Puppy Basics

Check out our video of some puppy training basics with puppy Miles.

Sit & Down

Teaching your new puppy Sit & Down.
For this you will use a food lure, which is basically "attaching" the dog's nose to "oh this smells good."  We can use that to lure them into many positions.  Its how we first teach most new behaviors.  

Sit:  Place the food in the dog's nose and slowly move it up and over their head.  Wait until their but hits the ground and say "Sit," followed by "Good" and a tasty treat (or other reward your dog enjoys).

Down:  First place your dog in a sit and reward.  Then place the food in the dog's nose and very slowly move it straight down to the ground.  Pause here for 1-2 seconds, then very slowly pull the food forward along the ground.  Wait until the dog's belly hits the ground then say your "Down, Good!" and reward.

Sometimes it make take several tries to get your dog to do this.  Don't get frustrated.  If you're having trouble training one of these, especially Down, and its not going well, take a break and move onto something else or play with your dog instead.  Try and always end training on a happy note.  Be patient and it will happen.


Other helpful Blog articles:

Teaching Down Puppy Nipping
Dog Accessories 
Anti-Jump Training
Helpful Ways to Exercise your puppy
Come When Called:  Step One
Come When Called:  Step Two

BML2--Class #2

Heel:

The Heel position is about the dog staying close to the handler and paying close attention.  We will start with the Basic Heel position, the Stationary Heel.

To do this, we will food lure the dog into the Heel position at our left side.  Use your left hand to food lure the dog into the position.  If you need, take a step back with your left leg to encourage the dog to move.  Once the dog is in the Heel position, practice a Sit and Look. 

Moving Heel:  

1. Food lure the dog several times while backing up.
2. Food lure the dog, now turn your body so the dog is now on the left side in Heel position (use the treat in your left hand).

—Always begin and end every Heel exercise with a Sit in the Heel position.

—When you stop moving forward, move your baited hand UP slightly to initiate the Sit position.

—As you are moving forward, the treat should be held up slightly from the dog so she is looking for it.  Gradually progress to moving your hand all the way up to the Look position.  

Come When Called:

(Puppy Ping Pong and Hide & Seek Games)

The Rules:

1. Safety first.  Always have a leash or be in an enclosed area.
2. When you say come, you have to see it happen.
3. NEVER punish a dog for coming to you.

The Steps:

1. Say the dog’s name and Come, one time only.
2. Have a party.
3. Lure (or gently lead) the dog back to you.

Remember, each cue/command has three parts to build up or work on:  

1. Duration (Time)
2. Distance
3. Distractions

To improve the Cue:  we will apply a Reward Grading Scale.  

This means that you must know what your dog likes best.  For this scale, we will reward with a low level treat for an okay recall.  As the dog improves on speed and direction, the training grade is higher, and therefore the reward should be greater.  Once the dog runs the distance quickly and directly to you, use a Jackpot Reward.  This means giving the dog several treats quickly after performing a behavior exceptionally well.

Practice Come when Called while adding Distance.  

We will start at a distance where we know the dog will currently respond to Come, then slowly start adding distance each time.  If the dog does not do well, take the training back a step (move closer to the dog).  Remember to progress slowly.  Be sure to attach your long line dog leash for this training.  For this, it is helpful to have two people for each dog.  This will make this exercise much easier to practice.  (Puppy Ping Pong Game).  Remember to practice all 3 Steps of Come When Called each time (as needed).  

Come when Called while adding Distractions.

Next we will try adding distractions to Come when Called.  To begin, we will start at a lower distance then was just practiced.  Keep your long ling training leash attached.  Now we will practice Come when Called while adding distractions.  For this we will use other dogs and people from class, as well as objects to try and distract your dog during the Come command.  Be sure to take this training very slowly.  Heavily reward your dog for ignoring the distraction(s) and coming to you.  Slowly add more difficult distractions.  Remember to use your Reward Grading Scale.  For better recalls, reward more lavishly with better treats.

Practice Look, Sit, Down, & Stand:

Finally we will practice some Basic Manners.  Practice each cue and make the dog hold the position longer before the reward.  Be sure to say your Reward Marker, “Good,” the instant the dog performs the behavior, but withhold the treat for a few seconds.  Make the dog wait longer and longer for the reward.  When rewarding, praise lavishly.

Practice Stay:

For Week 3 class we will be adding Distance and Distractions to the Stay cue.  So for this week, practice the Stay cue without distance and distractions.  Simply work on building up Duration, or time.

BML1--Class #6

Dogs from L to R:  Hope, Koa, Boone, Maybe, Devo, & Ogi.

Basic Manners Level One:

Positive Reinforcement Training

Energy Balance

Marker Word

No Reward Marker

Food Lure

Look/ Watch Me, Basic & the T position

Come when Called, 3 Steps & 3 Rules

Loose Leash Walking

Sit & Auto-Sit

Down

Up/ Stand

(Hand Signals)

Stay with Release Cue

Impulse Control

Leave It

Drop It

Class #6 of Basic Manners Level One is a review of all things learned.  We go over each cue and play different games to improve on each command.  At the end of class #6, each participant is given a certificate of completion.  Below are some pictures of the dogs working on "Stay."

Maybe.

Devo.

Boone.

Ogi.

REMEMBER to Keep Training Going:

Proper Exercise:  Every dog should be walked every day!

Good Relationship with the owner:  When you get frustrated, remember why you got your dog, he’s your buddy, he’s your pal.  Don’t take set-back’s personal.

Socialization:  It is very important to have a dog that is comfortable in as many different situations as possible.  Take your dog everywhere you can, but proceed at your dog’s pace.

Consistency:  Everyone in the household should have all the same rules, all the same cue words and commands, ALL THE TIME!

Generalizing:  Dogs do not generalize well.  It is important to practice everything you learn, everywhere you go.

Training Sessions:  Keep them short and sweet.  3-5 minutes a few times a day.

BML1--Class #5

Basic Manners -- Level One, Class #5

Such Good Dogs Basic Manners Class #5

Review of what is Rewarding to Dogs:

1.  Voice

2.  Eye Contact

3.  Touch

REVIEW:

Loose Leash Walking

Look/ Watch Me, Basic and the T position

Come when Called, 3 Steps & 3 Rules

Sit & Auto-Sit, Down, and Up

Leave-It

Stay with Release Cue, working on duration (building up time)

Drop It:

When teaching this cue, it is important to be aware of any possible Resource Guarding.  Dogs sometimes think they have a prize, or something they really like, and they want to keep it.  Low level resource guarding are things like lowering the head over an object or putting a paw over it.  High level resource guarding includes growling, air snapping, and biting.

Some dogs learn to guard because humans snatch things.  Never try and steal something from your dog.  Instead we must teach our dogs that all good things are provided by us.  We can trade whatever object they have for something of equal or higher value.

To teach the Drop It Cue:  First give the dog something he likes, such as a toy.  To begin, the dog must have an item in his mouth.  Once the dog is interested in the toy and has it in his mouth, present an item of higher value (treat) directly in front of the dog’s nose.  The dog will drop the toy to get the higher value item or treat.  As the dog drops the toy, say “Drop.”  As you are feeding the dog his reward, remove the toy with your foot at the same time.  Do not allow your dog to snatch the treat then snatch the toy back up.

REMEMBER to Keep Training Going:

Proper Exercise:  Every dog should be walked every day!

Good Relationship with the owner:  When you get frustrated, remember why you got your dog, he’s your buddy, he’s your pal.  Don’t take set-back’s personal.

Socialization:  It is very important to have a dog that is comfortable in as many different situations as possible.  Take your dog everywhere you can, but proceed at your dog’s pace.

Consistency:  Everyone in the household should have all the same rules, all the same cue words and commands, ALL THE TIME!

Generalizing:  Dogs do not generalize well.  It is important to practice everything you learn, everywhere you go.

Training Sessions:  Keep them short and sweet.  3-5 minutes a few times a day.

BML1--Class #3

Basic Manners -- Level One, Class #3

Maybe & Lillinoe playing before class.

Such Good Dogs Basic Manners Class #3

Review of what is Rewarding to Dogs:

1.  Voice

2.  Eye Contact

3.  Touch

Anti-Jumping/ Auto-Sit:

We want a dog to learn that anytime someone comes over, the dog should put their butt on the ground.  To practice, you basically walk up to your dog like an excited, random stranger, if the dog remains with All 4 Paws on the Floor, give your “Good” and reward.  If the dog jumps up, say nothing and walk away.

4 on the Floor:  When a dog can be greeted and keep all 4 paws on the floor and/or sit, reward the dog with a “Good” and soft, calm pet.  This is a good exercise to practice giving “Real Life Rewards.”  Always make your dog EARN what they get.

Practice Look / Watch Me:

We want a dog who looks to us for direction and permission.  Having a dog that is well focused on the owner will give you control over many situations.  This is the exercise you will practice when your dog becomes distracted during training.  This is meant to help focus (or re-focus) the dog back to the owner.

To do this, we place the treat directly in the dog’s nose then raise it straight up next to our eye, while standing back up.  As you raise your hand give your command word, “Look.”  Eventually we want the dog to look directly in our eyes, but to begin with, it they look anywhere in the general area of your head, say your “Good” and give the treat.

If your dog remains in position but is not looking at you, do NOT repeat your arm movements or verbal command.  Instead, hold the treat in position next to your eye while looking at the dog and WAIT.  You will wait 30 seconds to a minute.  If the dog still has not looked, give your No Reward Marker or “Uh-oh,” move positions, take a breath, and then try again.

Sit, Down, & Up:

We use the Food Lure technique to first teach these commands.  Some of these things may have already been learned, that’s great.  You can use the dog’s current knowledge of each cue and progress further to adding hand signals.  Each command should have its own word and hand signal.  (Demonstrated in training.)

Come when Called:

We now add all 3 Steps to Come when Called.

1.  Say the dog’s name, and Come.  ONE TIME ONLY.

2.  Have a party.

3.  Lure the dog back to you.

The reason we have 3 steps is, we start with step one, if that doesn’t work, we try step 2, if that doesn’t work, we go to step 3.  Properly practicing the steps and following the rules to Come when Called will help you build a reliable recall.  This is one of the most important things you can teach your dog.  As your dog improves, you must practice by slowly increasing distance, then adding distractions.  

(Command & Hand Signal demonstrated in training).

Impulse Control:

Teaching a dog how to control his natural impulses can be very helpful in our everyday lives.  Controlling your dog’s impulses can help keep him safe.  For example, you do not want your dog to run out into the road after a rabbit or squirrel and get hit by a car.  This is pre-training for teaching the Leave-It command.

In this exercise, we ultimately want the dog to look back to us for guidance when he is unable to get to the treat.  We are looking for the dog to control his impulse to snatch something off the ground.

To begin, hold the dog’s leash short and toss a treat just out of the dog’s reach.  Make sure the dog sees you do this.  The dog will tug and pull and possible claw trying to get to the treat.  When the dog looks away from the treat, reward the dog with a different treat (from your hand).  Pick up the treat you tossed, and start again.  The goal is first to get the dog to look away from the treat, and then to look back at you.  When the dog does this, give your “Good” and reward with a different treat.  Once the dog actually turns away from the thrown treat and LOOKS at you, give a very happy “Good!” with extra treats and praise.
Also check out our Impulse Control Training Video.

Koa practicing Impulse Control.

Devo & Ogi practicing Loose Leash Walking.

Loose Leash Walking.

PRACTICE!

Loose Leash Walking

Look

Sit & Auto-sit, Down, and Up

Come when Called, with all 3 steps

Impulse Control

Ogi waiting for her reward for doing well.

Dog Training Class--Level Two

 

Basic Manners Level 2 class. 
Classes will be held outdoors in Lahaina and other West Side locations.
This class will be held Saturdays from 5:00-6:00p.m.  (October 4th -- November 8th)



The cost for this class is $150 CASH. (Discounts will be given to multiple dogs). Please bring your payment with you the first day of class, along with your pet's vet records. I do not need to keep any vet records, but I DO need to see them. Your pet should be up to date on all shots including Parvo, Distemper, and Rabies (if your pet is from outside of Hawaii). These vaccinations are required prior to beginning training. Bordatella vaccination, or Kennel Cough, is recommended but not required.

Basic Manners Level 2...
Starting in mid to late August (TBA)
In this class we will review the Basic Manners and improve on them.  This is a 6-week, one hour per week class. 

Week One:

Paper work.  Review of all Basic Manners, body rewards, leadership, motivation, positive reinforcement, and energy balance.

--Basic Manners:  Loose Leash Walking, Look, Come when Called, Sit, Down, Stand, Stay, Drop It, and Leave It.

Week 2:

Heel.  Moving Heel.  Reward Grading Scale.  Come when Called with Distance and Distractions.  Practice Look, Sit, Down, and Stand.  Practice Stay with Duration (time).

Week 3:

Heel.  Moving Heel.  Adding Distractions to Heel.  Greeting a stranger while walking in Heel.  Adding Distance and Distractions to Stay.  Practice Look, Sit, Down, and Stand.  Practice Come when Called with various distances and distractions.

Week 4:

Heel.  Moving Heel.  Wait with Recall.  Wait with a long line leash.  Practice Come when Called with various distances and distractions.  Drop It and Give.  Take it.  Fetch.

Week 5:

Adventure pack hike.  Practice Wait with a long line leash.  Practice Look, Heel, and Loose Leash Walking.  Socialization.

Week 6:

Review of all things learned.  Games.

ANY dog breed of ANY age is welcome (and encouraged) to take these classes.

Please contact Such Good Dogs to sign up:
suchgooddogs@gmail.com
808-463-4684

Check out Such Good Dogs at:
SuchGoodDogs.com
Like Such Good Dogs on Facebook!

Athena Angelic is an Animal Behavior Certified Dog Trainer. Athena is certified in Pet First Aid & CPR through the American Red Cross, is a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and a Certified Mentor Trainer with Animal Behavior College.

Such Good Dogs offers group classes, private lessons, adventures, dog socialization, dog bootcamp, and in-home boarding.

Basic Manners Review

SGDs has two new dog training classes coming up soon.  First is our Basic Manners Level One dog training class.  Below is a review of this class for anyone thinking about attending.  This review is also a check list of the things your dog should be familiar with before taking SGDs Level Two class.  This is a list for review.  If you are unfamiliar with these Basic Commands, please look in our blog for previous, detailed explanations.

Basic Manners Review

3 Things on your body that are Rewarding to Dogs:

1. Voice
2. Eye Contact
3. Touch

Anytime you engage your dog in one of these things, you are basically rewarding whatever behavior they are doing at that time.  This is important to keep in mind so we do not unintentionally reward bad behaviors.
You must catch a bad behavior within 2 seconds to change the behavior.

Marker Word:  “Good” or “Yes” or the clicker
This is what we say to mark the behavior we wanted.  Saying this is telling the dog, “that was exactly what I was looking for!”  The more you mark good behavior in a positive way, the more your dog will want to engage in good behavior.  

No Reward Marker:  “uh-oh” or “eh-eh”
This is to let the dog know that this is not what I was looking for you to do now.  We want to mark the behavior as not what we wanted, but we want to do so in a way that will still encourage the dog to want to learn.  When using an “uh-oh” while training, remember to take a step away from the dog to help “re-set” the brain, then try again.  Remember to only say cues ONE TIME, then wait 30 seconds to a minute before giving your “uh-oh” (give the dog a chance to make the right decision).

Basic Manners Training Review:

Look/ Watch Me:
We practice this command because we want a dog who looks to us for permission and direction.  Practice this cue both the simple way (directly from the dog’s nose up to your eye), and with the T position (start the same, then when the treat comes to your eye, move both arms out into a T position).

Come When Called:
The Rules:

1. Safety first.  Always have a leash or be in an enclosed area.
2. When you say come, you have to see it happen.
3. NEVER punish a dog for coming to you.

The Steps:

1. Say the dog’s name and Come, one time only.
2. Have a party.
3. Lure (or gently lead) the dog back to you.

Loose Leash Walking:
When your dog pulls on the leash, you have two options…
1.  Stop and wait for the dog to move in a way that releases the tension of the leash.
2.  Say “let’s go” and go off promptly in the opposite direction.

Leave-It:
This should mean to a dog, turn away from that, don’t pay attention to that, leave that thing alone.  Remember that whatever you are asking your dog to Leave It, he should NOT get that item at the time you are practicing the Leave-It.  Never practice Leave-It/ Take-It (this can teach a dog to leave something alone for a second, then take it anyway).  We want our dogs to know that when I say to leave something alone, you don’t touch it ever.
     Making Leave-It harder:  1. Treat in closed hand, 2. Treat in partially open hand, 
3. Treat in open hand, 4. Treat in open hand on the ground, 5. Treat on the ground.

Stay:
Means to your dog, stay in this position until I come back to release you.  This is not the same thing as Wait.  
There are 3 parts to the Stay Cue:
     1.  Duration (Time)
     2.  Distance
     3.  Distractions

Drop It/ Give:
When teaching this cue, we must be aware of possible Resource Guarding.  Remember to NEVER steal things from your dog’s mouth.  To teach Drop It/ Give:

Have the dog have a toy in his mouth that is not of super high value.  Once the dog has the toy and is engaged with it, present a treat or reward of higher value than the toy, as the dog drops the toy, say “Drop.”  It is very important to give the reward to the dog AT THE SAME TIME as you pick up the dropped toy.  Do not let your dog get into the habit of snatching the reward then snatching the toy back up.


Sit, Down, & Stand:
All these positions should already be well practiced.  Dogs should know the verbal and hand signals for each command.

(For more Help, also see Common Training Terms.)

If you are interested in signing up for one of our group classes (or any other service), 

please contact us at:  Suchgooddogs@gmail.com

Or give us a call at:  808-463-4684

Cati & Lily demonstrate things learned in class.

Lily has taken several obedience classes with her family since she was a pup.  Both of Lily's owners (Cati & Kim) want Lily to learn as much as she can and to always be improving on her skills.  (Which I hope is what most people want out of their relationship with their dogs and I hope that we are all always working to improve).

In this video, Cati & Lily demonstrate some of the things they have learned in Basic Manners class, such as Sit, Down, and Stand.  And also demonstrate some more advanced things, such as Back, and Wait for an extended period of time.

Basic Manners Class #3

Using a food lure is the easiest and best way to teach a dog a new cue.  Keep in mind that teaching a dog the down position using a food lure can sometimes take longer than you might expect.  This is especially true of very small and very large dogs.  Remember to have patience and keep at it.  Once you can successfully food lured your dog 3-5 times in a row into the position, you may add the cue word, "down."

Athena and Lilly demonstrating how to properly do a food lure for the down position.


Below are some more pictures of the class practicing the food lure with Sit, Down, and Stand.

Finally, remember that ANY time your dog performs any behavior you are looking for, to give the dog LOTS of good praise.  "Good dog!!!" with a very excited, happy, up-beat voice.  I like to say, pretend its the best thing that's ever happened to you.  The better you are at marking your dog's proper behavior, the easier your dog will learn to do what you want.  Below is a picture of me demonstrating my excited, "good job" to a dog who's done well.