DOG & PUPPY TRAINING MANUAL

Prepared by

Amanda Brothers, CPDTwww.SidekickDogTraining.com

amanda@SidekickDogTraining.com(206) 849-8921

Revised 5/23/2023

THE THREE COMPONENTS OF DOG TRAINING(Adapted from Leslie Nelson, who adapted it from Ted Turner.)

MANAGEMENT – management sets your dog up for success by controlling his environment in a way that prevents mistakes and encourages wanted (aka “good”) behavior. Common management tools are crates, chew toys and walking equipment. It is very difficult to do positive reinforcement training without management; your dog will not have a chance to be rewarded for doing it right if his environment sets him up to be wrong.

RELATIONSHIP – relationship includes all of the interactions between you and your dog and is not just limited to training. Relationship includes games, walks, cuddling time, training time and overall communication. If your dog does not live in the house with you and share your daily life, relationship suffers or is non-existent. A good relationship is the foundation of training and motivating your dog.

TEACHING – teaching is everything you teach your dog and occurs during formal training sessions and in day-to-day life. If management and relationship are strong, teaching is the easy part.

I am the instructor…YOU are the trainer!

HOW DOGS LEARN

Classical conditioning - think of the association between two things. A neutral stimulus (such as a clicker) is paired with an inherently meaningful stimulus (such as food). After enough pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes meaningful because it predicts the next thing– in this case, the click means a treat is coming! (Important note: for classical conditioning to be effective, the neutral stimulus must come before the primary stimulus, not at the same time or after.) Classical conditioning is a passive form of learning for the dog – the association occurs regardless of the dog’s behavior; s/he is a passive bystander in classical learning situations: whenever A happens, B happens next.

This type of learning is often used to modify fearfulness and aggression by changing the way a dog feels about people, other dogs and/or scary things. Feared or disliked items can be made to predict good things. The dog learns, “As soon as I see a skateboard, my person gives me lots of treats and praise…skateboards used to scare me, but now they mean good things

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are coming my way and I feel good about them...I even look forward to seeing them!”

Operant conditioning – think of the consequences of behavior. The dog learns, “When I put my bum on the floor after my person says ‘sit’ I get a yummy food treat” or “When I jump up on my owner, she leaves the room.” Behavior that is rewarded is repeated; behavior that is ignored or punished is not. (Otherwise known as Dogs Do What Works.) Operant conditioning is an active form of learning for the dog - the dog operates on his environment and his behavior determines whether or not s/he gets a reward, a punishment or nothing at all.

This type of learning is used most often when doing basic dog training and is dependent on reinforcement and punishment.

o Positive reinforcement is the introduction of something good and increases the likelihood that behavior will be repeated. Example: Giving your dog a treat and verbal praise when he comes to you.

o Negative punishment is the removal of something good and reduces the likelihood of a behavior repeating. Example: Removing your attention from your dog by turning away from him when he jumps on you.

o Positive punishment is the introduction of something bad and reduces the likelihood of a behavior repeating.Example: Jerking hard on the leash three times and shouting when your dog rushes up to a person on the street.

o Negative reinforcement is the removal of something bad and increases the likelihood that behavior will be repeated. Example: Pinching your dog’s ear until he drops an item.

Use caution when using positive punishment & negative reinforcement in training: when used incorrectly, it increases the risk of unwanted side effects such as fear and aggression.

(And, it doesn’t feel very good either!)

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REWARD MARKER: The Clicker or “Yes!”

The clicker is used to mark the behavior you like and tells your dog, “That’s it – now a food reward is coming!” The click should always be followed by a tasty food treat. (Remember, the clicker is not meaningful by itself, but only because it predicts a tasty food treat.)

Rules of the clicker:

1. Click at the time of the desired behavior. When your dog hears the click, s/he thinks “treat,” so make sure you are clicking for a behavior you like.

2. If you click, you owe your dog a treat…even if the click was a mistake.

3. Only click one time. Use a “jackpot” of treats (not more clicks) to reward an extra good response.

4. Do not click to get your dog’s attention, or to get him to come when he is running away from you. Instead, click as he turns toward you or when he is halfway to you.

STOP THAT! “Nope!” or “Eh Eh!”

Use this sound to interrupt unwanted behavior, such as jumping up on a counter so that you can then praise the behavior you like (four feet on the floor). It is not meant as punishment.

MOTIVATING YOUR DOG

Without motivation, there can be no training!

When training, we aim to reward our dogs with things they like in order to elicit desired behavior. Although our dogs love us, they are typically not willing to work for free – at least in the beginning. Once we build a reward history, we can start to ask for behavior without giving a reward every single time (see VARIABLE REINFORCEMENT, below).

A reward is anything your dog wants! I divide rewards into four main categories - T.T.P.P, or Treats, Toys, Praise & Privileges. Different things may be rewarding at different times. (For example, if your dog just ate four cups of food he may not work for a food treat, but he might respond to commands for the opportunity to chase a ball.) Also, you should “pay” your dog according to difficulty – use lesser rewards in easy, low distraction environments, and better rewards in difficult, high distraction environments.

Here is a list of possible rewards for your dog or puppy, from each of the T.T.P.P. categories:

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Bite-sized treats (treats)o Bit o' Luv beef jerky treats, chopped up into smaller

pieces. o Simon & Huey’s dog treats (www.simonandhuey.com)o Zuke’s mini-Naturals or Z-Filets (www.zukes.com)o Plato dog treats (www.platopettreats.com) o Etta Says! (www.ettasays.com) o Solid Gold Tiny Tots or Jerky treats

(www.solidgoldhealth.com) o Buddy Biscuits “Soft & Chewy” o Dog food roll (such as Red Barn,

www.redbarndogfood.com) cut into small pieceso Freeze dried livero Old West Baa-Baa-Qs, broken into pieces o Cut up hot dogs

Hint : Slice hot dogs, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until crispy. This reduces the sliminess factor!

o Cut up cheese – regular or stringo Parmesan cheese – hard, crumbled into bite-sized pieceso Dry dog food (“kibble”)

Hint : Add some hot dog slices to a baggie filled with kibble, shake and “marinate” overnight. This will make the kibble much more exciting to your dog!

Other treats (treats)o Canned turkeyo Liverwurst (soft, comes in a tube at the grocery store)o Jar of baby food (let the dog lick it a few times as a

reward)o Jar of peanut butter (let the dog lick it a few times as a

reward)o Wet dog (or cat!) food in a Tupperware container (let the

dog lick it a few times as a reward) Chasing a tennis ball (toy) Chewing on a squeaky toy (toy) Playing tug-of-war with a rope toy (toy, privilege) Eating dinner (treat, privilege) Going outside or coming back inside (privilege) Going for a ride in the car (privilege) Verbal praise (praise) Physical affection and attention from you (praise, privilege)

o Note : Most dogs do not enjoy being patted on the top of the head; this is rude in the dog world! If your dog doesn’t like it, it’s not praise. Try scratching under the chin, behind the ears or on the chest. Belly rubs are usually good, too.

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Wrestling/rough-housing with you (privilege, toy) Playing off-leash with other dogs (privilege, toy) Chewing on bones and chew hooves (treat)

It is important to let your dog choose his/her motivators. Find out what your dog will work hardest for, and then use those motivators to train. Reserve the most motivating rewards for the most difficult training situations (e.g., when there are lots of distractions). Motivation is a technical issue, not a moral one.

Human food that is bad for dogs (aka poisonous!) and should not be used as treats:

o Coffeeo Chocolateo Onionso Raisinso Grapeso Mushrooms

Motivation is a technical issue, not a moral issue!

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A NOTE REGARDING FOOD REWARDS

No one says it better than Ms. Jean Donaldson, author of the revolutionary book “The Culture Clash” – I shamelessly quote her here:

“[The] crucial problem people have with food as a reinforcer is the feeling that the dog ‘should’ perform without it. Once food is used to

train, the Pandora’s box is open, the dog has been corrupted, the bond between person and dog dirtied and the dream dies. What is the dream? It is the holdout fantasy that dogs want to please

humans. We are their leaders and it should be a reinforcing event for them if we are pleased.

“What always goes unspoken is that if dogs have an inherent desire to please us, then avoidance training – i.e. special collars – should also be unnecessary. What happens is the myth is protected and the individual

dog is blamed if he requires additional motivating. This is where stubborn/willful/dominant come in. The myth itself is never scrutinized.

The attitude of a non-conforming dog can be adjusted with some corrections, can’t it? But this is simply using aversives to

motivate. Liver would have also worked. So, why does liver cheapen the human-animal bond where pain does not?

“Those who merrily food train have made a critical leap in their thinking; their bond with their dog is separate from the technical task

of manipulating his behavior. Put it this way: the dog has to eat anyway. No one will ever convince him that he doesn’t love food. The choices are to either give it for free or exploit it for constructive ends.”

~From “Dogs are from Neptune,” by Jean Donaldson.

ELICITING BEHAVIOR

Behavior that is rewarded will be repeated…but how do we get the behavior in the first place?

We will use the following methods:

Capturing : Catching your dog in the act of doing something you like and rewarding the behavior.

Example: Your dog goes over to her bed and lies down. You tell her she is a wonderful dog and praise her lavishly or click/treat if convenient.

Luring : Using food or another desired item (such as a toy) to lure your dog into doing the behavior you desire. Example: Tossing a treat onto your dog’s bed to encourage her to walk onto it, and then rewarding her when she does. Walking onto the bed yourself, or moving toward it to encourage your dog to do the same, is also technically luring.

Shaping : Teaching a complete behavior by rewarding gradual increments of the behavior and slowly raising criteria until your dog learns the full scope of what s/he is being asked to do. Shaping is nice because there is no lure to fade. Example: Clicking/treating if your dog looks at her bed. Then waiting for her to step onto her bed before you click/treat. Then, wait for her to sit down on her bed before you click/treat. Finally, wait for the final behavior – lie down on your bed – before rewarding.

ADDING THE VERBAL CUE (OR “COMMAND”)

Once you become 90% sure (would you bet $100?) your dog will perform the behavior you desire, you may add the verbal cue before cueing the behavior with a hand lure. Wait about ½ second after saying the word (such as “sit”) and before doing the hand signal. If you do both at the same time, your dog will see your body move and will block out your voice.

RAISING CRITERIA

Dogs are not good at making generalizations - they're much better at discriminations.

Once again, I draw on the expert and eloquent advice of a seasoned professional in the field, Patricia McConnell, PhD:

“The least intuitive part of training a new behavior is one of the most important, and that’s asking your dog to perform in circumstances that are gradually more and more difficult. A common training mistake is,

for a week or so, asking [for behavior] when it’s relatively easy for your dog, then skipping over moderate levels of difficulty and proceeding directly to asking when it’s truly difficult. The dog can’t handle the level of difficulty and fails miserably. An analogy is going from

regular ice skating to doing a triple lutz at the Olympics. After a few sessions of being over their heads, both dogs and humans can get

pretty discouraged. But a little thoughtful planning can avoid that problem and lead to a gold medal performance in the long run.”

~From “Feisty Fido” by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D. and Karen B. London, Ph.D.

Easy: In the living room when no one else is home. In the backyard on a quiet day when no one is around. Suggested treat: Kibble, dry dog treats.

Intermediate: In the backyard when the neighbors are working the yard two houses away. In the kitchen when the kids are home from school. On the sidewalk with people walking past across the street. In the parking lot of the training center, with no other dogs in sight. Suggested treat: moist, aromatic dog treats.

Advanced: In the back yard with a dog playing in the adjacent yard. At the dog park, approximately 25 feet from all other dogs. In the pet store on a busy shopping day. In class! Suggested treat: Hot dogs, cheese cubes, Easy Cheese.

Expert: In the back yard with another dog. At the dog park within 25 feet of another dog. At the training center, within a few feet of other dogs. On a walk when a squirrel races by. Suggested treat: licking from a jar of baby food, jar of peanut butter or wet food in a Tupperware container; liverwurst.

VARIABLE REINFORCEMENT When teaching a new behavior, it is necessary to reward your dog every time s/he correctly performs the behavior. Once your dog is responding reliably to the cue in a variety of situations it is time to gradually phase out the food rewards.

I define “responding reliably” as: responding to the cue the first time asked, 90% of the time in five different places.

So, if your dog will respond to the word “sit” said one time, nine out of ten times at home, in the yard, at the dog park, in class and at the pet store, you are ready to switch to variable

reinforcement. If not, continue practicing in different places until your dog’s responses

increase before switching to a variable reinforcement schedule. It is proven that being rewarded randomly makes the response to the cue stronger than if you continue to reward every time (think of a slot machine, which is addictive because the rewards vary and the possibility of a big payoff is always right around the corner). When you stop rewarding with food, also stop using the clicker. Do this gradually:

Reward 1 in every 3 correct responses

Reward 1 or 2 in every 5 correct responses Reward 1 in every 7 correct responses And so on……

Once in a while surprise your dog with a jackpot for a very good correct response – this means give a handful of treats rather than just one. It is also helpful to hide treats in various places so that every once and a while you can pull a food reward “out of nowhere” and keep your dog guessing – s/he’ll think you are magic!

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YOUR DOG'S DICTIONARY

My Cue / Your Cue? What It MeansDog’s Name (“Molly”) Orient to me – this pertains to

you!(Also may be used as a release word.)

Sit Sit until I release you.

Down Lie down until I release you.

Stand Stand in place until I release you.

Leave it Leave it alone/move away from it. Can also be used to mean “quiet” when the dog is barking at something.

Drop it Drop what you have in your mouth.

Wait Pause for a few seconds until I release you and tell you what to do next; you may move back or to the side, but do not move forward.

Stay Stay in place & position (sit or down or stand) until I release you. Get comfortable, because it could be a while. I will usually come back to reward and release you.

Come Come to me as quickly as you can. Stay in front of me until I release you.

Off Get off of it, whether it is a person or furniture.

Let's Go Walk beside me with a loose leash (left side).

Right Here Walk beside me with a loose leash (right side).

This Way Turn in my direction; we're going

a different way.

Okay! (or dog’s name) You are released from the behavior you have been doing.

Watch Make eye contact with me until I release you.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Dogs Do What Works (DDWW)!

To determine how to modify a non-emotional * problem behavior, ask yourself:

Why is the dog doing it? (What is his reward for behaving this way?)

How do I remove the reward?

How can I reward an alternate, desired behavior instead?

It could be helpful to brainstorm an approach to solving the following behavior problems:

1) Jumping up on people

Why is the dog doing it? (What is his reward for behaving this way?)

How do I remove the reward?

How can I reward an alternate, desired behavior instead?

2) Pulling on leash

Why is the dog doing it? (What is his reward for behaving this way?)

How do I remove the reward?

How can I reward an alternate, desired behavior instead?

3) Not coming when called

Why is the dog doing it? (What is his reward for behaving this way?)

How do I remove the reward?

How can I reward an alternate, desired behavior instead?

*Emotional behaviors such as fear and aggression require a different approach. See How Dogs Learn, above.

GENERAL TRAINING TIPS

Train in short sessions – three five-minute sessions per day are better than one long session…or no sessions at all, of course!

Whenever possible, use your verbal cue just once, and then follow through with a hand signal if necessary.

When training a new behavior, you will reward the behavior every time your dog performs it. As s/he learns, switch to variable reinforcement (see VARIABLE REINFORCEMENT, above).

SUGGESTED ITEMS TO KEEP YOUR DOG BUSY (& QUIET!)

A Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter or soft cheese and some yummy treats. Best if frozen! See Kong Stuffing handout(s) for ideas.

Bully stick.* Rawhide bone.* Nylabone Edibles. * “Fred’s Dog Soup”: beef stew frozen in a Tupperware container

(with lid removed).* The Everlasting Treat Ball, by Triple Crown. “Busy Buddy” toys, by Premier Pet Products. Any delicious chew bone from the pet store or butcher shop.*

*Note: I only recommend giving edible treats when you can supervise your dog and not when s/he is left alone; pieces can break off and

become a choking hazard.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

The handouts in your packet!

Web sites :

o www.sidekickdogtraining.com: There are links to many useful web sites under “Training Tips (FREE!)”

o www.4pawsuniversity.com (select Article Library) - great

articles re: training, canine body language, the dominance fallacy and more!

o www.clickersolutions.com: I highly recommend the Training Articles.

This is a good one about how to use rewards and gradually wean dogs off of food rewards: http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2007/stagesoflearning.htm.

This one is also quite good, regarding the steps to take when training a new behavior: http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/dani.htm.

o www.DogStarDaily.com – great puppy info!

Books :

o On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, by Turid Rugas. A good overview of the signals your dog uses when stressed and how to better communicate with her to calm her down.

o Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog, by Pat B. Miller. This book is chock full of great information about how to train your dog using positive reinforcement. Addresses basic training, problem behaviors, vet care, equipment and more! A must-have for every dog lover’s bookshelf!

o Any book(s) by Jean Donaldson. She takes a fun, fresh approach to the dog/human relationship. Her methods are based on learning theory and topics range from the general to the specific. The Culture Clash should be required reading for any human who interacts with dogs. It’s a revolutionary book.

o Any book(s) by Patricia McConnell, Ph.D. She is practical, easy-to-follow and down to earth. Her books cover topics ranging from the general to the specific.

o How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do, by Stanley Coren. Fascinating and useful info re: how dogs perceive the world, the influence of nature and nurture on their personality and behavior, and how they learn.

o Good Dog 101: Easy Lessons to Train Your Dog the Happy, Healthy Way by Cristine Dahl. Great book by a great local trainer. Gives a history of dog training, and carefully outlines the pros and cons of different methods, including the traditional/military method and the more recent animal learning (aka “positive”) movement. Also a great resource for

information re: how to solve many common behavior problems. Perfect for dog people who prefer proven methods to baseless theories. Cristine is factual, helpful, dog-friendly and people-friendly.

o Clicker Training for Obedience by Morgan Spector. Great overview of clicker training and detailed descriptions of how to train all formal obedience skills.

DVDs/CDs :

o The Language of Dogs – Understanding Canine Body Language and Other Communication Signals (DVD), with Sarah Kalnajs. This is a great video! Lecture format with lots of great footage of dogs showing stress and aggression signals.

o Sounds Good CD - Puppy Habituation by Legacy Canine (www.legacycanine.com). The intent of this CD series is to provide a convenient tool to help desensitize your dog to noises that may worry her.