Training Tips From Susan: The Hope Method Of Dog Training: What Your Dog Is Really Learning When You're Not Teaching

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     If your dog is getting on the table or counter and stealing food, you are not alone. The topic of counter surfing is one that I get a lot of questions about, and it’s frequently requested for me to cover on my podcast. Your dog taking things from the counter is a big frustration, and we’re looking at how you can turn this around.   In the episode you'll hear:   • The three ways you could deal with a dog who surfs the counter. • Why dogs start stealing food, and the gradual climb to the crime. • Where the reinforcement is for your dog, and why it might not be what you think. • What you might be doing that rewards your dog’s counter surfing. • How to recognise a behaviour chain. • Games to fix counter surfing and the steps for food theft prevention.   Resources:   • Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/11/ • Podcast Episode 16: The Thing Before Your Dog’s Thing - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/16/ • Podcast Episode 20: Bridging the Gap Between Blame and Kindness in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/20/ • Podcast Episode 27: Do Dogs Need Rules? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/27/ • Podcast Episode 32: 20 Easy Ways to Exercise Your Dog at Home - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/32/ • Game: Learn how to play ItsYerChoice (IYC) - https://recallers.com/iycsummit-join/

30 Sep 202021min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    If someone comes to me with a behaviour problem, one of the first questions I ask is “how much exercise does your dog get?”. There is often a definite link between the mental and physical stimulation a dog receives and the amount of trouble the dog gets into. Exercising your dog or puppy can be easy and done within your home.   The games I’m sharing are great ways to engage your dog’s brain and body if you can’t get out, or you have an injury that means you can’t go for your usual walks or outings with your dog.   In the episode you'll hear:   • Why dogs need exercise and how you can include this in daily life. • 20 easy games to play with your puppy or dog. • How to use what you have at home to engage your dog’s mind and body.   Resources:   • How to Train Stand on Cue (YouTube) - https://youtu.be/YCD1PvaLmPI • Crate Games Online - https://get.crategames.com/ • Video Blog: 5 Games for Puppies - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2020/04/5-games-for-puppies/ • Podcast Episode 31: 5 Simple Hacks to Help Your Dog Learn Faster - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/31/

25 Sep 202016min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    You can make your dog training a lot more effective, and a lot more efficient with the effective use and placement of rewards. It does not matter if you are just starting or have been a dog trainer for years, using my pro tips about where and how to place reinforcement will see you get results faster, and supercharge your training sessions.   In the episode you'll hear:   • How every behaviour is a transfer of value. • What our mechanics have to do with dog training. • How Bob Bailey’s saying of “reinforcement is a process, not an event” relates to you and your dog. • Why your dog’s love of roast beef can create a love for any behaviour you train. • How to define your criteria for what you want your dog to do, using a down as an example. • What the thing before the thing has to do with Clever Hans. • The three vital steps of select, mark, and deliver for you as the dog trainer. • Why the placement of reinforcement is your secret sauce and how it relates to the proximity to you. • Why only our dog really knows for sure what we are training. • When and why to give a release cue to your dog to supercharge your training.   Resources:   Video Blog: Learning from Cats and Seagulls … Chat with Bob Bailey - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2019/05/chat-with-bob-bailey/ Podcast Episode 16: The Thing Before Your Dog’s Thing - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/16/ Clever Hans (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clever_Hans Blog Post: The 3D Model for Dog Training: Duration, Distance, Distraction - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2020/08/duration-distance-distraction/ Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/11/

23 Sep 202019min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   In this episode, I am talking about one of my favourite things to train. If you love your dog, I'm asking you to listen with an open mind, because we're talking about comfort with confinement, a topic inspired by a note from one of my online students.   In the episode you'll hear:   • Why should you care about crating your dog. • About the importance of safety for your puppy or dog. • The one thing that makes comfort with confinement essential for your dog’s well being. • How to help dogs with separation anxiety. • What type of crate to use for your dog and how I choose my crates. • Where you should put your puppy’s crate. • How I use a “gated community” that combines a crate and ex-pen. • Why to be intentional about crating. • How long your dog or puppy should be in a crate. • The time to invest in helping your dog be comfortable with confinement. • Why not to be in a hurry to close the crate door. • The progressions to ensure crate comfort and security for your dog.   Resources:   Rover Modular Pet Enclosures - http://dogsthat.com/roverpanels Crate Games Online - https://get.crategames.com/ Video Blog: Bult In Dog Crates for Home Decor - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2020/02/built-in-dog-crates/ Gunner Crate Crash Test - https://gunner.com/pages/crash-tested Blog Post: All About Dogs Sleeping in the Bedroom - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2020/03/dogs-sleeping-in-the-bedroom/ Podcast Episode 26: Pro Dog Training Tips to Get Your Puppy to Sleep All Night - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/26/ Blog Post: A Day in the Life of a Susan Garrett Puppy - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2020/09/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-susan-garrett-puppy/

18 Sep 202021min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   Today’s topic covers the serious issue of reactivity and aggression in dogs. If you have a challenge with your dog, I strongly advise that you seek out the help of a Certified Veterinary Behaviorist who is equipped to deal with these issues in a reinforcement-based program. Seek the help of a qualified professional who will, where needed, use pharmaceutical intervention to help create a different reality for your dog, so your dog does not go through life feeling the need to react. I’m sharing how what is “different” can lead to reactivity or aggression, and how a lot of aggression is learned. It’s not that there is something wrong with the dog. You can help your dog to catalogue experiences in a way that is appropriate for their well being and yours.   In the episode you'll hear:   • Insights into why aggression can be a learned behavior. • How you and your dog can have better outcomes. • What stimulus is, and what’s good, innocuous and not good for your dog. • Understanding stimuli from your dog’s perspective. • Why “different” creates a response in your dog. • How your dog’s curiosity could lead to reactivity. • What a dog’s cautious curiosity can look like. • The importance of what happens during and after our dog displaying curiosity for something that is different. • The two strategies you need for changing a trigger and minimizing the stress of an experience for your dog. • Why you should believe what your dog is telling you. • What you can do to help your dog.   Resources:   Podcast Episode 4: T.E.M.P. (Tail, Eyes/Ears, Mouth, Posture)-https://dogsthat.com/podcast/4/ Podcast Episode 27: Do Dogs Need Rules?-https://dogsthat.com/podcast/27/ Podcast Episode 24: Help for the Dog who Chases Chipmunks, Bicycles, and the Neighbor’s Cat-https://dogsthat.com/podcast/24/ Video Blog: Understanding Your Dog’s Triggers-https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2019/01/understanding-your-dogs-triggers/ Video Blog: Dog Body Language, Fear and Aggression-https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2018/06/body-language-fear-and-aggression/ Blog Post: Leash Aggression in Dogs: Are We Trying To Put Out A Fire With Gasoline?-https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2015/11/leash-aggression-in-dogs-are-we-trying-to-put-out-a-fire-with-gasoline/

16 Sep 202018min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   Have you ever thought about why we own dogs really? What is the main benefit? That’s on my mind, and your reasons might be like mine … dogs are companions and make our lives better. We have a relationship with our dogs. So why do we call the way we relate to our companions “training”? We don’t think of our relationships with the people in our life as “training”, so why do we “dog train”?   In the episode you'll hear:   • The way I look at my relationship with my dogs. • My goal for “dog training” my dogs. • How we all want to make the best decisions for our dogs. • Why I bit my tongue during a dinner party conversation. • About creating safety and control. • How our dogs have free will. • Why our responses to our dog’s choices matter. • What the “inner freak flag” is in our dogs. • About honouring who our dog is and how it can enhance our lives. • How I use my dog's strengths in the sport of agility. • The conscious choices we need to make for our dogs.   Resources:   “The Journey” – YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfXGD4hP1Ro Podcast Episode 27: Do Dogs Need Rules? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/27/

11 Sep 202017min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   What you are about to hear could well be a paradigm shift. In dog training lingo, we call the rules we have for our dogs “criteria”. For a dog to have an amazing life there needs to be some training, and your understanding of criteria is going help your dog find joy in all that you do together.   In the episode you'll hear:   • How your dog’s behaviour impacts his life. • The breakdown of the criteria you need for your dog’s understanding of “sit”. • What WACC is and how it defines four elements of joy in criteria for your dog. • The reasons your criteria should change in different settings. • Why what you are asking needs to be worth your dog’s while. • About criteria from your dog’s point of view. • The difference between “want to” and “have to”. • Another of my pet peeves about dog training. • What happens when different people in the same home have different rules. • The importance of consistency and how sometimes is anytime for your dog. • Why I googled “how do I get my dog to..” • The three approaches of ignore, manage, or train.   Resources:   • Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/11/ • Podcast Episode 21: The 5 Critical Dog Training Layers for Confidence with Anything - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/21/ • Blog Post: Criteria is . . . - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2011/04/criteria-is/

9 Sep 202016min

Visit us at shapedbydog.com Today’s podcast topic comes from you! One of the questions I’m often asked is “how do I get my puppy to stop waking me up?”. Another is “how do I stop my dog waking me earlier and earlier?”. These are common problems, and there are three main reasons it happens, with the most likely being that you have been ‘shaped by dog’. I’ve got tips to help you. There are four things that you can put into action right now to ensure you get some sleep. In the episode you'll hear:   The main reasons a puppy or dog will wake you up in the middle of the night. How you could be contributing to being woken by your dog. About inappropriate reinforcement that you may not realize is happening. The impact of routine and your dog predicting patterns of reinforcement. How you can turn things around to ensure you get sleep. Why what happens during the day can determine what happens at night! Easy observations you can make teach your puppy or dog the “forget it to get it” rule. The four things you need to know that will make a massive difference. Why your puppy being on leash to potty will improve your life together. How I teach my puppies and dogs “Don’t Wake Da Mama”. Resources: Podcast Episode 16: The Thing Before Your Dog’s Thing - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/16/ Crate Games Online - https://get.crategames.com/ Podcast Episode 5: What is Shaping And How Can Dogs Shape Us - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/5/ Blog Post: Forget It to Get It … Advanced IYC Cookie Jar Game - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2020/02/forget-it-to-get-it/ Podcast Episode 18: 4 Puppy and Dog Training Games for Acquired Bite Inhibition - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/18/ GAME: Learn how to play “ItsYerChoice” (IYC) - https://recallers.com/iycsummit-join/ Blog Post: It’s Time to P-o-t-t-y! Inside Scoop on Housetraining - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2018/08/scoop-on-housetraining/

4 Sep 202020min