Training advice - trainers please read and help me revise!

[tessa_s212]

Recently a board member finally became interested in the idea my sister and I have been pushing for for a long time: a better volunteer system and foster program. We are now starting at least some sort of volunteer training. I've also been printing out "How To's" on starting foster programs, sample foster agreement forms, and so on. We really might actually make this happen.

Apart of this could include my training volunteers and potential foster parents how to go about training the dogs. There is no responsible and motivational trainers close by in the area and everyone is confident that I'd do a very good job(though I've told them time and time again that though experienced, it is still limited experience). I've taken to typing up a list of instructions, how to's, and guidelines in training. I'd like to train anyone that will be working with the dogs or walking them on how to follow these(instead of continuing to let the dogs become worse and worse while they are at the shelter). Also, if we are able to set up this foster program through the humane society, I'd like to train them as well after giving them these printed out instructions.

I would really appreciate it for those experienced in training to read over it and see what they might like changed or improved upon. I did keep it not too detailed because I planned to have a face to face training after giving these instructions(and didn't want to bore them to death).

(Will copy and paste the pages of training advice into next post)

[tessa_s212]

Reliable Basic Obedience Dog Training

Sit
To teach a sit, use a treat (raisin size) to lure the dog into a sit. Hold the treat an inch or less above the dog's nose. Slowly make an arc with your food hand from the dog's nose toward the tail. The dog should follow the food with his nose. If the dog scoots backward away from your arc, place him near a wall so he will back into the wall. As he starts to sit, give the command, "sit." When his rear hits the ground, reward with the treat and praise. As your dog is learning, feed every time you get a correct response. Later, you'll switch to a variable schedule of reinforcement to maintain correct behavior.

Down
Show the dog the treat and place it close to his nose. Move your hand from his nose down to the floor. Tell him "down" as he folds into the down position. You may also help the dog into the down by luring and gently applying pressure to his shoulder blades until he goes down. Never force or shove. Lifting a paw will also set him slightly off balance and will help a more stubborn dog be lured into the down as you gently apply pressure to the shoulders.

Jumping
The best way to get a dog to listen is not to tell it what not to do, but instead what TO do. To teach a dog not to jump on people, I reinforce a “sit for petting.” Never pet a puppy or dog as it jumps on you. First, ask it to sit, then pet and praise. If it jumps on you, ignore it until it has four feet on the floor again. Ask it to sit and then give it a treat and praise. If it is a larger dog and you simply cannot ignore jumping without being knocked over, you may step on the leash to prevent the dog from actually jumping on you. The dog will correct itself by hitting the end of the leash and you can then ask it to sit.

Stay
Stay should be broken up into "the 3 D's.": distance, duration and distractions. In a sit, tell the dog to stay. Wait a second or two before giving the treat. Then add another second, and another....gradually. Do not move back away from him. Once he's able to sit still for 10 seconds or so, you can start to get distance. Step back one step and immediately return right in front of him to give him a treat. Add more and more distance very gradually. Do this over several days or weeks. If he breaks the stay, it is because you've gone too far too soon. Go back to where he was successful. You want to be able to give lots of reinforcement which makes him tend to repeat a behavior. As you get farther away, also increase the time he is expected to stay. After he understands the command clearly, start adding distractions.




Come

With your dog a short distance away and on-leash (or off-leash in a small, confined area), call your dog’s name. Use a very positive, happy voice, bend forward and pat your thigh, or get down on your knees and pat the floor. As soon as he looks at you, praise and offer a treat. When he comes to you to get his treat, gently take his collar in one hand while you pop the treat in his mouth with the other and praise him. When your dog is reliably coming to you when you get his attention, even when there are a few distractions, add the cue “come” or “here”.

-It may help you to have a partner hold your dog loosely while you get into position, then release him when you call. Have a really good treat and lots of enthusiastic praise for your dog every time he comes.

-Remember that coming to you must ALWAYS result in something positive. If you call your dog to scold or punish him, he will think he is being punished for coming and will not want to come the next time you call him.

-Do NOT yell “come” at your dog when he is on the other side of the yard. If you call and call and your dog does not respond, you are teaching him to ignore you.

Off-Ieash practice should only be done in a confined area, indoors or in a fenced yard, and only when your dog is coming consistently and reliably on-leash.









House Training


1) The puppy must have NO time unsupervised in your home. If you are not directly watching the puppy, it should be in the crate. You must watch the puppy at all times when loose in the house. Use baby gates, crates, or tie the leash to your belt.

2) The puppy should sleep inside the crate. (Try to avoid letting the dog out as it is crying! You will only be teaching it that it can get its way if it cries loud enough. Instead, wait until it is quiet and then let it out.)

3) You must go with the dog outside for all trips for elimination. You must have treats with you. When the dog is urinating or defecating, say "Go potty. When it is finished, reward with a treat and praise, praise, praise. You must observe and reward all outdoor potty time.

4) Keep a schedule. Feed at the same time, and walk outside at the same times. A puppy needs to go out every time it wakes up, at lunch time, after dinner, after any other meals, and right before bed. Adult dogs can hold it longer, but should still be taken out frequently, in the morning, after meals, and before bed.

5) Use a key word each time you go out. Say "Let’s go potty!" in a happy voice every time you open the door to go outside.

6) If you catch the puppy in the act of eliminating in your house, clap your hands or say “ah ah!”(to distract it and stop it from continuing to urinate or defecate in your house) and immediately rush it outside. If it finishes there, reward with a treat and praise.

[heartdogs]

Here's a housetraining handout that I use:
TAKE THE HEADACHE OUT OF HOUSETRAINING 101

1. Keep your eye on the dog. Any time the pup is out of his crate, you need to be watching, and not from a distance. Use a waist leash or tether the dog to your belt. If Spot looks like he’s looking for a “spot”, say “Outside?” and gently, but quickly, take him out to the “approved area”. Learn your dog’s signals – does he sniff? Does she circle? Some pups are subtle and don’t ask in obvious ways – act preemptively and take her out. Use the same words all the time for the same functions. They can learn to do it on command! Your neighbors will be jealous in January when you aren’t standing outside for a half hour waiting for Petunia to poop!

2. No scolding for accidents. Mistakes are nothing more than lack of supervision. If you scold, an unintended consequence might be that puppy learns that it’s dangerous to pee in front of the human – I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be standing in the rain for 20 minutes waiting for Penelope to pee, only to have her not pee until she could manage to escape my gaze and do it behind the dining room door. Accidents are the human’s fault, not the dog’s!

3. Crate the pup when you can’t watch. Most dogs are reluctant to soil the “den”. Be sure that the crate is only large enough for puppy to stand, turn, and lie down. Any bigger and he can “get away” from the mess, so might soil one end and sleep in the other. Buy a small crate, or partition off a larger one.

4. Reward for quick results. Have a few Cheerios in your pockets all the time. Tell puppy “hurry up” or “go pee”. When puppy piddles in the right spot, wait till he’s done (or he might think he’s being rewarded for shutting off the stream), then quickly say, “good pee” or “good hurry up” and offer a treat. Soon, you will have your pup pee’ing on the cue word “go pee”.

5. Important: Don’t just put the pup out – stay with him. Reward him for a good performance and teach those cues! Once he gets it, start rewarding every other time, or every third time.

6. Don’t clean accidents in front of Fido – Dogs are interested in what you are interested in – don’t accidentally train your dog to be interested in poop! He may start snacking…

7. Use an enzymatic cleaner to remove all trace of odor from indoor accidents [Petastic (the best), Simple Solution, Nature’s Miracle]. Dogs return to the aroma – you need to get rid of it.

8. Urine marking is NOT a housebreaking issue – it’s a territory issue. Males that are going to be pets should be neutered before marking begins (at adolescence). Some dogs never stop marking once they start. Unless your dog is to be shown in the breed ring, get the “snip”.

9. Times to take Fido out: Very soon after he wakes, eats, drinks, or plays.

10. How long can he really hold it? One hour longer than his age (in months) if he is awake. Small breeds have small bladders and may need more frequent trips outside. Pups that can hold it all night have to go once they awaken, and may not be able to hold it for the same length of time during the day. If you are a 9-5’er, a dog walker is a good temporary help.

11. If he doesn’t go? Crate him and try again every fifteen minutes until he does. Reward!!!!!

Feel free to plagiarize.

[heartdogs]

Tessa, I have other handouts - if you want, PM me your email, and I will send some your way.

[tessa_s212]

I think mine and yours are kind of similar. Do you mind if I just take some of your ideas and add it to mine? Kind of adapt it into mine. (Still would like to keep it at one page when printed.)

I've PMed you. I'd love other handouts. '

Thankyou so much for your help. I really appreciate this. If we do this, I'd like to get it right the first time around. )

[lizzybeth727]

Ok, now, I don't really understand fully what these training instructions are for - shelter volunteers training shelter dogs, or foster owners training dogs they're fostering? Either way, I'd cut out "down" altogether. How often do we use down, anyway? And won't a sit do in most of those cases? I think it would be more important to work on the other behaviors than to spend a lot of time on a down.

I'd also add something about leash walking. I don't know if you'll need this if the dogs are just in the shelter and can never come out on leash, but it's an idea. It doesn't have to be a perfect heel, just teach people not to keep walking when their dog is pulling.

You could also teach the dogs "shake." I think this behavior would really add to their adoptability - it's an easy behavior to teach, but to the lay dog owner, looks hard.

Have you checked out the shelter training pack on clickertraining.com? I don't have it, but from the description on the site, basically it has instructions that are pretty much exactly what you need

[corgipower]

Either way, I'd cut out "down" altogether. How often do we use down, anyway? And won't a sit do in most of those cases? I think it would be more important to work on the other behaviors than to spend a lot of time on a down.

People usually use "down" more than "sit". A sit is not a position that's easy for a dog to maintain for an extended period of time. In the wild, dogs are usually either standing or lying down. If I want a long stay, I will always select a down for it. The dog can even roll over and go to sleep for all I care. ;)

I agree that loose leash walking should be included, I also would include something about barking, because that is typically the biggest issue owners have.

[tessa_s212]

Ok, now, I don't really understand fully what these training instructions are for - shelter volunteers training shelter dogs, or foster owners training dogs they're fostering? Either way, I'd cut out "down" altogether. How often do we use down, anyway? And won't a sit do in most of those cases? I think it would be more important to work on the other behaviors than to spend a lot of time on a down.

I'd also add something about leash walking. I don't know if you'll need this if the dogs are just in the shelter and can never come out on leash, but it's an idea. It doesn't have to be a perfect heel, just teach people not to keep walking when their dog is pulling.

You could also teach the dogs "shake." I think this behavior would really add to their adoptability - it's an easy behavior to teach, but to the lay dog owner, looks hard.

Have you checked out the shelter training pack on clickertraining.com? I don't have it, but from the description on the site, basically it has instructions that are pretty much exactly what you need

It could be for volunteers that are working and walking dogs, for potential foster parents(if we ever get the program set and up and started), as well as perhaps my own training classes that I may start to offer through the humane society.

Down is staying in the training advice. I do see it as a beneficial command.

The dogs are walked quite frequently if we have volunteers available. They do actually come out on a leash at least once every two days. Loose leash walking is now apart of my training advice. I was just getting started and was not yet finished. If anyone has any advice for loose leash walking, pleaase post it. I would like to continue to approve upon my loose leash walking advice. So far it includes the advice of using many turns, circles, etc to keep the dog's attention and unable to pull ahead without getting a self correction when you make a sudden turn.

Shake isn't a behavior that is very beneficial towards being a good pet. I will focus on more beneficial behaviors before tricks. However, if anyone has a dog that has learned everything very quickly and woudl like to continue with training, I'd provide them with advice and guidance to do so. But first things first, and that is basic obedience.

BTW, I did not mention in the advice, but along with teh advice I'd give an instructional training class for additional information, teaching, and demonstrating exactly what the advice means, as well as questions. In the additional training I'd speak of capturing behavior as well. Many people don't know that you can simply wait until the dog sits or down, mark, and treat. This will be mentioned along with the training advice I already gave.

[tessa_s212]

Loose Leash Walking
To teach loose leash walking, do a series of turns. Start walking in one direction, do a quick turn, and continue walking. A dog that is paying attention to you should turn around and follow. If the dog doesn't, it will hit the end of the leash and get a self correction. When the dog does hit the end of the leash, simply call the dog back to your side. When it is near your side and not pulling, treat and reward it. Continue to do the about turns and encouraging the dog and rewarding it when it catches back up with you. If the dog forges ahead and pulls on the leash, again do a quick turn. If it is just hardly pulling, you can also give it a tug on the leash. If it stops pulling, treat and praise. If this does not work, continue with the turning method. Never jerk the dog or give harsh corrections. The dog is still learning and you must be patient. Set the dog up to succeed so that you can reinforce frequently.


Please critique and give your own advice. (And remember, the people working with the dogs have no knowledge of training. I understand there are corrections in my advice("tug on the leash"), but I always try to push the idea that training should be fun, motivational, and filled with rewards.)

[corgipower]

For the fosters and the classes that you'll teach, I would include something about separation anxiety, which is seen all too often in dogs that came from shelters.

[lizzybeth727]

Corgipower, I guess when I do a very long stay (which I can't remember the last time I did one, it must have been months ago), I tell my dog to "settle," which means she can lay on her side and chill. The only time I use "down" is in agility when we have to do a down on the table.

Tessa, I know that shake is not useful, but my point is that it would make the dogs more adoptable, isn't that the point of this training?

The only things I'll suggest about the LLW instruction, is to make sure and stress capturing when your dog is in a good position, as well as capturing any time your dog is giving you eye contact. A dog cannot pull on leash if he's giving eye contact, that is very important, especially in the beginning phases of training LLW.

[tessa_s212]

A cute trick might make a dog more adoptable, but if it pulls hard on the leash and drags you, if it can't sit and jumps on you, and if it isn't potty trained will truly determine its likelihood of adoption. Tricks are only after thoughts, not the primary goal. I do appreciate your thoughts though, and it will be a good think to keep in mind for those that do wish to continue training for tricks and such.

Thankyou so much for the eye contact advice. I didn't want to make it too formal like competitive obedience, but still eye contact means a dog is paying attention. I will revise it and put that in there. As well as more clearly and directly placing importance on rewarding whenever the dog is not pulling and in a good position.