Dogs on the Run dot net

Clicker training is a wonderful way to teach your dog any behavior. Clicker-trained dogs are more than trained – they are excited about learning, interested in what you might teach them next. They become active participants in the training game, rather than automatons that don’t think and merely perform at your whim, without enthusiasm or interest. They learn to learn, and actually learn to think, which enables them to achieve more than dogs taught by the old traditional dog training methods. They also learn to look at their teacher (you, the trainer) in a tremendously positive light – no fear, and total trust.

There is no reason to use harsh methods to train our dogs. All creatures, from the lowly ant to us lofty human beings, learn their best lessons when permitted to figure out what works best in a given situation. Pulling, jerking, manipulating, “scruffing,” ear-pinching, shocking, and other tough-guy methods actually are successful with our very forgiving dogs, but at great cost: They damage the relationship between dog and trainer, and in some cases can cause serious injury to the dog. And if we lofty human beings think Read more…

Confession: My dogs don’t know the common obedience cue, “Stand.” Once upon a time I taught all of my dogs to stand on cue, but since I stopped doing competition obedience I didn’t feel the need for it and just stopped teaching it.

Recently, in doing Canine Freestyle, I discovered a need for it. And now, while working on conditioning my couch potato Aussie Frenzy, it becomes even more important. I dawdled with it from time to time over the last several months somewhat and found that any manipulation of her body to “help” her into a stand just made her all goosey and silly (which she can be at any time, but even more so when I try moving and placing her). My heart wasn’t really in it until now, when I decided that I really want her to do this, so I set out yesterday to teach her how to stand.

Clicker in hand and treats in pocket, we proceeded to our outdoor training area (only required because there are 8 dogs in the house, and new behaviors are very hard to teach in the face of 8 dogs offering diverse behaviors and leaping up to grab the cookie when it’s offered). Read more…

The little darling has been here now a fortnight. Boy, what a mix of wild and crazy and submissive and worm-like she is (not to mention bitchy and sweet) – a study in contradictions!

We’ve been blessed with some lovely weather for November (except for two days of solid rain last week, but we won’t count them): sunny days in the 60s with cool (well, cold) nights. For the most part I cannot use crappy weather as an excuse not to train my dog(s). So I’ve been training them.

My training sessions with Joon consist mainly of taking her to our agility area, which is a totally fenced area where I can take her leash off and allow her the opportunity to interact with me or with the environment. At this point I’m at about 60%, Read more…

Joon has now been with us for a week. I’ve spent my time with her largely evaluating “how she works” (or not), or better said, what makes her work and what doesn’t.

All who meet her agree that she’s extremely sweet. She loves to jump up on everyone, very gently, for hugs and pats. And she’s so gentle about it that no one complains, but is suckered into the hugs and pats. In a group of people she’s constantly trying to catch someone’s eye so she can entrance them, like everyone else she’s captivated.

She’s a complex mixture of go go go go go and oh no I can’t go. Read more…