Pet Tutor: The Dog Treat Dispenser You Wish You Had

January 25, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Pet Tutor Dog Treat Dispenser Review

Technology continues to advance within the pet industry at lightning fast speed. Several new pet-friendly apps, dog monitor camera systems and remote training devices will positively change dog training forever.

At the top of the technology heap is Smart Animal Training Systems’ Pet Tutor. The dog treat dispenser is a shining star beaming with endless pet training and enrichment opportunities for dogs. With Pet Tutor’s technology, endless options and a savvy dog trainer, this tool has the power to replace shock collars. The only limitation to the product is a dog trainer or pet owner’s imagination.

What is a Pet Tutor?

Pet Tutor is a computerized dog treat dispenser programmed with different dispensing settings, which can be controlled through a smart remote or mobile app. Pet Tutor’s tube is made of stainless steel and lexan, which is a clear and super strong polycarbonate. Lexan is so strong that it’s considered bullet resistant, and used in safety glasses.

In addition, this blue cylindrical device is mobile. You can place it on the ground, mount it to a crate or hang it from a wall with a 3M removable hook.

Setting Up Pet Tutor

Pet Tutor sets up easily, dispenses dog treats soundlessly, and offers endless mental enrichment ideas and training possibilities for your dog. It only takes a couple of seconds to set up the treat dispensing function. If you’re using the training system’s more advanced settings, such as installing a Bluetooth app, setup can take 5-6 minutes.

Dispenses All Types of Treats!

Another huge bonus is Pet Tutor will dispense different types of high value treats. Smart Animal Training Systems has a patented treat dispensing design that prevents training treats from jamming, so any type of treat can be used. Think kibble, chopped up hot dogs, diced string cheese, etc. Some animal trainers use chopped up carrots to teach horses to stand still during grooming while others are dispensing birdseed when teaching birds new behaviors.

Pet Tutor Creator

Wes Anderson created Pet Tutor as a fun game that infuses and combines positive reinforcement training principles and mental stimulation. In the past, Wes worked as an electrical engineer and statistician. He studied neuroscience with a focus on Alzheimer’s research. Recently, Wes decided to focus on another passion and became a dog trainer. Using his extensive knowledge, he designed and created Pet Tutor and committed himself to offering the latest updates as technology advances.

How Will Pet Tutor Help My Dog?

Pet Tutor is a game changer in the animal behavior world. This dog training tool can slow down fast eating dogs, offers different forms of mental stimulation and teaches a dog that barking doesn’t pay. Yes, this dog treat dispenser will certainly help dogs.

Slow Fast Eating Dogs

For fast eating dogs, Pet Tutor will slow down meals by dispensing one kibble at a time. Instead of inhaling food within seconds, dogs may take up to 20 minutes eating their meals, depending on your chosen setting. All you have to do is go on the Pet Tutor smartphone app and change the setting to dispense treats over a period of time and voila! With a few taps, you’ve maximized your dog’s mealtime.

Provide Super Powered Mental Enrichment

Take mealtimes up a notch by teaching a dog to walk over and touch a Kong Wobbler. The dog learns that touching a Kong Wobbler, that’s sitting on the ground, will dispense a treat from the device. Simply place a smartphone that has the Pet Tutor app, or remote, inside a plastic Kong Wobbler to get started!

Stop Dog Barking

Pet Tutor’s technology will dispense treats while a pet owner is away or out of sight. Using a smart remote or app, pet owners can reward dogs for quiet behavior from another room or even online. When away, you can use the training system to reward your dog’s quiet behavior for you. Dogs quickly learn that quiet behavior pays well and barking becomes a thing of the past.

Help Dogs With Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety in dogs is much more than excessive barking; it’s a very serious issue. In short, dogs with separation anxiety panic when they’re left alone, which can result in them seriously harming themselves. The training system can certainly help with separation anxiety, but it requires the expertise of a professional dog trainer or veterinary behaviorist for best results.

Smart Animal Training Systems is committed to evolving its products as new pet technology is discovered. Pet Tutor offers remote rewards through a smartphone or tablet. Pet owners can check in on their dogs using Pet Tutor’s tablet or smartphone app. Additionally, pet owners can instantly dispense treats to reward good behavior remotely.

While many dog camera systems offer this option, there’s a slight delay between pressing the treat dispense button on a smartphone and the treat being dispensed. When changing dog behavior, timing and speed is essential.

https://youtu.be/Jrlrj62-GMY

Can A Dog Be Too Food Motivated?

January 16, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Your Food Obsessed Dog May Just Be Distracted

When pet owners are introduced to positive reinforcement, a common question they ask is, “Can a dog become too food motivated?” I must say the concern is a very misunderstood one.

When teaching your dog new behaviors, there are no black-and-white answers. Instead, there are shades of gray that can confuse novice pet owners and dog trainers alike. What seems like excessive excitement about food may simply be something completely different.

Before assuming your dog is too food motivated, you should make a few dog training adjustments, which can make a huge difference in food obsessed dogs.

Signs of a Food Obsessed Dog

When dogs get excited about food, many pet owners feel they’re “too food motivated.” From another perspective, I know many people that behave similarly when margaritas are served. 🙂 When dogs are excited, they may:

Jump up
Drool
Knock over furniture and people
Lack focus
Focus only on food in hand, on floor, etc.
Ignore (not listen to) “commands”
Will only sit for a treat
Mug, bump or steal from treat bag

Is It Really Food Causing Excitement?

Dogs get excited about food; it’s natural canine behavior. When dogs are introduced to high value treats (i.e. baked chicken, cubed cheese, chopped up lunch meat), especially if they’ve never eaten it before, over excitement is understandable.

Excessive excitement can frustrate the pet owner and dog, so it’s important to bring a dog’s arousal level down a bit. Plus, excited dogs have a harder time learning because they lose focus. During dog training sessions, pet owners should be aware of their own behavior too.

To keep your behavior in check during training sessions, record both you and your dog on your smartphone. Then, make the following adjustments suggested below and record again. You’ll notice a quick and positive difference in your food obsessed dog’s behavior.

Avoid High-Pitched Rapidly Repeating Sounds

Dogs love high-pitched and rapidly repeating sounds—that’s why dog toys have squeakers. When dogs hear squeaky sounds, they get excited. They jump up, run over to the sound, focus on the person or thing making the sound, and dance around because they’re excited!

Fortunately, humans can easily mimic these high-pitched sounds. While many pet owners use these sounds as rewards for good behavior, they can inadvertently use these sounds during dog training too. When pet owners rapidly repeat a cue (e.g. “sit,” “sit,” “sit”), this can cause excitement even if said in a deep tone.

When teaching your dog a new behavior, or practicing an old behavior, say the “sit” cue once. If your dog doesn’t respond, he or she probably doesn’t understand what the verbal cue means. Or your dog has never practiced this behavior in that situation, and is too distracted. Never assume your dog understands a cue. Even if your dog has done the behavior before or will do it elsewhere, it may have been a fluke or you forgot to reward it.

Go Slowly

Oh, this is a big one! Fast movement will get a dog super excited—and quickly! Don’t believe me? Try running around the backyard with your dog. Even better, try running around the backyard while your dog watches you from a window. 🙂 Not only is movement fun, but it’s very distracting for dogs too.

During dog training sessions, it’s important to move slowly. Stand still and hold a treat in one hand. When luring a dog, place the treat on your dog’s nose and move slowly. If you move a food lure too quickly, your dog will move just as fast. When in doubt, put the treat back in your pocket and take a deep breath. Slowly remove the treat from your pocket and try moving slower. Make sure to keep the food lure in front of your dog’s nose. Holding treats too high will cause your dog to jump up for the treat. When you move slowly, your dog will too. 🙂

Make It Clear

When teaching or practicing a dog behavior, clear communication is key. Confusion can look like excitement, especially if a treat is bouncing around a dog’s face. If someone is holding a $100 bill in front of you, while speaking in a foreign language, you’ll try to figure out how to earn the $100.

Now, if this person moves the money around your face really fast, while repeating a sound over and over again loudly, you’ll likely snatch at the money due to frustration. From your perspective (learner), this person is teasing you with a $100 bill, right? From the other person’s perspective (teacher), he’s just holding the money in his hand while asking you to “sit.” 🙂

When in doubt, stop and video record your dog training sessions. When re-watching the video, ask yourself if you’re clearly communicating with your dog. If not, take a moment and think through your plan. Better yet, ask a certified dog trainer for tips. They can help jump-start your training sessions.

Still Think You Have a Food Obsessed Dog?

High-pitched, rapidly repeating sounds coupled with fast movements are exciting for your dog. Add a dash of confusion into the mix, and your dog is bouncing around like a ping-pong ball. Ninety percent of the time, a dog will sit still around food when pet owners remove these exciting and distracting factors. As for the other 10%, these dogs will relax quickly after earning and consuming a high value reward a few times. If a dog still leaps into the air for baked chicken, it’s time to reward impulse control games.

Why Does My Potty Trained Dog Pee In The House?

January 13, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Managing Dog Peeing Behavior

Last night, a very upset pet parent contacted me about her dog. This client was completely convinced her dog pees in the house out of vengeance. During our conversation, she mentioned her dog is completely potty trained, but has just started urinating in one spot in her bathroom. She was recently hospitalized for a week, leaving her dog home alone. She assumed her dog was peeing in her bathroom because she wasn’t home.

Once I calmed her down, I asked several questions and we chatted about appropriate steps to prevent this dog behavior from happening again. Inappropriate urination in dogs happens quite often, but it’s not caused by vengeance.

Dogs Don’t Seek Vengeance

Dogs are simply blessed creatures. They don’t seek revenge, vengeance, payback or retaliation. Honestly, that’s a wonderful way to live. While it’s easy to attribute human emotions to our dog’s actions (we are human; that’s what we do), dogs don’t think that way. Science has debunked this common dog myth too. On that same note, dogs don’t feel guilt either.

Dogs are opportunists. They make decisions based on current circumstances. Dogs do what works for them in that moment.

After asking this upset client about her dog peeing in the bathroom, it turns out Sugar Bear doesn’t like pottying outside in the rain. It had rained every day for 10 days. If Sugar Bear refuses to pee outside, his pet parent brings him back indoors and forgets about it. Well, Sugar Bear still needs to pee. So, he trots off and finds a room far away and pees in a specific corner of the bathroom. Problem solved: His bladder is empty and life can happily carry on.

How to Prevent Your Dog From Peeing in the House

Anytime a previously potty trained dog urinates in the house, it’s best to rule out any health issues first. A quick trip to your vet’s office, with a urine sample in hand, should be the first step to prevent your housebroken dog from peeing in the house.

Once your dog’s health has been cleared, it’s time to change his behavior through management. Block access to the bathroom or the one room where your potty trained dog pees with a securely placed baby gate. Managing your dog’s environment prevents him from wandering off and peeing in the house. Keep this barrier up for several weeks until your dog has learned to potty outside instead.

Take a Step Back to Potty Training 101

Start Off With Leashed Potty Breaks

Taking a step back in your dog training progress and reteaching a behavior is completely normal. Reintroduce your dog to leashed potty breaks for several days. Grab your dog’s leash, stuff a few treats in your pocket and take your dog outside in the most boring area of your home. Now, just stand there and wait.

Likely, your dog will sit, down, bark, or stand there and look at you. He’s trying to figure out how to earn the treat in your pocket. Just ignore him and wait. Your dog will walk away and urinate. As your dog pees, say “yes” softly. Once he’s done urinating, give him a treat.

The word “yes” marks the behavior you want (i.e. urinating outside) and means he earns a treat for doing this behavior. Remember to say “yes” softly or you’ll risk startling your dog and he’ll stop urinating. Oops!

If your dog doesn’t potty after 10 minutes, bring him back inside and keep an eye on him. You might want to consider crating your dog since you might get distracted. After 30 minutes or so, take your dog back outside on leash and wait in the boring spot again.

All dogs need to urinate, so the behavior will happen. If he doesn’t urinate now, he will eventually; you just have to wait for it. Continue taking your dog to potty in the boring part of your backyard until he potties on leash. Remember to say “yes” softly as he urinates and reward once he’s completely done.

Teach Him to Potty First, Play Later

After a few days of leashed potty breaks, you’ve likely rewarded outdoor urination many times. Now, take your dog outside, off leash, and reward him for peeing outside. Once your dog potties, play a quick game of fetch. Your dog will learn to potty first and play later. In the rare instance your dog runs around and plays instead of urinating outside, return to leashed potty breaks again.

Remove the Baby Gate

Once you’ve witnessed your dog urinate outside for two weeks, you can now remove the baby gate. Make sure the previous indoor potty spot has been thoroughly cleaned with an enzyme-based cleaner specifically made for dog urine before removing the gate. Watch his old indoor potty spot carefully for any new marks.

Usually, following these steps will eliminate inappropriate urination 80% of the time. However, if your dog continues to potty indoors, it’s time to hire a professional dog trainer. There are oodles of reasons why this behavior continues to happen, so it’s important for you to contact a positive reinforcement dog trainer to assess and recommend.

Hang in there!

The Role Of Management In Dog Training

January 9, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Using Management to Prevent Dog Behavior

Dog Behavior Management — Klynn84/iStock

As a professional dog trainer, it’s my job to help both dog and pet parent change inappropriate dog behavior. Depending on the situation, management protocols and tools are suggested first before jumping in and changing a behavior. When I mention management tools, many pet owners smirk and give me a side eye because they’re skeptical the tools will work. However, dog behavior management is an essential component of dog training and it can prevent inappropriate behavior from happening. To be completely effective, management must be paired with behavior protocols.

What is Management?

In a nutshell, management means organizing and controlling situations and things. Within the dog training world, management means controlling your dog’s environment to stop your dog’s behavior from happening. Think about management this way: It prevents dogs from engaging in inappropriate behavior.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Think of behavior like a muscle; the more the behavior is exercised, the stronger it becomes.[/perfectpullquote]

When dogs practice behaviors (e.g. barking at the front door, digging in the trashcan, fence fighting, etc.), they get better at it. Think of behavior like a muscle; the more the behavior is exercised, the stronger it becomes.

Management stops certain behaviors from happening, but it doesn’t really teach your dog anything. Stopping the behavior from happening is the key to changing your dog’s behavior. Once your dog stops barking, digging or chewing, it’s time to teach your dog what to do instead.

How Does Management Work?

Management works well in many situations. Remember, management is controlling the environment, so your dog stops the inappropriate behavior. Here are a few examples.

Behavior: Dog barks out front windows.
Solution: Prevent dog from entering room with front windows by placing a baby gate to block access.

Behavior: Dog digs in trash.
Solution: Purchase a trashcan with a heavy lid.

Behavior: Dog runs away from you.
Solution: Keep dog leashed at all times.

Behavior: Dog chews furniture when you’re away.
Solution: Crate dog when you leave.

Behavior: Dog barks at outside noises.
Solution: Play soft music to drown out noises.

How to Use Management in Dog Training

Sometimes, if you’re really lucky, management will stop a behavior immediately. Usually, this happens when management is introduced early, so the behavior isn’t that strong. For example, if a pet owner prevents a barking dog from running over and barking out windows quickly by installing a baby gate in the doorway, the behavior will go away because the dog is unable to run over and bark out the window.

Management can prevent behaviors from happening too. Purchasing a heavy lidded trash can will prevent a dog from dumpster diving. For persistent trash digging dogs, placing a trashcan inside a cabinet works amazingly well too.

Management Isn’t Foolproof

This is very true. Management will stop or prevent a behavior from happening, but it’s not 100% effective. Usually, management breaks down due to human error. We forget to close a baby gate, close the trash can lid and so forth. It takes only one successful opportunity for your dog to start digging in the trash or barking intensely at the window again.

Additionally, if a dog has practiced a behavior for a long time, it might take some time for management to help. Management should be used to prevent inappropriate behavior from happening while pet owners should train dogs on what they should do instead. For example, keeping your dog on a short leash will prevent him from jumping up on guests. Asking your dog to sit (and rewarding him lavishly) when greeting guests teaches your dog that sitting works best.

Conclusion

Management is the first step in changing dog behavior, and it should be followed thoroughly. Furthermore, management shouldn’t be the only option. It’s important to teach your dog how to react differently. When in doubt, reach out to a professional positive reinforcement dog trainer for advice.

UP NEXT: Should a Beginner Dog Trainer Take Aggression Cases?

Dog Behavior: Help! My Dog Has Zoomies

December 21, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Don’t Worry, Dog Zoomies are Normal

Get out of the way! Is my dog possessed? Nope, he just has dog zoomies.

This crazy dog behavior is witnessed by pet owners every day. Dogs will randomly run through the house like a speeding missile that leaps, runs, bounces, nips and turns circles so fast they resemble a blur. This sudden burst of energy is lovingly called zoomies, and is normal canine behavior. Technically, zoomies are called frenetic random activity periods, or FRAP, for short.

Thankfully, zoomies end just as quickly as they start up, but many pet owners wonder what causes dog zoomies and how to best handle them.

What are Dog Zoomies?

Zoomies refer to a dog’s random burst of energy that can last seconds or several minutes. Easily excited dogs, or dogs with extra bouts of energy, may zoomie more than other dogs. However, I’m not certain this is completely true. I’ve watched senior dogs zoomie for a few seconds when their human comes home. They do this out of excitement.

One thing we can assume from this quirky dog behavior is zoomies are caused by excitement and powered by energy. Sometimes, when pet owners elicit play, this may cause their dogs to zoomie around the house. When we come home from work, our Bull Terrier does somersaults on top of our bed, which we lovingly call huckle butting. 🙂

What Should You Do?

Just step out of the way, and let your dog enjoy his or her zoomies. Some pet owners will clap or speak in a high-pitched voice while dog zoomies happen. This will ensure zoomies carry on for several more minutes.

Let Him Outside

For larger dogs that knock over furniture or people during zoomie time, let them out into the backyard to enjoy their zoomies. Remember, dog zoomies are powered by excitement, so allow your large dog to celebrate your arrival home in a safe place. Nothing ruins a good zoomie than getting into trouble.

If your large dog gets too excited, ask him to play a game of “touch” or play a quick game of fetch. Asking your dog to “sit” or “down” when he’s excited won’t happen and isn’t fair. It’s equivalent to asking a young child to stand completely still when walking through Disney World gates. It’s impossible. 🙂

Don’t Chase

Now, refrain from chasing your dog during zoomies, as this will teach your dog to run away from you. While it’s fun it the moment, it can turn into a game of “keep away,” which isn’t fun when trying to catch your dog.

Too Many Zoomies?

A few zoomies are fun, but several zoomies a day means your dog needs additional exercise. Plan to walk younger dogs for 30 minutes per day. During walks, make sure your dog has plenty of sniffing opportunities too. This uses up excess energy. Also, feed daily meals from food puzzles and provide plenty of chewing opportunities too.

Enjoy zoomies with your dog. Celebrate together!

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