Service training Kenai has been quite the adventure. As he has grown and developed, I’ve learned several different ways to approach his training, and lots of different ways to teach the same thing. Dogs are individuals. A technique that works well for one dog won’t work as well for another one. Flexibility is a vital skill for a trainer.
I am a positive trainer, but I do not hesitate to give correction when I have no options left. A dog that is seriously out of line needs to know they are out of line, and you won’t allow such misbehavior. But the correction should never cause pain, fear, or trauma. That’s not correction, that’s abuse.
As far as correction goes, I use various things to get the dog’s attention and make my point. Sometimes all it takes is the “mom look”, sending off displeased vibes, or redirecting their attention to an acceptable behavior. I’ve used a leash pop when Kenai just won’t pay attention, a “finger bite” to disrupt his fixation on something that excites him, and even a scruff shake when he was little and fighting with his brother.
Correction is going to be needed from time to time when you live with a dog, 9 times out of 10. Don’t take just my word for it–ask anyone with an adolescent dog driving them nuts! No, seriously, sometimes a dog gets so rangy they just need to have a reminder of the rules, and that they will be enforced if need be.
But correction is not the best focus to have when training. I’ve found there’s a difference between behaviors that need correction and behaviors that need extra training. Instinctive behaviors, (like a teen humping) don’t respond as well to training techniques alone as they do to correction. Some would argue that, but it’s my experience.
Other non-instinctive behavoirs, (like retrieving) get better results with positive approaches like clicker training. Posistive really does work best when showing an animal what you DO want them to do, just like they do with us humans.
“Look At Me”
Oddly we humans jump ahead of ourselves, forgetting the basics. Teaching a dog to watch you, to look when their name is called, is the foundation of any training. They can’t do what you want if they aren’t paying attention, right?
So the first, first, first, and absolutely FIRST thing you do is teach a pup or new dog that looking at you gets a reward. Spend time on this, practicing it first at home, then in the back yard, then other places you go. Don’t be in such a rush to get the sits and downs shiny and solid that you neglect to build a pup’s ability to focus on you.
Simply notice when the pup looks at you, and pass a treat to them for it. You can click when they look, you can say “good”, or nothing at all if you want. But the idea is to reward the pup every single time they look at you on their own. That’s called “capturing” (below). The more they watch, the more they get a reward, so the more they will watch you!
Another way to encourage looking at you is call the dog’s name, and treat them when they look. If they don’t look, use a treat passed in front of their nose as you call their name and bring it up to your face. (luring technique, below) That’s a more formal way to go about it.
As they become reliable with looking, up the ante, and wait for them to be playing or outside and call their name. Increase the distractions, and up the treats since it’s harder to look at you when there’s a buddy to romp with.
One thing I don’t do is let the name get “attached” to commands. I leave a good pause between the name, which means pay attention, and the command. That way, they don’t think the phrase “BB sit” means sit, but the word “sit” doesn’t. It’s easy to fall into that oops.
Another oops is when the pup focuses on the treat. If you can move their head just by moving the hand with the treat in it, they aren’t paying attention to you. So set the treats on the table a step or two away from you, call their name, and when they look either click or “good” so they know that’s what you wanted. Then go get the treat.
Redirecting
This and capturing (below) are the two techniques I use the most, especially with puppies. Redirecting is just what it sounds like: turning the pup’s attention away from what you don’t want, to what you do. It’s usually all you need to keep the pup out of the houseplant, or chewing a bone instead of your toes.
I often pair it with a mild correction like “ach” when the puppy teeth sink into a sock, then I swish a bone around and make it more interesting than the sock. When the pup pounces on the bone, he gets a little play and affection.
For older dogs this works well too. If I don’t want the dog to sniff the fire hydrant, I will call his name to get his attention, then give him something else to focus on, like heeling, or sit. Sit is wonderful at moving the nose back, as long as you aren’t using the dog for balance. Since Kenai is used for balance, I focus him on an attentive heel.
With consistant redirecting away from what you don’t want, usually the unwanted behavior expires on its own. They’ve learned to focus on the things you do want, especially if paired with plenty of attention building exercises, like “look at me”.
Capturing
Capturing takes advantage of the dog’s natural behaviors, and is a very simple, very effective way to train. For instance, if you want to teach your puppy the down command, when you seen him start to lay down, you say “down” and reward them with treats or affection. Any behavior they initiate on their own that you want to encourage, you reward them when they do it.
Capturing is particularly helpful with young puppies because their attention spans are too short for long practice sessions. It is also useful when you want to teach complex behaviors like retrieving. Anytime the pup chases down the toy you tossed, you praise and give a command word like “find”. Then you praise and reward when they “pick it up”, praise and reward for “bring”, praise and reward for ”let go”.
This is a more passive training technique, but a natural one. Anything you see them do that you want them to do, you reward. If they follow you from the kitchen to the living room, that’s rewarded. If they lay down for a snooze while you read a book, that’s rewarded.
The idea is to watch the dog, and encourage behaviors that come naturally to them. It can save alot of time “teaching” a command in a formal way, since the dog associates the word and the action in a more natural way. You also find yourself looking for things to reward, rather than only noticing things to correct.
Increasing attentiveness
When a dog is intended for service training or competitive training, the most neccessary skill is paying attention to you. They can’t follow commands if they aren’t paying attention, sometimes for long periods. Building a dog’s focus is the foundation for any training. This takes the “look at me” to a more purposeful level.
Essentially, you are building focus by increasing the time they have to pay attention or distance from your before they have their reward. In “look at me”, there’s a good pause of say, 2-3 seconds until they have fully turned their attention to you. Once you’ve got 2-3 seconds, wait 4-5 seconds before saying “sit” or “down”.
It makes them wait, increasing their self control at the same time. Once 4-5 seconds is reliable, meaning no pop ups or trying to hurry you, then wait 10 seconds. With puppies, having short attention spans, 3 repetitions of this is plenty. Older dogs can practice this more.
The more frequently a dog is rewarded (rate of reinforcement) for attentiveness, the more attentiveness they give you. Additionally, the more difficult it is for the pup to turn their attention to you, the higher the reward value should be.
For instance, a pup will easily look at you as their name is called when they’re just laying down. That deserves a carrot. If the pup stops playing with their buddy and looks at you, that deserves something yummier, like a liver treat. A pup that ignores the marvelous ball while you’re heeling with him deserves his very favorite and least given treat.
Another aspect of attentiveness, is that they need to be released from it occasionally. It’s effort to hold concentration. When the dog starts to show fatigue in attentiveness, such as becoming distractable, or slow to respond, they need down time. Dogs give you all they are able to at that moment, so pushing beyond that is not only wasted effort, it becomes drudgery for the dog.
I have a final release word like “all done” when the practice is over. You can give them their release, and let them sniff about, play with a toy, chew a bone or whatever they like. They get a chance to let off steam, so they can come back and focus some more.
The amount of time they can focus is gradually built up, though I’ve found the amount changes as a youngster goes through developmental phases. Some people believe it is best to actually stop the exercise before the dog is fatigued, leaving them wanting more. I think this is a good idea–makes the “practice” a reward in and of itself, a sort of playtime with you.
Wait them out
It’s easy to fall into a habit of giving the same command several times before the dog does what you asked. This backfires, because the dog learns not to listen, at least not until the umpteenth time you told them to sit. If they do know the command, and are just dawdling about doing it, you want to insist on it silently. (If they are distressed about something, you want to refocus them, and relax them so they are able to obey).
When you tell the dog to sit, be sure you have their attention first, and only say it once. It’s pointless to give a command you don’t enforce. So if they try to wander off, you want to mildly correct them and give them a focused soft stare. Let your emotions do the talking, since this is the language of dogs. “I want something” doesn’t have to be said, it is felt in the doggie brain.
If they seem confused after a time, you can whisper the command again, or use a hand signal to remind them. The moment the bottom hits floor, reward heavily with lots of affection. For dogs that are just sort of scattered in their attentiveness, you also want to work on building their attention spans. For dogs that are just stubborn, silent insistance is the way to go.
Distraction Training
Dogs instinctively want to be aware of their environment. It is a survival instinct leftover from their wilder wolf ancestors. Some dogs will be so naturally focused on their handler, that they barely notice what’s around them. Some dogs will be so instinctively focused on their surroundings that ignoring is a difficult, anxiety producing task.
The traditional approach to distractions is to redirect the pup’s attention back to you, and insist on “face time”, where the dog watches you intently. Many dogs will be able to do this, if properly socialized and naturally focused on you.
Kenai is very much focused on his surroundings by nature. For Kenai, insisting he ignore applies more pressure, which in turn makes him more uncomfortable, and his focus becomes non-existant. A dog under pressure will struggle to obey commands. Many dogs will have triggers, things that disturb them enough to break their focus on you. Things like running dogs, or strangers approaching are typical distractions.
For dogs that are environmentally distracted, Leslie McDevitt, author of “Control Unleashed” developed a technique called “look at that”. It rewards the dog for looking then returning their attention. If they notice a stranger, mark that with a click or word, then bring their attention back to you for a reward.
Making allowances for a dog’s instincts and natural behaviors reduces the tension they feel from “don’t look”. The dog learns attentiveness to a handler is not in conflict with other natural dog activities. The forbidden fruit element is removed.
With consistent practice, the “look at that” game allows the dog to relax, hence, they can focus on you. It also changes (repatterning) how the dog feels/thinks about certain triggers, like other dogs running or strangers approaching. It ceases to mean “danger” and starts to mean “yummie treat”.
Anything that disturbs a dog can be changed from a trigger for excitement to a cue to look at you. By altering a dog’s feelings from stressful to part of the happy game, you provide the dog with skills to handle their discomfort.
Default Behaviors
A default behavior is something a dog will do automatically without being asked to everytime. It is a habitual behavior you want from them, done without command or cue from you, that stimulates the dog’s problem solving skills. It also gives them a way to show you that they don’t know what to do, when the default behavior seems inappropriate for the context.
Teaching a default behavior involves a great deal of capturing. Since the goal of a default is the behavior is done of their own volition, you want to command or influence as little as possible. For instance, if you want an automatic sit when you stop walking, and the dog usually does sit after awhile of standing, you wait them out. When they sit, you reward.
If there is so much time between the stop and the sit that you don’t think the dog is getting the idea, you can ask for a sit as soon as you stop, rewarding when it’s done. Once there is a reliable sit/stop when asked for, phase out the command by giving them a focused soft stare to let them know you are expecting something.
They will then “think” about what you want. If they give you a down, say “good down, not what I want” or something. Let them figure it out, and reward heavily when they give you a sit. Don’t be in a hurry to phase out treats, either, since the dog will offer the behavior most that provides them with the most goodies. The more you do this, the more it will stick.
**for mobility assistance dogs, an auto sit is not such a good idea. Particularly if you need them for balance. For other dogs, as long as an auto sit doesn’t interfere with their duties, it is an obvious sign to strangers that the dog is calm and well trained.
