How to Train Your Dog Not to Jump Part 1

September 8, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Keep Your Dog From Jumping

Does your dog jump on you or guests? View this 3-part video series, which will teach your dog:

Not to jump on you when coming home.
To greet guests politely.

Directions:

View first video and practice homework for 7 days.
View second video and practice homework for 7 days.
View third, and last, video.

Each video contains tons of information so rewind and watch several times. Bookmark for easy reference.

What you will need:

Delicious dog training treats the size of a pea.
6-foot leash.
Flat buckle collar or body harness.
Clicker is optional. View “Clicker Training for Dogs” for more details.

Note: Always enroll your dog in a group dog training class. This video should not be used in place of dog training class attendance. Learn why it’s vital for dogs to attend by reading this article.

What questions do you have about teaching your dog not to jump? Note them in the comment section below.

NEXT: How to Train Your Dog Not to Jump Part 2

Come When Called Part 1: Intro

September 8, 2014 by Fanna Easter

How to Train Your Dog to Come to You

Does your dog ignore you and run off? View part 1 of our “Come When Called” series, which will teach you how to:

Perform an emergency recall
Call your dog indoors from the backyard
Call your dog back to you around distractions (squirrels, etc.)
Teach multiple dogs to come back to you
Fun games

Directions

View first video and practice homework for seven days.
View second video and practice homework for seven days.
View third video and practice homework for seven days.
View fourth, and final, video.

Each video contains tons of information, so rewind and watch several times. Bookmark for easy future reference.

What you will need:

Delicious treats the size of a pea
Six-foot leash
Flat buckle collar or body harness
Clicker

Note: Always enroll your dog in a group dog training class. This video should not be used in place of dog training class attendance.

WATCH: Come When Called Part 1: Intro

NEXT: Come When Called Part 2: Adding Distance to “Come” Cue

Learn How to Park Your Dog

September 6, 2014 by Fanna Easter

How to Train Your Dog to Stay

Parking your dog is a dog training behavior that can really help as a strong foundation to build on. In a nutshell, the “parking your dog” behavior teaches the dog to sit and stay with you while you are doing something else, such as:

Talking to someone at the park
Having guests over
Dining outdoors
Paying at the pet store or vet’s office
Listening to instructions during group class lecture

How Parking Your Dog Applies to Your Dog Training Behaviors and Progressions

This behavior can be used when your dog becomes overwhelmed by another barking dog or excited in a new situation. Teaching your dog to stay with you shows him that it is time to bring his arousal level down.

Think of it like asking your dog to take a “yoga breath.” When teaching hyperactive dogs to be calm, many folks will ask their dogs to sit still. As you know, when your dog is aroused by other dogs, this can be a difficult thing to do.

As you train your dog to manage his extra energy and excitement, parking your dog is the perfect way to practice. Give him the chance to learn to “park it” as a cue in a non-stressful situation.

When training your dog, set him up for success. Teach your dog to sit and then build it up to “stay” and again to “park it.” Park it is a rock solid way to train your dog to stay or wait patiently.

Reinforce the positive behavior with positive actions like a click of the clicker and a great reward or treat for your pet. Using the word “park” as the indication to your dog that he is doing what is being asked of him is a great cue word.

Let’s look at it from a human perspective. Have you been with a friend who meets up with another friend and you are not part of the conversation? It’s awkward, but it happens. Now, relate that to thinking from the dog’s perspective: Would he get bored or feel awkward?

I bet your dog would. Approaching someone to have a conversation while needing your dog to wait patiently is the perfect application for this dog training behavior. Parking your dog is not the same as the “wait” cue, as you are not asking your dog to sit in one spot.

Why Train Your Dog to Park It?

Self control (teaching your hyper dog to relax)
Polite greetings to people (not to jump on people)
Polite leash manners (not pull on the leash)
Bark prevention

How to Teach Park Your Dog

Step on your leash about halfway up to your dog. He should have 3-4 feet of extra leash.
Click and treat your dog the instant the leash becomes loose. Example: Your dog is pulling to visit another dog. Wait until the leash becomes loose and click/treat!
Bingo. You are rewarding calm and quiet behavior!

VIDEO: How to Train Your Dog to Park It

Tell us other ways to use this behavior in your life in the comment section below.

READ ALSO: Training Your Dog to Leave It

Excessive Dog Barking: How to Stop It

August 15, 2014 by Fanna Easter

How to Stop Excessive Dog Barking

Each dog is an individual. While dog breed and age play a small role, dogs have their own personalities. Within a litter of 10 puppies, personalities range from shy to outgoing to bossy. There’s always a noisy one, or the puppy that whines and barks more than the other puppies. This also applies to people. I talk a lot, but my sister is super quiet—same genes, but different personalities. 🙂

Dogs bark to communicate and, at times, we can inadvertently reward this behavior. Barking, whining and howling are normal canine behaviors. However, excessive barking can be frustrating and, if loud enough, can become a problem for your neighbors.

What is Excessive Dog Barking?

Excessive barking is when a dog barks more than necessary in a specific situation. There’s a reason your dog is barking, and it’s our job to find the trigger, so we can dial down the barking and reduce his frustration as well as ours. 🙂

If you ask your dog to stop barking, and your dog continues to bark, this means your dog didn’t understand what “stop barking” meant, so you need to teach him. Ready to learn more? Let’s get busy!

Training Your Dog to Stop Barking

Before we fix the issue, we need to dive deeper to find out what is causing your dog to bark. When, where and what causes your dog to bark?

Once you’ve identified the trigger, it’s so important to catch your dog not barking around the trigger instead of waiting for him to bark. In the South, we have a saying: “Once the horse is out of the barn, not much you can do.”

Applying this to excessive barking, grab a clicker and a handful of training treats your dog loves. When your dog is around the trigger and is quiet, immediately click and give your dog a treat.

It’s very important you catch this good behavior (not barking around trigger). The more your dog is rewarded for being quiet around the trigger, the less he’ll practice bad behavior (excessive barking).

If your dog constantly barks all day long, even at night, and has other issues, such as not eating or sleeping, consult your veterinarian to rule out any health issues.

True Story About a Dog That Wouldn’t Stop Barking

Daisy, a recently rescued Beagle Mix, attended my group dog training class. Her pet parents were at their wit’s end. Daisy barked at the cat, door, people, during class, at night and when left alone. This went on for weeks. Even I was shocked at how much she barked.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Daisy was in pain, and trying to tell us the best she could.[/perfectpullquote]

Nothing would prevent her from barking—not even meat loaf. While Daisy wasn’t a big eater, she would take treats in class and barked and barked even more! I was puzzled, what was going on?

Daisy’s owners took her to the vet and after a complete workup, they discovered Daisy had a bone shard lodged in her throat and it had been there awhile! Once removed, Daisy became quiet as a mouse.

Most owners would’ve punished Daisy, and thank goodness they didn’t. It wasn’t her fault. Daisy was in pain and trying to tell us the best she could.

Ready, set and let’s train!

More:
Request Dog Barking
Attention Seeking Barking
Stop Dog Barking Next Door
Dog Barking at Sounds

How to Train Your Dog Around Distractions

August 12, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Training Your Dog for Distractions

Teaching your dog a new behavior is the easy part! The tough part is practicing your new behavior around many distractions. 🙂

I think it was Bob Bailey saying, “10% of a new behavior is teaching your dog how to do the behavior. 90% is practicing the new behavior around distractions.”

When a pet parent says, “My dog does not listen at the park,” this means more practice at the park.

How to Train Your Dog

Attach a leash to your dog. 🙂

Have a party. Show your dog you are the best and most fun thing around.

o Carry the best treats ever! The really good stuff.

o Reward your dog every two seconds, especially if in a high distraction area, such as a park.

o Use high-pitched tones, such as clapping or verbal “puppy puppy puppy.” It’s best used when dog is distracted. The sound will draw his attention back to you, so click/treat!

o Move away from your dog really fast. Your fast movement is fun and will bring your dog’s attention back to you!

o Keep a hidden tug toy that may pop out for impromptu games. Rotate between treats and tug game if your dog likes to play too!

Start slow. Ask your dog to stay for two seconds instead of 2 minutes in a new situation. Always set your dog up for success or you’ll create a confused dog.

Measuring Success

When training your dog around distractions, what does good look like? When your dog will perform a cue 90% of the time. This means, you say “sit” and your dog immediately (within 2 seconds) puts his behind on the ground 9 out of 10 times. Move to the next step. 🙂

If your dog struggles to reach this criteria, you are moving too fast. Go back one or two steps and try again. This is not your or your dog’s fault. This usually means your dog is too distracted by the distraction. Move slowly and only move to the next step when your dog is successful.

Distraction Check List: Ready, Set, Go!

Begin practicing new behaviors around distractions in the below order. By following each step, your dog will learn to respond to cues quickly!

Your Home
1. Hallway
2. Kitchen
3. Living room with TV playing
Outside Yard
1. Outside yard with kids playing (On leash)
2. Outside yard with kids playing (Off leash)
3. While squirrels are playing (On leash)
4. While squirrels are playing (Off leash)
In Car
During Dog Training Classes
Vet’s Office
1. Waiting area (no dogs -> 1-2 dogs -> several dogs)
2. Inside vet’s exam room
3. While vet is examining your dog
Walking Along Your Street: Always on Leash
1. With no one in park (late evenings work best)
2. While other people are walking around
3. Dogs walking past you and your dog
In a Park: Always on Leash
1. Begin far away from any distractions
2. Move 5 feet closer to distractions (maybe it’s a walking trail with people and dogs)
3. Move even closer (another 5 feet)
4. Practice 3 feet from walking trail
5. Practice on walking trail
6. On trail with other people
7. On trail with other people and dogs
8. 15 feet move children playing (move until dog will perform cue within 3 feet of children’s play area)
Around Guests
1. On leash
2. Off leash

Dog training is like long division mathematics. When you stop practicing, you forget how to do it. Keep practicing and reward often! Happy training!

Now it’s your turn! What other distractions would you add to the list above?

READ ALSO: Come When Called Part 1: Intro