Fixing a piece of One’s retrieve

Fixing a piece of One’s retrieve

by | Jan 24, 2018 | dog training, Ones

In preparation for my upcoming IPO 3 trial with Ones (no date set but you know eventually I’ll get around to it….perhaps more about that in a future blog entry), I was going through his obedience video of his IPO 2, and figuring out what I had to re train, what held...
The Power of Eye Contact in Dog Training

The Power of Eye Contact in Dog Training

by | Nov 28, 2017 | dog training

The very first thing I teach is focus on me (eye contact) AWAY from something the dog wants. That “want” can be a treat, to greet another person or dog, a toy, access to outside, etc… I teach this the first or second day I get a pup home before I even teach the dog his name, recall, or anything else. In future blog topics, I’ll be talking more about how behaviors, reinforcement and what I’ve termed a “reset” fit together, but for now let’s concentrate on teaching the dog that focus on you is the gateway to getting what he wants.

What is reinforcement in dog training?

What is reinforcement in dog training?

by | Nov 3, 2017 | dog training

I’m all about the reinforcement these days.

Mine, my dogs, the people we surround ourselves with.

What is reinforcement?

Anything the dog likes. This could be swimming, sniffing, eating, tugging, chasing, access to the front yard, you name it.

Reinforcement could also be release of pressure, since relief from punishment can be very likable to the learner receiving the punishment. But I’m not talking about that in this blog post, so let’s stick to positive reinforcement for now. Social greetings, movement, control over one’s environment, those also can be considered reinforcement.

Some of it you get for free. Most dogs like food, and the type of dogs I have tend to like chasing, tugging, and just doing stuff.

But some of it you have to build…