Nose Touch - Trick Tuesday

Weve decide to challenge you to teach your dog a new trick every week and practice and post pics and vids.
I want to start with something very simple that some of you may already know.
Nose Touch - Teaching your dog to touch their nose to your hand.
You will use a marker word that catches the exact second their nose touches your hand - we use "YES". Some people like to use a clicker and you can we just dislike the need for an extra tool.

1. Start with treats in one hand then transfer them to the other hand so your empty hand will smell like treats.
2. Hold your hand flat out near your dogs face and encourage your dog to touch your hand with their nose. Do not do it for them but encourage them to do it even by accident the 1st time is ok. 
3. The second their nose is in contact with your hand say "YES" and treat immediately.
4. Continue this and trade and switch hands until your dog understands and has the hang of it
5. Once they understand this you can start raising or lowering your hand so they have to jump for it or lean down low. Still saying "Yes" when they do it and treating each time.

Simple Fun Trick to start with.

Other uses for Nose touch - shy dogs encouraging them to go greet someone. If your dog already knows and enjoys this game and you have a shy dog it can be a great ice breaker to have the person just hold their hand out and have your dog go touch for something positive.


Harley: the lab
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&list=UUUcqW_f8ZqmHni8Pk0Eq7GQ&v=KhngiBykieo

Vader: the shep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T6vJxYQdMQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUUcqW_f8ZqmHni8Pk0Eq7GQ

Stripey + Blackie: cats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quXYzHaymiI&feature=c4-overview&list=UUUcqW_f8ZqmHni8Pk0Eq7GQ


Share your pics with us!! #tricktuesday #pawsinprogress or @pawsinprogress    These hashtags can be used on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Tug of War MUST have rules

More and more i'm having people come into training and having previously been told or read somewhere that you should never play tug with your dog.
Tug without Rules is a disaster waiting to happen.
Tug without Rules teaches posession when the dog is allowed to have the toy and run off with it in victory and can lead to guarding and possessive behaviors with toys.
TUG WITH RULES is a GREAT game and can help build a positive relationship with you and your dog.
Rules to TUG
1. ) Dog must enjoy the game

2.) Dog must want to bring tug back when you let go
3.) Dog must drop it when you ask

How do I accomplish these rules?

Put your dog on a leash and start with holding the end of your dogs leash. You want the leash to be loose and for the dog hardly to know its there.
Start playing tug with your dog. Get your dog engaged in the game. It should be give and take but keep tension on the tug at all times. Don't allow the dog to thrash their head around.
You let go of the tug but hold onto the leash and back up and encourage your dog to bring the toy to you. Keep backing up until the dog brings it to you. You are holding the end of your dogs leash so that your dog cant run too far away but dont reel your dog in you want your dog to want to come to you. If your dog takes the toy to the ground i encourage him to bring it back up. As soon as the dog brings it back up tug again then repeat letting it go.
I want to create the idea in my dogs mind "Wait we were playing" and want the dog to run back at me with their toy not running away from me in victory of "winning" the game.
Once your dog is doing fairly well with this then mid play with tug i will take the toy to the dogs level hold onto the toy on both sides of the dogs mouth where he is holding the toy and hold the toy still. When the dog lets go - don't pull the toy away yet hold it still wait till the dog actively backs up. Release the dog to play again. The faster the dog lets go the faster you get to play again.

Furyk playing with Rules: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhqMdAU3W4Y&feature=c4-overview&list=UUUcqW_f8ZqmHni8Pk0Eq7GQ

Cardboard box problem solving games

I love teaching dogs how to think and figure things out on their own.
It can be great confidence building as well as great mental stimulation.
One of my favorites that is very simple is teaching them words associated with a box.
I start with teaching a marker word. "YES" is what I use.
Some like to use a clicker instead of a word.. I just find that clicker, treats, and leash is too much for me and i don't always have a clicker with me.
I start with saying "Yes" and feed the dog a treat immediately after.
DO NOT say the word and FEED at the same time. Must be after the word is said.
I get out a cardboard box and start really simple... I encourage the dog to go check it out.
The dog touches it or sniffs it at all and i say "Yes" and treat them.
I do this.. maybe 5-8 times in a row so now the dog is completely engaged with this box means good things.
Then I will have the box flipped over and encourage the dog to touch it with his/her paw.
I lure the dog with the food toward the box and upward. Initially the dog will accidently touch the box and you will say "Yes" and treat. Do this multiple times once the dog starts associating that his paw touching the box gets the treat you can start adding a word to it. "Paw"/"Touch" etc...
I would give the dog a break at this time and continue more in a bit or later on.
Other things I do with the box... depending on the size of the box
after each thing I have put suggestions for what you can call it... just suggestions you can call it anything you would like.
In between each of these give your dog a short break..
DON't try to do all of this in one day.
Each one of these is a lot of thinking. Please keep your training sessions short no more than 5 minutes.
MOST of all HAVE FUN!

• Put Front 2 Paws on box "Front Paws"
• Put Back 2 Paws on box "Back Paws
• Put all 4 Paws up on box "Climb"
• Touch it with his nose "Nose"
• move the box with his nose "Nudge" 
• Put their mouth on the box "Get it"/"Munch" / "snack" / "hold"
• Picking up the box with "mouth" and moving it
• flip the box over "Flip it"
• Have the box open upward get the front 2 Paws in the box "Front Paws in"
• Have the box open upward get the back 2 paws in the box "Back Paws In"
• All 4 paws in the box "Get in" 

I think that's enough to get you started! 

If you want help learning how to teach these I'd be happy to come to your home and work on this with you and your dog in a private lesson. 

Confidence Building

Do you have a dog that is unsure or fearful of new objects and noises?
There are many very simple confidence building games you can play with your dog to help boost their confidence.

This post is inspired by Kona a very sweet but sensitive old english bulldog.
She is very cautious and unsure of new sounds and objects.

Start off very simple with something not very scary and your dogs favorite treats.
We started with a metal food bowl and tipped it upside down.
She didn't even want to come near it.. I lured her inch by inch with a treat and then I set the treat ontop of the bowl. The only way she could get the treat was to eat it off the bowl...she took the treat but also bumped the bowl on accident and got spooked and jumped backwards so I encouraged her and got her confidently eating a treat off of the bowl.
Then I encouraged her to touch the bowl with her paw...every time she barely touched it she got treated until I got her to put her paw on the upside down bowl.
See video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWesyjpmjZY

Then we moved to another game... treats in an upside down cup.
I showed her the treats and got her interested then put the cup ontop of the treats and encouraged her to sniff and check it out. If her nose touched the cup I lifted the cup and let her eat the treats. Then i made it a little harder to where she had to nudge the cup a little to get the treats.
See video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh7iWDtGH78

A few fun simple games for you to play with your unsure, sensitive pup.
HAVE FUN! Keep it simple... small successes add up quickly !