by The Crunchy Canine | Feb 13, 2018 | BLOG
What if I told you that I really don’t care if your dog knows the obedience command “sit”? I tell clients this every day and as you can imagine I get a few funny looks. So many trainers these days will focus on tightening up a dogs obedience in order to resolve behaviour issues. If you approach them for help with your dogs resource guarding, they will tell you to join their group class and work on your dogs obedience.
There are a few different reasons why this wont work. The biggest reason is that obedience is simply a command to put your dog in a physical position. However, just because the body is in that position it does not mean that their mind is there as well. Often I will see these jacked up dogs in a sit (usually after the owner has asked them 10 times) and the dog is still struggling to hold the sit with their mind all over the place. Obedience (usually) does not change state of mind. Another reason that I don’t focus on obedience is because I want the dog to learn how to navigate this human world without constantly needing to be told what to do. This is where free behaviour comes into play. Free behaviour is what your dog would choose to do if no one told him what to do. For example, greeting people without jumping. I don’t want to have to tell him “off”, nor do I want to have to tell him to sit. I simply want the dog to calmly approach, and greet without jumping all over them. That is free behaviour. I used to teach the “place” command quite a bit. Place is when your dog has all four feet on an object (in most cases a dog bed), and learns to chill out. Essentially “calm on command”. I have been moving away from this recently as I want to teach the dog to be more calm without having been told to be calm. I am focusing a lot on using an exercise called “Sit on the Dog” created by the late Margot Woods which teaches the dog how to be more calm without being told to do so. Again, an example of free behaviour instead of a command.
So if you hire me, and I come and tell you I literally do not care if your dog knows “sit” this is why. Now, don’t get me wrong, if your dog knows sit that is great. I don’t want you to think that you cannot teach him commands. Just know, that it is not my focus and that we will most likely not be working on that (unless you hire me specifically for obedience training). My specialty, my focus, my passion is in teaching dogs how to be calm, well-behaved family members who can navigate this world with as few commands as possible. Once you see it in real life you will understand how this is completely different than having a robot of a dog who is spot on with commands but completely lost when you haven’t told him what to do!
by The Crunchy Canine | Feb 1, 2018 | BLOG
Did you know that you just might be (unintentionally) reinforcing the very behaviours that you are trying to stop?
But wait, what does reinforcement really mean anyways? There are many terms used in the dog training world, and one of the most popular ones is reinforcement (specifically positive reinforcement). However, many pet owners don’t actually know that it is so much more than just using treats to get your dog to sit.
The Merriam-Webster definition of reinforcement is:
1: the action of strengthening or encouraging something
2: something that strengthens or encourages something[distance1]
In other words, when you reinforce a behaviour (either using positive or negative reinforcement) you are increasing the frequency of the behaviour.[distance1]
Traditionally, many trainers will talk heavily about positive reinforcement and default to food as the reinforcer. Ask your dog to sit, and give them a piece of food for doing it. Very simple example of positive reinforcement. But what if I told you that positive reinforcement is actually more complicated than that. In fact positive reinforcement is the act of adding something the dog likes, to increase the likelihood that he will do that behaviour again. So what most people don’t know is that depending on your dog, what he likes could be a variety of different things. Some examples would be; you giving eye contact, talking to them/giving them attention (even if it is yelling at them), or touching them. In fact, sometimes the dog is able to self reward even if you don’t give them any of those things. But we will discuss that further along.[distance1]
So lets use the dog who whines constantly. You may have tried ignoring but at some point you caved and said “what’s wrong Fido”? Or maybe you said nothing but you looked at him every time he whined. So when we respond this way, we are actually reinforcing the behaviours because their action resulted in us adding something they like. Which then increases the likelihood of that behaviour happening again. And again. And again…[distance1]
Another really great example of unintentionally reinforcing a behaviour, is when a dog jumps on you. Usually it looks something like this; dog jumps, human makes eye contact, while simultaneously yelling “OFF”, “DOWN”, “NO JUMPING”, AND attempting to push the dog off with their hands. Sometimes, the human then steps back to avoid being jumped on, or turns around to “ignore” until the dog stops. In this scenario, the dog is likely getting reinforced for jumping through eye contact, touching, and talking (even if yelling). However, like everything there are exceptions to every rule. If you have a soft or nervous dog, those things might not be reinforcing for that particular dog and may actually be punishment. When the human steps back from a dog jumping the dog likely will see it as a game or challenge to try again which is self rewarding. If you just ignore by turning around, you are giving your dog permission through omission and the dog is again self rewarding by just doing the act of jumping because they enjoy it.[distance1]
So, if you are struggling with some unwanted behaviours think about how you could be unintentionally reinforcing them with something you may not even realize they find rewarding. Remember, dogs only do what works (for them) so if jumping on you gets them something they like they will continue to jump on you![distance1]
If you need help with these behaviours contact us today and find out how our private dog training programs can teach your dog to become a well behaved family member today!
by The Crunchy Canine | Sep 27, 2017 | BLOG
You may have heard the term low level remote collar training or ecollar training. Unfortunately many people still refer to these tools as shock collar training which couldn’t be further from the truth. Check out my quick video on what low level remote collar training is and why it is not just semantics, but truly is low level training. We are NOT shocking dogs, and we are not in the business of hurting dogs!
by The Crunchy Canine | Sep 5, 2017 | BLOG
In light of the recent hurricane and flooding in Texas, wildfires in BC and Manitoba, and Hurricane Irma headed towards Florida, we felt we should discuss how to be prepared for an emergency when you have pets. It is far too easy to think “Oh it will never happen to us”, but the small effort involved in being prepared is worth the peace of mind should a disaster strike.
There are plenty of resources for home disaster kits (both DIY and pre-made ready for purchase), but for those with pets we also need to consider planning for our animals as well.
In addition to your home disaster kit you will want to add the following items for your pet:
- Spare leash and collar/harness with ID – Include the dog’s name, your name, contact information and a secondary person to contact if possible should you not have access to your phone.
- First aid supplies – Your own first aid kit should cover your needs but we suggest adding a few extra rolls of gauze, and some vet wrap as well.
- Two weeks worth of food – Dry or canned is fine (include a can opener if using canned). Remember that the food will have a shelf life of around a year so each year you will need to replace if not used.
- Water – On top of the water you will need for yourself and your family, you will need clean drinking water for your pet.
- Stainless steel bowls
- Medication – If your pet requires medication make sure you always have a supply on hand.
- Medical records – Should you need to board your dog, most places will require proof of vaccinations.
- A crate or X-pen if possible
- Blanket or spare bed
I highly recommend purchasing a large tote (like a Rubbermaid bin) to store all of the items together in one place with a large sticker on the front to indicate what is in the tote. On top of having this kit prepared, it is incredibly important to have some sort of emergency plan in place. Things to consider for your plan;
- If you are not home and your area is evacuated, can you ask a neighbour to get your pets?
- If possible, who will go home and get the pets if evacuated?
- Where will you go if evacuated?
- Is your pet crate/kennel trained should they need to stay at a kennel?
- If an evacuation is in the future (or a possibility) who can stay home from work so pets do not get left behind?
When an emergency happens you will be running on fear and adrenaline, so it is best to plan ahead and have one less thing to worry about.
by The Crunchy Canine | Aug 29, 2017 | BLOG
Do you have a Doodle? Here are some tips on how to groom your Doodle between grooming appointments!
by The Crunchy Canine | Jan 13, 2017 | BLOG
Often when people inquire about training with me, they think because I am a “balanced trainer” that I don’t use food. When in fact I do use food, I just use it differently than most trainers. Instead of using treats as a bribe, I use the dog’s meal as a paycheque. Here is an example of one meal with a dog I have in for training.
