Safety Plan

Human medications are a common source of poisoning. Keep them inaccessible to puppy at all times. Follow your veterinarian’s guidelines for deworming, flea, tick, and other medications (including OTC and alternative products). Check labels and ask your vet first if you have any questions. Use caution when storing and using chemicals, cleaners, pest control products, solvents, anti-freeze, […]

Chase Your Owner

https://youtu.be/IsijqQ65aDY Dogs naturally like to chase. Use this! Find out what kinds of things get puppy to run to you really fast. And then reward him when he does. How to trigger chase in a puppy (experiment with all or some) — Face away from the puppy, but look over your shoulder at him— Always […]

Bring it

The Chase Your Owner activity we also work on this week gives you a great start to a good Bring It. In fact, a good Bring It is really nothing more than a Chase Your Owner while carrying something! FIRST STEPS TO BRING IT Warm the dog up with a game of “Chase Your Owner”. […]

Thieving

Stop! Thief! Stealing objects is really fun for puppies when we join in the game. Puppies absolutely love being chased (watch them play with each other) and if stealing a tissue (even occasionally) results in a riotous game, then you better lock up your tissues, cause they’re gonna get got! So, what to do? Well, the […]

Resource Guarding

In one large epidemiological study 20% of dogs had growled or snapped at their owners over food or objects​. Guy, N.C., LueScher, U.A., Doohoo, S.E., Spangler, E., Miller, J.B., Doohoo, I.R., Bate, L.A. 2001. Risk factors for dog bites to owners in a general veterinary caseload. Applied Animal Behavior Science. 74. 29-42 Many dogs learn […]

Body Language

This dog is being approached. Do you think that he is comfortable being approached?Or do you think he is feeling defensive? I think the dog is comfortable X Incorrect.  This dog has a stiff posture. His teeth are bared, and he is showing all of his front teeth and even the gums. His ears are […]

Clicker Training

Clicker training doesn’t depend on indefinable qualities like energy or leadership. You don’t have to be born into it, or raised by wolves, and it is not a secret method known only to a select few. Learning theory, the science of behavior, and the principles and techniques of clicker training are open and available to anyone who wishes […]

Offered Attention

https://youtu.be/v2YpDddwUjA To teach your puppy this game, start by placing a tasty treat on the floor right in front of you. As soon as puppy eats the treat, he should look up at you as if to say “yum! can I have another?” Right as he looks at you, click your clicker (or use your […]

Following

https://youtu.be/OgRJ9vaoy94 You can turn the Offered Attention Game into a game where you reward puppy for following you. Warm up with the Offered Attention Game. Once he is looking back quickly, instead of just clicking and rewarding puppy for looking at you, move away and click and reward puppy for following you. At first, puppy […]

Luring

https://youtu.be/NBhtQtGUuEY Luring relies on using food like a magnet on puppy’s nose. You can guide puppy, without pushing or pulling, into lots of different positions. First, we’ll get puppy used to the idea of following treats in our hand. He is allowed to lick and nibble at the treats as he moves. In the video […]