In the September 2011 Journal of Applied Animal Behavioural Science is a paper called, “The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and long-term memory in dogs.” From a first read-over, it looks fairly well done. The researchers looked at four groups of dogs. One group that Read more…
This morning we met with a training friend. She had mentioned that one of her dogs needed work with leaving food during training sessions. Her other dog had similar-but-not issues, being distracted by people (potential friends). Essentially, it comes down to the same self control challenges. We both brought a Read more…
For about 6+ months now, this has been one of my favorite training things. You can click whatever you want, and theoretically all goes well. But how and where you deliver the reinforcer can greatly add or detract from a training session. This can impact the shape of the behavior, Read more…
In this month’s CleanRun magazine is an article that we wrote about the “On Leash Agility” class that we’ve been teaching on and off for about a year. Horray! The class is really great, focusing on good training, good agility foundations, and providing an agility opportunity for dogs that Read more…
One of the things I always mean to talk about but never talk about enough is how students should enter class. Half of the dogs are fine and don’t need any extra management. But the other half should have training start before the car door opens. It’s important to Read more…
This set is more for instructor use…. not enough details for someone who is not familiar with the exercise. “Fresh” resets: Pick an easy type of stay (short duration, short handler distance, minimal distraction). After each repetition, release and then move to a new location for the next repetition. Handler Read more…
1) Give your dog time to see the area. If your dog knows what is going on, he will be more likely to be able to be attentive and comfortable. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule. 2) Give your dog time to rest. If your dog has been up Read more…
“My” 4-H kids showed today at our area fair. We only had four kids (one dropped early in the year, another decided not to show at fair). 1 in obedience, 3 in rally, 4 in showmanship, 3 in “dog care.” Some of the judging was … different … Read more…
The 2011 OSF 4-H Dog show week is now over! Agility. Showmanship. Obedience. Advanced levels of obedience. Four days of rally. Service dogs. Therapy dogs. Dog Care. Poster Contest. Skillathon. Drill Teams. Freestyle. Around 1300 entries, with many kids doing multiple events and/or showing multiple dogs. Dozens of Read more…
1: Offered Sit: The handler/owner/family can practice this. When the dog sits…toss a treat. Repeat until the dog is readily sitting with no prompting. If the dog does not offer a sit but does respond to the verbal cue…. cue the behavior, reinforce. Repeat 5-10 times and then wait and Read more…