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July 2006 101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter

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* 101 Dog Training Tips Newsletter

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*
* Issue #4
* Published by:
* Andrew Ledford
* Copyright © 2006 Andrew Ledford
* http://101-dog-training-tips.com
*
* July 2006
* 101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/
*
*
* ==================================================

*
* In this issue
* 1. Dog owner training systems
* 2. Featured website Pacco Morgan Love
* 3. Writing opportunity for dog trainers
*

Welcome to the fourth edition of the
101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter.
July 2006

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Life has been very hectic. My book is at the editors.
Soon it will be time to send it to a book designer. It is getting
closer to being completed, however it's completion still seems far
off.

This month's article is a bit more abstract than how
to. I probably prefer to look for fundamental ideas found in dog
training rather than just the mechanics of training. In general I see these
two aspects of dog training to be so closely linked that we should
not study one without the other.

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101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/

Website
http://101-dog-training-tips.com

1. Dog owner training systems

Successful dog training comes down to creating or
finding a system that's a good fit for a particular person, family, and
dog. Many dog owners have rules that contribute to unstable behavior
management systems. I think of unstable systems as those that
have so much variability that you never know what the outcome will
be.

One of the problems with dog training techniques
compared to conditioning in the laboratory is the variability we
all encounter from the environment. A simple way to look at this is,
the rules found in systems make the world more or less consistent. A
goal of the handler/trainer is to reduce variability of the
command, response, reward sequence while training for an unpredictable
environment. If arousal from variation is not part of training, but
part of the environment, behavior is likely to be unstable.

One of the things science tries to do is identify the
rules of nature and then apply these rules to practical applications.
The purpose of training is to accomplishes this same goal. It doesn't
matter if it's academic or emotional training at a university, or
practicing drills in a dog training class, training attempts to make
behavior predictable. It does this by bringing behavior under
the control of certain events. Often the only training people have
for managing their personal lives is what they learned as children
growing up. Some people have the good fortune of a family who teaches
effective strategies for managing one's actions. The truly
fortunate are taught strategies for managing both voluntary behavior as
well as what seems to be the overpowering effects of emotions. It's sad
that some people never have a chance to learn many of these lessons.
While schools and universities attempt to teach some of these skills,
especially those that have immediate benefits to the survival of the
cultural system, they do have their own agendas. A persons culture
demands loyalty and sacrifice which can be at the expense of enlightened
self-development and happiness. If we pay attention to the relationship
we have with our dogs, we will have another chance to learn
powerful life lessons about governance of the self.

I find that as I rely on other people more I have less
direct control of how and when things are done. As I venture into
bigger projects requiring skills I do not possess there is a need to
rely more and more on others. This is something those of you in
corporations are well aware of. In a company there can also be inter
department conflicts that work against reaching corporate goals.
In dog training these same kinds of conflicts can be seen in how
different people interact with the dog. This is because the dog meets
different needs for those it encounters. Usually these
counterproductive people are not malicious, they just have different reasons for
interacting with the dog. Some people enjoy rewarding your dog for
misbehaving.

In a corporation you are just one part of the system,
where in dog training, it can all be up to you. One reward of
taking sole responsibility is that you can make a big difference
that's easy to see. In making your dog well behaved it's up to you to
make it work. You may hire someone to help teach the foundations or
to teach you how to most efficiently train your dog, but it will
ultimately come down to what you do.

To get your dog to consistently behave in a certain
way requires that your system contain rules that encourage you to
respond with predictability. The handler/owner needs to be
predictable, even when the environment is not.

Preparation can help people be ready when they need to
be. Preparation gives one the proper history for success and it can
take many forms. Some of the most common are training drills and
planning. Training drills don't need to be for long periods of time.
Often five to ten repetitions several times a day is all it takes. Along
with training drills, it's good to have a predetermined but flexible
plan for dealing with problem behavior.

A reader recently sent in an email looking for a way
to decrease puppy play biting and I will use this as an example. First
we can do touching drills were we teach the pup not to grab at
hands when touched. We do this by getting it to focus on a tasty
treat when being touched in hand grabbing ways. This could include
touching the pup on the muzzle, ears, and paws. Along with touching drills
I usually teach the command "Off" with food and a count or time out.
This is not an easy thing to explain in words. Most people need to
learn the "Off" exercise in person. Teaching off with food and the
time out can in the beginning, take some effort, but soon the dog will
stay off during the training. The next step is to plan on how to deal with
play biting when not doing training drills. Usually I will either
have food in my pocket, or in a cup somewhere handy. Now I'm ready
when the need to use food presents itself. As the dog develops a
history of responding to the "Off" command you can start to fade food from
the training routine. First the sight of the food is faded. Plan to
use food as a reward for along time. This will ensure that the dog
continues to learn the proper response even though there are many
opportunities for the environment to naturally reward behavior you don't
want.

There are times when it can be more difficult to plan
an effective training routine. However if you want your dog trained
to perform the desired behavior you will need to invest the time. The
other option is to be flexible enough to change what you desire. One
of the nice things about taking responsibility is that we almost
always have options. Here I am thinking about another email I
received about a dog who did not want to go outside to potty. Frequently
small housedogs don't want to go outside to potty because they are
uncomfortable being outside. When this is the case with an adult dog we
need to consider habituating the dog to being outside. This can be done
by conditioning the dog to like being outside with rewarding
activities such as eating and playing. Another option is to just leave the dog
outside and let it get used to being out of the house. I usually use a
combination of these techniques. Probably if I lived in an area with
a lot of predators I would put up a permanent dog kennel. If I
didn't want to have a dog kennel I would teach the dog to potty in a
box and not bother with getting it accustomed to being outside.

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101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/
Website
http://101-dog-training-tips.com
2. Link of the month
Pacco Morgan Love http://www.pacco.blogspot.com/
This is a dog blog from Malaysia. I always enjoy
reading about what people and dogs are doing in other parts of the world.
I have never been to Malaysia but I am very interested in its
natural wonders, history, and people. I like to visit this blog every
once in a while to see what Pocco and friends are up to in Malaysia.

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3. If you know of a dog trainer who can write and they
would like to be published on the
http://www.101-dog-training-tips.com/ website have
them contact me. I am looking for new dog training
articles. I don't pay a lot, but it will give dog trainers the
opportunity to say they have been paid for their writing. In the future I plan
on announcing writing opportunities on the yahoo group for trainers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dog_Trainers_101_Tips/

The easiest way to get a listing in our dog trainers
directory is to join our yahoo group with your business and
website information.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dog_Trainers_101_Tips/

We are continuing to give free directory listings to
other dog related businesses including dog breeders
and rescue groups.
http://101-dog-training-tips.com/Links/Link_Request.htm

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The last newsletter Issue #3 March, 2006 was about
Getting your dog to come when called. The
title of the main article Getting your dog to come, the beginning stage of
training Also in the last issue was information about the
website
America Against Breed Specific Legislation
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Andrew Ledford
Concepts In Dog Behavior®
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© Copyright 2006 Andrew Ledford all rights reserved
worldwide. 101 dog training tips Newsletter is
copyright
Andrew Ledford, 2006 except where indicated otherwise.

Concepts In Dog Behavior® is a registered Trademark

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