Sometimes it feels like no matter what you do, what the reward is,
your dog just won't listen.
And a lot of people feel like their dog training just isn't working well in
today's video,
we're going to talk about three training tips that you can apply to all of your
skills,
no matter what kind of dog you've got that are going to help you to be more
successful with your training.
The great part is this applies to every single dog and every single dog owner.
I'm Ken Steepe. This is little Euchre. Welcome back.
To McCann Dogs
here in our training facility,
we've helped more than a hundred thousand dog owners to overcome the same dog
training challenges that you have. So if this is your first time on the channel,
make sure you hit that subscribe button so that we can help you to have a well
behaved four legged family member.
Now,
if you're working on your training exercises and you feel like they're just not
working,
the first thing I want you to think about is the difference between proactive
and reactive training. Now, as a dog trainer,
I'm always looking for proactive opportunities to help my dog to be successful
in a very specific case is something that we're working on with Euchre. Now,
Euchre absolutely loves people. And in fact,
if we're teaching her to walk on a loose leash and she sees a person,
we need to do something,
we need to be proactive to make sure that she doesn't start pulling so that she
chooses us. Now, if I were to be reactive in a situation like that,
and maybe you have a similar situation at home, maybe it's a dog, maybe it's,
you know, some environmental distraction that your dog constantly pulling for,
but with Euchre, it's people.
So what I need to do is take advantage of something.
We call the training target.
I introduced to you the concept of a training target.
So you know what a target looks like.
I want you to think about those different areas as different thresholds that you
can use with your dog to make things either easier or more challenging as your
dog's training progresses.
So if you look at the biggest circle on a target that usually the easiest one to
achieve, it's going to be the same thing with your dog training.
If you're working with your dog around,
other people think about having those people stay in the biggest area of the
target,
the furthest away from your dog in order for your puppy to be successful. Now,
if they're at a distance and your dog is able to sit on a loose leash,
they're able to check in with you. They're able to be attentive.
You can then have that person close into the middle part of that target.
They can come in a little bit closer,
and this is real really where you're going to need to work your butt off.
Now it doesn't all need to be perfect. It's okay.
If somebody starts to get close and your dog makes an error,
but what you do about that error is going to make all of the difference.
This is the kind of thing that I want you to think about regardless of the
exercise, maybe it's walking, unleash,
maybe it's response to name doesn't really matter what it is,
but we need to make our way into that middle circle into the yellow zone.
That's really where all the training happens.
And what I can do is use something that she loves in Euchre's case.
That's a treat.
I'm going to put a treat on her nose and turn her away from that distraction.
I'm going to really reinforce that.
Choosing me is much better than leaving me to pull on the leash or leaving me to
bark at a person or another dog. But it's going to take lots of of this.
Now. What's so great about using something like the training target is that over
time, that middle section gets smaller.
The green section where your dog is likely to be successful, starts to close in,
and your dog starts to make better choices because they know all of the value.
All of the reward is with you rather than pulling on their leash,
rather than trying to get to that other person or bark at that other dog.
So really focus on using this idea,
the idea of proactive versus reactive training in whatever skill it is,
get your dog's attention before they choose to leave.
You reward them for checking in with you before they leave you for that
distraction before they get out of their sit. You know,
this is how you're going to reinforce for your dog.
That making good choices is exactly what you want from them.
Another good opportunity to be proactive is something like your recall training.
When you go out to the park is your dog on a long line to be proactive about
training through something like their recall.
You'll need to first start really close.
You want to make sure 100% that your dog is on something like a long line.
We wouldn't take our dog out,
take them off leash and then have some expectation that they're going to respond
to. That come command. We're going to first go out and start close.
Then we might introduce a distraction.
Then we'll maybe create a little bit more distance in our recall,
but we need to be proactive and make sure that we're setting our dog up so that
they understand what's expected of them when we use that come command.
Yes. Good girly. Nice job. Good girl. Now,
if you aren't out of breath, by the time you're done doing these exercises,
you're not making it fun enough.
The other thing is timing is really important to reward your dog with great
timing. It's helpful to have a bait pouch,
and we actually have McCann bait poaches available @mccanndogs.store. Good,
girly, nice job. The next thing that I want you to think about is leadership.
Now we use leadership a lot here on our training videos.
And what leadership really means is a few things,
are you setting your dog up to be successful?
Do you know what situations your dog is likely to be unsuccessful and
how are you helping them to be right?
What choices are you making in your day to day interaction with your dog?
That's allowing them to work through these things or to make the right choice.
The first time leadership includes all of these things.
Leadership means knowing that your dog might not be able to go on a long walk
around the park leadership might be that you don't give your dog free access to
your kitchen or a section of your house where they're constantly having
accidents.
Leadership also means that you're able to adapt and adjust according to your
specific dog to help them to be successful.
But a big part of leadership is knowing that when you are having a frustrating
training session or your dog isn't successful,
that you don't get angry about it.
You identify that situation as something that you need to train through a
leader, doesn't get upset. And you know, the scold,
their dog leadership recognizes that this is a great training opportunity and
they set the situation up differently next time.
So that your dog is more likely to be successful.
This Is going to change these frustrating behaviors that you're seeing.
This is going to change those challenges in how you see them in your mind so
that you can sit your dog up, to learn faster.
Another important thing to think about when it comes to your dog training is do
you give your dog a chance to choose?
This is a really important factor in your dog training.
And it's something that I learned when I first came here as a student to McCann
dogs.
But whether it comes to choosing to sit beside you on a loose leash or choosing
to leave food alone,
those choices really have a cumulative effect on your dog's general behavior.
I've got an exercise that I want you to work on.
And I filmed this exercise with a really food motivated border Collie named
grand slam. But in this exercise, you'll see me,
give him the chance to choose to leave the food alone and he's rewarded for it.
But this is the kind of exercise that you can do during a commercial break or
for just a couple of minutes in the morning.
And the great part is that these little wins along the way really have a big
impact on your dog's Decision-making .
The Rule-out game today.
I'm actually going to show you with Slams on your bed skill.
Now we published a video a little while ago to teach your dog to go and relax on
their bed. You know, if you're going to read a book,
you can ask your dog to go lay down in their bed.
Or if you're going to watch a YouTube video you can send your dog and they'll go
lay down on their bed.
And we're actually gonna use the on your bed today for part of our rule out
game. If you have a dog who you know leaps out to grab a cookie, for example,
when you're going to give them a treat this is a great exercise for them.
You can put the cookie in the flat of, in the Palm of your hand,
and if your dog moves toward it, just close your hand.
And then when they offer to sit or they offer to back away a little bit,
then you can open your hand if they remain in that position or they sit or back
away or, you know, take that pressure off, then you would guess and reward them.
It really is a great way to teach your dog to make good decisions.
It's actually something we use in our training classes to,
to reinforce it down for example,
and I thought using a beyond your bed would be a great way to show off you know,
in a relatively,
relatively stationary way how this game works and all you really need is a
bed in this case. Your dog, of course, and some kibble or some food.
Here's how the rule out game is going to work.
I've taken some kibble in my hand and I take it from Slam and I'm going to
present it to them just like this.
And if Slam decides that he's going to get up off of his bed to get those
treats,
I'm going to close my hand when slam decides to sit back and lie down and relax,
then I can open my hand again. If you remain some position,
I'm going to reward him. Now, if you haven't done that super motivated by food,
it's hard to say what that distance is going to need to be for you to find
success.
But I wouldn't open your hand and immediately shove it in your dog's face.
Cause they're probably going to break,
but you do want to find the point where they need to think about it,
where they need to remain in position. You know,
maybe even check in with you as you're holding the food and then you can reward
them at that point.
But I'll show you what I mean my first time that I'm going to show Slam this
food. I'll just hold it out here. Yes. Good boy.
And then I can reward them with that other hand.
I'll move it a little bit closer. Oops.
Good boy. Very nice buddy. Good.
So he's doing a really great job. Now. Keep in mind.
I've chosen the lowest value food I know there is for Slam with this kibble.
So it's making it a little bit easier, but let's try it again.
Let's get a little bit closer.
Okay. Okay.
Now Slam's trying to paw at it. Yes. Good boy. What a good choice, buddy.
Very nice.
Oops. Yes. Well,
he needs to remain in position. Yes. Good boy. Oops.
I didn't make that much easier.
Now you'll notice Slam was having lots of success.
When I had my hand up nice and high.
When I brought it down to his eye level or even beneath his eye level,
it made it a lot more difficult.
So keep that in mind when you're introducing this game to your dog,
it's a lot easier for them to maintain position when my hand's way up here.
But it's a lot harder when my hands way down beneath their eye level,
because it's easier for them to get in.
And it almost looks like I'm presenting him with a treat.
So I started wondering maybe if I presented some higher value food,
I've got some cheese here in my hand and Hippie Shake, loves cheese.
Remember the criteria.
So she needs to be lying down and she needs to be on her bed.
Those are the only two things I expect of her as I present this distraction as
we play the rule game. So let's see how Hippie shake does.
Yes. Good girl job buddy.
She's a little distracted.
She moved toward it. I closed my hand. Yeah.
So you can see she's really exercising some great self restraint there because
she really wanted to oops. You lie down. Good girl.
Now she's getting a little frantic.
So I'm just going to move it away a little bit. Good girl. Good.
And we'll reward her for that great Lie down on her bed.
We're going to make it really hard for Hippie shake because she's done so well.
And she's getting a little bit excited. She's probably really hungry.
So I'm going to present it really close to her and see what choice she makes.
Yes. Good girl. You saw her really think about that one. Good job. Hippie shake.
Good girl. She backed up. She looked at the food.
She backed up and I was able to reward her with it. Now,
one thing I want you to keep in mind, you'll see each time.
I'm rewarding her. I'm bringing the food to her.
The last thing I wanted to do is her to make a great choice.
Her to make a great choice and then bring her out to that food.
So I'm bringing that food all the way to her and she's done such a great job.
Nice job shaky. If either of the dogs struggled at any point in time with,
you know,
I had to close my hand a couple of times in a row and they were making the wrong
decision over and over again.
The best thing I can do is move my hand away farther.
Cause because it makes the decision a lot easier for them.
We know that solid foundation of skills is built on success.
So it's no help to Slam or Hippie shake.
If they continue to not be rewarded in position,
I need to move that hand away in a higher is certainly less enticing.
So move my hand away higher until they a point where they can be successful,
then I can yes. And reward them.
Then I can move that hand in a little bit closer and wait and see what they do.
Now. I've intentionally chosen the dinner hour to work through some of these
exercises because I know I want the dogs to be hungry so that they have to think
a little bit more,
be a little bit more thoughtful and it'll make these distractions,
especially with something like cheese, make it even more distracting for them.
And Slam really has to make a tough decision.
Do I remain in position or do I go for it? Do I try to get the food?
So let's see how slam does with the cheese.
Yes. Good boy.
I don't really like how close he keeps getting good boy.
And you can be as critical as you want to be with your dog. Yes, you'll see.
I was careful Slam. Hadn't gotten up or gotten off his bed,
but he was sort of slowly inching towards those treats.
So the moment I saw him put his head back and make the choice to remain on the
bed. I rewarded him for that.
This is, this as tough as I'm going to make it.
It's not really sure. Cause this is, this is pretty tough.
What he's going to figure out very quickly. Yes. Good boy.
That if he leaves the food alone, that he's going to be rewarded with it.
Good job.
Now that you've got some of these important tips for your dog training,
if you feel like you struggle the most with walking on leash,
I want you to click that video right there.
It's the biggest mistakes that people make when it comes to leash walking
training. And if you're looking for specific training advice for your dog,
make sure you click the link in the description below too.
Our life skills online training program, or one of our McCann dogs.
Instructors can support you through your training journey on that note. I'm Ken,
this is Euchre happy training.