hesitation.  Some dogs will do this right away; others will take a few days to become comfortable on the treadmill.

5. Once your dog gets on the treadmill with you, begin training him to climb on the treadmill alone.  Just let him stand or sit on it for a few minutes, then treat him and call him off.  Repeat this for a few minutes and end your training session.

6. Once your dog enjoys climbing on the treadmill and staying on it until called off, it’s time to turn it on.  The first few times, just have your dog stand on the treadmill as usual and treat him.  Then turn on the treadmill to its slowest speed while your dog is standing on it.  The dog will automatically begin walking.  Treat him while he walks on the treadmill.  Only do this for a minute or two and end the session.

7. The next day, repeat the procedure and start the treadmill slowly.  If your dog seems comfortable walking at the lowest speed, you can increase it to the next number.  Remember that your dog is not accustomed to walking on a treadmill so you should start out slowly.

8. Now, it’s time to develop your dog’s endurance on the treadmill.  Just like people, your dog needs to build up his stamina.  Start the dog’s treadmill training with only five minutes and gradually increase his time daily.  Eventually, your dog will be able to do a steady trot on the treadmill for twenty or thirty minutes, maybe more.  Make sure to decrease the speed of the treadmill, letting your dog cool down before he gets off.  Treat him when he finishes his workout.

Remember to make the treadmill fun for your dog and never leave him alone for even a minute.  Stay with him the entire time he’s exercising, encouraging him and watching for fatigue.  Don’t let your dog get to the point where he is lagging and struggling to keep up with the treadmill. 

Keep your dog healthy and prevent all the problems associated with pet obesity with regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Teach Your Dog to Target for Easier Loose-Leash Walking

Targeting is one of the easiest behaviors to teach your dog, and it’s adaptable to training many different dog behaviors.  Learning to train your dog loose-leash walking with a target keeps him by your side when walking through crowded areas, in a competition arena and around other dogs. The target stick gives your dog an object to focus on and ignore distractions. This helps him stay calm and relieves any excitement or stress caused by distractions.

Teaching Your Dog Targeting

Your dog needs to learn exactly what targeting is, and how to focus on an object before learning how to heel with a target stick. The easiest way to teach targeting is using your hand. Begin training by holding your hand in front of your dog and wait until he touches or sniffs it. As soon as your dog touches your hand, click and treat him from your other hand.

Targeting Hand

If you’re not using a clicker, you can use the word, “Yes” and then treat your dog. Make sure you don’t give him a treat from the targeted hand but always from the other hand. This is because he might touch your hand just because he knows it’s holding the treat. You want him to target the hand, not sniff the treat.

Keep holding your hand in front of your dog, and giving a click and treat whenever he touches your hand.  When he’s touching your hand reliably every time, start moving your hand into different places above his head, to the sides and below his face. When he’s confident touching one hand, switch to the other hand and continue with the same training. Once your dog excels at touching your hand in any position, add the cue, “Touch”.

Training Loose-Leash Walking with Targeting

Take a step away from your dog, holding your hand by your side and say, “Touch.”  Your dog will automatically step toward your hand and touch it. Click and treat your dog when he does this. Gradually add more steps until your dog targets your hand as you walk along. Use the cue “Touch” every few steps to keep him by your side.

Teaching Your Dog To Use a Target Stick

When he’s reliable walking by your side and targeting your hand, it’s time to start training him to touch a target stick. You can use anything as a target stick:

• Pointer
• Pen or pencil
• Finger 
• Ruler

Target sticks designed specifically for targeting are available at pet stores and some models fold up for easy carrying.

Targeting Stick

Once you have your target stick, start teaching your dog to touch the end of the stick with his nose. 

Putting a small Styrofoam ball onto the end of the stick helps your dog focus on the tip of the stick. Remove the ball after he learns to touch the tip of the stick confidently.

Begin training him in the same way as you taught him to touch your hand. Click when he looks at the target stick, sniffs the stick and touches the target stick. Keep the stick only a few inches away from him at the start.

When he learns to touch the tip of the stick, start moving it around in the same way as you did your hand. Keep the training session to only four or five minutes, several times a day.

The final step to train your dog to heel with a target stick is to get him walking beside you while following the stick. Take a step with the target stick at your side and tell your dog to touch the stick.

Click and treat when he goes to the stick. Continue adding steps and telling your dog to touch. Eventually, your dog will heel in whatever position you choose, whether on the right or the left.  Once he knows how to target the stick, you can train him in any obedience position,agility, freestyle handling and Canine Good Citizen training.

My Dog Is Afraid to Ride in the Car

It seems that most dogs love to ride in the car. I see them with their heads out the window, nose sniffing the air, ears flapping in the breeze, and the happiest look ever on the dog’s face.

 (Just a note: it’s dangerous to let your dog hang his head out the window if driving on the highway or in a lot of traffic. I do not recommend letting your dog hang his head out the window for any reason. I am only trying to make the point that most dogs like to ride in the car.)

Not all dogs get that blissful look on their face when they ride in the car. Many dogs whine, pace, drool and try to jump in the front seat when driving in the car. These fearful dogs associate the car with something scary.

If you only bring your dog in the car when you’re going to the vet, the groomer of a kennel, most likely he will be afraid of the car.

Getting Your Dog to Love Car Rides

If your dog is already afraid of riding in the car, this will be a slow process but with patience and treats, you’ll have your dog jumping in the car without a problem.

•            Using one of your dog’s favorite treats, lure him into the car. Just sit in the car with him, praising him and giving him treats.
•       Call your dog out of the car and walk around it a few times, and then lure him back into the car with more treats. Do this several times, and then call it a day.
•           Continue with this process until your dog gets excited to jump into the car 100 percent of the time.
•            Have your dog get into the car and settle down. You get in the driver’s seat. Start up the car and see how your dog reacts. If he is scared, turn off the car and just sit there until he calms down, giving him more treats.
•          Start up the car again and talk soothingly to your dog. Give him treats and praise him. If he is still afraid, you might want to try a Thundershirt or use an old t-shirt to snuggly wrap around him. This helps him feel grounded and in control.
•             Once your dog is settled in the running car, back out of the driveway and take a short ride around the block.
•       Treat and praise your dog when you pull back into the driveway. Continue this entire process until your dog  is not afraid of driving in the car.
•        Take your dog for a drive to someplace he really likes, such as to a park for a nice long walk or the beach, if he likes that.

Soon, your dog will associate the car with something wonderful, expecting the ride to end with a fun time or his favorite treats.

Image Credit: By User:Almonroth (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ADog_in_car_windo.jpg

How to Teach Your Dog to Go Through an Agility Tunnel

Is your dog afraid to go into an agility tunnel?

Does he pull back or run around the tunnel?

Following these "Tunnel Training Tips" will have your dog charging through the tunnel to meet you at the other end.

The article gives a step-by-step guide for training tunnels that helps even the most fearful or jittery dog to learn entering straight tunnels, curved tunnels and agility shoots.

I followed these instructions with my own dog and the tunnel is one of his favorite obstacles now. Good Luck!

Teach Your Dog How to Visit

Now is the time to get out the clicker and teach your dog a new trick! It's National Train Your Dog Month, which is the perfect time to think about your pet.

When was the last time you taught your dog a trick? It doesn't have to be a tough one, just something to help you bond with your dog, spend some time together and enjoy each other's company.

Right now, I'm trying to teach my dog how to put his head in my lap and "Visit." He's getting the idea, as long as there's a treat waiting for him!

Teaching Your Dog "Visit"

Have your dog sit next to you and then hold a treat on the other side of your leg, so your dog has to reach over your thigh and get it. As soon as he touches your leg with his chin, click and treat. Do this a few times until your dog gets the idea.

When he is putting his head on your thigh regularly, add the word, "Visit". Soon, your dog will be putting his head on your lap whenever you say the cue word. It's a really cute trick, especially when company comes over and your dog "visits" them.

Is the Martingale Collar Right for Your Dog?

The Martingale collar has been used for sight dogs like the greyhound and whippet for years. Their thin, long necks and heads cause traditional snap collars to slip right over the ears and off the head. This is where the Martingale collar comes in. It is the perfect collar for sight dogs or any dog that slips out of his collar.


Advantages of the Martingale Collar: 

• The loop design of the dog collar prevents it from slipping off the dog's head.
• The collar is much safer, preventing the dog from escaping and endangering himself.
• The collar is dog friendly and more humane. When the collar is connected to a leash, it closes around the actual diameter of the dog's neck. In this way, the closing of the collar does not restrict the dog's throat like a traditional choke chain, or pinch collar.
• The Martingale collar is perfect for any sighthounds and many sporting and working breeds like: Vizlas, Borzoi, Collies, Australian Shepherds, Greyhounds, Whippets, Boxers, and Pharaoh hounds, to name a few.
• Most dogs respond to the Martingale better than with a choke collar. It never produces a choke hold on the dog, but gently tightens to fit the dog's neck. There is no pain or constriction of any kind to the dog if fitted properly.
• The collar remains in position on the dog's neck much better than a traditional flat collar. Because of this position, most dogs will not pull and tug in front of the owner. It is a much better collar for loose leash walking and training.
• A struggling dog cannot back out of this collar. If the dog is frightened by traffic or loud noises, trying to rear away from the frightening source, he cannot pull out of the Martingale.

All of these facts are good reasons to try the Martingale collar with your dog. The collar is very effective when fitted according to manufacturer's specifications. The basic fitting method is to tighten correctly. When the smaller loop is pulled, the two outer parts of the collar should join in the middle, fitting comfortably on the dog's neck.


The Martingale collars are available in a variety of sizes, colors, patterns and materials. They are sometimes hard to find in pet stores because most people buy traditional flat collars or chains. You could request your local pet store to order one, but it is probably easier to order one online. Most sites will tell you how to measure your dog's neck and each Martingale is adjustable to fit a variety of sizes.

Train Your Dog to Stop Pulling

Walking on a leash does not come naturally to your dog. Does your dog practically yank you off your feet whenever you take it for a walk? Are you thinking about just putting your dog in the back yard for exercise and giving up walking all together? Do not give up yet. A few loose leash-training tips and your dog will be walking by your side, so you both can enjoy each other’s company. Whether you are a professional dog trainer or an amateur dog owner, all it takes is time and patience for successfully learning how to leash train a dog.

Patience Is the Key to Leash Training

The most important thing you need to leash train your dog is patience. If you are having a bad day or if you are not in the mood to deal with your exuberant dog, put off training for another day.

Get a six-foot long leash for leash training your dog. Choose a leash that is comfortable for your hand, since your dog will be pulling. Avoid leashes that pull out to 15 or 20 feet. Extend-a-leashes make keeping your dog under control too difficult, especially if there are other dogs nearby. Keep the thumb of your right hand through the loop and then drape the rest of the leash through the left hand, giving your dog about two feet of leash from his collar.

Use a clip collar rather than a choke chain or pinch collar. Your dog will learn quicker through positive reinforcement rather than through pain and fear. Your dog will actually enjoy training when you offer treats for positive behavior instead of tugging a choke chain for negative behavior.

Become the Most Important Thing in Your Dog’s Life

The basis of successful loose leash walking is to have your focus only on you. You must become the most exciting thing in your dog’s life. You do this by holding the leash and luring your dog toward you as you back away from him. Have your dog’s favorite treat or toy in your hand and just play with him as he follows you. Your dog will thing it’s playtime instead of training. Be generous with the treats and the praise, using a happy, excited voice.

Start your loose leash training without any type of distractions for your dog. This can be in your backyard or even in the house. When your dog constantly follows you and keeps focusing on you, venture into your neighborhood. If your dog starts pulling you and cannot focus, go back to practicing in your yard again. Stay in the yard with your dog following you until he is doing this 100 percent of the time.

Keep Training Short

As your dog follows you, put him in a sit or down every few minutes. This keeps your dog guessing, so he has to stay focused on you. This is also a great way for you to take a short break, especially if you are losing patience.

After a few seconds of sitting, have your dog follow you again. You will have more control over your dog’s behavior by stopping and having him sit every few minutes.

Keep your training sessions to about 10 or 15 minutes. You want to end the training on a positive note while your dog is having a good time and before he loses focus on you.

Start Your Dog Walking Beside You

Is your dog following you consistently yet? If you answered, “Yes”, then it is time to begin having your dog walk beside you. Follow the same procedure as you did when your dog was following you. Begin in your backyard or in the house, away from all distractions.

With your dog at your side, stand still. Try not to move, even if your dog starts pulling you. This is a difficult thing to do if you have a large dog but try not to move too much. Soon, your dog will figure out that he is not going for a walk and will either stand still and look at your or he will sit.

 As soon as your dog sits or looks at you, take a step. Most likely, your dog will get excited and pull again. Immediately stop and stand still again. You have heard the saying, “Patience is a virtue”, well your virtue is about to be tested. Do not take another step until the leash is loose and your dog sits down, even if it takes the entire training period.

Repeat this step repeatedly until your dog understands that you will not take another step until he is beside you. Eventually, your dog will walk beside you in your back yard without pulling. The next test is to go out into the neighborhood and continue training.

No matter what you are training your dog to do, it takes patience and perseverance. If you keep up with your training for a few minutes every day, your dog will be walking calmly beside you whenever you go for a walk.

Resource: dogstardaily.com

Mat Work Calms Down Reactive Dogs

Does your dog react to people entering the house, dogs walking down the street, or children playing outside?  Consider training your excited dog to calm down by going to his mat.  Read these mat training tips and see how quickly your dog will calm down when you need him to.

Teaching a Dog Loose Leash Walking

By and large, leash-pulling masks the real problem.

Without a leash you would probably be without a dog. It is indeed a sobering thought to think that most dogs prefer to forge ahead to sniff the grass or other dogs' rear ends than to walk by their owner's side.

There are some dogs who simply don't want to walk beside owners who keeping yanking the leash. However, regardless of why your dog pulls, all dogs need to be trained to walk nicely on leash. If not, they are unlikely to be walked at all.

Trying to teach a dog to heel using leash prompts and corrections requires a lot of skill and time. And even then, all you have is a well-behaved dog on-leash. Let him off-leash and he's history; you cannot safely take him for off-leash rambles, and you still cannot control him around the house, where he is off-leash all the time.

Luckily, there are more effective and enjoyable ways to get the job done.
First, teach your dog to follow off-leash. Second, incorporate many sits and stays for control and attention. Third, teach your dog to heel off-leash and on-leash. After following these steps, you will find it is easier to teach your dog to walk calmly on-leash.

Teach Your Dog to Follow Off-Leash

Your dog's desire to follow and remain close is the necessary foundation for walking politely on-leash. You must become the center of your dog's universe. You need to stimulate and strengthen your dog's gravitational attraction towards you by moving away enticingly and heartily praising your dog all the time he follows. Click your fingers, slap your thigh, or waggle a food treat or a toy in your hand to lure the dog to follow. Proceed with a happy heart and a sunny disposition:
Talk to your dog, tell him stories, whistle, walk with a jaunty step, or even skip and sing.

Do not accommodate your dog's improvisations; you are the leader, not the dog. Whenever your dog attempts to lead, accentuate his "mistake" by doing the opposite. Stretch the psychic bungee cord: if your dog forges ahead, slow down or smartly turn about; if your dog lags behind, speed up; if your dog goes right, turn left; and if your dog goes left, turn right. Practice in large areas, such as in your backyard, friends' yards, tennis courts, dog parks, and safe off-leash areas. Feed your dog his dinner kibble, piece by piece as you walk. Once your dog is following closer, time yourself while practicing following-courses at home, going around furniture, from room to room, and from the house to yard.

Sits, Downs, and Stays

Enticing your dog to follow off-leash takes a lot of concentration and it is easy to let your dog drift. Consequently, instruct your dog to sit or lie down and then stay every ten yards or so.
Frequent sits, downs, and stays teach your dog to calm down and focus. They also give you the opportunity to catch your breath, relax your brain, and to objectively assess your dog's level of attention. Sitting is absolute: either your dog is sitting or not. Only have the dog sit or lie down for a couple of seconds (just to check that he is paying attention) and then walk on again.
Occasionally ask your dog to lie down for a minute or so to watch the world go by. You will find that the more down stays that you integrate into the walk, the closer, calmer, and more controlled your dog will be when following you.

Teach Your Dog to Heel Off-Leash & On-Leash

Instruct your dog to sit, and then lure him to sit using a food or toy lure in your right hand.
Transfer the lure to your left hand, say "Heel," waggle the lure in front of your dog's nose, and quickly walk forwards for a few steps. Then say "Sit," transfer the lure to your right hand to lure your dog to sit, and maybe offer the kibble as a reward if your dog sits quickly and stylishly. Repeat this sequence over and over. Practice indoors and in your yard, where there are fewer distractions, before practicing in the dog park and off-leash walking areas. Then just attach the
dog's leash and you will find he heels nicely on-leash.

Walking On-Leash

Teach your dog not to pull while you are both standing still. Hold the leash firmly with both hands and refuse to budge until your dog slackens the leash. Not a single step! It doesn't matter how long it takes. Just hold on tight and ignore every leash-lunge. Eventually your dog will stop pulling and sit.

As soon as he sits, say "Good dog," offer a food treat, and then take just one large
step forward and stand still again. Hold on tight; your dog will likely explode to the end of the leash, thereby illustrating the reinforcing nature of allowing your dog to pull for just a single step. Wait for your dog to stop pulling again (it will not take as long this time).

Repeat this sequence until your dog walks calmly forward (because he knows you are only going one step) and sits quickly when you stop and stand still. Your dog quickly learns he has the power to make you stop and to make you go. If he tightens the leash, you stop. But if he slackens the leash and sits, you take a step.

After a series of single steps and standstills without pulling, try taking two steps at a time. Then go for three steps, then five, eight, twelve, and so on. Now you will find your dog will walk attentively on a loose leash and sit automatically whenever you stop. And the only words you have said are "Good dog."

Alternate heeling and walking on-leash:

For most of the walk, let your dog range and sniff ona loose leash, but every 25 yards or so, have your dog sit, heel, and sit, and then walk on again.

Always sit-heel-sit your dog when crossing a street: sit before crossing, heeling across, and then sitting on the other side of the street.

www.jamesandkenneth.com
© 2004 Ian Dunbar
Reprinted by www.dogstardaily.com with permission of Dr. Ian Dunbar and James & Kenneth Publishers

To learn more, read the Open Paw Four-Level Training Manual and Doctor Dunbar's Good
Little Dog Book and watch the Training The Companion Dog DVD series—all available from
your local pet store or www.amazon.com.

BEHAVIOR BLUEPRINTS from www.jamesandkenneth.com
New Puppy, New Adult Dog, Housetraining, Chewing,
Digging, Barking, Home Alone, Puppy Biting,
Fighting, Fear of People, Dogs & Children,
HyperDog, Puppy Training, Come-Sit-Down-Stay,
Walking On Leash, and Cat Manners.
© 2004 Ian Dunbar
w w w . d o g s t a r d a i l y . c o m
Courtesy of :
The Pet Parade

How to Teach Your Dog to Come When Called

It's so important to teach your dog to “come”.  It could save your dog’s life some day. I learned the hard way. My dog, Griffin, was 1 ½ years old when he was hit by a car. When I think about it, the whole series of events leading up to his tragic loss runs in slow motion in my mind.

Griffin and I were sitting in the yard with my 18-month-old son. A squirrel went darting past and Griffin took off like a rocket after him. I can still see him disappearing into the woods behind our house. This happened before leash laws and Griffin was always loose.

About two minutes later, the phone rang. It was the police telling me my dog had just been hit by a car. My neighbor took care of my son while I went to the scene of the accident. Griffin lay on the ground, bleeding from the mouth and a glazed look in his eyes. I don’t know whether he knew I was with him or not.

The person who hit him was in tears and offered to bring Griffin to the vet. I rode in the back with Griffin’s head in my lap. We arrived at the vet, but there was too much internal damage to do anything. Griffin died a few minutes after we arrived at the vet.

I only tell this story so you can see how important it is to teach your dog this command, “come”. I have a puppy now. He's 5 months old, and I work on the recall command every day.  My puppy is doing very well with returning to me when I call him, but I am going to continue training him until “come” is perfected.

I use the following recall method:

1. I tie a 50 foot length of rope onto the puppy’s collar then let him wander in the yard.

2. I say his name and then the word “come”. Then I draw the rope to me until the puppy gets back to me.

3. I have him sit and then praise him and give him a treat.
4. We do this about twenty times a day. After three days, my puppy was running back to me and I didn’t have to pull the rope.

I also use this method to train him not to leave the yard. When he reaches the boundary of the yard, he comes to the end of the rope. I call his name, and he comes back to me. He's learning quickly not to go beyond the borders of the yard. I do this in different areas of the property, so he learns the boundaries.

Check out this video for help training your dog to come. I think it's very helpful:

I hope this helps you, and that you teach your dog the “recall command”, so you don’t have to go through the tragedy that I did.

Here's a link to a Kindle book that describes the exact steps for teaching your dog to come every time. It gives more detail than I do here.

If anyone else has any tips on training a dog a reliable recall, please add them in the comments. It could save a dog's life.

How to Housebreak Your Puppy in 15 Minutes Using the 5 Minute Rule

I brought my puppy to the vet the other day and saw this in the office. It's another method for housebreaking your puppy. It's similar to the one I wrote last month, but has a few different tips on keeping to a housebreaking schedule:

1. Take your puppy outside first thing in the morning for 5 minutes. (Be consistent, try to do this at the same time everyday.)

2. Bring the puppy back inside and feed him/her whatever he can eat in 5 minutes.

3. Take the food away and bring the puppy back outside for another 5 minutes.

4. Reward and praise your puppy for urinating or defecating outside.

5. Repeat this again in the afternoon and evening.

This method is a proven and recommended way to housetrain your pet. If you catch your puppy in the act of urinating in the house, you should immediately say NO in a loud voice, make a loud noise, or give the pet a quick squirt from a water bottle and take the dog outside immediately.

Your puppy will associate the negative reinforcement with urinating or defecating in the house. Any negative reaction after the accident has occurred will do no good to prevent future accidents. You have to catch your pet in the act of having an accident.

Rubbing your dog's nose in his/her accident or hitting the puppy is strongly discouraged. It may cause your pet to fear you. Stay positive and your pet will be housetrained in no time.

Strategies for Housebreaking Your Puppy

Housebreaking your puppy can make or break the relationship you have with your dog. I have known many people who just never get past the housebreaking training. They get so frustrated after a few months of cleaning up dog poop, or steam cleaning their carpeting after accidents that they look for a new home for their puppy.

Take a look at Craig's List or the classified ads in the newspaper and you will see so many dogs from 6 months to 1 ½ years old that are being given away. The dog owners are fed up with the aggravation of a dog that cannot be housebroken. The fact is that all puppies can be housebroken if given the time and the patience.

There are many different housebreaking methods; most of them will do the trick. Go to the library, browsing the pet section. You will find a wide variety of dog training books which contain chapters on housebreaking your puppy.

The keys to housebreaking are to be consistent, and patient. You can't expect a puppy to be housebroken in a week. You have to consistently apply the training method you have chosen. Don't try to switch methods every few days, figuring another training method be more effective. This will only confuse your puppy while he is only trying to please you.

Physically, a puppy cannot be completely free of accidents in the house. His brain is not fully developed enough to control his bodily functions. This does not mean that the puppy is not learning, just that he cannot help himself at the moment. If you are persistent with the puppy's training, and follow through with your training method, your puppy will be completely trained between the ages of 3 to 5 months.

Female dogs are usually easier to train than males because they will urinate or defecate only once when brought outside. Male dogs, on the other hand, will urinate and defecate several times, marking their territory as a sign of dominance. A neutered male dog will also be easier to train because the urge to dominate is diminished. Keep this in mind when housebreaking your puppy.

Here are a few tips and strategies to housebreaking your puppy:

• Decide the housebreaking method that you feel will work out for your situation.
• Make a schedule to follow during the first few weeks of training: feeding, watering, and walking your puppy.
• Control the amount of food and treats you give your puppy. Irregular feeding can make housebreaking much harder.
• Make sure your pet has all the water he needs during the day, but limit water intake at night to avoid accidents. This is only temporary, until your puppy gets a little older, and can control himself. If your puppy appears thirst, certainly give him more water, but a limited amount during the night should be okay.
• Don't let your puppy wander around the house while being housebroken. Dogs don't like to mess in their sleeping area, so limiting your puppy's space will make housebreaking easier.
• If you see your puppy sniffing the floor, it probably means he has to go out. Distract him immediately and bring him outside.
• Take your puppy to the same spot every day to relieve himself. The scent of previous visits will urge him to go quickly.
• In the beginning, your puppy will need many trips outside. Gradually spread out the times that you bring him outside, making a regular schedule that fits your lifestyle.
• Catching the puppy in the act is one of the quickest ways for him to realize he is doing something wrong. Be firm with him, keep him with you while you are cleaning up the accident, and let him know you are displeased. The puppy will feel completely guilty, associating your displeasure with his actions.

These are methods I have used through the years to train my puppies. They are traditional ways to housebreak a puppy. Depending upon your circumstances, whether you are in the city, working all day, at home, or in the country will determine the housebreaking method that is best for you and your pup. Do your research and begin the training. Good luck with your new puppy!

If anyone has any housebreaking ideas or methods that have worked, please leave a comment to help others housebreak their puppies.