Apr252012

Stop Leash Pulling!

By Colleen on April 25, 2012

Stop Leash Pulling!Have you been out walking Spot–or at least trying? Is he pulling you down the street, or back & forth on the sidewalk trying to sniff everything? How’s a person supposed to get any exercise around here? If you are having trouble with pup on leash, keep reading below for my latest tips.

  1. EXERCISE FIRST. Get your pooch to a fenced area pronto and get her to run around or chase a ball or call her back and forth so she runs until her tongue is dragging. You want her good and tired so you both will be prepared for the next step.
  2. ALL WALKS ARE TRAINING WALKS. Make a decision that from now on, when Lancer is on leash you will not allow him to pull. Now, chant to yourself: Loose leash means we walk, and tight leash means we STOP. AND: I will NOT go forward unless Pooper is NOT pulling! If you are consistent and practice this daily, you will begin to see a dog that walks with you and not against you.
  3. REWARDS: USE THEM. Your new list of leash walking equipment includes: Leash, baggies and tiny pieces of chicken or steak. When dog is not pulling say,”Gooooood Puppy!” a lot. Then occasionally, pop a treat in her mouth. Also, use sniffing and saying hi to other dogs as a reward. Puppy should walk next to you FIRST and THEN you go sniff!
  4. WALK WITH A 3′ LEASH. Take your 6′ leash and tie a knot in it 1/2 way down. Now, hold the leash on the knot, so it’s now only 3′ long. Use this to keep FIDO close to you while you walk a block or so. At the end of the block, say,”OK!” and let her go sniff around for a minute. THIS is her ultimate reward.
  5. USE A NO-PULL HARNESS. The leash will attach to the front of the dog’s chest and will gently and easily stop him from pulling. There are many new ones on the market, but I’ve been using the Sensation Harness and the Gentle Leader No-Pull Harness.
  6. SIT-DOWN-STAY. Practice obedience while out walking to get pooch in the habit of listening to you while on walks.

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Mar272012

Come Here Now!

By Colleen on March 27, 2012

Has Rover been ignoring you or worse, disappearing when he’s off leash?  It sounds like you both may need a Come Here tune up!   Below are a few reminders that are helping clients & dogs all over town.

Take 5 Minutes: Before letting Rover off leash, spend 5 minutes refreshing his memory of what “come here” means:   Practice on leash first, then while he’s dragging the leash and finally, off-leash. Remember to carry good rewards like juicy chicken or steak and her favorite toy.  Reward like crazy each time he comes to you…

Happy Human: Be sure you are having fun with the “come here!” game and using a friendly voice.  A stern voice may not sound inviting to your dog.  Be friendly and positive and reward like crazy when he does come.

Don’t Be a Nag:  Call your dog once or twice and if he ignores you, do NOT keep calling him–go and get him. Then review the come here! game and don’t give him freedom until he is successful most of the time. If your dog continually ignores you while off leash, rethink how you are doing things.  Your dog either need less freedom, better rewards or more fun.

Set Dog Up for Success: Be sure to set Roverina up for success by practicing come here! in an easy environment first then slowly introducing her to more and more difficult situations. For example call your dog:  Inside the house, then outside in the quiet yard, then at a quiet park, and then away from her favorite toy before you try to call her away from the deer prancing by…

Drag a Leash.  Get a 20′ long line and have your dog drag it so you can get him if he ignores you. You can also use a retractible leash.

Limit Off Leash Time. Your dog should be 90% reliable before you let her off leash to run on the hiking trail that smells like deer, squirrels and other creatures.  Pay attention to your pup and practice calling her over and over and over.  And remember to reward!

Remember: training should be fun!
Make calling your dog a game that you play with enthusiasm and treats and a toy
to help Rover have a Reliable Recall — already!

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Mar132012

Using Rewards To Train Your Dog

By Colleen on March 13, 2012

There are many ways to reward your dog for having good manners.  Really, we are only limited by our own imagination.  I like singing to my dog Simon in the morning and then giving him his breakfast in boxes and toys.  He used to drag his body out of bed and now he comes running when he hears his special song! Below are some more ideas on how to use rewards to train your dog.

FOOD & TREATS: Since your dog has to eat anyway, why not use his food for training?  Here are some handy tips:

  • Mix your dog’s kibble in with some treats so the food picks up their flavor.  Use high value items such as chicken, hotdogs or steak.
  • Use a variety of treats such as kibble, cheerios, cheese, pasta or chicken to keep it exciting.
  • Rate the treats either low, medium or high value and use the low-value treats at home.  Save the high value treats for when you are in dog training class or out in public.
  • Occasionally, have your dog work for his ENTIRE dinner.

PLAY AS A REWARD: Be sure to keep training fun by using games as part of your daily interactions as well as training.

  • Did you know you could use Tug of War as a reward for COME HERE?
  • Make a list of toys & games Roverina loves and use them every day to keep her life interesting.
  • Vary your type of play so she doesn’t anticipate what will happen next.
  • Play the Sit-Stay-OK! game:  Cue dog to Sit-Stay. Now, walk around the room.  After a while, say in a high pitched happy voice: “OK!” and run around.  Now, repeat.  For some reason, dogs love this!

ENVIRONMENTAL REINFORCERS: These are rewards your dog is probably getting for free when you are out and about.  They range from sniffing & peeing to jumping on an 80 year old woman at the park! (Some of these my be undesirable.) Here are a few ideas:

  • Have Wacky walk nicely on leash from the car to the dog park entrance.  (Fact: this IS possible!)
  • Have Spot Sit-Stay before you release him to sniff the Sycamore tree.
  • Tell Bulldozer to Behave before bounding over to his best dog friend to say hi.
  • Can you think of more?

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Jan142012

Great Training Tips: Dog University by Viviane Theby

By Colleen on January 14, 2012

I’m reading a book by Viviane Theby called Dog University: A Training Program to Develop Advanced Skills with Your Dog; and she makes some excellent suggestions:

  • Video tape your training sessions and analyze them.  This is a great way to really see what you are doing with your dog or cat.
  • One minute training sessions.  Use a timer and set it for one minute which is an ideal length of time for many training exercises.  Try to practice 6 repetitions of an exercise per minute and then take a break.
  • Keep a training diary.  Keep notes on each of your minute long training sessions.
  • Stop saying “no” to your dog.  We need to stop being lazy and saying “no” all the time to our dogs.  It’s not fair to punish them for our own shortcomings.
  • Effective reinforcement. Reinforcement should be relative to the training session.  If you want a quiet down-stay, don’t reward by throwing a ball which will get him wound up. Reward him with a well placed cookie or a quiet stroke on the chest.

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Dec202011

Indoor Dog Games

By Colleen on December 20, 2011

What do you do with your indoor pooch when the outdoor weather is frightful?

Read below, and find a list of activities that could be delightful.

  • HIDE TREATS around the house and then let Fido search for them. This is a fun way to practice STAY and your dog will love the rewards.
  • PLAY HIDE & SEEK.  Sneak away and hide some where. Now, call your dogand wait for him to find you and then play tug of war.
  • HIDE HER FAVORITE TOY.  Again, great time to practice STAY as well as FIND-IT.
  • FOOD TOYS:  Put your dog’s food inside of a Dog Pyramid.  Or a Busy Buddy Tug-o-Jug. Have her work for her meals so that meal times become active and a time to burn off energy.
  • DOG PUZZLES.  If you haven’t seen these you should.  What a brilliant way to keep smart dogs using their brains while tiring them out. The brand I like is Nina Ottoson.
  • TEACH A COOL TRICK like turn on the light switch. Watch this great instructional video:

  • SET-UP AN IMPROMPTU AGILITY COURSE and walk your dog through it several times.  Once she understands, you can begin to direct her to run it.  It might look like this: zoom around the coffee table then under a chair, jump over the broom on paint cans, walk through the ladder that’s lying on the floor and end with a down stay on the couch…  Be creative and have fun!
  • PLAY COUCH POTATO OLYMPICS. Sit on the couch and toss a ball or treat across the room for your dog. When your dog returns, toss the toy again. You stay relaxed on the couch and watch a movie while your dog does all the work.  You might even have her do puppy push-ups (sit-down-sit) between tosses.

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Nov302011

Four Steps to a Better Dog

By Colleen on November 30, 2011

WinstonI’ve found that these four simple steps get a well behaved dog faster & with out all of the struggle. Winston is a career change dog at Dogs for the Deaf. He’s an 80# yellow lab who loves to jump on people, grab & chew on leashes, destroy toys, jump out of car windows, and leap like a lizard on leash. Where in the world does the training start?

  • PREVENT & MANAGE dog problems so the dog stays out of trouble. The more Winston practices leash leaping– the better he gets. To prevent leash leaping Winston is wearing a front-clip no-pull harness. Now, his walks are a pleasure instead of a battle. To prevent jumping up I toss food on the ground to distract him while I start walking. He then follows me and calms down while walking.
  • REWARD BEHAVIORS that you like and you’ll get more of them. Winston loves and craves attention, food and the tennis ball so these are his rewards when he: sits, stands, walks politely, relaxes, doesn’t plant his front paws on me etc… He is learning that being good gets him what he wants.
  • INTERRUPT BAD BEHAVIORS that you don’t like and you’ll get less of them. Winston likes to jump up on people then grab the leash and then play tug of war before he chews it up. If I interrupt him with a word or sound like “uh-oh” –before he latches onto the leash or makes contact with me–I can stop him and redirect him to a tennis ball or a sit.
  • TRAIN THE BEHAVIOR YOU WANT instead of nagging at your dog to stop jumping or stop pulling or stop barking. Tell her what you DO want and practice it daily until she gets good at it. When Winston came to Dogs for the Deaf he knew nothing and couldn’t be left alone inside with out supervision. For example: we worked on “go to your bed” until it became automatic to lie down in the living room instead of jumping all over the furniture.

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Oct192011

‘Sit’ only the Beginning

By Colleen on October 19, 2011

Ashland’s dog (and chicken) whisperer

Training your pet can ease behavior issues while strengthening your relationship

Simon Playing Piano

By Vickie Aldous, Ashland Daily Tidings

“Max. Achoo!” dog trainer Colleen Shanahan instructed Max, a fluffy white Maltese.

The little dog gave an enthusiastic sneeze, which prompted Simon, a papillon-chihuahua mix, to pull a Kleenex from a box.

Shanahan praised the dogs and doled out little treats, part of her training technique that emphasizes positive reinforcement.

The owner of Ashland-based Dog Gone Fun! said she wants dog training to be fun for both pets and owners.

Teaching dogs tricks isn’t just cute, it can have a positive effect on their behavior, she said.

“It’s challenging them intellectually and focusing their energy so you have a relaxed dog. A lot of little dogs, especially, have barking and anxiety issues because they’re under-challenged,” Shanahan said. “It also helps build your relationship with your dog.”

She brought out a plastic toy piano and put it on the floor of The Grove in Ashland, where she was teaching Simon, Max and Ledo, a chihuahua-terrier mix, a medley of tricks.

“Simon, want to play the piano? Yahoo!” Shanahan said enthusiastically.

Simon swiped the piano keys with his paws, earning more treats. Soon he tried to turn the tables on his trainer and earn a bonanza of treats by keeping both paws on the keys, but Shanahan wasn’t fooled.

She has plenty of experience teaching animals to play the piano — including a chicken.

In 2007, Shanahan attended a camp in which trainers learned clicker-training skills by practicing on chickens. She said the chickens all had different personalities and learned surprisingly quickly.

Read full article in the Ashland Daily Tidings…

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Sep122011

Growling Dogs

By Colleen on September 12, 2011

Does your dog growl over a favorite toy or chew? Or even growl if he’s on the couch? Then read below for some help.

(Caution: Growling should be taken seriously. If your dog is growling, you may need to call a professional dog trainer.)

  • Growling used to be punished. Not anymore: modern dog trainers agree this is valuable information about your dog. Unless he’s play growling, your dog is communicating that he’s uncomfortable. Without it, you might have a biter on your hands who is unable to warn before biting. So, if your dog growls try one of these things:
  • Stop and think: What am I doing to make Bowser uncomfortable? Trying to take a chew or toy? Trying to move him off the couch? Handling him roughly?
  • Find an alternative way to reach your goal. If you need his bone, trade it for a treat. If you need him to move–call him off the couch with food or a squeaky toy. Does he hate grooming? feed treats while you comb and cut.
  • Lower your dog’s stress levels: Stress is cumulative, so it’s not always about the couch–but rather several things are happening: Maybe a clown moved in next door and has lots of circus friends running around. Also, you hosted a birthday bash for your daughter’s 11th birthday and invited 100 of her closest friends… All of these things will stress your dog.
  • Manage your dog’s environment so he doesn’t have the opportunity to growl at you. Keep him off your bed at night; put him in the other room when your cousin with 6 screaming kids comes over; move slowly and use tons of treats when you clip his nails.
  • Rule out health concerns if your dog seems grumpy or is suddenly growling. Health issues such as pain or a low thyroid are often at the root of dog problems.
  • Finally, you may need to call a professional who can help you sort this out.

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Aug152011

New Class: Difficult & Challenging Dogs

By Colleen on August 15, 2011

Spending too much time pulling your hair out and being frustrated by your dog?

You’ve tried everything but nothing seems to work. This is the class for you! Does your dog continually misbehave, run away, bark, or worse, keep you off your own couch? There is help! You’ll get solutions to your specific dog problems, and get the training you need so you both can live in harmony.

Cost is $95 for 4 weeks & class fee includes one 30 minute private lesson.  Such a deal! 

Starts Sunday Sept 18th at 3pm.

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Jul272011

Introducing Cats & Dogs

By Colleen on July 27, 2011

They don’t have to fight like cats & dogs! If you have a new dog or cat or they just can’t seem to get along, then, these training tips are for you.

ALL CATS NEED A SAFE PLACE: Use a baby gate to block off a dog free zone. The laundry room is a great place for this. This gives cats a safety option. Try to keep dogs and cats separated from each other unless you are training.

TEACH LEAVE-IT: Tether dog to a heavy couch or door to free up your hands. Get a treat and put it on the floor in front of dog. Say Leave-it and wait for dog to look away. Now praise and reward. (don’t let him get the treat!) The goal is to have dog quickly BACK AWAY & LOOK AWAY from the treat after you say Leave-it once.

HELP DOG GENERALIZE LEAVE-IT: Eventually, replace the food with a toy and repeat the above training steps. Now, replace the toy with another toy, and so on… Eventually, you’ll move the toy around, while asking for a Leave-it, and then, for the big finale: you’ll call the dog past the toy while rewarding him for ignoring it.

KITTY CAT LEAVE-IT: with puppy on a leash and in the down position, encourage cat to walk into and around the room. Praise & reward your dog for staying. Now, when dog looks at kitty say LEAVE-IT and wait for him to look away, then praise and reward. The goal is for dog to ignore the cat AND remain calm.

KEEP DOG ON A LEASH: continue coaxing the cat into walking around and rewarding dog for ignoring cat. Remember to give lots of verbal praise and treats! Your goal is for dog to remain calm around the cat.

USE A VERBAL CORRECTION IF YOU NEED TO: If dog lunges or barks at kitty, remember to give him verbal feedback that says “stop what you’re doing”. Then you may need to re-think your training plan. Your goal is 100% success. Too much failure will stress out both animals and undermine your training.

KEEP TRAINING SESSIONS SHORT: 10-15 minutes 2 times a day is good; expect to spend a couple of weeks building this behavior. Then, you’ll need manage your dog and cat for several months until dog integrates the Kitty Cat Leave-it into his new routine.

NOTE: Not all dogs can live safely with cats.

If you have a high prey drive dog you may always need to manage him around small animals.

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