Trimming Dog Nails: Reaching for Paw (1 of 3)

March 18, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Reaching for Dog Paw to Trim Nails

Most dogs dislike touching or any type of restraint of their paws. We can easily teach your dog to enjoy this part. During this tutorial, you’re going to learn how to teach your dog to allow the touching of her paw. This is an important part of teaching your dog to accept nail trims so take your time.

Goal: Your dog allows (is comfortable) when you reach for and touch her paws and nails. This means your dog doesn’t pull her paw away when you reach, touch or restrain her paw.

Let’s Get Started

Most dogs pull their paws away, freeze, growl or snap when you reach for their paws. This step should reduce their anxiety, but it may take a couple of weeks.

You’ll need several small yummy treats (about 20-30 tiny pieces), a clicker and non-skid area.

Step One

Goal: Dog keeps paw in place while you reach for it. You’re not touching her paw yet.

Reach for your dog’s paw. Click as you’re reaching and give her a treat. If your dog moves her paw, as you’re reaching, try making smaller “reach gestures.”
Practice five times in a row. Click and treat when she keeps her paw in place. If she moves her paw, don’t click. The behavior is “keep paw still while I reach for it.” You’ll watch her process the situation and soon learn to keep her paw still while you’re reaching for it.
End training session and take a break.
Practice short sessions, alternating between front and back paws, until your dog keeps her foot still while you reach for it.

Tip: Click lots for “reaching for paw” even if you’re stopping three or four feet away. Reaching is the cue for nail trims so we need to change your dog’s perspective. She will learn “reaching for paws” means super yummy treats instead.

VIDEO: Dog Nail Trims – Reaching for Paw

Step Two

Goal: Reach out and touch her paw with your hand. You’re not holding or restraining her paw yet.

Using one finger, reach out and touch your dog’s paw quickly. Click as you touch her paw and give her a treat.
If she moves her foot, click and treat when reaching for her paw a few times, then try touching again.
Practice five times in a row.
End training session and take a break.
Continue practice sessions, alternating between front and back paws, until you’re able to touch her paw with your finger.

VIDEO: Dog Nail Trims – Touch Dog’s Paw

Step Three

Goal: Touch nail with one finger.

Reach out and touch your dog’s nail quickly. Click as you’re touching her nail and give her a treat.
If she moves her paw away, click and treat when reaching for her paw. Then, try again.
Practice five times in a row.
End training session and take a break.
Continue practice sessions, alternating between front and back nails, until you’re able to touch her nail with a finger.

VIDEO: Dog Nail Trims – Touch Dog’s Nail

Shaping Dog Behavior

March 5, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Shaping Dog Training

You’re Getting Closer

Shaping dog behavior is another extremely powerful way to teach polite manners. A teacher uses basic learning fundamentals for humans, dogs, cats, fish and snails so let’s discuss how dog owners can use shaping in dog training.

What is Shaping Dog Behavior?

Shaping means rewarding small approximations, or small steps, toward a goal behavior. When teaching complex behaviors that don’t occur naturally, shaping works wonderfully.

Think of shaping as the “hot and cold” game. When a learner is “warm,” you click and treat. When she is “cold,” the learner is ignored. In shaping dog training, reward “warm” behaviors often because we all know how discouraging it is after hearing “cold, cold, cold.” You want to quit, and it’s no longer fun.

Shaping Happens Everyday

If you want to increase the chances of your husband emptying the dishwasher, reward him with control of the remote afterwards. You don’t need to say anything. Just push the remote toward him when he enters the living room after tidying up in the kitchen. 🙂

Works at the Office Too

You can totally shape better behavior at the office. For grumpy co-workers, ignore or limit chit-chat when they’re complaining. Reward smiles and positive comments by engaging in conversations. If he should become grumpy again, disengage. Over time, you’ll notice a happier co-worker even if it’s only with you. 🙂

Bosses are different. We sometimes need to engage when they’re grumpy. Instead of grimacing or blankly staring back at your boss, try nodding often and offering direct eye contact. This will lighten the mood, as your boss is being acknowledged. When you notice the mood lighten even if slightly, smile. You may notice your boss smiling back even just a little toward the end of your conversation. 🙂

Shaping Dog Training Technique

When teaching a complex behavior, such as walking on a loose leash, spend some time figuring out what polite leash walking looks like.

Polite loose leash walking components:

Leash is loose.
Dog looks back at you (checks in regularly).
Dog walks around within three to four feet of your legs/body.
Your dog can easily ignore approaching dogs.
Dog ignores approaching people.
Now, she can ignore movement (bicycles, cars passing by, joggers passing you on walking trails, etc.).

That’s a lot of components, and learning all of these at the same time is like learning to ski or dance in an hour. It’s not going to happen. 🙂

Pick one component and practice during training sessions. Once your dog learns to keep a loose leash after three or four practice sessions, move onto the next component and practice. Now you’re clicking for when your dog looks back at you while keeping the leash loose.

Once your dog can do both at the same time, move to component three. If, at any time, your dog begins pulling on the leash, take a step back and work on “keeping leash loose.” It’s hard doing two things at once. Remember balancing and then squatting down on skis? If you lose your balance, take a step back and refresh.

Slowly add one component at a time until your dog walks politely on leash. Again, take one or two steps back, isolate the component your dog is struggling with, and refresh. Once she’s ready, try adding back the final behavior.

Don’t Get Overwhelmed

Shaping actually prevents that dreaded overwhelming feeling. Keep it simple, split tasks into smaller chunks and refresh often. When working on a complex project at work, you probably wrote high-level tasks in an outline, captured and categorized each task in an Excel sheet, and completed items by category–that’s shaping!

You may also like: Teach Your Dog How to Use a Ramp

Teach Your Dog How to Use a Ramp

March 4, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Training a Dog to Use a Ramp

Dog ramps are popular, as most dogs will benefit from using one during their lifetime. Ramps are extremely useful. They help small dogs on and off furniture, large dogs into and out of vehicles and prevent dogs from navigating steps after surgery.

The pet industry is filled with plastic, portable, wooden and decorative versions so choose the ramp that works best for the situation needed and your dog’s size.

Ramps are beneficial if your dog uses them. It’s important to teach your dog how to walk up and down a ramp. Dogs are smart and will likely jump over, off or go around a ramp because they haven’t learned how to navigate them yet.

How to Teach Your Dog to Use a Ramp

You’ll need lots of tiny yummy treats and a clicker. Treats should be the size of a pea, as you’ll be using plenty of them in the beginning.

Step One: Going Up

Sprinkle a thin trail of treats going up the ramp and take a few steps away from the ramp. Sometimes, our hovering is counterproductive and we, humans, usually feel the need to push or pull a dog closer to or up the ramp. Standing on the side of the ramp will prevent pushing forward.
Your dog will likely walk toward the ramp and sniff the treats or even eat a few. Praise her. She’s trying.
As she nibbles a few treats, praise her as she places a paw or two on the ramp.
If she’s still not sure, ask another member of the family to stand at the top of the ramp and praise her for touching the ramp.
After a few minutes, your dog will likely walk halfway up the ramp and look over the sides. Continue to encourage her to walk up the rest of the way.
Once she walks up the ramp, give her a handful of treats and lots of praise. I call it “have a party!”

Step Two: Coming Down

Using a trail of treats, sprinkle down the ramp. You’ll use the same techniques as teaching her to go up the ramp.
Some dogs are hesitant to walk up a ramp and others aren’t too sure about walking down a ramp. Dogs have different comfort levels just like people.

Step Three: Add a Cue

Once your dog willingly walks up and down a ramp, it’s time to add a cue.
Say “ramp.” As your dog begins to walk up or down the ramp, click and give a treat. Voila. There you go!

VIDEO: Teaching Your Dog How to Use a Ramp

READ ALSO: How to Choose a Dog Ramp

Teaching Your Dog the “Go to Place” Cue

March 4, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Training a Dog “Place”

When teaching dogs a “place” cue, you’re teaching them to place or target their bodies onto an object, such as a mat. There are so many uses for “place.” Here are just a couple of them:

Lying on a mat teaches young dogs how to settle down.
Great place for your dog to relax during family meals or when guests visit.

How to Teach a Dog “Place” Cue

You’ll need lots of tiny and yummy treats plus a clicker. If your dog is new to clicker training, I suggest attaching a six-foot leash to his collar. This keeps him with you until he learns the meaning of a clicker.

Choose a non-skid and comfy mat that hasn’t been used before as you’ll pick it up after each training session. The reason you pick up the mat after each training session is to ensure your dog is not practicing when you’re not around to reward his behavior. Good mats include yoga mats, bathroom rugs and small area rugs. About two-thirds of your dog’s body should fit on the mat.

Once “place” is on cue, meaning your dog will walk over and stand on the mat when given the cue, then you can transfer it to his bed.

Step 1: Teaching a Dog to Walk Over to Mat

Goals: 1) Dog walks toward the mat. 2) Dog places one foot on the mat.

Place mat in front of your feet and stand still. Look down at the mat and say nothing. Refrain from pointing at the mat. We want your dog or puppy to think here.
More than likely, your dog will either sit or stare at you, as he’s learned sitting usually works for treats. Don’t say anything. Just wait for your dog to touch the mat with one foot.
As his foot touches the mat, click and reset your dog.
After the training session, pick up the mat and store in a shelf.
Continue to click and treat for one foot touching the mat, and practice short sessions (five times in a row) for one to two days.

Goal: Dog places two feet on the mat.

Place mat on the ground in front of your feet.
Now wait for your dog to touch two feet on the mat. This means wait a second or two as your dog places both feet on the mat, then click and treat.
Reset and try again.
Practice short sessions (five times in a row) for one to two days.
Don’t forget to pick up the mat after each session.

Step Two: Keep Feet on Mat Longer

Goal: Dog keeps paws on mat longer (duration aka time).

Place mat down in front of your feet.
Once your dog touches the mat with his feet, wait one second before clicking and treating. To keep track of one second, say “one Mississippi” to yourself–that’s one second.
Reset and try again.
After five sessions, pick up the mat and practice again later. Continue to practice for a day or two.

Step Three: Add “Place” Cue

Goal: Dog walks over and puts feet on mat when given “place” cue.

As you drop mat down in front of your feet, say “place.”
Click and treat when he touches his one or two paws on the mat. Since you’re adding a cue, don’t worry about duration. This will come later.
The moment your dog turns back and looks at you, say “place.” You’re pairing the word “place” with “walk over and touch mat” behavior so make sure he’s looking at you and not distracted by looking for fallen treats. You want his full attention before saying the cue.
Keep practicing. You may notice after a few successful attempts, he may sit in front of the mat instead of touching it. He’s trying different things out. 🙂 Wait for him to touch the mat with his paw. It may take a one or two seconds, but it’s worth it. He’s thinking!
Pick up the mat.
Keep sessions short and practice for a few days.
Move to the last step once your dog will walk over and stand on mat when given “place” cue.

Last Step: Transfer “Place” Cue to Bed

As you’re placing your dog’s bed down in front of your feet, say “place.”
Practice several times using his bed in place of the mat.

READ ALSO: Keep Dog Training Sessions Short

Keep Dog Training Sessions Short

March 2, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Dog Training Practice Session Tips

Keep it Short and Reset

When teaching your dog a new behavior, practice sessions are important. You can’t build muscle doing one repetition of an exercise, right? You need multiple reps to build and sculpt muscles, and this holds true when teaching a new behavior. Practice does make perfect!

Before beginning a dog training practice session, it’s important to follow a few tips to ensure success.

Let’s Get Busy

I gather my clicker and small, yet super yummy treats and head for our training area, which is usually my living room. For a training area, choose an area with non-skid flooring with plenty of space so your dog can move around freely. Personally, I inform my dog a training session is about to start. I say “let’s get busy,” which means “it’s time to punch in for a training session.”

Is reaching for treats and/or the presence of the clicker a cue? Probably. Is walking to our training a cue too? Maybe. But I like to settle in our training area and give the green light by saying “let’s get busy.” It’s basically like saying “we’re up for business.”

Count Out Five Treats

Count out five treats and practice until they are gone. This is the easiest way to keep training sessions short. I’m as guilty as the next person. I used to time practice sessions for one minute. Oh, when we were on a roll, I would turn off the timer and keep going. My dog suffered the burn out from it too! He would miss a cue or offer “sit” because he was confused.

It’s hard concentrating for five full minutes. Most people tackle a problem for one or two minutes, take a tiny break to refill their coffee cups, take a deep breath or ask a fellow dog owner a question. So give your dog a break, count out five treats and practice until they gone. 🙂

Resetting

Resetting is the easiest way to move a dog during practice sessions. Many times, clients practice “sit” using five treats so how can you ask a sitting dog to “sit” again, right? Allow me to introduce you to resetting. It will make your dog’s life so much easier! Instead of pulling your dog out of a behavior, click and toss her a treat about three feet away. When tossing the treat, she must get up, find and eat it. Now you can ask her to “sit” again. Voila!

Tossing treats on the floor will not teach your dog to “vacuum” for food. This happens during controlled training sessions. If you’re worried about feeding your dog from the ground, place a paper plate about two feet away and toss treats into the plate. 🙂

VIDEO: Dog Training Tip: How to Reset Your Dog

All Done

Once all five treats are gone, say “all done,” which means your dog can take a break, and have a quick game of tug or lots of petting. Now, move away from your training area and catch up on emails or find another short task to complete. Most likely, your dog will take a deep breath, grab a few licks of water and lay down for a bit. After five minutes or so, it’s time for another practice session so “let’s get busy!”

Usually, I complete two or three training sessions per day and mostly in between my dog’s scheduled meals, as everyone needs a snack. 🙂

When to Move On

When you’re willing to bet $5 on your dog for performing the behavior, move onto the next step.