I’m not saying “ignore the dog” is bad advice.  It’s actually just fine advice.  My concern is that it’s not done right.  Part of the problem is the “ignore” isn’t clearly defined.  When you ignore a dog, you’re trying to not offer any reinforcement at all.  You’re withholding attention.

And I still see people look right at their pet, say a quick “no,” push them away, etc, etc, etc…  The key is to pretend your dog doesn’t even exist.  You can’t see him, hear him, feel him, or even notice he is in the same room no matter what he’s doing! It only takes one little eye contact for the dog to learn he’s getting somewhere.  And the second the dog is given eye contact (or whatever else that tells him you notice he’s there), he’s rewarded.  So think about it.  If you have a dog who’s barking, and you “ignore him.”  He keeps barking, and barking, maybe gets a little louder, or barks with more gusto, or just barks more BPM (barks per minute), and THEN we reward him.  Oops.  Now we’ve created a behavior of barking with duration that will increase in intensity.

What happens is now the dog has learned to just give it his all, and bark like he’s never barked before for two minutes straight.  For some reason I always think of a small child tugging on his mom’s shirt saying, “Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom.Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom.Mom. Mom.Mom. Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!” until the mom turns around and says, “WHAT?!?!!”  Which has now taught the kid this works.

If part of the behavior plan is going to be “ignore the dog” you need to make sure that no reinforcement happens at all.  The other part to this training (which is unfortunately often left out), is you need to reward what you want the dog to do! Trust me when I say dogs are smart and will figure out exactly what works to get what they want.  And it might just be another obnoxious behavior.  Dogs aren’t given Human Handbooks, just like when you have a baby they don’t come with manuals either.  Just remember, the outcome isn’t changing.  The reward isn’t different.  The way the dog gets what he wants is.  So if your dog is barking at you for attention, you’re not changing the reward.  Think of it more like taking the desired outcome the dog wants and putting it on hold.  You don’t want to just withhold attention until the end of time, or think giving him a completely different reward will work.  That’s nonsense.  (And can actually cause a doggie road rage frustration.  It’s like, if I’m hungry I want food, not a hug — if I’m sad I want a hug, not food, etc.)  The whole reason the dog will be motivated to change his behavior is to get the desired outcome he’s been striving for in the first place, so you don’t change that.  Instead you would give him attention by doing a different behavior.  And in order for the dog to learn this quickly, you have to heavily reward a desired behavior, like sit for example.  So only when the dog sits he gets attention.  You have to be really black & white about it.  No grey area.  It’s vital to remember to reinforce the desired behavior.  Otherwise we’re basically taking away the car keys without any information on how to earn them back.  A trick before doing this is to have about a week of heavily rewarding for sit (or whatever behavior you want to replace the no-no bad behavior with), because then the dog will likely try this behavior first when he learns what he was doing (barking) just doesn’t work anymore.

The light bulb moment goes something like this:

• I want attention!  I’m going to bark.
• Hum… maybe I’m not barking enough! (ie: an extinction burst, which is where we usually fail at the ignoring part and say, “WHAT?!?!!!”)
• Gee… this worked before, now I’m confused.
• I think I’ll try sit.  That was just working a few days ago for other stuff.  Might work for this too.
• <dog sits> (AND WE NOTICE & REWARD)

Believe it or not, sometimes we human beings are so focused on the part we can’t stand that drives us crazy we forget to notice the behavior we actually want.  Sort of like when a puppy chews on his toys we don’t do anything.  But when he has our $500 cell phone, we dish out all kinds of attention & sometimes even teach a fantastic catch me if you can game.  So, make sure you pay attention and teach your dog what does work.  That’s the way to replace behavior.

Hello: This is the Magic Wand Dog Training Center, we are unable to come to the phone but please press or enter the number for your request, we will return your call as soon as possible.

Press 01 to tell me your dog has been asked to leave the local obedience club because he won’t sit, wait, down or come when called (even when on lead) so you thought you would try agility.

Press 02 if your Labrador is morbidly obese and you thought you would try agility.

Press 03 if you want 30 minutes of advice and have no intention of paying for it.

Press 04 if you describe your dog as ‘a little bit naughty’ when what you really mean is that the b*st*rd bites … hard.

Press 05 if you want puppy training classes but your Boxer is already 12 months old.

Press 06 if you believe that just by turning up to one puppy training class and doing no work whatsoever at home, your puppy will grow up to be a well adjusted companion.

Press 07 if your nervous, aggressive GSD has bitten and hospitalized Aunt Maude, the vet, and your child and you want me to re-home it.

Press 08 if you have three children under school age, an invalid parent living at your home, a partner who works away, are pregnant with twins and want your 8 month old Dalmatian that never gets a walk to stop chewing every thing in sight.

Press 09 if you want to tell me my advice has not worked even though you have not tried it yet.

Press 10 if you want to be dog trainer and behaviorist because you like animals better than people.

Press 11 if you are 15 years old and want to do work experience with me but would faint if I asked you to pick up dog poop.

Press 12 if your dog is aggressive with other dogs but you want to join one of my groups because it will be nice for him to have some friends.

Press 13 if you cannot afford my private rates and want a discount because you only have one BMW.

Press 14 if you are cancelling your lesson that is due to start in 30 minutes and have no intention of paying the cancellation fee.

Press 15 if you do not believe in rewarding a dog and know that clicker training does not work because your friend Beryl said so.

Press 16 if you think your dog knows he has done wrong when you tell him off and that he obeys you because he respects you and acknowledges you are a superior being.

Press 17 if you want me to wave my magic wand over your contacts/weaves/start line waits in just one session and will then tell me it did not work when you go to a show just two days later with no training in the meantime.

Press 18 if you have eleven Jack Russell bitches in a small flat and you want me to teach them not to fight each other.

Press 19 if you already know everything about your breed because this is the fourth one you have had and I cannot tell you anything new.

Press 20 if you want me to pick up your dear departed dog’s ashes from the vets and keep them at my house because you are too upset to have them in your home (true!).

Press 21 if you could not use a Gentle Leader, indoor crate, or harness because they are cruel.

Press 22 if you will not put a muzzle on your deadly aggressive dog because you do not want people to think he is nasty.

Press 23 if you want to leave an increasingly angry message for the third time this week demanding an urgent call back and yet again forget to give your name or number.

Press 24 if, having ascertained I am out, you wish ask my engineer husband for behavioral advice about your pet.

Press 25 if you wish to fill up my answering machine tape with an incoherent rambling message.

Press 26 if want your intact male adolescent dog to spend its days lying patiently on your front step on your unfenced property because dogs shouldn’t want to run away, should they.

Press 27 if you want me to teach your untrained border collie to play with sheep because you think he will like it.

Press 28 if your dog thinks its name is “NO”.

Press 29 if it is before 8am or after 10pm and you want to ask how to stop your 13 week old puppy from biting your 5, 7 and 9 year old boys when they play fight with it.

Press 30 if you have taken trouble to socialize and train your pet and want to make an appointment to learn even more fun stuff. No need to hold, I’ll put you right through!

Dogs don’t go out of their way to please us.  Dogs go out of their way to get something they want or avoid something they don’t want. So ask yourself, what happens to the dog?  What happens when you say “Come?”  Does he go into a crate for 8 hours?  Get a bath?  Leave the dog park?  Now think about what happens when we say “Sit?”  Does he get a treat?  Get a tummy rub?  Get his leash on and go for a walk?  Get dinner?  For whatever reason, most people reward sit, AND use random rewards (aka, make rewards interesting by changing them up), BUT for whatever reason, most people  don’t randomly reward other behaviors the same way. This makes sit a super strong behavior with little chance for extinction, while everything else is “meeh.”

Me? Sure I want a dog who “wants to work for me.”  I want a dog who is “on the payroll” with random rewards.  I want a dog who can’t wait for me to give the next cue so he can comply as fast as possible.  And this is done through positive training and practice to make your dog a gambler, to see what the next goodie is in store for him.

So put your dog on the payroll.  He doesn’t have to work full time, but should at least have a part time gig.  That’s how you get a dog who “wants to please you.”  When you think about it, he’s only working to get something to please himself, by doing things that we want. But hey, we’re no different! And I for one, would like a dog who doesn’t want to call out for a personal day.

Here is a list of things to socialize your puppy around.  Remember, socialization is expo­sure with pleas­ant con­se­quences to teach accep­tance of new experiences. Common sense goes a long way when socializing a puppy.  If your puppy seems hesitant, go slower, let the puppy approach the person (not vice-versa), use rewards like food, praise and petting when the puppy does investigate something he was unsure of, and never force a puppy (this only creates fear issues later).

• Ten different healthy, happy small dogs
• Ten different healthy, happy big dogs
• Ten different calm, well behaved, gentle children
• Ten different calm, well behaved, gentle teenagers
• Thirty different calm, well behaved, gentle adults
• Ten tall people
• Ten average height people
• Ten short people
• Ten people wearing glasses
• Ten people wearing hats or hoods
• Fifty different sounds
• Five things red
• Five things blue
• Five things orange
• Five things green
• Five things purple
• Five things yellow
• One body of water, river, stream, or pool
• Ten different vehicles
• Ten things that are not in your house
• Fifteen things you can only find outside
• Twenty different ring tones
• Five different surfaces (sand, grass, concrete, etc)
• Five shiny things
• Twenty different dog toys
• One fence
• Five street signs
• One crate or dog bed
• Touch each paw twice a day for one week
• Twenty other people to touch or pet the puppy
• Twenty other people to give the puppy a treat
• See, be near, or interact with supervision, three other animals (cat, horse, etc)
• Sniff on a walk at least five times, for at least ten walks
• Respond to at least one easy cue (sit, target, paw, etc) in ten different situations (you’re sitting, standing, laying in bed, mowing the grass, carrying in the groceries, etc), in at least three different environments (outside, at your friend’s house, etc)
• Eat a treat in twenty different environments (your house, outside, the vet’s, a friend’s house, on a walk, in the car, etc)

.

Related Posts:

http://sitstayandplay.com/dogblog/socialization-skills

http://www.petexpertise.com/puppy-socialization-by-jules-nye.html?utm_source=streamsend&utm_medium=email&utm_content=6704741&utm_campaign=Stop%20Door%20Barking%2C%20Help%20a%20Dog%20Recover%2C%20Contest%20%26%20More%20-%20Pet%20Expertise%20October%20Article%20Newsletter

Common human mistake: The dog is getting into the trash, or chewing on the $90 pair of shoes.  The owner gets mad and calls the dog over to yell at him.

Dog’s reaction: “It’s not fun to come when called.  I’ll do it this time because I’m scared when you get mad.  I slink over to you, with what you mistake as guilt, but what is really submission.  I don’t understand you are trying to punish me for a behavior that happened somewhere else, and probably about 2 minutes before I got over to you.”

Reality: The dog will think he is being yelled at for coming when called.  This is in no way fun for the dog.  Next time the dog will avoid the recall to avoid the yelling.

How to avoid this situation: Don’t let the dog have access to “no-no’s.”  Have a trash can with a lid, and put the shoes in a closet.  Teach the dog basic obedience like “leave it” and “drop it.”  Talk to a qualified trainer about house destruction.  Never call the dog over to punish him.

Common human mistake: A dog has run away from his owner outside and takes his time coming back.  The owner becomes angry that first the dog got away, and second that the dog didn’t respond to the first “come” command.  The owner begins to chase the dog.

Dog’s reaction: “Wow, it’s fun to run around outside.  Is that a squirrel?  I need exercise.  Look, there’s my owner.  Oh, fun, he wants to chase me!  I can out-run him!”

Reality: Chasing a dog only makes the dog run away faster.  Dogs usually love the chase game, and this will teach the dog to run away.

How to avoid this situation: Make sure the dog is reliable with his obedience in a distracting situation, like the great outdoors.  If the dog has never practiced his obedience around distractions, it’s really not fair to think the dog should or would respond in this environment.  Also, instead of chasing the dog, some dogs will gladly chase their human.  Try and run in the other direction.  The ideal solution is to make sure the dog doesn’t have the opportunity to get away outside.  Teach the dog to wait at doorways, and teach proper leash manners.

Common human mistake: While playing in the dog park the dog is called to “come.”  The dog does respond to the command, but not with enthusiasm.  The owner then leaves the dog park, or crates the dog for the day.

Dog’s reaction: “I understand what ‘come’ means.  Sometimes I even get treats.  Lately though, I seem to leave all my friends at the park, or have to be in the crate for a while.  Next time I may want to play more, or not go into the crate.  I wonder when I’ll get food again.”

Reality: Remember the recall has to be fun in the dog’s point of view. Leaving doggie friends and crating up for the day isn’t as much fun as food or play.

How to avoid this situation: Don’t consistently call the dog to leave fun situations.  Instead, call the dog, and send him back out for more fun.  If the dog is getting more praise and permission to play almost every time he comes back, this will out weigh the final “come” when it is time to leave.  If this is a crate situation, pick a word that means “get into your crate please” like “crate,” “kennel up,” etc.  Talk to a qualified trainer about crate training if the dog is having trouble.

Now let’s discuss how to train the dog to love being called to “come.”  Think for a minute what your dog really loves.  Most dogs love food, food, and more food.  Some dogs really like to play or have a special toy.  While other dogs love to be pet and have their belly or rump rubbed.  Other dogs love praise like “good boy” when the owner says it in a high pitched voice, like when you talk to a small human baby.  Whatever makes the dog happy is what you want to use to reinforce the behavior.  Meaning, if the dog likes food, give the dog food when the dog comes when called.  Keep in mind if the dog likes food, praise and petting, use all three of these.  If the dog thinks he is better than sliced bread, the dog will race over to see what goodies are in store for him.

Practice and consistency are huge when teaching a reliable recall. Owners should practice ten recalls per day, every day, at different times of the day.  The more you practice and consistently reward the dog for the recall, the more the dog learns “good things are here for you,” and the behavior of returning to the owner will happen.  Think for a minute if there are already cues in the dog’s life that the dog comes running for.  Some may be sounds, like hearing the crinkle of a treat bag, or the can opener.  Other cues may be sayings like “Let’s go bye-bye in the car,” or “want a treat?”  Sometimes the cue is visual, like seeing the leash to go out for a walk.  However, what do all these have in common?  The dog associates these sounds, sayings, or sights with fun things.  The dog wants these things to happen.  Therefore, the dog runs over as fast as he can to eat the treat or go for a ride in the car.  Use these situations to your advantage!  If you can guarantee the dog runs to you when they see the leash, say “come.”  This way you are practicing a rewarding recall, and you can guarantee success.  This will teach the dog “come” means you get dinner, go for a car ride, go out for a walk, get to play ball, eats treats, get your belly rubbed, etc.  This will also help teach the dog food is not always involved.  Yes, food treats are a very powerful motivator.  They are used a lot during the learning process of teaching the recall.  However, after the dog has an understanding of what “come” means, if the recall is always practiced with food, the dog will always expect food.  If the dog knows there is no food around, sometimes the dog decides not to respond to the recall.  Also, if you own a specific breed of dog and know the breed traits, use this to your advantage.  For example: Retrievers usually love to play ball.  The owner throws the ball, the dog gets it and comes back to the owner, drops the ball, then waits for the owner to throw it again.

First, the basics:

• Prevent the dog from going potty in the house.  Manage the environment to a small section of the house so you can always supervise your dog.  Crate your dog when you can’t supervise him.  Put your dog on a food and water schedule.  Reward your dog outside as soon as he is done going potty.
• If you acquired your dog from a breeder, or a rescue group that has foster parents, hopefully these people have been promoting proper potty habits.  If you acquired your dog from a shelter with kennels, or a pet store, please remember the only place for the dog to eliminate was in his kennel/cage and he may take longer to potty train.
• Puppies under six months of age are still learning how to control their muscles.  The rule of thumb for puppies is that they can “hold it” for a time equal to their age.  Example: A two month old puppy can hold themselves for two hours.  A three month old puppy can hold themselves for three hours.  Now this “equation” is not set in stone and the time can vary either up or down depending on the dog.
• Puppies need to relieve themselves: after sleeping; before, during and after play; before and after eating or drinking; and before allowing the puppy to roam about your home.
• Accidents can and will happen.  The more supervision with the dog, the less accidents will happen.  Make sure to clean up accidents as soon as possible with an enzymatic cleaner.
• Punishment does NOT work with any kind of potty training!  It does not matter if you catch your dog in the act.  The only thing a dog learns when humans get angry and yell is that the act of elimination is not to be seen by humans.  Dogs think “I’m making a piddle, and my human is yelling.  I’m sorry, I didn’t know that would make you very angry.  I’ll go out of your site the next time I have to use the facilities and hide it.”  Now punishing a dog for elimination in the house “after-the-fact” is just plain confusing for the dog.  Remember, whatever the dog was doing last is what the dog will think the correction is for.  May be the dog was chewing on his toy and not the TV remote control, or may be the dog was coming to you at the front door.  Do not rub the dog’s face in the mess unless you want to encourage eating poop.
• Having a dog on both a food and water schedule helps tremendously.  If you know when it goes in, you will have a very good idea when it’s coming out.
• Rewarding the dog for proper potty habits will encourage proper potty habits.  If a dog thinks they are the next best thing to sliced bread for using the restroom outside, they will want to repeat that behavior.  Remember, in training a dog for any behavior, timing and consistency are critical.  This means, every time the dog eliminates outside we reward the dog on the spot.  If the reward is too late (like waiting until the dog has entered the house) the dog could very well associate another behavior for the reward, like entering the house, or sitting for the treat.  If the reward in not consistent enough, the dog will be confused and potty training will take much longer.
• Most dogs like a clean living area.  Crates, a small room, and baby gates are some tools used to help a dog learn to hold themselves.
• Most dogs like to relieve themselves on soft surfaces.  This is why most dogs prefer grass to concrete.  In the house: carpet, the sofa, the bed (dog’s or human’s,) and soft blankets in a crate are usually the spots dogs use to eliminate.  During potty training (especially with puppies) it is strongly recommended to NOT put any kind of soft material in the crate.

Some common potty training problems:

I let my dog outside and all he does is play.  I’ve even been outside for an hour hoping the dog will use the facilities and nothing happens. — 1. The dog may not want to mess up his “play area.” A specific part of the yard needs to be used, or a walk around the block.  2. The dog has learned it doesn’t need to eliminate to reward himself outside with play.  The dog needs five minutes maximum outside to relieve himself, and if nothing happens the dog goes back into the crate for three to five more minutes.  Repeat the process until the dog eliminates outside, and reward as soon as the dog’s finished.  (Remember the dog is the next best thing to sliced bread for eliminating outside.)

I let my dog outside for a reasonable amount of time and as soon as I let him inside he pees on the floor.  — 1. The dog may think he is supposed to go inside.  This happens when there is not enough supervision and the dog goes at will inside, and the human(s) just don’t notice the messes; and/or there is a lack of communication to the dog, meaning an error in timing of the reward and consistency of rewarding the dog.  More supervision is needed and the dog needs to be crated or leashed to a human when left inside the house.  The dog needs five minutes maximum outside to relieve himself, and if nothing happens the dog goes back into the crate for three to five more minutes.  Repeat the process until the dog eliminates outside, and reward as soon as the dog’s finished.  2. The dog may not want to mess up his “play area.”  A specific part of the yard needs to be used as a potty area, or a walk around the block.

My dog is great in the house except for one room. -  1. The dog doesn’t understand the entire house is his home too, (and there are probably other messes that have gone undetected.)  Crate training was probably moved along too fast.  The dog should be back in the crate and moved along at a much slower rate as the “house expands.”  Meaning, the dog has the crate.  Then the dog has the crate and the kitchen.  Then the dog has the crate, the kitchen, and the hallway, etc.  2. The dog smells the last time he eliminated in the same spot.  Clean the area with an enzymatic cleaner.  Do NOT use anything ammonia based, since ammonia is one of the main ingredients in urine.  3. The dog may be marking his territory.  Start the “Nothing In Life Is Free” program.  Supervise the dog at all times so accidents don’t occur.  Spay or neuter the dog.

My dog was completely potty trained and just now started to piddle a small amount everywhere around the house. — 1. The dog may be marking his territory.  Start a NILIF program.  Use a crate and reward outside potty habits more.  Train the dog to hit a bell to go outside.  Supervise the dog at all times so accidents don’t occur.  Spay or neuter the dog.  2. The dog may have a medical condition.  See your veterinarian.

My dog eliminates in the crate.  — 1. The dog is not properly crate trained or could be under stress.  2. The dog is in the crate too long.  Dogs usually don’t want to potty in a crate, this doesn’t mean they won’t potty in a crate if left in one too long. Put the dog on a food, water, and walk schedule.  Give the dog more opportunities outside to eliminate.  3. There is something soft in the crate that can absorb the pee.  Take out anything soft and fluffy from the bottom of the crate.  (Remember dogs like to eliminate on soft things.)

My puppy pees on the way to the door (or at the door) when I let him out of the crate or when I am going to let him outside.  — 1. The puppy doesn’t have complete muscle control yet.  Movement usually stimulates a puppy to eliminate.  (This is why they must potty before and during and after playtime.)  Carry the puppy outside to use the bathroom.  Give the puppy more frequent potty breaks.  Distract with food or a toy to get the puppy outside.

My dog goes outside and then fakes going to the bathroom.  — 1. BE HAPPY!!! (Especially if this is a puppy faking it.)  If your dog fakes using the facilities outside, your dog is telling you that he knows what is expected of him. He is trying to make his human happy, and he understands potty habits outside gets him rewards.  2. The dog is not faking it, but straining to eliminate.  This can be a medical emergency and should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• Timing. Reward the dog as soon as the dog has finished eliminating outside.  Don’t wait.
• Consistency. Reward the dog every time he eliminates outside.
• Supervise. If the dog is consistently under supervision, (especially puppies) the dog will have a lot less room for error and will mess in the house less frequently.
• Asking to go out. Train the dog to hit a bell or bark to go outside.
• Crate Train. Most dogs are den clean, meaning that they don’t want to mess up their home.  This makes it easier for a dog to want to “hold it.”
• Schedule. A food and water schedule ensures a time frame for eliminating instead of guessing when the dog has to potty.  Also have several scheduled times per day for the dog to go outside and relieve himself.
• Patience. Potty Training is sometimes a slow process.  Understand some dogs can take up to six months to completely potty train.
• Reward. Anything the dog wants.  For most dogs this is food, play, praise, and petting.
• Log everything. This is especially helpful if you have an entire family who is “helping” with the potty training.  View an example of a potty training log HERE

I am not saying breeds don’t have common characteristics because they do. I’m saying I hate it when there is no training done and no effort whatsoever is put forth, and results are expected or demanded. Well here’s a news flash; the entire soul of training is to manipulate behavior.

Let’s pretend you get a dog “known for” being friendly. And just because he is “supposed to” be laid back and good natured, you don’t socialize and just assume he’ll “supposed to.” Guess what? You will not only deprive critical socialization puppy experiences, you won’t teach anything about the world. (Remember training is teaching and dogs are always learning.) So even though Breed X is “supposed to” be friendly, it is very real to create quite the opposite by lack of training. I have also seen Breed X being forced to put up with far too much because they are “supposed to” be so tolerant. It’s not fair, and I have seen too many Breed X dogs “turn bad” because they were constantly thrown into situations they didn’t like.

On the flip side. Let’s pretend you get Breed Y who is “known for” being aloof and more reactive. How dumb is it to not take that information by the horns and start training asap? If the blueprints are right there saying, in a big fat ugly way “these can be potential problems” why ignore that? I actually read about (nameless breed) on (nameless rescue site), and I quote: “is rather independent and much like a cat will usually not come to you when called.” To which I say what a huge insult not only to the breed, but to cats as well. Sorry, but I call BS.

So I ask you, what do you focus on? Are breed traits restrictions or blueprints for training?

Now… imagine your dog with his “lotto ticket.”  How much is it worth to the dog?  Why (in the dog’s point of view) should he give it up?  Is there a possibility of not getting the item back?  Is it fun and non-threatening to relinquish the item?

Always remember the dog is always a good dog for giving up anything he has!  If the dog drops his toy you should have the same reaction if the dog drops the TV remote control he was just chewing.  Be happy and REWARD the dog for giving things up.

Step #1:  Your dog feels comfortable with you around him when he has something in his mouth.  (Ask about resource guarding if you are not sure about this.)  When your dog has something, walk toward your dog, say, “drop it” and drop a treat on the floor beside the dog, and keep walking.

Step #2:  Your dog feels comfortable with you talking to him when he has something in his mouth. Walk toward the dog, say, “drop it” and drop a treat on the ground.  Stand near the dog.  Let the dog eat the treat and just praise the dog.  Walk away.

Step #3:  Your dog feels comfortable with you petting him when he has something in his mouth.  Walk toward the dog, say, “drop it” and drop treat on the ground.  Pet and praise the dog.  Walk away.

Step #4:  Your dog will give up what he currently has temporarily to get something else, and is allowed to go right back to the item he had.  Stand near the dog.  Say, “drop it” and wait for the dog to “spit out” the item.  Click the moment the dog gets the object out of his mouth.  Throw treat on floor away from the item (about 3 feet.)  Allow the dog to eat the treat.  Repeat.

Step #5:  Your dog will give up what he currently has to get something else while you reach for the item (but not pick it up.)  Stand near the dog.  Say, “drop it” and wait for the dog to “spit out” the item.  Click the moment the dog gets the object out of his mouth.  Throw several treats on floor away from the item (about 3 feet.)  Allow the dog to eat the treats as you touch the item.  Repeat.

Step #6:  Your dog freely drops items in his possession to get something else.  Doesn’t try and race you back to the object, you can now pick item up without any objection from the dog.  Same as step #5, except you are now picking up the item instead of just touching it.

• Remember to practice with items you can give back to the dog.
• If you are working with a “resource guarding” dog, there are safety precautions that are necessary.  Ask your trainer.
• This is an exchange exercise in the dog’s point of view.  Remember to give your dog something good for giving up his “lotto ticket.”

Training my cats was just as easy as training my dog. The best recall I find to teach cats is target. They are also trained a general recall the same way I taught my dog through shaping. I honestly don’t know how cat training is all that impressive. Cats are just as happy to learn behaviors for pay as dogs.

One of my cats is a tuna whore and the other two love turkey. I still keep treats interesting or limited so they hold their value. And the rule of “keep training sessions short” is critical to remember when cat training. I started off just shaking the kitty treat jar and then giving them all a few treats. They understood that sound in about a week. The can opener just about trained itself through classical conditioning. And training Target with clicker training was a cinch.

Eventually I need to get everyone trained to a silent whistle (shoe maker’s kids huh?).

Socialization is the act of exposing your puppy to new, pleasant experiences — with the goal to create a confident dog.  That’s right, I said confident.  The polar opposite of confident in the dog world is anxious.  And not socializing a puppy will create a dog who is fearful, hesitant, nervous, anxious, or aggressive when introduced to a new environment or stimulus.  You know, those dogs who are scared to live in their own skin.

Also notice socialization isn’t just exposure.  It’s exposure with pleasant consequences. Just taking your puppy around new people, places, animals, and things DOES NOT socialize.  It’s the interaction with those things. Keep in mind that a negative experience can come from uncertainty (fear of the unknown), or a bad experience,  and it can come from you or the environment.  I had a wonderful Sheltie breeder in Ohio call me about a puppy she placed in my area.  This puppy left her just like every other puppy with no problems.  Within two months he was so fearful of people he wouldn’t even let the owner touch him.  After speaking with her and getting some back ground information it was obvious the problem was due to improper socializing.  You see, this Sheltie puppy was placed with a trainer’s assistant who had all the best intentions.  She wanted to socialize her new puppy and had access to hundreds of people and dogs.  Sadly, she didn’t realize passing her puppy from person to person with a goal of “the puppy must be handled by 100 strangers” back fired.  Let’s pretend you’re the puppy, and I’m your owner.  Now let’s pretend you’re not sure what to make of strangers, a little uncomfortable, but nothing serious.  Now let’s pretend I force 100 random strangers to hug you.  So that’s one hundred times something you are uneasy about comes into your space and just starts touching you (petting). Which actually had the side effect of “touch is bad.”

Socialization is teaching a puppy about the world around him.  It’s teaching the acceptance of new places, things, sounds, etc.  A much better plan would have been to do something that made the Sheltie puppy want to approach strangers.  Maybe letting the dog come to them and getting a good sniff.  Or how about giving the dog a small tasty treat (we call that “strangers have the best candy” in the training world.)  If you try and force “close” all they want to do is get farther away.  If you give them plenty of space to get close at their own pace, then they want to explore the option of being close.  Why?  Because it’s non-threatening.

So if you or someone you know is socializing a puppy, tell them to use motivation.  Tell them: Socialization is exposure with pleasant consequences to teach acceptance of new experiences.