House Training An Adult Dog

March 15, 2017 by Fanna Easter

How to House Train an Adult Dog

House Training Adult Dog — nenetus/Adobe Stock

Potty accidents, caused by adult dogs, is much more common than you think. Most adult dogs will potty outside in the backyard, but will also potty inside when the right opportunity arises (e.g. when it’s raining outside :)). Regardless of the reason, some adult dogs may need a house training refresher course. If your dog potties inside your home, follow these simple steps to house train an adult dog.

Dog House Training 101

When teaching an adult dog potty training skills, you should follow the same steps you’d take for potty training a puppy. Remember, it’s up to you to teach a dog house training skills. Dogs aren’t pre-programmed to understand pottying indoors is considered rude. 🙂

Crate Your Dog

Confining a dog to a small area is an important step for house training an adult dog. Usually, dogs won’t potty where they sleep, so confining them in a crate teaches dogs to “hold it.” Crate training can be extremely helpful when used properly. However, you shouldn’t leave your adult dog or puppy in a crate for more than 4 hours. If you’re unable to keep an eye on your dog, toss a food filled toy into the dog crate and close your dog inside. This will prevent her from wandering into the formal dining room and pottying. When in doubt, crate your dog before chatting on the phone or reading through text messages.

Leash Your Dog During Potty Walks

When asked if their dogs potty in the backyard, pet owners swear their dogs do, yet their dogs come right back indoors and urinate on the carpet. While this raises a red flag from a dog trainer’s perspective, it’s important to rule out any health issues with a veterinarian first. Once health issues are cleared, it’s time for leashed potty breaks in the yard.

Bring your dog outside on leash in the most boring part of your backyard. Now wait for “it” to happen, and reward when your adult dog potties. Once she’s done, give her a treat and unsnap the leash. Leash walks aren’t forever. It’s a dog training tool to verify a dog is actually pottying outside, and it provides plenty of opportunities to reward good behavior.

If a dog doesn’t potty outside, bring her indoors and place her inside the crate with a food stuffed toy. After 20 minutes, take her outside again. Continue until she potties outside and reward her, so she learns that pottying outside makes treats happen.

Set a Schedule

Life gets busy, and dogs are usually forgotten. Creating a set potty schedule is key. Following a set schedule will certainly jump-start a house training protocol. Set your dog’s potty training schedule in a highly visible area, such as a refrigerator. Even better, set a reminder on your smartphone. Check out an example of a house training schedule.

There is One Big Difference Though

When house training a dog, the core principles and skills are the same regardless of a dog’s age. But there’s one big difference that most pet owners seem to forget, and it’s a challenging one. When dogs practice a behavior for a long time, they get really good at it. Behaviors become patterns and habits, which are challenging to fix. It will take longer to house train an adult dog than a new puppy.

This applies to humans as well. Don’t believe me? Try shaking hands with your left hand next time. It feels weird, and most people quickly return to what they know, which is shaking hands with their right hand. You’ve shook hands with someone’s right hand for years, so it feels weird doing anything else. Remember this when your adult dog has a potty accident; they’re relearning new habits and skills.

It Can Be Done

Patience and consistency is key. When your adult dog has an accident, it’s usually because she was allowed too much freedom too soon. Take a step back, and follow the three steps for house training an adult dog. Never punish your dog for potty accidents, as she’ll learn to potty in far away areas, which is counterproductive. Reward often and keep an eye on your dog until she’s had 30 potty accident free days.

UP NEXT: 5 Tips for Sharing a Home With an Incontinent Dog

Dogs Find Choices Very Rewarding

March 3, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Choice Dog Training

Easiest Way to Train a Dog — alexei_tm/Adobe Stock

As with everything in life, trends appear, stick around or rapidly disappear. Lately, a new dog training trend focuses on giving dogs choices during the training process. This “trend” puzzles me a bit because choices should be a part of all dog training. Dogs deserve choices, and sometimes dogs find choices more rewarding than food. Below, we show you the easiest way to train a dog through choices.

How Choice Dog Training Works

Dogs should be allowed to make choices during training sessions and in life. At first, this concept scares most pet owners and a few dog trainers alike. However, giving dogs choices actually speeds up training when dogs learn they’re able to control their environment.

Making choices in situations is super empowering, and giving dogs the ability to make their own teaches them to trust their pet owners completely. As humans, we must honor our dog’s choice and not push the issue. This is where pet owners become concerned and confused, as they’re envisioning dogs walking across kitchen countertops or running freely through the neighborhood. Nope, you’ve envisioned the pendulum swinging too far.

Instead, you reward your dog for making the right choice, which increases the likelihood that your dog’s certain behavior will happen again.

Giving Your Dog a Choice

Participation is a huge choice that most dogs don’t enjoy. Many dogs don’t have a choice, and are forced to participate during vet visits or petting from strangers. Some dogs dislike having their nails trimmed, and will growl whenever someone reaches for or touches their feet.

Example: Dog Dislikes Nail Trims

The first step is to acknowledge whether or not your dog is worried about nail trims. Then, teach your dog that touching his feet and trimming his nails make hot dogs appear when he chooses to participate.

Sit on the floor with diced up hot dogs in your lap. Click and reward your dog for walking up to you. Yes, hot dogs are encouraging your dog to walk over to you, but we want to reward dogs for choosing to walk toward us.

Reward your dog a couple of times for walking over to and standing near you, then reach toward his paw, but don’t touch it. If your dog pulls his paw away, sit still and return your hand back into your lap. It’s no big deal. At first, your dog might look a bit confused because this might be the first time he’s given a choice.

Some dogs may back away, and that’s fine. If your dog chooses to walk away, at anytime, honor your dog’s choice. Wait a few seconds, and reward him when he chooses to walk toward you again. Remember, you’re holding something he wants (hot dogs).

Reach for his paw again. Click/treat when he chooses to stand still (doesn’t move backwards or pulls foot away from you). Practice 2-3 times, and then end the session. Continue to practice slowly until your dog allows you to touch his paw and eventually trim his nails.

Honoring Your Dog’s Choices

When pet owners honor their dog’s choice, something magical happens. Dogs learn that they’re able to stop something scary without becoming aggressive. Also, they learn that their pet owner won’t force the issue. This is empowerment at its finest, and it will positively change your dog’s behavior.

Forcing a dog to comply gets you nowhere and actually stops the learning process. This type of dog training has nothing to do with “everybody wins a trophy” phenomena. Instead, it’s based on learning principles, consequences and scientific data.

Choice dog training is the easiest way to train a dog, so why not use it?

Deaf Dog Training: How To Stop Barking

February 13, 2017 by Fanna Easter

How to Stop a Deaf Dog From Barking

Deaf Dog Training — alexei_tm/Adobe Stock

All dogs bark just like humans talk and birds chirp; it’s natural dog behavior. However, when dogs bark incessantly, this can become an issue with neighbors. Plus, barking is annoying and frustrating to pet owners too. When barking happens, it’s important to teach dogs to do something other than bark. This principle applies to deaf dogs too. Learn how to stop your deaf dog from barking.

Why Deaf Dogs Bark

First, let’s address this question. Do dogs bark if they’re deaf? Yes, deaf dogs still bark and they bark for numerous reasons. Frustration is usually the main cause for excessive deaf dog barking. When deaf dogs are frustrated, barking becomes a calming mechanism in a way. Think about it this way: When people are nervous, they talk a lot. It’s an easy way to calm oneself when stressed or frustrated. Soon, deaf dogs learn to bark every time they’re frustrated and hence excessive barking.

Sounds and visual stimuli are other reasons deaf dogs bark. While hearing impaired dogs are unable to hear certain distractions, they’re able to see. Hearing impaired dogs will bark whenever they see people and dogs walking nearby too. Plus, deaf dogs learn super quickly. When their pet owners walk to the front door, they’ve learned that someone is there and will bark.

On the flip side, hearing impaired dogs will bark when they’re excited too. It’s fun when visitors walk through the door or their pet owners arrive home from work. By far, this deaf dog behavior is the easiest to redirect with toys and games.

Training a Deaf Dog Not to Bark

Take a day or two to figure out what causes your deaf dog to bark. Once a trigger is discovered, it’s time to get busy and teach your dog to do something else besides bark. You’ll need lots of super yummy treats, a pen flashlight (as a marker) and leash. In the beginning, set your dog up for success by keeping him leashed until he understands what to do instead of bark.

For Visual Stimuli

It’s best to take a two-prong approach and use management tools to change your dog’s behavior. One way to manage your dog’s behavior is to block access to windows facing foot traffic with baby gates. If blocking access is impossible, keep curtains and blinds closed. For a deaf dog that barks at visual stimuli when you’re away, consider crating your dog.

To stop your deaf dog from barking, leash your dog and stand next to the window with super yummy treats. Ask a friend to walk on the sidewalk and wait for your hearing impaired dog to stop barking. It will happen, even if it’s just for a nanosecond, so catch it when it does. The moment your deaf dog stops barking, point the pen flashlight near his front feet and give him a treat. Continue to practice 1-2 minutes per day.

For Frustration

Hearing impaired dogs become frustrated for many reasons. If visual stimuli are an issue, follow the above recommended dog behavior protocol. For bored dogs, it’s important to offer daily mental stimulation. Take your deaf dog for a 30-minute walk every day, feed meals using interactive dog toys and hire a pet sitter for midday walks. Playing a game of tug or fetch is an excellent way to release pent-up stress too. You can also purchase a food dispensing toy, such as Pet Tutor, to reinforce quiet behavior while you’re away.

When Professional Help is Needed

Hiring a positive reinforcement dog trainer is always a good idea, especially if he or she has experience with deaf dogs. Having a dog training expert in your home is worth its weight in gold! Deaf dogs can suffer from separation anxiety or general anxiety as well. When in doubt, bring a professional into the mix to pinpoint exactly what’s going on.

A Guide To Training A Hearing Impaired Dog

February 8, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Tips on Training a Hearing Impaired Dog

Training Deaf Dogs — whyframeshot/Adobe Stock

Regardless of age, anxiety, fearfulness or physical disabilities, all dogs are able to learn. Since every dog is an individual, pet owners should tweak their positive reinforcement training style to accommodate each dog’s needs. When training a hearing impaired dog, it’s important to follow the same principles of learning while adding a few tweaks to accommodate their hearing impairment.

Use a Tiny Penlight & Yummy Treats

Using a marker word and super yummy treats is the easiest way to teach or reinforce a dog’s behavior. However, since hearing impaired dogs are unable to hear a marker word, you need to engage their other senses, such as sight.

Replace a verbal marker with the flash of a tiny penlight. Remember, a marker provides valuable information to your dog during a dog training session. It’s like taking a picture in time and saying “yes, that’s the behavior that earned you a treat.” Using a penlight as a marker works quickly. I once taught a betta fish how to “touch” and swim through a hoop within a day using a penlight and fruit fly rewards.

When using a pen flashlight, point it on the ground right between your dog’s front feet. When a hearing impaired dog does something right, click the pen flashlight on and off. It should take less than a second. Every time you click the flashlight on/off, give your dog a super yummy treat.

Never point the light in your dog’s eyes because she can see the flash even during daylight hours—a shaded area may work best during bright sunlight. When a dog training session is complete, put dog treats and the flashlight away in a cabinet, which signals to your dog that the training session is done.

Train a Hearing Impaired Dog the “Look At Me” Cue

While sound isn’t a distraction to hearing impaired dogs, movement is. It’s important to train a hearing impaired dog to look at you when given a cue. At first, mark (using a penlight) and reward your dog every time she looks at you during a training session. Start in a low distraction area, such as inside your home, and practice 1-2 minutes each day. Once your dog learns to look at your face, it’s time to add a cue.

A hearing impaired dog will likely ignore a hand signal because she’s looking at something else, so in this case physical touch works great. During a training session, when your dog looks at you, mark and toss the earned treat a couple of feet away from you.

After your dog eats the treat, lightly touch your dog’s right shoulder and wait for your dog to “look at you.” When this happens, flash your penlight and toss the earned treat a couple of feet away. Continue touching your dog’s shoulder and waiting for your dog to look at you. Then, mark and toss a treat. Quickly, your dog will learn that a touch on her right shoulder means to look at you.

Teach Hand Signals

Dogs learn hand signals rather quickly because you use them often. Before training a hearing impaired dog polite manners, choose a hand signal for each behavior. Here are a few suggestions for hand signals:

Come: Squat down and hold arms out.
Down: Lower flattened hand (palm facing down) downward from waist.
Sit: Raise flattened hand (palm facing up) upward from waist.
Walk on loose leash: Wearing a leash is the cue not to pull.

Always Keep Hearing Impaired Dogs on Leash

Movement is very distracting, so keep a hearing impaired dog on leash at all times. If they run away, hearing impaired dogs won’t be able to hear a verbal “come” cue nor approaching cars. Keep your hearing impaired dog on leash whenever you leave your house or you’re in a yard without a fence.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Shocking a dog is cruel, and shocking a hearing impaired dog is animal abuse. [/perfectpullquote]

Stay Way From Shock Collars

There is no reason a hearing impaired dog should wear a shock collar even at the lowest setting. Shock collars hurt. Don’t believe me? Put one against your throat and have someone else press the button. Yes, it stings. Shocking a dog is cruel, and shocking a hearing impaired dog is animal abuse. Keeping a hearing impaired dog on leash and teaching her life-saving cues work better than shocking her.

How To Keep Multiple Dogs Calm When The Doorbell Rings

February 3, 2017 by Fanna Easter

Training Multiple Dogs to Stop Excessive Barking

A new client with three small dogs recently contacted me about excessive dog barking. She explained how her three dogs would bark insanely whenever someone rang the doorbell or knocked on the door. She’d get extremely frustrated and embarrassed when guests came over, and she just wanted her dogs calm when the doorbell rings.

When I arrived and rang the doorbell, I’m sure her neighbors three blocks away heard these dogs barking. We quickly went to work during our private consultation, and we taught each dog how to keep calm when the doorbell rings or someone knocks. Even better, my client learned how to reinforce quiet behavior.

Changing the behavior of multiple dogs may seem daunting, but it’s actually quite simple when following a few dog training tips. During our private consultation, it took 10 minutes to teach three small dogs to bark only once when the doorbell rang, and this included breaks. My client seems to be having tremendous success as well. 🙂

How to Train Multiple Dogs to Stop Barking

Choose High Value Rewards

When training multiple dogs, it’s best to use super yummy rewards. Remember, treats are a dog’s currency; it’s how he’s paid for doing a good job. Dogs love baked chicken, cheese chunks or diced up hot dogs, which can be found at any grocery store. Before a dog training session, chop treats into pea-sized bites and place inside a plastic zip bag for easy access.

Teach One Dog at a Time

It’s easiest to train one dog at a time, and then slowly add another dog into the mix. When choosing your first dog to teach, select the barkiest dog of the bunch. Usually, one dog starts the barking session and gets the others riled up—choose this feisty little one.

It’s important to focus on the barkiest dog first because it sets the other dogs up for success. Keep the other dogs in your bedroom with the door closed. If they bark while you’re training the first dog, know that it’s OK and it won’t affect their training later.

Teach Self-Control First

Grab your diced up dog training treats and get started. While standing, reward your dog for keeping all four feet on the floor or for sitting. You don’t need to cue your dog; just wait for it to happen. Reward your dog every time he chooses to stand or sit, so he quickly learns that this behavior makes hot dog pieces rain from the sky.

If your dog remains sitting and standing, which is the goal, toss his earned treat about 2-3 feet away from him. This way, he must stand up and walk away to get his earned treat. When this happens, wait for him to sit or stand next to you again, then reward. Trust me, once your dog figures out that “four feet on the floor” makes hot dogs rain from your hands, he’ll happily stand for you.

Rewarding a dog for sitting or standing teaches him self-control, rewards him for quiet behavior and teaches him how to earn treats. Once your dog can stand or sit for a few seconds, it’s time to focus on the ringing doorbell.

Have Someone Ring the Doorbell

Ask a friend to step outside and ring the doorbell. Usually, a very barky dog will bark a couple of times, then suddenly remember that standing or sitting quietly makes treats appear. The moment your dog stops barking, say “yes” and reward him by tossing a treat by your feet. Continue having your friend ring the doorbell a few more times and reward your quiet dog.

Tossing food next to your feet teaches your dog to stay or return back to you, which prevents him from running up to the front door. If your dog continues to bark, say his name, which will likely cause him to stop barking. When this happens, say “yes” and reward. Take a short break before introducing the second dog.

Now, Train Two Dogs

Once your first dog learns to bark once or twice at the doorbell, then sits or stands quietly, it’s time to introduce your second dog. Walk over and let the second dog out for a dog training session. Usually, the second dog will come running down the hallway, because she’s excited to participate in the fun.

Reward both dogs for sitting or standing still next to you. When giving out treats, prevent your dogs from fighting over treats by extending your hand out and placing the treat in the dog’s mouth that earned it. Then, reward the dog that offers the sit or stand behavior first, and wait for the other dog to figure it out.

When training two dogs together, it’s amazing how fast the second dog learns when watching the first dog. Once both dogs will stand or sit next to you for a few minutes, it’s time to practice with the doorbell.

Ask a friend to step outside and ring the doorbell again. As the doorbell rings, your second dog will likely look over at the first dog, bark a couple of times, then choose to stop barking just like your first dog. When this happens, reward both dogs for being quiet. Continue to practice and reward both dogs for choosing to remain quiet. After 1-2 minutes, take a short break before adding the last dog into the dog training session.

Train All Three Dogs

Now that two dogs have learned to stand or sit quietly when the doorbell rings, your last dog will quickly pick up this dog behavior. Ask a friend to step outside again and ring the doorbell. The moment each dog chooses to be quiet, say “yes” and reward. Practice a few more times, then end the session.

Practice Several Times Per Week

In the beginning, practice 1-2 minutes per day. During the first week, you’ll notice a huge decrease in dogs barking at the doorbell. After the first week, keep practicing 3-4 times per week with dog training sessions lasting 1-2 minutes. Use high value treats or bits of your dog’s kibble during mealtime. Practice reminds each dog how to keep calm when the doorbell rings regardless if it’s visiting guests or the FedEx guy.

Soon, you’ll happily show off your dogs’ polite doorbell skills to guests. 🙂

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