Bringing Dance Class Tips to Dog Training

Believe it or not I love to dance. You'd think as a certified professional dog trainer I'd be into Canine Freestyle - Trust me, if there were local classes I'd take them. Spending time dancing with my trusty sidekick and inquisitive canine Poncho the dog (besides in the kitchen and backyard) would be a total blast! Unfortunately there are zero canine freestyle dog training classes in our area - at least at this time. However, there are some alternatives for yours truly.

One of my favorite styles of dance is called West Coast Swing - it happens to be our official California State Dance. My friends Woody and Louise Bretz are the founders and owners of Connexions Dance Studio here in Ventura. They teach West Coast Swing, along with many other styles of dance. I've been having tons of fun revisiting the dance world, seeing lots of friends from the past and getting the ol' dance shoes warmed up again - makes for great cross-training too.

Why do I bring this up? What does West Coast Swing dance classes have to do with dog training classes? Well, as a student I get to see things from a different perspective. Listening differently, out of my comfort zone, trying to pay attention while learning at the same time. It's always humbling to put oneself in another's position - or, having the shoe on the other foot (HA! no pun intended). Anyway, I was reminded of a few tips when it comes to partner dancing - I thought it would be good to bring up because these dance tips also relate to the dog-human partnership, making them good dog training tips.

You've heard me talk about the "The Four F's" - now I want to bring up The Three T's: Timing, Technique and Teamwork! All are important elements of partner dancing, and all are important when working, or partnering, with your dog - no matter if it's taking dog obedience classes or canine freestyle classes. Here's what I mean.

• Timing: When it comes to rewarding behaviors you want your dog to perform, precise timing is key. When it comes to punishing behaviors you don't want your dog performing timing is absolutely critical!

Let's take house-training for instance. The ideal time is as soon as your dog is eliminating! Or immediately after! And I mean hang out with your dog while he or she goes, then throw a party, right then and there! Rewarding any time after that might result in training other behaviors - which can be a good thing, but it might not be the intended one.

An example for precise timing and punishment would be the Greeting Nicely behavior (because we never punish for eliminating in a forbidden area). If you want your dog to sit politely to greet, and he or she jumps up on you (because that's normal dog behavior), then ignoring (which is the "punishment") your dog as soon as his or her front paws started towards you would be ideal - not after he or she has made contact and you've reacted with any form of attention.

• Technique: No doubt about this one. Positive reinforcement, humane, reward-based training methods. If you want it, reward it, you'll get more of it. It's that simple. I question the integrity, decency and coping skills of anyone who feels the need to use coercion, aversive and bullying techniques to get any animal to do something. Do such unpleasant techniques work? Sure they do - but not as well (science has proven this), plus other, often worse behaviors end up appearing.

• Teamwork: It's much more fun and pleasant to work with a partner whom you enjoy spending time with - this is why we adopt dogs in the first place. If you want your dog enjoying spending time with you, I say, do unto others!

For instance, understand your dog and his or her species specific traits. Think about the times when you take your dog out for a walk. Do you make it about his or her needs? Allowing to mark, sniff, even pull on leash once in awhile? Or is it all about you and having to get your walk or run in? How about when you run a few errands? Do you bring your dog with you, just so he or she can get out of the house? Or are they left at home?

When it comes to dancing I certainly use the title "leader", but that's because there is usually a "follower". I prefer to use other terms with dog training. One of them being teamwork, which happens to be important for any type of relationship.

Dog Behavior Down on the Farm Causes Issues With Owners

My sidekick Poncho the dog and I received a dog behavior advice question from an inquisitive canine named Kia. This lucky dog lives on a lovely coffee farm in Hawaii where, in addition to the coffee, there are avocado trees and wild pigs.

Seems these environmental conditions have resulted in plentiful amounts of avocados for Kia to hunt and dine on, as well as piles of pig poop to roll in. Poncho, being an inquisitive canine, confirmed that this is the ideal place for a dog! I mean, how much fun is it to have your own "entertainment center" (aka: enrichment) right outside your front door? Snacks and one doggone fun activity such as rolling in nasty stinky stuff.

As you can see from these photos, Poncho likes to "rock 'n' roll"

too! Maybe because he's smaller and easy for me to bathe I allow him to roll in whatever he finds appealing - as a matter of fact I'll use it as a reward if I can! I call these "environmental rewards" or "real life" rewards.

For instance when we're out on a walk he sees something interesting and starts showing signs of wanting to roll. For Poncho this includes: lots of sniffing, followed by scratching the area with one of his front paws, more sniffing, scratching, then rubbing the side of his face against the surface. If he likes what he's "sensing" then he starts his rolling....

If he's on leash I'll ask for a behavior first, like "watch me", sit or "touch" - then I'll send him off to roll, after I've given him his release cue of "okay". This allows Poncho to be a dog, but still minding his loose leash walking manners - as opposed to just pulling me wherever he wants.

The guardians of Kia can use this same training plan. Allow Kia to roll in the pig poop, but only when she's been given the cue to do so. (And she's had clearance from her veterinarian that it's okay to roll in that stuff).

A few other training tips for both the rolling and avocado issue I'd recommend are:

• Reward Kia every time she ignores an avocado or pile of stench. And I mean reward! More than just a “Good dog!” Set it up where you are actively walking Kia near to where these items are, and whenever she looks at one and ignores it, throw a party!
• If she goes towards either of these items, use the “Leave it!” cue, lure her away from whichever item you want her to ignore, then reward her.
• If Kia decides the item in question is more motivating, give her a “Time out!” penalty - put her on leash for 20 seconds or so. But then let her off leash so you can give her another chance to make the preferred choice.

Lastly, management of a dogs environment is key when setting him or her up for success! A farm filled with a bounty of avocados and piles of stinky stuff to roll in is an ideal place for total fun! It's unfair of us to expect they wouldn't want to go and explore, so we need to take the time to teach our dogs what we want in a way that he or she would understand.

Social Media Helps Bring Dog Training Game Winners Together!

Thanks to Facebook and my inquisitive canine newsletter announcements, Poncho and I ended up receiving an inbox of winners for our Out of the Box Dog Training Game app! So many in fact we had to ask Apple iTunes for a few more codes!

And the winners are: Hailey and Nash, Nicki, Kathy and Coco, Emilia and Nellie, Nellie's nanny, Sabine, Jennie, Traci, and Neal!

Thanks to all of those who responded! And yes, Poncho Gonzales Hunter Mayer is the original inquisitive canine!

For those who are interested in finding out how you can get your own copy of our Out of the Box Dog Training Game app or the hard copy of the game, check out our dog training game website page and iTunes store.

Out of The Box Dog Training Game App Giveaway From the Inquisitive Canine

Hello dog training and coaching tips followers! Poncho and I have three exclusive "codes" for our newly released Out of the Box Dog Training Game App, and we want to give them away to three of our Inquisitive Canine blog readers.

What is required?:

• First off, you'll need a device that is iTunes App compatible - yes, that would help tremendously. iPhone or an iTouch.
• Secondly, you'll need to be a guardian to at least one dog. Or perhaps someone that works with dogs - shelter or rescue. You could certainly play this game with other animals, human and non-human, but it is designed for canine companions.
• Lastly - you'll need to be someone who enjoys spending time with your dog - or at least someone looking for new ways to spend time with your dog.

If you've read this far then I'm going to safely assume you want to move on to the trivia questions. We ask that you answer at least three of the ones listed. Here goes:

1. What is the COMPLETE name of the original inquisitive canine?
2. Who was the original inquisitive canine named after and why?
3. Name one favorite place the original inquisitive canine enjoys going with mom and dad.
4. What is the current name of the original inquisitive canines blog?
5. What is the name of the dog behavior advice column the original inquisitive canine co-writes and where can it be found?

Okay folks - those are the questions. Answers can be found in all sorts of dog training tips blog posts, our Inquisitive Canine website, Facebook Inquisitive Canine group page, my personal Facebook page. You can send your answers directly to me via email joan@theinquisitivecanine.com or comment here on this blog post.

The first three that send the correct answers will receive a special code for our Out of the Box Dog Training Game app. If you can submit answers by Monday January 11th that would be awesome as the codes expire on the fifteenth.

Woof-woof! And happy new year!
Joan and her original inquisitive canine p..... Oops, don't want to give away the answer that easily... :->

Punishment Used for Modifying Human or Dog Behavior Only Useful if Done Correctly and Enforced Consistently if at All!

2010 is in full swing! And with a brand new year that means brand new laws going into effect. You've probably read about some of the new California laws for 2010: Blueberries, paparazzi and cow tails just to name a few. Sure, all have their place in our legal system, but just like all laws they're only good if they're enforced! Otherwise, they're just empty threats.

Why does this little dog trainer in Ventura bring this subject up? Mainly because:

1. Punishment is still being used too often as a first-line treatment of dog behavior issues: Fancy, gimmicky, popular techniques have people focus in on undesired behaviors, then use methods that "dominate" and "control" with such maneuvers as pinning, pinching and poking! Ouch!
2. When it is used, it's not being used correctly: Consistency! Timing! The former is usually absent and the latter is usually off.
3. The more common type of punishment techniques being practiced are less of the humane type and more of the nasty bully type (aka: aversive/coercive): Alpha rolling, pinning, squirting, zapping, and choking which often leads to additional behavioral issues that end up being more difficult to treat than the initial problem behavior!

Okay, first off allow me to clarify once again that just because I'm a certified dog trainer who practices positive reinforcement reward-based dog training methods, whose philosophy is in the science camp of dog training, and one who will take the path of least resistance whenever possible, doesn't mean I don't use punishment. I do. However, not as the first step of any training plan. As a matter of fact I don't even bring it up until midway into my dog training classes at Ventura College or my dog training studio. I also use the type of punishment that causes the least amount of nasty side-effects, if any at all.

What's the basis of my punishment approach if I indeed need to go that route? Simple, reward removal! Similar to sending a basketball player to the bench for one too many fouls, not allowing a dog to participate in an activity (greeting someone or a rousing game of tug) is the punishment.

There's no reason to head down the "dark path" by kicking, smacking, choking, alpha rolling or "showin' him who's boss" in order to get your point across. What do most animals learn when faced with threats and physical harm? How to avoid the punisher! As opposed to which behavior you wanted in the first place. One more reason why punishment should be used as a last resort and with a well thought-out dog training plan!

For additional information on aversive dog training techniques and punishment, please check this dog training tips post from last November.

House-Training Dogs Who are Visiting Your Home

My inquisitive canine Poncho the dog was working overtime yesterday (while hubby and I were stuck in traffic) to help our friend Karen Lee Stevens of All For Animals. She had written to us about providing a few dog training tips she could use while taking care of a foster dog Tinker during the holidays.

Poncho did an excellent job of providing dog training tips on his Poncho's Prose blog, including making sure she was creating pleasant associations so Tinker would enjoy anything new &/or different - people she met, places she went or situations she encountered. Poncho also included tips that focused on house-training for dogs and how best to introduce cats and dogs, especially since Karen is the proud parent of Bella, a doggy loving kitty cat.

Karen, who is a columnist, editor and writer herself, had a follow-up question regarding the issue of house-training. Well, I thought I'd give my hard working inquisitive canine some time to relax (it is his favorite day - Garbage Truck Monday) and I've addressed it myself. The following is Karen's question to me, with my answer - hopefully Poncho will approve.

If you too have any questions, please feel free to submit them to our Dear Inquisitive Canine dog behavior advice column that can be found on both Noozhawk and Powerwomen Magazine, both online news websites.

Thank you for such a thoughtful blog, just for Tinker and I!!! She spent the first night at my house last night and I quickly discovered that she's not housetrained!! Three accidents, including one on the bed. I take her outside every two hours and she won't go, but the minute I bring her back inside, she lets loose. Do you think scented potty pads will help?!

Other than that, she and my cat are doing great together -- Miss Bella is especially interested in the new variety of food being served in the kitchen. :)

Best, Karen

Hey there Karen! As a certified professional dog trainer (and in my personal opinion), taking the extra time to teach Tinker to eliminate outside (or the #1 place you want her to go) is ideal - as opposed to allowing her to potty in multiple places. Unless you live in a high rise building or your living situation (weather/your age/your physical limits/dogs age/dogs physical limitations) doesn't allow you to take your dog outside, then I personally like to avoid pee pads. Dogs don't discriminate too easily between pee pads and a nice soft mattress :-)

So, these are a few things I'd suggest you do:

• First thing in the morning or 30 minutes after you feed her, grab your laptop, newspaper (for reading), DS, iPod, favorite book, a snack for yourself, and a yummy treat for Tinker, put her on leash, get her outside where you want her to go, and wait...wait...wait...walk her around to sniff...wait...wait...wait...walk her around...And as soon as she goes - reward her heavily with petting, praise, and that yummy treat you've been holding in your pocket! You're basically throwing a huge potty-party! If it's safe you can take her off leash too for fun and games...(freedom is another reward).
• The "enrichment" for yourself is so you're entertained while ignoring her. Try to refrain from saying things like "go potty honey" - because until she knows what that cue means, you'll be wasting your breath - and probably getting more frustrated.
• If you've waited for at least 15 minutes, and she still hasn't gone to the bathroom, then bring her back in, but keep her tethered to you, or in your lap - Don't allow her to wander off on her own...Then, take her out every 20-30 minutes until she's gone! She will go, trust me! You just have to be patient.
• Oh, and finally, once you've started the reward process, continue doing it over and over and over....we can never be thanked enough times for performing behaviors others want from us :-)

Speaking of, THANK YOU for writing to me and trusting me to help you reach your goals!

Joan

For additional house-training tips for you and Tinker, please see Poncho's blog posts on house-training dogs from a canines point of view, and my own dog training house-training tips right here.

APDT Announces January 2010 as Official Dog Training Month!

The Association of Professional Dog Trainers has recently announced that January is "National train your dog month!" Perfect timing! What better way to begin the new year? This is one new years resolution that should be at the top of your list. For those adopting a new puppy or adult dog you might want to sign up for a dog training class or even private dog training sessions.

For those seasoned dog guardians wanting to do something different with your dog you could certainly take a fun dog training class or play the Out of the Box Dog Training Game. Either way, working with your dog in a fun and productive way will help build the behaviors you want while reaching your goals!

The holiday season is a popular adoption month for puppies and adult dogs. This could be one reason the APDT decided on January. This is certainly why I have my own dog training classes beginning on January 9th. There is the 3-session puppy class through Ventura College Community Education, and my Good Manners dog training class (the old fashioned name for this would be "dog obedience class", but I prefer "manners") at the Inquisitive Canine dog training studio here in Ventura.

For those whose schedules don't allow for dog training classes, my Out of the Box Dog Training Game is a perfect and "pawsitive" solution for working training into your busy life - whether it's in the official "National train your dog month", or anytime you and your dog want to have fun and rewarding times together.

Poncho and I wish you all the best for a rewarding 2010, and may January kick your dog training skills off on the right paw!