Training Tips From Susan: From Overwhelm To Confidence: How To Create The Dog Of Your Dreams With Strategic Reinforcement

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   Distractions! How do you get your dog’s focus in the face of a distraction? That’s what we’re talking about, and I’m giving you my formula to help your dog and have training success. Cats, squirrels, chipmunks, bicycles, kangaroos, children, birds, balls, food. The list of your dog’s distractions will depend on your dog, and many can be used to your advantage.   In the episode you'll hear:   • About response cost and how it relates to you drinking water. • How many of your dog’s distractions can work for you. • Distractions that should be off limit. • How to use my Distraction Intensity Index. • The formula that will let you make great decisions for your dog. • The importance of your dog’s senses when you are evaluating distractions. • What commitment you should make to your dog. • Strategies you can do at home right now to start helping your dog. • About reducing the intensity of a distraction for your dog. • How your dog’s value for a distraction can transfer to value for you.   Resources:   Podcast Episode 18: 4 Puppy and Dog Training Games for Acquired Bite Inhibition - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/18/ Podcast Episode 2: Reinforcement - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/2/

28 Elo 202018min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   Things have been a little weird around here because six days ago we welcomed a litter of four puppies. One of these puppies will be my next dog, and it got me thinking about how I identify myself and how that relates to my dogs. And it is the same for you. Your identity matters for you and your dog.   In the episode you'll hear:   • The importance of how you identify yourself. • Why our dog is always getting trained either through conscious effort or our dog’s experimentation. • When to transition from a newbie identity, but how being an expert can hurt you. • Why accolades and accomplishments are events rather than identifiers. • How I identify myself. • About going from information gathering to taking action. • Why I’m excited about my new puppy and for any new mistakes I might make. • Things your dog does not care about if you get training wrong. • What creates forward momentum.   Resources:   • Podcast Episode 13: Naming Your Puppy or Dog - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/13/ • Podcast Episode 18: 4 Puppy and Dog Training Games for Acquired Bite Inhibition - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/18/ • Shaped By Dog Podcast Episodes - https://dogsthat.com/podcasts/ • Susan Garrett’s Dog Training Blog - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/

26 Elo 202015min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    We’re talking about pressure and dogs. It’s not the sort of pressure to make sure your dog’s leash matches the collar, or for your dog to be looking good in front of your friends. It’s the bubble of pressure that surrounds all dogs. This sort of pressure is essential to understand for your dog’s comfort and everyone’s safety around dogs. It will also help you become a great communicator with every dog you meet.   In the episode you'll hear:   • My explanation on how the interweb fairies work. • About me being a hugger and our individual socially acceptable space. • How all dogs respond to pressure. • Why knowing about a dog’s bubble is important for safety. • The reason running towards your dog is counter productive. • About the fictional world of greeting dogs and what the facts are. • What to ask instead of “can I pat your dog?” • How the location can expand the bubble for your dog. • Why it’s okay if your dog does not greet everyone.   Resources:   • Podcast Episode 4: T.E.M.P. (Tail, Eyes/Ears, Mouth, Posture) - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/4/

21 Elo 202014min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com We all have vivid childhood memories, and one of mine involving my friend’s dog Chuka had a lasting impact. In all my dog training, I look to grow confidence and capability for dogs in any environment. I do that using the model of my 5C Pyramid. Now, you might already be familiar with the 5C Pyramid for Success, but I’ve got a couple of tweaks to the layers you’ll want to hear. It all starts with our connection with our dogs and knowing the questions to ask, so we can be sure that our dog can meet our expectations. And for everyone who had queries from Episode 19 about what “sit” really means for a dog, I’m using that behaviour today as an example. We’re covering all the layers for confidence in anything you want to train your dog to do.   In the episode you'll hear:   • About my memory of Chuka, how the same thing happens to many dogs, and how it can be avoided. • What my 5C model is and tweaks to the pyramid layers. • Why the first layer of connection is the most vital of all. • What engagement with your dog looks like. • Why your dog can experiment and how that allows you to evaluate. • What splitting a behaviour down really means. • The three forms of challenges with distance, duration, and distractions. • What is too much pressure for your dog and for you. • How you can use the same model for your confidence! • Important questions to ask before you take off your dog’s leash.   Resources:   • Podcast Episode 18: 4 Puppy and Dog Training Games for Acquired Bite Inhibition - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/18/ • Blog: Improve Your Dog Training by Playing Like a Dog - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2012/04/improve-your-dog-training-by-playing-like-a-dog/ • Blog: 6 Keys to Shaping Behaviour - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2018/12/6-keys-to-shaping-behaviour/ • Podcast Episode 4: T.E.M.P. (Tail, Eyes/Ears, Mouth, Posture) - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/4/ • Podcast Episode 2: Reinforcement - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/2/

19 Elo 202016min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com  If you are here, chances are you have an interest in how to train a dog without punishment or blame. When you are moving away from training with physical corrections, intimidation, or verbal corrections, you can fall into what I call “the gap”. If your dog is digging in the garden, has paws on the counter, has jumped in the pond or is chasing a cat, you freeze. The old lessons come to your head telling you to “stop the dog and punish”. You want to leave that behind and fall into “the gap” because you don’t know what to do.   In the episode you'll hear:   • How our dogs are doing the best they can with the education we have given them in the environment that we are asking them to work in. • About Do-Land where no babies cry, all the birds sing, and there are unicorns and rainbows. • When I became aware of “the gap” through my friend Lynda Orton-Hill and her Golden Retriever, Spirit. • How to move on from blame and judgement. • Why “positive is not permissive” and how training with positive reinforcement does not mean we have no guidelines. • The 2 things you can do when you are in “the gap”. • How I learned to “bang head here” from my mentors Bob and Marian Bailey. • Why my training structure for dogs to be amazing family pets creates excellence in my dogs for world level agility competition. • How Do-Land is possible for everyone!   Resources:   • Blog: Where the Heck is Do-Land, Anyway? - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2019/05/do-land/ • Vlog: Loose Potatoes (Sometimes Dog Training Needs a Plan B) -https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2019/05/loose-potatoes/ • Podcast Episode 6: The Art of Manipulation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/6/ • Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/11/ • Podcast Episode 2: Reinforcement - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/2/ • Podcast Episode 19: One of My Biggest Pet Peeves in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/19/ • Vlog: Talking About Ruff Love (Tater and Chipmunks) - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2020/05/ruff-love-tater/ • Vlog: Learning from Cats and Seagulls … Chat with Bob Bailey - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2019/05/chat-with-bob-bailey/

14 Elo 202016min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   We all have pet peeves, and one of mine is the misuse of dog training cues. Cues have power, and it is important to maintain our dog’s clarity and understanding. Most cues are verbs because we want our dogs to do something. It’s vital not to dilute a cue as that will create uncertainty in our dog about what we really want him to do.   In the episode you'll hear:   • How dogs don’t understand past tense. • The reason we should never say “good sit” or “good down”. • The importance of questioning dog training experts. • Why cues have a lot of power and value for our dogs. • The ways cues are misused. • Why a cue is a verb and not a description. • What dilutes a dog’s understanding of a cue. • Controversy surrounding cues and why I don’t say “stay”. • How mixing physical cues and verbal cues can create conflict for your dog. • How to keep quick responses to your cues. • About control positions, release cues and creating clarity with your expectations.   Resources: • Podcast Episode 2: Reinforcement - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/2/ • Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/11/ • Vlog: Toning Up On Cue Clarity (Hearing The Sirens) - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2019/01/toning-up-on-cue-clarity-hearing-the-sirens/

12 Elo 202016min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   There are four games you can play right now that will help expedite learning for your puppy or dog. I’m sharing each game plus why and how to play so you can start immediately. We’re also going over how toy selection can increase or decrease how often you get bitten and busting some myths about tugging with a pup. You’ll also learn what to do if your puppy or dog touches your skin or clothing with teeth when you are playing. We’ve also got a journal for you to download to record your puppy’s acquired bite inhibition progress. Follow all the tips from my two podcast episodes on puppy biting to fast track your pup’s learning and your success. In the episode you'll hear: • Why playing dog training games expedites learning and helps with bite inhibition. • Why most dogs never bite with the intention of hurting you. • What a dog’s fear means in relation to a bite. • What abnormal biting is and why it needs a Veterinary Behaviourist. • How toy selection can increase or decrease the bites you get from your puppy. • Puppy tugging myths busted. • How to play my “Search”, “Collar Grab”, “Intentional Tugging” and “How’s It Taste” games and the benefits for you and your puppy or dog. • The difference between intentional play and mindless play. • How to redirect a puppy bite to your skin or clothing. Resources: • Podcast Episode 17: Help! How do I STOP Puppy Biting?! - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/17/ • DogsThat YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/dogsthat • Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training- https://dogsthat.com/podcast/11/ • Podcast Episode 2: Reinforcement - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/2/ • Download Your “Acquired Puppy Biting Journal” - https://dogsthat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Susan-Garrett-Acquired-Bite-Inhibition-Journal.pdf

7 Elo 202020min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   The number one question anyone with a puppy asks is “how do I STOP my puppy biting me, my feet, my hands, my kids, my clothes, my face”. It’s important to understand that it is necessary for puppies to bite. What you do in response is going to set your puppy up for life success. If you don’t have a youngster, there is still a lot of great dog training to be learned from puppies, and you might even discover that you could be the reason your friend’s puppy bites. In the episode you'll hear: • Why it is good that your puppy bites (stick with me on this). • What is an acquired inhibited bite. • How I learned about bite inhibition and what biting teaches puppies. • The 5 Levels of Puppy Biting and what is “CODE RED”. • 8 things people do that contribute to biting. • Susan Garrett’s Puppy Biting Protocol. • What is appropriate when greeting a puppy. • When the likelihood of biting will escalate. • How to set you and your puppy up for non-bitey success. Resources: • Watch this Podcast Episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/6WpFeiJUxTQ • Podcast Episode 5: What is Shaping and How Can Dogs - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/5/ • Podcast Episode 6: The Art of Manipulation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/6/

5 Elo 202020min