Charlotte Dog Trainer | Dog Training | Puppy Training | Dogmatic Training

The Truth About Positive Reinforcement Training

dogmatic5 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:27:48 +0000

Most professional dog trainers either fall into two categories; the positive reinforcement camp and the correction or compulsion camp. In my experience, few trainers see the value in other camp. The fact of the matter is, both methods have merit and do work.

Positive reinforcement training methods are the best way to teach a dog a command. I typically use food or a toy to lure the dog into a position and pair a command with the action. It typically only takes me a few minutes to teach any of the basic commands to a dog. The problem with positive reinforcement is that it only works when the handler has something that the dog wants. Dogs do put value on things that we can provide them such as food, toys and play, but they also put value on items we don’t provide such as the squirrel in the park, the cat across the street or the dog in the neighbor’s yard. All of the latter items typically have a higher value than the treat in your pocket, especially if the dog has already become worked up. For example, when my dog, Freddie saw a rabbit in my front yard and took off before I even knew what was happening, I had little chance of bringing her back for a treat. The rabbit and the chase was a self rewarding action that Freddie valued much more than a treat. So in this example, positive reinforcement would not work and compulsion became necessary. Positive reinforcement also works very well for changing a dog’s perception of a person, place or thing. For instance, dogs that are afraid of the vacuum cleaner can be conditioned to love the vacuum, if the vacuum is paired with something the dog wants. This is a very simplified example and much more goes into conditioning a dog to accept the vacuum, but hopefully you get the idea.

Compulsion training methods become necessary when obedience is mandatory and when a handler has nothing more valuable to the dog than the unacceptable behavior. Like the example with the rabbit, I had to get my dog back for her own safety. Luckily, Freddie is rarely off leash without an e-collar. An e-collar is a remote training collar that can deliver a correction from long distances. The correction can be a tone, vibration or an electric shock. Before judging these devices, I suggest you read my next posting that discusses these devices. The e-collar allowed me to correct Freddie and compel her to obey my recall command.

When a trainer uses both positive reinforcement and compulsion in the correct balance, dogs become exceptional at obedience. I’m not saying that 100% positive reinforcement doesn’t work, I’m saying it doesn’t work with all dogs in all scenarios. I’m also not saying that compulsion must always be used, but it shouldn’t be completely removed as a training option. Personally, I believe that training should begin with positive reinforcement techniques and layer corrections as the distractions become greater. This means I reward for good behavior and correct for bad or inappropriate behavior. Using these methods builds a very strong obedience program that produces very happy, confident and obedient dogs.

Lastly, compulsion methods should never be used without the assistance of a professional trainer or behaviorist. Compulsion when done incorrectly is easily abusive and teaches the dog nothing, but to be afraid of you.

Why I Hate Harnesses

dogmatic5 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:30:09 +0000

In my opinion, harnesses should only be used with small dogs who have a higher risk of trachea damage. I disagree with using harnesses on larger dogs because the harness restricts the dog’s ability to pull. So, if the harness limits the ability for a dog to pull, then why do I hate them? Well, while the harness limits the ability of the dog to pull it doesn’t change the dog’s behavior. Most of the time we see that when an owner takes the harness away the dog begins to pull again. I would rather address the behavior. Meaning, I would rather be able to walk a dog on a flat collar without the dog pulling. This is accomplished through the proper training of heel.

Heel means that the dog walks at the owner’s left and sits when the owner stops. If a dog can heel she never pulls.

John Holland

how to Teach Sit

dogmatic5 — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:59:20 +0000

Sit is one of the easiest commands to teach and is the foundation for many more advanced commands like heel. To teach a dog to sit, I usually use a food treat to lure the dog into position. To lure a dog into sit, I give the dog a few treat rewards to ensure that she knows what I have. Once she is interested I touch the treat to the dog’s nose and say sit as I bring the treat up. When the treat goes up most often the but goes down. It is sometimes necessary to take the treat toward the dog’s ears. Speed and distance is important. I keep the treat just far enough over the dog’s head to make her look up and move slow. Moving too fast causes the dog to lose sight of the treat. Once the dog does has done it once, do it 5-10 more times in quick bursts. Practice every day and begin to give treats on random intervals.

Sit: The Most Important Command

dogmatic5 — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:12:07 +0000

Many dog owners and trainers would argue that the recall is the most important command a dog can know. While I believe the recall is very important, I feel that sit is more so. There are many reasons that sit is so valuable. First, I may not want my dog to return to me if there is a danger between her and I. For example, if a dog door crashes and darts across the street, I don’t want her crossing the road again. So, instead of using a recall I would use sit. I would then go to her instead of her coming to me. Another good use of sit is when I need her to stay in a location away from someone or something. For instance, when I open the door to check the mail. I also use the sit command as a way to de-escalate a dog when the dog begins to show signs of stress or aggression. It also works very well if another dog shows my dog aggression. If my dog sits and doesn’t move, often the aggressive dog loses interest and goes away. Lastly, I use sit when my dog begins to become the predator of the front yard chasing squirrels. I call sit and she drops. This allows the prey to escape.

A strong sit takes time and lots of practice in a variety of situations. I suggest giving the command everyday and particularly when the dog is excited. Give the command with different tones from quietly to loud. Typically, in an emergency you will sound much louder and even angry. So, during training try giving the command in a scolding tone and make sure your dog gets lots of praise and a reward for obeying the command. I do this because most dogs will run away from their owner when scolded.

John Holland
K-9 Trainer

Want to be a Dog Trainer?

dogmatic5 — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 01:12:50 +0000

Dogmatic Training offers a wide variety of programs to teach you everything you will need to know to begin your dog training career. Regardless of your background, we can provide you with a quality education in Applied Dog Behavior and Training. Students are encouraged to bring their own dog to work with during practicals.

Applied Animal Behavior and Training (10 week)

Tuition: $4,400.00

Start Date: 10/3/11

Schedules available: M,W,F 6:30-am-8p/ or Saturday 7am-11am

Course Outline:

Origins and Domestication

Development of Behavior

Biology

Classical Conditioning

Instrumental Learning

Behavior Modification

Training Equipment

Proofing

9/9/11

dogmatic5 — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:43:29 +0000

Good Morning! I just wanted to give you all an update on the facility. We are ready to reopen and in celebration, we are offering a month of doggie daycare for just $300.00. This is a substantially lower than anywhere else in Charlotte. Keep in mind that our program is very different from other doggie daycares in that we only take 20 dogs a day while others take 50 or 60. Because we are trainers at heart, we emphasize all obedience commands throughout the day. Our goal for our daycare program is to help your dog learn skills and stimulate the minds and bodies. Dogs aren’t going to just lay around all day with us, sure we allow rest periods, but we want to keep them stimulated and learning. This is what will produce a tired pup. Many doggie daycares do not attempt to keep a dog stimulated and really just allow dogs to do as they wish. Staff members at other facilities do not correct for bad behavior such as jumping. When dogs are allowed to act poorly in daycare, that behavior transitions to the home. Another pet peeve with other facilities is that they allow dogs to just lay around all day and do not keep them stimulated. This insures that the dog will be nice and rested for when the owner picks the dog up and takes the dog home where they will burn off energy they were supposed to burn off at daycare.

Come check us out and see the difference!

John

Boarding

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:18:02 +0000

Dogmatic is not just another kennel; we treat your dog like a member of our family. With individual beds, private quarters, and daycare services your pet will feel right at home.

We offer overnight lodging and even a doggie day care to keep your dog entertained while you are at work–or maybe you just want to remove your dog from the stress of a crowded house during family gatherings or other special occasions.

If you are looking for a convenient, loving, and safe place to house your pet, come by and introduce yourselves. We would be happy to welcome your special member of the family into our own–for the day or overnight.

Obedience Training

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:12:36 +0000

Our 3-week obedience camp is a wonderful solution for owners who do not have the time to meet with a trainer, or need a well-trained dog quickly. While at camp, your pet will receive 3 daily training sessions, playtime and socialization. Dogs will learn sit, stay, down, come, heel, and place. Upon graduation from our obedience camp, dogs will be able to complete commands under most distractions. Our goal is to provide training that will allow you and your pet to have a rewarding lifelong relationship. We also address problem behaviors such as:

* Aggression
* Door Crashing
* Housetraining
* Jumping
* Leash Pulling
* Separation Anxiety
* Barking
* Chewing
* Fear Aggression
* Mouthing/Biting
* Digging
* Destructive Behaviors
* Poor Car Manners

Rates:

Obedience Camp: $1,500.00

Group Classes

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:05:06 +0000

We are currently enrolling students in our Basic Obedience Group Basic Course. Lessons taught during the group class are the same as private basic obedience, sit, stay, down, come and heel. We will also offer solutions to problematic behaviors such as jumping, barking, nipping, door crashing, and house training. The first class will be held at our location in Noda, but we will visit a variety of venues to expose dogs to many different situations and distractions. On the last day of class, we will meet at University Place for a class dinner on the boardwalk with our dogs.

Service Dogs

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:00:43 +0000

Service dogs can perform a variety of tasks to make living with a disability easier. We are glad to offer specialized training for the dog owners who wish to train their pets to perform specific functions such as:

* Retrieval
* Retrieve and carry
* Seek help or find a specific person
* Pull or push a wheelchair
* Open and close doors
* Turn on/off lights
* Support body weight
* Alert

As part of our service dog training, we will also train your pet in service dog obedience. Service dogs cannot be denied access to any public or government place. As a result, the dog must be able to behave properly.

Here is a short list of rules pertaining to service animals:

1. When in public buildings, service animals cannot eat off the floor
2. Service animals cannot solicit attention from strangers
3. Service animals must be under control 100% of the time, even off leash.
4. Service animals must ignore all distractions including other animals, people, store merchandise etc.
5. Dogs must remain calm and quiet at all times when working.
6. Service animals must be able to eliminate on command

Keep in mind, that all dogs do not have the temperament for service work. We will be happy to evaluate your dog free of charge and discuss your options.

Rates:

The fees for service dog training varies greatly. We will only train your dog to the level necessary to meet your needs. So, please contact us for pricing.