Session 101: E-Collar Training Explored with Eric Letendre

This is part two of the lesson on teaching the "place" command. We're going to take it up a notch from yesterday's work. We'll look at increasing levels of difficulty. We'll also talk to those with older puppies and adult dogs, and those that aren't as "food motivated". The goal being to learn to apply a more advanced set of skills to get the results you're looking for. Hopefully, after episode 87, (which you can click here to check out) you have gone through a few progressions with your puppy to establish their baseline competency level and acceptance of the idea of using their bed. I'll talk to you about evaluating their skills in this episode; this will help you move forward in the right way or correct any bad habits you might not have thought about. There are some great beds that you can use for this. I've included some links below. In full disclosure, these links are affiliated with me on Amazon and I see a small piece of it if you click through. I believe in what I promote, but I just wanted to be clear about what you were clicking! K&H Pet Products Original Pet Cot, Elevated Dog Bed Cot with Mesh Center, Multiple Sizes (by K&H Pet Products) A raised cot or bed like this makes the place command much more defined and easier for dogs to learn the skill. And A quote about resilience from this episode “One form of perseverance is the daily discipline of trying to do things better than we did yesterday.” ― Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Audible version | Paperback version) Sign up for an Audible monthly membership, click here.

28 Maalis 202041min

Today's emergency session 87 is a fun exercise, and part one of a session to help your puppy learn the "place" command. As part of this exercise we'll talk about teaching him/her to use their dog bed. We'll go over how to analyze and learn about the personality of your puppy based on the skills exercises I demonstrate, and then tailor your training based on what you observe. It can be a great step in ongoing obedience between you and your new pet. I also touch on housebreaking (more in-depth training with this in session 5) and how that fits into this training. I also have a few pens that you can use for training your pet at night and have included links to each; AmazonBasics Foldable Metal Pet Exercise and Playpen IRIS 34'' Exercise 8-Panel Pet Playpen Wire Pen Dog Fence Playpen And near the end of the recent episodes I've begun to say a few words about resilience, with the hopes that you'll take it to heart and perhaps to cheer you and your family up during these challenging times. I hope that you'll enjoy them. Today's philosopher is a bit more modern than yesterday's quote from Horace (a first century poet).. A brief quote from Sylvester Stallone in a speech to his son about perseverance.

26 Maalis 202033min

In today's session I'll give you a few tips for creating some fun and interesting mental and physical exercises for your dog while "sheltering at home".  I've also decided to outline the entire subject below and put in a few links for items that might be useful during these sessions; Fetch Work on teaching fetching rules though (if you’re out at the park – be sure to use a long line on your dog to prevent any mishaps in social distancing rules and keep everyone safe. Goals Make sure you’re teaching some rules with this. Teach your dog that you start and end the game. Teach Drop it and stick a treat to your dog’s nose (after getting your dog to drop the ball where you want it with your food lure and work – you can get two identical toys and reward the dropping of ball one with the throwing of ball two. This is a great way to get your dog doing some wind sprints and tire them out completely.) Progression: Work obedience into your fetch – sit or down then say your release command and then immediately throw the ball or toy. Tug Goals Teach your dog that you start and end the game Teach your dog drop it in drive and; Teach them to come down out of drive by giving them a small break between bouts of tug Toy Suggestion: K9 Dog Bite Tug Toy with 2 Strong Handles (by Bull Fit) Made of Durable & Tear-Resistant French Linen Perfect for Tug of War, Fetch & Puppy Training Ideal for Medium to Large Dogs - Firmly Stitched Pull Toy  Flirt Pole If your dog has a high "prey" drive and you have the room in your yard or house.  See if your dog likes the idea first, by attaching a toy to a string or line to see if your dog likes chasing it, before investing a bunch of time or money into getting or making one. Goals: The same as the last two game’s goals. Puppy Prey Drive Building Flirt Pole Tug Toy Redline K9  by REDLINE K-9 or "DIY" it with an old broom handle or relatively sturdy piece of lighter wood (1x2 pine work pretty well), duct tape a handle and drill a hole in the top... run a light line through and tie a cloth tug toy to your line (depending on your dog’s tenacity). I’ve used old shoelaces strung together in a pinch for these DIY versions BOOT laces are better cuz they’re longer.  Feeding toys and puzzles that I like StarMark Bob-A-Lot Interactive Dog Toy by StarMark PetSafe Busy Buddy Twist 'n Treat, Treat Dispensing Dog Toy, X-Small, Small, Medium and Large Sizes by PetSafe Caveat:  Don’t leave this with your dog as a “chew toy”.  They’re not really designed for that.  If you want something for their alone time.  I’d use a black rubber Kong (note: there are different sizes – Get one large enough that your dog can’t mistake it for something to swallow!) Back Rubber Kong (Note: The black rubber is denser and more durable than the red rubber Kongs) BONUS POINTS!! Super geeky reference for more info on the Roman poet Horace 😊 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Roman-poet

25 Maalis 202036min

Core foundational skill building is critically important, and practical application of that in today's new "social distancing" environment is essential. I'm going to talk about training exercises that you can run through with your puppy to help determine the type of instinctive response your puppy has, and how to establish some good fundamental behaviors. I think about socializing in three different categories; Socializing to things Socializing to people  Socializing to other animals I usually use that order to establish skills by relative difficulty (since each step in order above is progressively more challenging to establish.) And by the way, if you want a more in depth understanding of what I'm putting into practice today I'd suggest listening to specifically to episode 73 and episode 74 on Skinner's Four Quadrants. Puppy aptitude testing involves sight, startle, sensitivity, and sound, and I talk about how you'll want to consider this when going through these exercises. The first will include the ability to manage their nervous system, recover from stimuli, get back to neutral, so they can get back to a "thinking mode" rather than a more systematic nervous system response mode. The second core skill is helping them stay mentally connected to you during different experiences you both encounter. I'll talk about two specific training exercises you can try!

23 Maalis 202025min

It's a strange time for sure in the midst of all of the COVID-19 concerns worldwide. I've received a lot of questions about their pets and I wanted to publish a few brief episodes to not only answer questions that I've received but to give you some fun things to do with your dog along the way while you're sheltered in place, or stuck at home. In this episode I'm primarily talking about the following; Can my dog catch Coronavirus? Risks associated with your pet being a "conduit" What kind of exposure should I allow with my dog? Can I take him/her for a walk? Should I use any product to clean my dog's paws? Some useful links to sites relevant to this episode CDC page Description of sheltering in place with CNN USA Today U of Illinois and Urbana pet care Thanks for listening and stay safe! I'll give you more tomorrow. Sean

22 Maalis 202016min

In our training session for today I'll help design a game plan for training a puppy that likes to bite and nip. I'll show you how to design an environment that is optimal for training for this type of behavior. It is very much requires a 'relationship based' type of approach. Other trainers use a "behavior centric" approach. I referred to a previous episode I published (episode 76 if you want to check it out) where some veterinarians published an article about whether or not dog's were "pack animals". That study and many like it are done in a vacuum so-to-speak, and lack the broader view of the total approach to behavioral training for dogs. The approach I describe in this podcast uses a comprehensive technique. I think you'll appreciate the broader lesson in this method. I'll break the plan down in a few parts; Principals and Mental Constructs Systemic Setup and Structure Pro training versus anti-training Enjoy!  Also, as always, thanks so much to P.U.P. Dog Rescue for sponsoring the program and today we're featuring Skylar. He's a 1 year old chihuahua pomeranian mix, and currently is homed with a cat. Thanks as always for your support and comments about the show! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @thedogs_way for latest info and fun stuff about your best friends.

3 Maalis 202049min

In today's podcast I will talk about a remote training method using e-collars! In podcast session 45 I talked a bit about this but I'll talk about how it relates to obedience training. There's controversy and some things to consider and I will discuss all of that. When we use it for training it can be very effective and I'll talk about steps for you to train your dog effectively with it. I've given you two links for items to consider buying as a part of this session. Here's a link to the Mini Educator (and in full disclosure, we make a couple bucks off of sales through the link.) You can do your own search for Educator e-collars online as well. In addition to the Mini Educator, the quick collar is helpful. Keep in mind that there is a 1 inch and a 3/4 inch collar. Just make sure it matches the model of educator collar you plan to buy.  Today's rescue pup is Culpepper! He's a maltese mix and is quite small, at about 8 pounds. He's all white, incredibly adorable, easy to be around, and a good natured pet that I'd love for you to take a look at by clicking here. Thanks to P.U.P. dog rescue as always for their support. As I've done before I am presenting a new year's challenge to get you back into training your pet! I'll tell you more about my challenge in training. Also, we are fast approaching completion of our affiliate program through the website. I'll provide more details soon.

30 Tammi 202058min

If there's one consistent thing that owners put at the top of their list for behaviors it's to keep their dogs from jumping on their owners and other people. I will discuss options and how to create the right environment for it. I'll also talk about the modes of communication, starting with postural and vocal methods and their place in this type of training. These are essential in understanding the communication between you and any dog and is important when assessing feedback. I'll talk about a loose leash technique and what things you'll look before that happen before your dog tries to jump. First, today's rescue pup is Maia! Thanks to P.U.P. dog rescue as always and to get more information about Maia, visit the website by clicking here. By the way, for training sessions like this one I’d recommend going back and listening to episodes 2, 3 and 4, if you haven’t listened to those already. Those episodes give you foundational understandings of my relationship-based method and some of the theoretical constructs that I refer to in training episodes of the podcast. Additional links: Free downloadable e-booklet about create structure around the house Leash pulling article and video clip Session 2: Starting Out: Are you having some “policy” disagreements with your dog? Session 3: Learn how to structure your dog’s lifestyle more Session 4: Follow up on homework from Session 3 & switch gears to learn how to train younger puppies

8 Joulu 201954min