Sunday, October 2, 2016
Big Dog T-Shirt # Dog lovers shirt
Watch on YouTube here: Big Dog T-Shirt # Dog lovers shirt
Via https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt0vX_Ua2Ah5DMSGvPpSrPQ/videos
Friday, April 22, 2016
The Dog Trainer - Quick and Dirty Tips
Dog Trainer to the rescue!
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The first thing to bear in mind is that behavior tells the truth. If your dog grabs and tugs on the leash while youre walking her, she really, honestly does like holding things in her mouth and playing Tug. The kind of game she likes is not a problem. The problem is that shes playing that game in an inconvenient and annoying context and one thats potentially dangerous. A strong young dog can pull the leash out of your hands, or even take you off your feet.
Why Reprimands Dont Stop Leash-Grabbing
One reason reprimands dont work is that playing is a social activity. Social behaviors are usually reinforced by the attention we give them, even if its annoyed attention. Most of the time, when I see someone with a dog who plays Leash Tug, the script goes more or less like this:
[Dog is walking with all four feet on floor and nothing in her mouth. Person holding leash is silent and doesnt look at Dog or interact with her.]
[Dog grabs leash and gives a yank.]
Person: Dogalini! Stop it! [Person pulls leash to get it away from Dog. Dog tugs back.]
Person: Dogalini! I said quit! [Startled, Dog lets go of leash.] [Alternatively, Person pries Dogs mouth open and extracts leash.]
[Dog walks 3 or 4 paces with all four feet on floor and nothing in her mouth. Person holds leash silently, not looking at Dog or interacting with her.]
[Dog grabs leash and gives a yank.]
You can see the pattern here, right? When the dog is walking politely, the person neither pays her any attention nor does anything else to reward her appropriate behavior. The instant the dog grabs the leash, success! Interaction is achieved! And, bonus, a little tug-back action usually comes with.
Heres how to change that picture.
Tip #1: Reward Your Dog Whenever She Isnt Leash-Grabbing
On walks, lavishly reward Dogalini with attention and treats whenever she is not grabbing the leash. Clicker training is excellent for this purpose, because you can use that quick, distinctive noise to mark out for your dog exactly what behavior youre rewarding. When you have had some practice with the clicker you can mark and reward in a super-rapid-fire way also an advantage with fast-moving leash tuggers.
Heres an important point: Bring those treats down to your dogs mouth level! If you deliver them high up, so that she has to hop or jump for them, you wind up rewarding hops and jumps. If your dog gets grabby about treats you can drop them on the ground right in front of her, or use a treat-feeding tube.
If your dog grabs and pulls the leash, youre getting reliable information about what kinds of games he enjoys. Use that knowledge to change his behavior.
What to Do When Your Dog Grabs the Leash Anyway
Especially early on in your re-training, your dog will almost certainly still grab the leash sometimes. Since any attention you give that behavior probably winds up rewarding it, your goal is to make the result as boring as possible for her.
Another possibility is to get one of those old-fashioned choke chains. Please do not actually put it on your dogs neck! Attach a double-ended clip or a carabiner to the metal loop at one end of the choke chain and use it to clip the choker to the leash attachment on your dogs collar. Then attach the leash clip to the other end of the choke chain. Now theres a length of metal in between your dogs collar and your actual leash; if she bites the leash, she gets a mouthful of metal, which is not tasty, resilient, or fun to chew.
A chain leash will also work for this purpose, but a four-foot or six-foot chain leash is heavy and believe me, it gets uncomfortable to have that weight dragging off your hand after a mile or two. Plus, you wont need the choke chain forever, and when youre done with it you can repurpose it as a plant hanger.
Tip #2: Give Your Dog Legal Chances to Chew and Tug
As I said earlier in this article, if your dog is grabbing and pulling the leash, that gives you trustworthy information about activities that he enjoys. Hes not just pretending to like to chew and tug. If youre a regular to these articles, you already know whats coming next: the advice to lose your dog bowl and instead use chewable food-dispensing puzzle toys.
Tug, played by the rules, is a fun way to teach your grabby dog mouth manners and impulse control. The rules of Tug are that your dog lets go of the toy on cue and waits for your okay before she grabs it again. Also, if his teeth touch your skin or your clothing, the game is over. My article on Tug explains how to teach these rules and also how to use the game to teach your dog to respond to your cues even when hes super excited.
Even Your Dog Doesnt Want to Chew and Tug All the Time
No matter how much we enjoy an activity, we eventually get to the point where weve had enough of it, and the same goes for your dog. If you give him ample opportunity to get his chewing and tugging ya-yas out, he will have less interest in grabbing the leash. If he has less interest in grabbing the leash, then you will see more behavior that you can reward. The more you reward his non-leash-grabbing behavior, the stronger that polite behavior will be. If youve ever heard people speak of a virtuous circle the opposite of a vicious circle well, this is one.
One last point: Any time a dog makes a habit of an excited, physically vigorous behavior that is a problem for his person, its a good bet he could use more aerobic exercise. Exercise wont solve your problem, but if your dog has had a good solid off-leash romp he will be less inclined to bounce and grab when hes on leash again. Like giving him legal outlets for his mouthiness, exercise helps set him up to behave calmly and learn self-control.
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