training
Training techniques for every dog personality
Welcome to the world of training where every pup's unique personality shines! Just like us humans, dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments, making training a personalized matter. In this guide, we're digging deep into the art of choosing training techniques to suit different dog personalities.
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Dog training mistakes to avoid
Read on to learn 6 common training mistakes – and how to avoid or fix them.
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3 tips for your dog’s separation anxiety
Your pup’s destructive behaviours might be a sign of separation anxiety.
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5 commands every dog should know
Unsure where to begin with training? Start with these 5 commands!
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How to Stop Alert Barking
January is national “train your pet month,” so we’re going to dig into some common behavioural issues you may run into with your pup, starting with…excessive barking! It can be disruptive, frustrating, and even cause problems with your neighbours. The good news is that you can train your dog to stop alert barking at every person who passes by your window or outside noise that they hear.
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How To Manage Leash Reactivity
As the weather gets nicer and the days get longer, it seems more and more people are out and about enjoying all that summer has to offer! When you have a dog who is reactive on leash, this can mean that your daily walks get more and more difficult. Leash reactivity can definitely be improved with behavioural management, so let’s take a look at why some dogs might become reactive and how we can help! Why Do Some Dogs Get Reactive On Leash? Leash reactivity is a dog overreacting to an outside stimulus. Your pup may be reactive to other dogs, people, cars, bikes, etc. We are going to focus on dogs who are reactive to other pups, as this is one of the most common reactions we see. So what causes our four-legged friends to overreact in these circumstances? There can be a variety of reasons why your dog might start showing typical reactive behaviour (ie. barking, crying, lunging on the leash). Fear If your dog had a bad experience with another dog in the past, or if they were not well socialized or introduced to other dogs as a puppy, they may react in a way to tell other dogs to back off due to fear or uncertainty. Fear can also be passed on genetically. If a dog’s mother was fearful, it is much more likely that the puppies will be fearful too. Frustration Maybe your pup has the opposite problem and wants to be friends with every dog he or she meets! It can be frustrating for our buds when they are restrained by a leash and unable to say hi. These dogs usually interact well with four-legged pals when they are off leash. This behaviour typically begins as happiness or excitement at seeing a potential new four-legged friend, but over time this can develop into frustration due to their inability to interact since they are restrained on leash. Learned Behaviour If your dog has been rewarded in the past either by getting something positive or avoiding a negative experience, they will keep doing what worked! Furthermore, if a behaviour is negatively reinforced every time that your pup sees another dog, like for example, a leash correction such as a sharp pull on the leash, or a collar that tightens with pressure choking your dog, this can train your dog to react even more in the future. It is important to determine why your dog is being reactive so that you can best work with them and a certified trainer to move past their reactive behaviours. How Do We Manage On-Leash Reactivity? Manage The Environment Like we already mentioned, dogs learn through experience. It is important not to let your dog practice or rehearse the behaviour we are trying to change (ie lunging, barking, growling, etc). The best way to prevent this from happening is to manage the environment around your dog. If they are reactive to other dogs, this can mean avoiding other dogs by walking at quieter times of day, crossing the street to maintain space between your pup and another dog, using parked cars and other objects as visual blocks, and even using your own body to block your dog’s line of sight. Initially, you will want to keep a greater distance from other dogs to keep your pup under threshold (meaning they aren’t so overwhelmed by the stimulus that they start exhibiting reactive behaviour). Over time, your dog's threshold may grow and you can make their comfortable distance between other dogs smaller. This process is called desensitization, and your dog’s threshold should always be respected. When your dog is showing signs that they are at their threshold, you should definitely not force them to go past this and go at their pace. Desensitization is often used with counter-conditioning, which we will talk about next! Change How Your Dog Feels It is also important to change your dog’s emotional response to seeing another dog on leash using counter-conditioning. This is best done with a healthy supply of your pup’s fave high value treat! Every time that your dog sees another pup on leash, reward him or her with a treat. It needs to be a high value food that your dog can’t help but be excited by! A great game to play with your dog is called engage-disengage. This involves you staying whatever distance is required away from another dog so that your pup isn’t showing reactive behaviour. Allow your dog to freely look at the other pup. As soon as your dog chooses to actively disengage from looking at the other dog, reward them with a high value treat. Ideally, you want your dog to focus on you and make eye contact after disengaging. Once this happens, you want to reward your pup with a treat jackpot! This way not only will you be your dog’s safe place, they will know that when they look to you they get “paid” with their treat reward - big time! Teach Focus When you teach a command such as focus that requires your dog to look at you instead of the other dog. To teach focus, hold a treat in front of your face and make a kissing noise to get your dog’s attention. Immediately reward him or her for looking at you and making eye contact. As you practice this command, remember to mark the desired behaviour (eye contact) with a yes or good boy/girl /dog and a reward. Begin to hold the treat further away from you while asking for focus. Eventually you can use other distractions and make sure to practice in a variety of environments. Your dog cannot bark or lunge at another dog while also following the focus command, so this is a great tool to have as it brings their focus onto you rather than the stimulus. It does take lots of practice for this command to be effective, so be patient! Practice Safely! Make sure that you stay a safe distance from other dogs, and use a properly-fitting Y-shaped harness or face harness to prevent your dog from getting loose. If your dog is extremely reactive, they may need to wear a basket muzzle. It can be helpful to use a harness or leash to let others know that your dog needs distance. There are some harnesses that come with a placard asking for space, or a sleeve that fits on your leash that notifies others that your dog is reactive. Although it can take time to train your dog to change their behaviour when they see another dog on leash, your patience and consistent work will pay off!
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Benefits Of Trick Training
January is National Train Your Dog Month, so let’s talk about training tricks! We all know it’s important to teach your bud the basics like sit, stay, come, and lie down, but what about tricks like play dead, roll over, and high five? Trick training offers multiple benefits for both you and your pup. It Releases Pent-Up Energy This can be an especially important benefit during long, cold winter months. We all know that it’s harder to get outside when it is cold and gets dark so much earlier, and on those especially cold days your pup may not be able to safely stay outside long enough to really burn off all of their energy. Trick training can help challenge your dog’s brain but can also use up some of that physical energy when doing tricks like spin or weaving. It Builds Strength And Stamina Tricks can also help get your dog in shape! They can be used to build muscle strength or even to help your dog stretch out after a good workout such as a long walk or run. Teaching things like sit pretty, dance, or stand really helps your dog work on their core; while tricks like learning how to crawl or touch their nose to their hip helps them to stretch. Tricks Strengthen The Bond Between You And Your Bud Taking a few minutes out of your day to work on your newest trick can help keep your bond with your dog strong. Some of the more difficult tricks will take patience to teach, and most of us can use a little more practice when it comes to our patience! Your pup is sure to love the extra time with your undivided attention too. It Increases Your Dog’s Confidence This one can be especially important if you have a more nervous pup. Not only can they gain confidence from the praise we heap on our smart puppers for learning a new trick, but it also gives them something positive to fall back on when he or she is in a new environment. If your bud is nervous meeting new humans, teaching something as simple as ‘shake a paw’ can help associate something they’re unsure about with a trick they know results in positivity (whether through treats, clicker training, or praise). It Makes Your Dog Smarter Just like with people, our four-legged family members learn how to learn! This means that the more training you do with your pup, the faster they will pick up what you are teaching them. It also leads us as dog owners to be better teachers. It is important to keep your training sessions fairly short, usually 5-10 minutes at a time is best! It’s Fun For Both Of You! This one may be the most important of all, but trick training is fun!! Teaching your canine friend to play dead and being able to wow your friends and family feels great. At the same time, your dog is sure to love the positive attention they receive during training sessions, not to mention the delicious treats! The healthybud banana treats are a great training tool since they can easily be broken into small pieces, are low calorie, and your bud will go nuts for them!
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Obedience Training
The most effective way to train obedience is by teaching dogs what you like them to do, as opposed to reprimanding what you don’t. The best method? Through positive reinforcement or reward. What kind? Yummy treats - www.healthybud.co/shop is always a good bet! ;) Affirmations (‘Good Boy/Girl!) or ‘click’ (if click training) Playtime (with their favorite toy) Any other activity that gets your pup attention or gets them excited and happy! If your dog is behaving in ways you don’t like, consequences must be immediate in order for them to be effective (this will ensure they can make the immediate connection regarding what they did wrong). Consequences should also be consistent however and importantly, you should not harm your animal. Consequences can simply be giving your dog a “time out”, or not giving them what they want. Helpful Tips Keep small treats nearby (or in your pocket if you’re on the go). This will ensure that a reward is always ready and will engrain positive reinforcement in your dog’s mind to provide quicker results! Practice everywhere, with everyone. Dogs don’t automatically apply their knowledge in different environments and situations like we do. Work on the same training practices in as many different environments as possible. Keep In Mind Dog’s don’t have long attention spans. Keep training sessions short and sweet. Go for no more than 15 minutes, and start with baby steps! Fun Fact Did you know that well trained dogs have better bonds with their human? Those that do not train their pets can get annoyed with their bad behaviors, which can even lead to extreme measures like giving your pet up for adoption
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Reliable Recall
Ensuring your dog comes when called is such an important part of training. It will not only make your life easier when you want to leave the dog park, for example, but it can keep your pups out of trouble and harm’s way. So how do we get there? By turning it into a game. How Do We Play? Start in a familiar, low-distraction environment. Show your dog an appealing object (their favorite toy or treat) As they walk towards you, use your verbal cue of choice (i.e. COME!) Once they are by your side, reward them with lots of excitement Up the ante when they get the hang of it. Use your verbal cue without tempting them with the treat, and make sure the reward is high when they come! We must teach our dogs that being near us is the most fun and safe thing they can do, and will also bring them rewards. Helpful Tips Don’t repeat yourself. If you have to repeat yourself, the environment may be too distracting or they don’t understand the command well enough. Be patient and let your pup figure it themselves. Reward eye contact. We want to enforce that paying attention to the master results in treats. Practice daily and slowly increase the level of distraction but don’t set them up for failure! If you require recall in an emergency, do not chase your dog (although this will be your instinct). The best method is to call their name and run in the opposite direction. This will inspire them to run after you, thinking it’s a game. Keep In Mind A common training mistake is to recall your dog, put their leash on and head home. Your dog will then start to associate your verbal cue with the fun coming to an end and will start rejecting your recall.
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