To Treat or Not to Treat

To Treat or Not to Treat

 

That is the Question?!

 

When is food valuable in training and when are we over using it and relying on it?

Using food can be a valuable tool in teaching your dog through the training process. Food has to be valuable to your dog and can act as a motivator to get them to perform a desired behavior.  We can use food as a lure during the teaching phase of training to lead them into different positions. Food can be used during all stages of training as a reward to pay them for a job well done. While we can treat and reward through all training stages we shouldn't rely on it or use it as a bribe.

1st step in using Food in training is to find a valuable treat for your dog. All dogs differ in what they find motivating or valuable, some arent interested in food at all. If your dog isn't interested in food don't keep shoving treats in his face. If he doesnt find it valuable and takes it from you but isnt interested in working for it, it is not a valuable reward. He/She may be just as happy with an enthusiastic "Good Boy". There are lots of dogs that aren't food motivated and we work with you and them to find another way that works for them. Or you may not have found the right kind of treat yet!

Some dogs are motivated to work for a piece of kibble, while others don't budge until you bring out the hot dogs. I vary my type of rewards based on the level of distractions present and how well they know what I am asking for or if I am motivating to teach something new. At home your pup might be excited about the Kibble but you can't get him to focus in class or at the park. And you "Don't understand he loves this at home" - Yes at home without the real world going on around him I bet he does. But in a new place, with distractions and teaching something new I prefer to use the best stuff! I want my dog to make the association early on that I am the most fun and always have the best stuff.

We use a combination of the following treats and find what motivates the dog we are working with :

• Kibble at home practicing something the dog is familiar with
• Freeze dried beef liver - pure bites brand (high value, easily broken up into smaller pieces with minimal crumbling) - teaching something new or out in public
• Stella & Chewys (Freeze Dried Raw - Beef) - we refer to this as doggy crack. - teaching something new or out in public we often use Stellas
• Sliced up Hot Dogs (Slimy and stinky but sometimes its whats needed!) Special occasions - high value distractions
• String Cheese - tear pieces off or slice it up - use with distractions or teaching something new

Nutrition wise, Hot Dogs and String Cheese shouldn't necessarily be a daily part of your dogs diet but can be a valuable tool if your dog isn't motivated by the others. Or to use it as something extra special. Example: I can have a stranger offer my shy dog a treat but instead of it being the same old treat she gets for training that she knows she can get from me later she gets hot dogs from the stranger. Making the fear of going to see the stranger worth the valuable reward she is receiving.

Once you have found a treat that your dog values you can use it for the beginning stages in training and lure your dog into the correct position. To lure the dog properly you stick the food in front of the dogs nose to grab their attention, Give the command and lead them to where you want them or use the food to help them position their bodies in a certain way. (Example: Sit! Stick your dogs treat in front of their nose and Say Sit then start to lure the food straight up over their head slowly and the second their butt hits the ground you reward and Release them with "Free") You can lure the dog to walk next to you in a heel position and reward when they are sitting next to you. You can lure the dog in to the front of you for a recall "Come" / "Here" command. Most basic commands can be taught using food as a lure.

Food can be used as a motivation to stay in a position. Once your dog is in the desired position you can walk back to them and say "Good" and then Reward. Using a word helps to make a positive association with the word if you reward every time after the word. Later when we aren't using food as often and have faded food out your dog will hear "good" and have the positive association. "Good" to my dog means: Keep doing what your doing. Good things will come. My dog still wags his tail when I say "Good" even though he rarely gets treats anymore for the commands he knows.

Treats can be used as a form of Payment of a job well-done. Through training we want to generalize all of our commands so that our dogs will listen and follow directions all the time and anywhere: In public, new places and with distractions. If my dog Sits the 1st time when asked and can hold their Sit command until released at home then I no longer need to treat for that command in that setting. If my dog holds his sit while I answer the door for the ups man that I should treat for. Or I take the time to correct him back into his sit 3 times and by the 3rd time i can walk to the door without him breaking - now its time to come in and reward because that was difficult for him. You know your dog and know what they can do well and is easy for them and what they are still having trouble with.

While Food has major value in dog training it can also be a burden if used incorrectly. I hear lots of people say he will do it if theres a cookie.. and no cookie - no command.  If you tell your dog to Down and he doesn't you DON"T then get out the bag of cookies and repeat your down command and he quickly gets into the down position because now there is something to work for. You have just taught your dog not to down unless the treat bag is out, OR to hold out until there is something better. When your dog doesn't down the 1st time either you need to go back to square 1 in your training because he may not understand it, OR you have taught it properly and he is blowing you off in this moment and you need to correct him. We want to avoid using food as a bribe. Anytime I have to correct my dog for a behavior they failed to perform, I want to release them or attempt the behavior again until it is successful with no corrections so I can end it on a reward and a good note. If my dog is in a down and a kid walks by waving an ice cream cone if my dog breaks his down i dont get the cookies out and bribe him back into the down position.  You have just taught your dog to break their command more often to get another treat.  If your dog is holding a down and they break correct them then if possible ask the child to walk by again and when your dog is successful reward him. Pay him for a job well done. Don't bribe him into doing a behavior he knows for you.

Only treat for Effort, Enthusiasm and Attention. If you reward for So-So or Good enough behavior then your dog will learn to only do good enough. While your luring and teaching commands Rewarding for progress and effort is O.K.  Once your dog understands the concept make them work for the treat. Make them earn it and get it perfect. Heeling next to you is one where I see a lot of people make this mistake. Heel: Dog is walking next to you and Sits at your side when you stop.  If your dog understands this and is sitting readily when you stop but is sitting crooked and a 90 degree angle to you instead of next to you DONT reward! Say heel and move forward again and when your dog sits in Heel position praise and reward. If you are treating for good enough - you will never get to where you want to be and your dog will only perform mediocre behavior because they are getting a cookie anyway why work harder?
Expect more and your dog will give you more.
Change how you use food with your dog and you will see a change in your dogs behavior and your relationship.

Discover the Potential In your Paws!
Paws In Progress Dog Training
www.pawsinprogress.com

E-Collar Step by Step TEACHING PHASE

E-collar / Shock Collar / Remote Collar

It goes by many names and is terribly misunderstood by those that are not properly educated on them. There are hundreds of E-collar videos on youtube and articles but after another session teaching a client yesterday I want to have a resource for my client on how we teach and proof and use them.
1st Things 1st

Many trainers use these tools differently and I don't believe there is any one right or wrong way, only what works for the dog. Before diving into the how to's I want to make it clear that these are only guidelines and I highly recommend seeking out help from a professional with this tool before trying to dive into it yourself. Every dog is different and we adjust the training to the individual dog. This will be a rough guideline of our process across the board but again adjust to your dog. Also I want to give credit to some of the trainers who I learned from when learning how to use an ecollar and my method is a blend of the following peoples methods for teaching Ecollar: Michael Ellis, Tyler Muto, Chad Mackin, Sean Oshea and Jeff Gellman. I appreciate having had the opportunity to work with all of them and I like to give credit where credit is due.

What brand do I use?
We recommend Dogtra, Garmin/Tri-tronics or Ecollar Technologies. Ecollar Technologies is what we use most of the time with our clients. Some of the Garmin / Tri-tronics collars work at higher levels and don't have as many levels so they jump in variation more and can be too much for some dogs but may be just what another dog needs. Before investing in something like an E-collar talk with your trainer or make sure you know the return policy in case what you are purchasing isn't the right fit for your dog.

What does my dog need to know before we start E-collar training?
I prefer to teach dogs all of their obedience 1st with a normal training collar, then I layer the obedience and proof with the Ecollar. I believe it is far easier on the dog when they already have a basic understanding of what is expected.

The basics I like them to know when we begin: Loose Leash Walking, Sit, Down, Place and Here.
That they understand to hold their Sit, Down and Place until you release them. Not just sit and they can get back up. 

Have you felt it yet?
Most clients are squeemish at first, but ALL of my clients that want to use an ecollar with their dog are required to feel it themselves. Turn the unit on. Put the Contact Points in the palm of your hand and hold the receiver. Turn the dial up one at a time until you can feel the stim. "Oh that tickles" is the typical response I get. Its not a horrible sensation and its not painful. With an Ecollar Technologies "Mini-Educator" is what we use for most of our clients the owners feel it between a 9-25. Most dogs are starting their working level where they feel it between a 4-10.
Wasn't so bad? Right? Now Bump it up a few more above where you feel it so you understand how it increases 1 step at a time.
 I encourage everyone in the house to feel it so everyone has understanding of what the dog feels.

From here on out when I refer to levels and use I will be referring to Ecollar Technologies Mini-Educator unit.

Let's get started!
Before we turn it on
If I have the time and the option. I like to have the dog wear the collar around without it on for at least a few days preferably a week. So its no big deal just something else they wear to avoid them being collar smart. Dog should not wear the collar for more than 8hrs at a time or if they do make sure to move the collar to the other side of the neck. The collar fits snuggly to ensure it makes contact when you need it but that also means its snug and slightly rubbing all the time. We move the collar to make sure no sores develop from the contacts rubbing on the skin on one spot for too long. All of this initial training should be done at home, inside, or in a yard with not much going on. We are teaching and want the dog to have an understanding before we are using the collar to correct in any way.


Collar is on the dog, I have turned it on now what?
Find your dogs working level. Have your dog in a quiet space with not much going on and wait for them to be a little relaxed, sit, stand... doesn't matter what position they are in and please don't put them in a command but I want them to be in a calm state so I/you can see the slight behavior change and body language when they feel the collar.
Start with the Remote on 1 Set on Continuous and tap the black button above the red button twice, no response move the dial to 2. You will repeat this until you get a small reaction out of the dog. To wear you can tell the dog feels the stim even if its is a very minimal reaction. I only go as high as 12-15. Most dogs will feel it below these levels. If they don't act like it... they are feeling it and just not sure what to do with it so I will work them on a 12-15 then as they understand it you will most likely be able to move down in levels to their working level. If you have a fluffy dog and they arent acting like they are feeling it your collar may need to be snugger or you may need to move it around a bit to nestle it into the skin better. Your looking for an ear twitch, for the dog to look to the side of its body that the collar is on as if there is a bug on them, eyes may look unsure or curious.

Now that you know your dogs working level for explanation sake were  going to say its 5.
I start layering it on the obedience they already know.

Place.
Stand next to Place with your dog no commands yet. Press and hold the black stim button (Above red button) (remote is already set to 5) Say Place. (Yes you are pressing the button a 1/2 second before you give the place command) If your dog doesn't start to move towards place use a small bit of leash pressure toward the place as soon as your dog moves towards the place let go of button. If your dog stops and doesn't continue onto place: button again and repeat place and leash pressure if necessary.
Repeat several times. If your dog is food motivated reward with food on place once they are all the way on place.
I repeat this until I feel the dog has made progress and is starting to understand the concept. If they start to move off of place before you release them press the button again and use leash pressure to help them get back onto the place, let go of the button as soon as the dog commits to moving toward the place on their own.
*Many dogs learn better by holding the button down until all 4 paws are on place when teaching and when putting them back* Just depends on the dog. If I feel like I am struggling and not getting the results with what I'm doing I will try the other.
I attempt to give them the opportunity to make good choices and use as little pressure as necessary and let them do most of the thinking and work on their own. 

Sit
Slowly walk around to get the dog to stand. Press the button Say "Sit" and leash pressure if necessary. The second the dogs butt hits the ground I let off the button and verbally say "Good" and reward with Food. If the dog goes to break the "Sit" press the button and help with leash. Once the butt is back on the ground release both leash pressure and pressing the button.
Repeat several times until you feel the dog is getting the gist of it

Down
Stand with the dog. Press the button Say "Down" and leash pressure towards the ground if necessary. The second their elbows hit the ground let go of the button and verbally say "Good" and reward.
If the dog goes to get up. Press Button again repeat Down and leash pressure if needed until the dogs elbows hit the ground then release your finger from the button.

Here
Let the dog wander out in front of you on a leash preferably 6ft or longer. When the dogs attention is out ahead press the button and say "Here" the second the dog turns toward you finger off the button and say "Yes" and run backward to help bring the dog into you.
If the dog detours and goes a different direction on their way back to you. Press button again until they turn back to your direction, again running backward to help guide them to you.
If you press the button and you have no response start to turn up the dial while holding the button until the dog turns toward you. Then you can turn it back down to their working level.

Loose Leash Walking
Walk with your dog as soon as you start to feel ANY tension in your leash tap the button. As soon as your dog makes their leash loose stop tapping. For walking it is more distracting and you may need to bump it up a few levels.

Heel 
Tell your dog to Heel. Tap the button as soon as your dogs body is ahead of heel position until they return to proper position. You can help guide with the leash if you need to. When you stop, your dog should be sitting at your side if they aren't I tap or hold the button down until they sit. Some leash pressure with the leash straight up may be necessary to help teach the dog.


 You will practice with your dog in the teaching phase for a few days - week practicing daily until your dog is fluent in understanding the ecollar stim is only on when they aren't doing what they should be and understand how to return to the command without needing help from you with the leash.