Chic Galleria » Joan Mayer

Dog Training Tips to Help You Start Fresh in New Year

Joan Mayer — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:35:17 +0000

Dear Inquisitive Dog Parents,

Happy new year, and welcome to 2012! Poncho and I want to thank you for being a part of our Dear Inquisitive Canine family throughout the past year. We appreciate your support, emails, comments and of course your questions – your behavior is quite reinforcing to us!

As a certified professional dog trainer, I am aware dog adoption rates increase during the holidays. So, Poncho and I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to revisit some of our favorite columns, covering topics that might be extra helpful to you. And, since January is also the official Train Your Dog month, this information should also help you and your canine companion start out on the right paw.

Dog Training Tips to Help Your Dog be a Star in 2012

Counter-Surfing: A popular canine sport, especially during those times when humans are distracted! (Guilty!) Remember to set your dog up for success by managing their environment, such as keeping counters cleared and baby gates to protect areas when you can’t.

Loose Leash Walking: Is one of your resolutions to spend more time with your dog? Or is it to get or stay in shape? Talking your dog for a walk can help accomplish both! These dog training tips should help make fun and easier for you both.

House-Training: I say, you can thank an animal enough when he or she goes outside to go to the bathroom – especially at night, in the cold rain or snow. Here are some quick tips for teaching or refining those house-training skills.

Greeting People Politely: Having company over? Teaching your dog to greet people politely. It’s the perfect way to show off your new dog while instilling good manners!

In case you’re new to our column, check out our Dear Inquisitive Canine about page. And for additional insight into dog training and behavior, please check out our dog training tips blog.

On behalf of Poncho, myself and the Inquisitive Canine, we wish all of you a positively reinforcing new year. May 2012 be an empowering for you and your canine companions, with many positive associations!

Dear Inquisitive Canine is written by Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick Poncho. Joan is a certified professional dog trainer and human-canine relationship coach. Poncho is a ten-pound mutt that knows a lot about human and canine behavior. Their column is known for its simple common sense approach to dog training and behavior, as well as its entertaining insight into implementing proven techniques that reward both owner and dog.

Joan is also the founder of the Inquisitive Canine and developer of the Out of the Box Dog Training Game , where her love-of-dog training approach highlights the importance of understanding canine behavior. If you or your dog have questions about behavior, training or life with each other, please email them directly.

Photo Credit © Adam Tomasik | Dreamstime.com

Young Energetic Dog Wants to Move From Crate to Bed

Joan Mayer — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:34:29 +0000

Dear Inquisitive Canine,

Hellooo, my name is Hazel and I have a question. I am an 18-month-old crazy retriever mix – a little Chessie, Golden and Lab all rolled into one. I think I am pretty smart, and I am definitely cute. I have been crate trained, but want to move to a nice comfy bed without borders.

The problem is that my people aren’t sure I can be trusted not to chew things in the middle of the night, including wallets, cell phones, TV remotes and sunglasses. (And books because I LOVE paper). I’m also quite adept at standing on my hind legs and grabbing stuff off shelves and tables.

I have a dog friend in the house. She is 17 years old and has a special bed in the people’s room. Do you think I can be trained to sleep in my own bed, in the room with my people and leave my crate behind? Or maybe I could even have my bed in the boy’s room – my boy is 9 and he has lots of toys, but I would love to sleep in his room too. Can you or Poncho help?

Arf! Hazel

Dear Miss. Hazel,

Poncho the dog here. Thank you for taking the time to write in. You sound like one fun-loving energetic pup who has taken her retrieving skills to the limit! It also appears you are quite clever; first at figuring out what you want, then taking steps towards getting it. You’re quite the problem solver! If I’m ever in the position to hire an assistant I’ll contact you first.

I see that you have a couple of matters you’d like to deal with. First that you want to move out of your crate and into a bed which offers a little more freedom, while still being able to be with your humans. And secondly that sometimes having too much freedom can lead you into temptation.

After consulting with my mom, we decided I would go over the “moving into a grown-up bed” pointers since I learned the same thing when mom and dad brought me home. Being a certified professional dog trainer she also teaches these same strategies in her dog training classes.

There are a few ways your folks can help you transition to a ‘grown-up bed’ with ease. Have them read through these dog training tips, then choose the one that best suites your situation. Additionally, visit my dog training blog for an overview of the important dos and don’ts for crate training.

Additionally, you’ll want to remind your humans to do some dress rehearsals before everyone wants to go to sleep. You can practice with the following training exercises:

Plan A – Your New Bed Plus a Leash: Have your folks choose a designated area (their room or the boys room) along with what you’re going to sleep on. Make sure it’s next to a large piece of heavy furniture such as their human bed or dresser. They’ll also want to keep you close to their bed so they can give you a treat for staying on your bed and being quiet. It’s important that they reward you to reinforce desired behaviors so you’re more likely to repeat them even when you’re not training. They can then use a comfy harness and leash, and tether you to the specific piece of furniture to help prevent you from wandering off. Keep in mind though, that it’s best to attach the leash to a harness and not a flat collar – helps prevent choking and other mishaps.

Once you get the idea of sleeping in a different room and on your bed, they can remove the tether. If you decide to go wandering in the night, then they can hitch you back up.

Plan B- From Crate-to-Bed: In case it’s too much of an abrupt transition, instead of the tether they can use your crate for management. Begin by sleeping in your crate but in the room of choice. Either your people’s room along with your sibling, or in the boy’s room. (Or both eventually). This way they can manage your environment to help prevent you from wandering while you get used to your new sleeping arrangements.

Once they determine that you can sleep through the night, they can either leave the door to the crate open or go to Plan A – using the tether.

More often than not, us adult dogs are able to sleep through the night and understand that when it’s bedtime it’s bedtime. If you haven’t displayed behaviors that say otherwise, then this should be an easy transition. If you are the type of doggy that would enjoy playing all night long, then they’ll definitely want to use some of the above recommendations along with the following dog training tips:

Reward you with petting, praise and even a treat whenever you’re lying on your bed minding your manners.

Make sure you have gone potty and have had enough mental and physical enrichment during the day to help motivate you to want to sleep all night long and not go on an evening excursion.

Keep bedroom doors closed, especially once you’re without the tether.

Inform other family members they should make it quiet time when going to bed, and to refrain from playing so as not to get you all riled up. They can even read you a bedtime story, which is one of the various fun and effective activities recommended in the Out of the Box Dog Training Game.

As for the latter issue of rummaging throughout the house, we suggest you and your folks check out this Dear Inquisitive Canine post about a similar canine who enjoys counter-surfing and creating scavenger hunts. You’re sure to find some handy management and dog training tips that will help set you all up for success.

Segueing from a crate to a grown-up bed is a big step. But with management of your environment, teaching you what they want, and practicing beforehand, it is one that can go smoothly.

Photo Credit © Marko Pekic | Dreamstime.com

Be an Inquisitive Dog Guardian Before Giving Pets as Holiday Gifts

Joan Mayer — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:07:50 +0000

Dear Inquisitive Readers,

With the holiday season here, Poncho and I thought it would be an appropriate time to bring up the topic of giving a pet as a holiday gift.

As a dog mom and certified professional dog trainer I know that there is little that compares with a relationship that provides true unconditional love. Poncho and I know what that connection means. And we understand that you, or someone you know, may feel the same way. While it can be easy to get caught up in the spirit of spreading joy during the holidays, it’s crucial to keep a realistic perspective of what it means to be the primary caregiver for a pet.

We highly recommend before making a life-changing decision such as adopting a pet for yourself and especially for someone else, that you ask yourself the following questions, answer them honestly, then use this information for making a well informed and responsible decision.

Things to Consider Before Adopting a Pet

Q: WHY do I want a new pet? OR Why do I want to give a pet?

This is by far the most important question, and one with so many answers. Although the loving relationship between a dog or cat and his or her family is like no other, this is not a decision to be entered into lightly. A concrete decision, and one of unity is best.

For more information on deciding whether a new pet is the right gift for the holidays, including alternative presents to giving a pet animal, check out Poncho’s personal tips.

Q: Is this the BEST TIME IN MY LIFE to bring a puppy home?

Daily socialization, physical and mental exercise, as well as training are all essential components for building a strong, loving, and healthy human-non-human animal relationship we all strive for. While we believe it’s possible to work dog training into real-world scenarios and daily activities , raising a healthy pet is still a major lifestyle change.

Remember, if you are thinking about giving someone else a pet dog or cat, ask if it’s a good time in his or her life at that moment.

Q: Are there any FORESEEABLE LIFE CHANGING EVENTS in my/our family’s future?

Although we aren’t able to predict the future to an exact, including changes in employment, marital/relationship status, as well as children in your home (either currently or in the future) all of these elements should be factored into the final decision.

Q: Can I AFFORD it?

You will have to take into consideration supplies such as leashes, collars, bed, crate, in addition to food and vet bills. The cost of owning a pet can be high. Even the basics add up. You will then want to multiply this by the number of years the animal is likely to be part of the family. Remember, for dogs this could be from 8-17 years, for cats and birds much longer.

Q: What TYPE OF ANIMAL do I want?

Know your animal, know the species-specific traits, and know your breed! There is a multitude of dogs and cats to choose from.

We find it best to match yourself with a pet in the same way you’d match yourself with a person. Who would you want to be friends with? Who would you want to hang out with? Although we’re talking about dogs, cats, or other domestic pets, you are still developing a relationship.

Educate Yourself to Help Plan and Prepare

Answering the following questions can help you make a more informed decision, and set you up to be a responsible pet guardian.

Do I travel? If so, will I need to make arrangements?
Residence: Am I allowed to have this type of pet where I live?
What if something happens to me, who will take care of my pet?
Am I physically able to take of this pet?
Am I willing to meet his/her mental and physical requirements?
Does this particular pet match my current lifestyle?

Pet guardianship requires a lifetime commitment, a responsible attitude, and the willingness to make the occasional compromise. We hope that these questions have assisted you in making a well educated, informed decision. If you do decide to adopt, we wish you all the best for a lifetime of happiness together.

Photo credit © Shawn Low | Dreamstime.com

Make Halloween a Real Treat for Your Canine Companion

Joan Mayer — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:27:58 +0000

Dear Inquisitive Dog Guardians,

Fall is officially here! The air is a little crisper, white shoes are placed in the back of the closet, gourds are now decorations and football is topping the sports highlights. Being October, this also means Halloween! Well, here at Inquisitive Canine headquarters, Poncho and I thought it’d be a great idea to share our training tips for creating an evening of fun for you and your dog that’s anything but spooky. For this month’s installment, we’re covering both door greeting and dress-ing up, and hope you find the information a real treat!

Halloween is one of our favorite special occasions. Being a certified professional dog trainer and dog mom, I enjoy it because we get an entire evening to show off Poncho’s door greeting skills, along with his wide array of costumes. It’s also an ideal socialization setup — he gets to meet lots of new people, who happen to look really odd. Poncho loves this holiday too because these folks come to the door and give him treats! (He wishes every day was Halloween.)

Turn Your Dog into the Perfect Greeter

If you’ve got a throng of ghosts and goblins coming to your door asking for treats, we suggest you plan on using these visitors to your advantage and schedule an evening of training sessions to help strengthen your dog’s greeting skills. To ensure success for everyone, we highly encour-age you to rehearse during the days leading up to the big night.

We’ve divided the entire door-answering scenario into specific behaviors, each of which can be taught and practiced independently.

Sit or Down-Stay on a Mat: No doubt your dog already knows how to “sit.” All you need to do is practice a “sit” (or “down” or “4 paws on the floor”) on a designated mat or small rug. Once your dog knows that this is his or her magic carpet, and you’ve rehearsed together in easy locations, you can then place it near the front door and practice there.

Make Your Way to the Door: Now practice with opening and closing the door, asking your dog to “stay” until you give a release cue, such as “Go say hi!” This allows your dog to leave the magic carpet to greet the person at the door. If you don’t give the cue, then your dog will need to stay on the mat. Initially, use extra treats to help encourage your dog to stay on the mat; this will help in the long run.

Ding-Dong: Now it’s time to add in the doorbell or knock. This will no doubt make it a little harder, so you’ll really want to make sure you give an extra special treat for staying put.

Plan Ahead: Before the big night, we suggest you run through a few dress rehearsals to help set the stage for success!

Set the Stage: On the big night, place a small container of your dog’s treats outside the front door. When the little goblins come to the door, have your dog go to the mat, and when the door opens, the kids can give your dog a treat for staying. Then you give the kids their treats (please make sure those treats are for humans). So, your dog gets treats for learning, and the kids get treats for helping you train your dog — it’s a win-win!

Now that you’ve got all the behaviors planned out, it’s time to discuss the wardrobe portion of the evening. We’ve added a few simple tips to teach your dog to not just tolerate an outfit, but to love playing dress-up!

Prepping Your Pup for the Catwalk

Let’s face it, if dogs were out in the wild, one of the last things they’d want to do is put on an outfit, especially a Halloween costume. But with a little technique called classical conditioning, you can teach your canine companion to love almost any outfit. So grab that outfit and some tasty treats, and learn how I taught Poncho to love his costumes:

Gather Your Supplies: There are so many dog clothes out there, including specific cos-tumes. Make sure you have one that is pet friendly and fits your dog well. You’ll also want to have a container of yummy treats with you. We’re not talking the dry little biscuits; this is the time to pull out the big guns: small pieces of chicken, steak or freeze-dried liver. (Note: Use foods that are healthy and are part of your dog’s regular diet. When in doubt, check with your veterinarian. Also, regard these treats as part of your dog’s regular meal, not an add-on.)

Create the Connection: Teach your dog that the costume is associated with getting chicken (or the like). You’ll want to break this down into small steps:
1. Start with the costume hidden behind your back so your dog can’t see it. Then, show your dog the new costume, followed by giving your dog a small treat. Repeat this until your dog’s body language shows that he or she is excited when the costume appears — tail wagging; an open, relaxed mouth; and tongue hanging out (with possible drooling) are a few of the popular body language indicators.

2. The next step is to start to fit the costume on your dog. We suggest you continue the same process; meaning, first comes the costume being placed on your dog, fol-lowed by a little treat. If your dog seems to be enjoying it, then you can push a little faster by dressing your dog, all the while rewarding with small treats. Then re-move the costume and put all the treats away. If your dog is a little more hesitant, slow it down by putting only one section of the costume on at a time.

3. Once your dog gets the idea, you’ll be able to do this with other costumes. As a mat-ter of fact, I’ve done this with Poncho for so long now that he has more costume changes than Cher — and he loves every bit of it!

Halloween is the perfect time to teach your dogs to be the perfect door greeter AND a fashioni-sta, and it’s also the ideal time to show off their skills. Practice for just a few minutes on the days leading up and you’ll get great results, plus all the ghosts and goblins will be impressed!

Wishing you all a treat-filled Halloween from Joan, Poncho and the I.C. team.

Dear Inquisitive Canine is written by Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick, Poncho. Joan is a certified professional dog trainer and human-canine relationship coach. Poncho is a 10-pound mutt who knows a lot about human and canine behavior. Their column is known for its simple common-sense approach to dog training and behavior, as well as its entertaining insight into implementing proven techniques that reward both owner and dog.

Make Walking Your Dog a Walk in the Park

Joan Mayer — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:40:22 +0000

Dear Inquisitive Canine,

With patience on my part and a lot of practice, my dogs Ady and Ashley are coming along ok. However, one area that we need help is loose leash walking. They are pretty good, but only about 75% of the time.

If they see a pigeon, cat or dog, it’s all over. I’m no longer the center of the universe but some chump they’re dragging along for the ride. I’m sure there is something that I should be doing differently but what is it? Can you give us some advice?

Thanks,

Arlene

Dear Arlene,

Allow me to commend you on having patience and practicing with your dogs. Any amount of training is a good amount. Little by little you will indeed get to your final goal. Let’s see if we can help you get to the upper ninetieth percentile range, shall we?

First I’ll go over my general training plan for teaching a dog to walk on leash. Then I’ll address your issue specifically.

When it comes to teaching dogs to walk on leash, I like to break training up into three segments. This is how I teach this exercise in my own dog training classes, as well as with my private and virtual coaching dog training clients:

Level I: Reward What You Want!!! And reward your dogs enough to keep you at the center of their universe. You have to feed them anyway, so just take their meals with you on the road.

Level II: “Red Light Green Light” game. Leash tight = red light, leash loose = green light. If your dog pulls and the leash tightens, you STOP! When there is slack in the leash, you GO.

Level III: Introduce “real life” rewards into the mix. Ask for a “Watch me” or a “Sit” before allowing you dogs to sniff a tree, greet another person or play with another dog.

You can find additional loose leash walking tips on our Inquisitive Canine dog training blog.

When practicing walking nicely on leash with Ady and Ashely, here are some specific dog training techniques you’ll want to consider:

Provide higher value items (like steak vs. a doggie biscuit) to motivate your dog in challenging situations (like that 25% of the time that they aren’t demonstrating their loose leash walking skills!) And if giving them a better motivator isn’t working and they don’t want to play by the rules, then take them home. Short “time-outs!” can be effective if done immediately!

Use high value treats like pieces of steak or chicken, but ONLY in highly distracting situations like when other dogs, kitties, pigeons enter the picture. Ask for a behavior, like “watch me” and reward with “Good girls!” and treats. This way they only get the yummies while distractions are around, plus you’re giving them something to do instead of the behavior you don’t want.

Think 3-D training: Distance, Duration and Distractions. Each parameter will make a behavior easier or more difficult for your dogs to learn. Increase only one “D” at a time, and possibly lowering the other two just to make it even easier. Us humans tend to be a little pushy at times and want to increase all three “D’s” at once!

Finally, you might want to consider training one dog at a time and then take them for walks together. It might be more of an inconvenience initially, but think of the great payoff in the end!

Following these simple guidelines will help set you and your dogs up for success while also keeping you the center of their universe and not some chump at the end of the leash.

Joan is also the founder of the Inquisitive Canine and developer of the Out of the Box Dog Training Game where her love-of-dog training approach highlights the importance of understanding canine behavior. If you or your dog have questions about behavior, training or life with each other, please email them directly.