BEHAVIOR BASICS
This six week course meets for an hour once a week for 6 consecutive weeks and is open to dogs aged 5 months and older. This class includes impulse control exercises (jump prevention, waiting at doors, a default "leave it" for food on ground, etc) and basic behaviors. Class covers attention exercises ("look at me") on cue and polite leash walking as well as "leave it" on cue so students walks go more smoothly. Class also covers "sit", "down," "touch" (hand target), coming when called, stay, and an intro to matwork. There is no offleash playtime in this class.
(See below for sample week one class exercises and homework.)
Sample Week One Class Excercises and Homework
Attention on Cue"Look" or "watch me"
Step 1) The most efficient way to begin to train attention is to mark and reward it. Sit or stand in front of your dog with your clicker and treats ready (but not necessarily in your dog’s view). Click the moment your dog looks at you and then give her a treat. Repeat. After 10 repetitions of this exercise your dog will start to offer you the behavior you are clicking (looking at you). This will be demonstrated in class followed by classroom practice. After several brief sessions of this exercise you can begin to add a cue word (or command).
Step 2) Cue eye contact (by saying "look" or "watch me!") and click the moment your dog looks at you. Follow the click with a treat. You can hand your dog the treat or toss it on the floor for her.You can practice this indoors and outdoors (as long as you are in a quiet place). You can feed your dog handfuls of her kibble while you work on training attention on cue. We will work on training our dogs to look at us on cue even with distractions in the next few weeks.
Homework: Practice for up to 5 minutes a day in each room in your apartment. Mark and reward your dog for offering "looks" on walks.
Step 1) The most efficient way to begin to train attention is to mark and reward it. Sit or stand in front of your dog with your clicker and treats ready (but not necessarily in your dog’s view). Click the moment your dog looks at you and then give her a treat. Repeat. After 10 repetitions of this exercise your dog will start to offer you the behavior you are clicking (looking at you). This will be demonstrated in class followed by classroom practice. After several brief sessions of this exercise you can begin to add a cue word (or command).
Step 2) Cue eye contact (by saying "look" or "watch me!") and click the moment your dog looks at you. Follow the click with a treat. You can hand your dog the treat or toss it on the floor for her.You can practice this indoors and outdoors (as long as you are in a quiet place). You can feed your dog handfuls of her kibble while you work on training attention on cue. We will work on training our dogs to look at us on cue even with distractions in the next few weeks.
Homework: Practice for up to 5 minutes a day in each room in your apartment. Mark and reward your dog for offering "looks" on walks.
Intro to Moving Attention
Walk with your dog (on or off leash) and click and treat when she looks at you as you move. Practice this for a few moments every day. This is a good way to start teaching your dog to pay attention to you when you are out for walks. We will put this behavior on cue later.
Walk with your dog (on or off leash) and click and treat when she looks at you as you move. Practice this for a few moments every day. This is a good way to start teaching your dog to pay attention to you when you are out for walks. We will put this behavior on cue later.
Walking Nicely on Leash/ Loose Leash Walking, The Treat Zone -- Outside on Walks
Homework: This week on walks try to bring the clicker and treats with you on some walks.Click when your dog walks by your side (in the Treat Zone). It is ok if you need to stop walking in order to give her the treat after the click. But try to click when she is still walking next to you.If this is really difficult for now you can mark the behavior by saying "yes!" as she walks by your side and reward her with praise, pets, or treats. Clicking and treating her will be the most efficient way to train her to walk by your side, however.It may be useful to practice indoors without the leash, or with the leash tied around your waist. It can be difficult to manage treats, the leash and the clicker at first. Teaching your dog to walk by your side indoors will help her to learn to do it outside.Ideally you would start out clicking and treating for every 3 or 4 steps your dog takes in the Treat Zone. After several sessions you would click and treat for every 5 or 6 steps she takes by your side. Gradually you would progress to clicking and treating for every 6 or 7, etc. We will discuss putting the behavior on cue and maintaining it later in the course.
Homework: This week on walks try to bring the clicker and treats with you on some walks.Click when your dog walks by your side (in the Treat Zone). It is ok if you need to stop walking in order to give her the treat after the click. But try to click when she is still walking next to you.If this is really difficult for now you can mark the behavior by saying "yes!" as she walks by your side and reward her with praise, pets, or treats. Clicking and treating her will be the most efficient way to train her to walk by your side, however.It may be useful to practice indoors without the leash, or with the leash tied around your waist. It can be difficult to manage treats, the leash and the clicker at first. Teaching your dog to walk by your side indoors will help her to learn to do it outside.Ideally you would start out clicking and treating for every 3 or 4 steps your dog takes in the Treat Zone. After several sessions you would click and treat for every 5 or 6 steps she takes by your side. Gradually you would progress to clicking and treating for every 6 or 7, etc. We will discuss putting the behavior on cue and maintaining it later in the course.
Jump Prevention
You can do this by yourself or with friends. Hold your dog on leash. You can work on attention exercises if you’d like.Then your friend can approach your dog and say "hi" very calmly and approach to greet your dog. When you friend is right in front of your dog: If your dog jumps your friend walks away. If your dog sits you click and treat; your friend can pet your dog quietly, and then walk away. You can do this exercise by yourself if you tether your dog. Walk up to her when she is tethered and click the moment she sits. If she jumps turn around and walk away and approach again.
Homework: As your dog gets better at this you can increase the excitement level of the greetings.This week try to mark and reward you dog when she sits. Sit is an excellent default behavior.
You can do this by yourself or with friends. Hold your dog on leash. You can work on attention exercises if you’d like.Then your friend can approach your dog and say "hi" very calmly and approach to greet your dog. When you friend is right in front of your dog: If your dog jumps your friend walks away. If your dog sits you click and treat; your friend can pet your dog quietly, and then walk away. You can do this exercise by yourself if you tether your dog. Walk up to her when she is tethered and click the moment she sits. If she jumps turn around and walk away and approach again.
Homework: As your dog gets better at this you can increase the excitement level of the greetings.This week try to mark and reward you dog when she sits. Sit is an excellent default behavior.
Take it /Leave it
Say, "take it" and click when your dog reaches for the treat. Then hand your dog a treat. Repeat several times. Say, "Leave it" and hold a treat in your closed hand. Click the second your dog stops trying to get the treat from your hand. Then hand her the treat or give her one from your other hand. We will do this w/ the treat in our hand, on the floor, on tables, etc. Eventually we will use this as an all-purpose off switch.
Homework: Try this for 30 seconds a day on days when you don't work on Attention Exercises
Say, "take it" and click when your dog reaches for the treat. Then hand your dog a treat. Repeat several times. Say, "Leave it" and hold a treat in your closed hand. Click the second your dog stops trying to get the treat from your hand. Then hand her the treat or give her one from your other hand. We will do this w/ the treat in our hand, on the floor, on tables, etc. Eventually we will use this as an all-purpose off switch.
Homework: Try this for 30 seconds a day on days when you don't work on Attention Exercises
Take it/Leave it rules for Tug
Homework: Try to change the routine of your tug game to turn it into an impulse control game! Engage your dog in a rousing game of tug w/ a rope toy.Hold the toy tightly and still so she can’t get much play off of it. Say, "Leave it!" once. Click the second she loosens her grip. Reward her by tugging again or tossing the toy.You can do these exercises without the clicker! Use a verbal marker ("Yes!" or "right") Instead of the clicker if two hands are not enough for you to do the exercise above with the clicker.This is a great impulse control exercise that will help your dog learn how to control herself when you tell her to
Homework: Try to change the routine of your tug game to turn it into an impulse control game! Engage your dog in a rousing game of tug w/ a rope toy.Hold the toy tightly and still so she can’t get much play off of it. Say, "Leave it!" once. Click the second she loosens her grip. Reward her by tugging again or tossing the toy.You can do these exercises without the clicker! Use a verbal marker ("Yes!" or "right") Instead of the clicker if two hands are not enough for you to do the exercise above with the clicker.This is a great impulse control exercise that will help your dog learn how to control herself when you tell her to