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Clicker Training

02 Sep

When Teddy was a puppy, he seemed to learn tricks so quickly. Aside from the fact that Teddy is really smart, I think what helped him learn things so quickly was clicker training.

What is Clicker Training?

Clicker training harnesses the scientific principles underlying positive dog training by delivering positive reinforcement via treats and a clicker. A clicker is a small object that when pressed, makes a distinctive clicking noise. The moment your dog performs a desired behavior, you Click! the clicker. By associating the sound of the Click! with treats, your dog learns that when they hear Click!, it means that whatever they were doing in that moment will be rewarded.

Why Does Clicker Training Work?

The reason why clicker training works so well is because the Click! becomes associated with something positive (treats). It’s relies on classical conditioning (think Pavlov), which is then applied to modify behavior through the use of operant conditioning (positive reinforcement). By pairing a neutral stimulus (Click!) with an unconditioned stimulus (something your dog has a natural reaction to, like treats) over and over again, the Click! and the treat will become associated such that the Click! comes to elicit the same response as the treat. However, we don’t want the Click! to elicit a behavior, we want to use it to reward a behavior. Thus, through operant conditioning, the Click! can be used to signal that positive reinforcement (treats) are coming and can come be reinforcers itself. Theoretically, you can gradually reduce the use of treats over time and just use the clicker as reinforcement (without treats), but its difficult to implement and I don’t think it would work well with Teddy. Alternatively (and this is what I did), you can use the clicker when teaching your dog a new behavior, and then phase it out when the behavior is well learned.

Training your dog with a clicker is wonderful because it communicates very clearly to your dog exactly which behavior is desired. Many times when people try to train their dogs, they use the praise, “Good girl” or “Good boy” to try to communicate the same thing, but the way we say these phrases isn’t always consistent. In order learn what you want, dogs need consistent, reliable feedback about what they are doing. The clicker is useful in this regard because it always makes the same unique sound, allowing the dog to identify which behavior earned the reward. Similarly, feedback is most effective when it is delivered immediately. When training your dog, its best to communicate that your dog is doing something correctly as they are doing it. Unfortunately, its is nearly impossible to deliver verbal praise and/or treats that quickly.

How to Get Started with Clicker Training

The first thing you want to do when starting to use clicker training is create that association between the Click! and the treat. To do this, you can “prime” or “charge” the clicker. What this means is that you Click! and the give your dog a treat over and over again. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Positive Dog Training recommends doing this 60 times or repeatedly for 2 minutes. I would do this every day in the beginning, especially at the start of a training session.

When doing this, it is very important that the timing is correct. The treat should follow as quickly after the Click! as possible. This means that you should have a a bunch of small treats ready. In order to get the timing right, it might be helpful to watch other people do it first. Here’s a helpful video to get you started:

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A Walk to Remember

26 Aug

It rained pretty much the whole time we were in Connecticut, but there was a brief window of time when it let up a bit. We decided to take Teddy and Tucker for a long walk on the nearby trail. Unfortunately, there’s no sidewalk on the way to the trail, so we just had to walk along the grass/woods to get there.

The walk started off great, and we were almost to the trail when all of a sudden, Tucker got spooked and backed out of his collar. He ran into the road, towards an oncoming car. I ran out after him yelling at the car that was coming to stop. I really thought Tucker was going to get hit. Luckily the car was able to stop in time and I was able to get a hold of him…phew!

When we finally got on to the trail, I just broke down in tears. I was so scared and it something so much worse could have happened. I should have driven to the trail…I should have checked Tucker’s collar…we should have gone a different way. I’m so grateful he’s okay. Moral of the story: make sure your dog can’t slip out of their collar.

The rest of the walk was great — Teddy and Tucker had a great time sniffing everything.

We even came across some chickens! Teddy and Tucker were so curious and just looked at them. They didn’t even bark.

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4 Reasons to Harness Your Dog in the Car

23 Aug

I have a few days off before school starts, so I decided to drive up to Connecticut for a few days to see my parents. The drive from DC to CT took us about 7 hours, but Teddy was so good in the car and actually slept most of the way. For this trip, I ordered a special harness specially made for car safety — something I should have done ages ago. After doing a little research on car safety, I realized just how dangerous it is to have a loose dog in the car.

4 Reasons to Harness Your Dog in the Car

1. It keeps them from being a distraction. According to a recent AAA report, only one in six people use restraints on their pets while in the car and almost 60 percent of dog owners say their dogs have been a distraction in the car at least once. As we know from reports about other driver distractions (talking on the phone, texting, etc.), distracted driving dramatically increases the likelihood of getting into an accident.

2. It minimizes their injuries during a car accident. For the same reasons that people are required to wear seatbelts, dogs, too, need to be restrained in some way, preferably with a harness. To see what happens to a loose dog during a car accident, check out this youtube video of a simulated car crash where one dog is harnessed and the other is not (don’t worry, they’re stuffed animals!).

3. It keeps your dog from injuring other people during a car accident. As you can see from that video, a loose dog in the car becomes a projectile during a car crash. According the advocacy group, Bark Buckle Up, unrestrained dogs present a huge safety risk for the other passengers in the car.

“Even in an accident of only 30 mph, a 15-pound child can cause an impact of more than 675 pounds. A 60-pound dog can cause an impact of 2,700 pounds, slamming into a car seat, a windshield, or another passenger. Even if the animal survives, it can impede the progress of rescue workers for whom every moment is precious.”

4. It keeps them from jumping out of the car. Harnessing your dog keeps them in the car until you have are ready to let them out, which could be important on regular trips, especially if you are worried about your dog getting loose and running on to a busy road. Keeping your dog in the car is also important if you do get into an accident. My roommate got into an accident with her dog, Remy, a few years ago on a busy highway, and Remy wasn’t harnessed. She remembers being so worried that he was going to escape into the busy traffic because a window in the back had shattered and he was understandably shaken. Luckily, he didn’t try to run away, but he is now harnessed every time he goes in the car.

I recommend getting the Guardian Gear Car Harness, which comes with a strap that buckles directly into the seat belt clasp. I found this to be much easier to use than one that just has a loop at the end that you feed the seatbelt through. I used to have one like that and Teddy kept getting tangled in it. Also, be sure to keep your dog in the back seat, as the airbag in the front could injure or even kill your dog in a car accident. For more information, I highly recommend reading Jolanta Benal’s (The Dog Trainer of Quick and Dirty Tips) fantastic article and podcast about dogs and car safety.

Happy Travels!

Do you have any smart dog tips about traveling safely with your dog by car? If so, leave a comment!

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The Best 3 iphone Apps for Dog Lovers (and they’re all FREE!)

20 Aug

Although I don’t have an iphone, I have an ipod touch and I absolutely love it. There are so many great apps, especially for dog lovers. Here are three of the best FREE apps that I’ve found:

Petfinder.com

Even though I’m not exactly ready to get a second dog, I think the Petfinder app is fabulous. Just like on their website (www.petfinder.com), you are able to browse adoptable (i.e., homeless) pets in your area or anywhere else in the US. In addition to location, you can also search for pets based on their breed, age, size, and/or gender. This app is wonderful because it makes it easier for people to connect with pets that need homes, hopefully increasing the chances that they get adopted.

What I love:

  • Beautiful user interface (better than the website!)
  • You can browse pets by “swiping” through their pictures and mark your favorites
  • You can share pets you find with others via email, facebook, or twitter

Dog Park Finder

This app is great if you like taking your dog to dog parks and are looking to either try a different one locally, or are travelling with your dog in new place. It’s also interesting to see how many dog parks are near you, compared to other places. I certainly feel lucky! Based on your location (you can also specify a different location), this app shows you a map of all the dog parks in your area. When you click on a particular park, you get even more information, like whether it is fenced-in, when it is closed, if there are any park fees, and any other notes about the park. In addition, there is a also a section for user reviews and photos.

What I love:

  • Great, user-friendly interface
  • Lists parks in order of proximity
  • Can look up dog parks in other areas
  • User photos and reviews (don’t forget to add your own!) — this will make the app even better

Home Again PetRescuers

I can’t imagine how panicked people must feel when their dog runs away, but its great to see technology being used to reunite pets with their families. At first I thought this app was to let you track your dog. But, this app lets you help find missing dogs in your area. When a dog that has been microchipped and HomeAgain is notified that they are missing, they are automatically featured in this app. By using your current location, this app will display all the missing dogs in your area.

What I love:

  • It involves the community in looking for lost dogs
  • Some dogs have their pictures uploaded so you can find them (though it would be better if all the missing dogs had their pictures up)
  • If you find a stray dog, this app gives you step-by-step instructions on what to do

At first I thought it was some sort of GPS tracking system (which it turned out not being), BUT, there is a free app out there (Secure-a-Pet) that does track your pet. The only catch is that you have to by a special collar ($150) and pay a yearly service fee ($100). Although I love this idea, the collar isn’t great looking and actually looks a little clunky. Too bad there’s not a really small GPS tracking “token” that you can just clip to your dog’s existing collar. I’m sure we’ll see something like that one day in the future!

Would you recommend any other iphone apps for dog lovers? If so, leave a comment!

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Moving soon? Six tips for finding a new apartment (and roommates) when you have a dog

16 Aug
I recently moved to the DC area from a small college town in rural Virginia. I needed to find roommates (its a tad pricier up here), but I didn’t know anyone that I could move in with. When I started looking for places, I was also worried that having a dog would really limit my options. Luckily, everything worked out. Below are some tips I’ve put together based on my experiences.
Six tips for finding a new apartment (and roommates) when you have a dog

1. Rule out any place that doesn’t allow dogs. Don’t even look at them to find out more information – it’s not worth your time. You may find some thing that sounds perfect…except for the fact that you have a dog. Why torture yourself? I found it easiest to just narrow all my searches to places that accepted dogs. It’s easier (and actually better — see below) to select from fewer options anyway.

This is a bit of a side note, but because I’m a psychology student, I figured I would put it in here anyway. There’s this great book by Barry Schwartz called The Paradox of Choice, and it spells out this really interesting theory (supported by research) about decision-making. Contrary to what most people assume, more choice isn’t necessarily good. In fact, people with more limited options (say 3-5 compared to 20) find it easier to make a decision, and end up feeling more satisfied with their selection. There’s a lot more to this, so I highly recommend reading this book — it really changes the way you make (or at least think about making) decisions!

2. Browse Craigslist. I found it most useful to look in three sections: (1) available apartments or rentals (apts/housing), (2) roommates looking for other roommates and a place to live (housing wanted), and (3) roommates who have a place to live, but need roommates (rooms/shares). Just make sure to check the “dogs” box when searching in each of these areas.

3. Create a Craiglist ad and post it under “housing wanted”. Make sure mention your dog, and provide information about your dog’s breed and temperament. When posting anything on craigslist, I think its usually helpful to include a picture. Instead of posting a picture of myself (because I think that’s kinda weird), I decided to post one of Teddy. Although this speaks to Tip #4, I also put “MUST LOVE DOGS” in the title of my ad as well as in the ad itself.

4. Find roommates who like (and hopefully love) dogs. Because your roommates with be interacting with your dog when you’re not home, it’s really important that they are kind to your dog at all times. For me, not only did I want them to be kind to Teddy, but I was also looking to live with other dog lovers. I felt that if I lived with other “dog people”, (1) I wouldn’t feel like having a dog was a burden on the other roommates, (2) it would be fun for Teddy to have other people around that would play and interact with him, and (3) if I needed someone to let Teddy out for me, they wouldn’t mind doing it. When you start interacting with potential roommates via email or in person, be sure to gauge whether someone really does enjoy being around dogs or whether they will simply tolerate it.

5. Try to look for a roommate that already has a dog. Finding a roommate with a dog gives you all the benefits of having two dogs, with the responsibility and cost of having only one. Not only can you help each other out, but a roommate that has a dog is more likely to be understanding about the antics/mischievous pursuits of your dog (and Teddy sure does his fair share of that!). More importantly, its great for your dog to have another dog to play with. Just make sure that the dogs meet beforehand and they get along. Do NOT move (or allow someone else to move in) if your dogs don’t get along well. It’s not worth it.

Teddy and Remy

One my roommates has dog. His name is Remy (short for Remington), and he is a sweet Weimaraner-German Shephard-Basenji mix.  Because Remy is part Basenji, he doesn’t bark except on command, which apparently has something to do with the size and shape of his voice box.  Teddy and Remy love to play and wrestle with one another — they really get along so well and seem to miss one another when they are apart. Living with two dogs is the best — it definitely makes me want to get another one some day!

6. Look for a place with a fenced-in yard. Although this is not always possible, especially if you live in an urban area, having a fenced-in yard makes life SO much easier — trust me. For the last 3 years, I lived in an apartment and townhome with no backyard. The place I moved to in DC is actually a house with a small fenced-in yard. Even though I still take Teddy for at least two longer walks each day, having a this backyard has been wonderful for the other times he needs to go out, especially at night.

Remy in the backyard

Do you have any smart dog tips for moving with your dog? If so please share them in a comment!

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The Best Running Partner

13 Aug

Time to celebrate! I have successfully kept up a running program of running three days a week for three weeks straight. For anyone who knows me, this is a big deal. Getting past the second week usually doesn’t happen — let’s see if I can make it a whole month!

Despite not being a morning person, running in the morning really does seem to help. According to US News & World Report, there are some clear benefits of working out in the morning, including increased energy and improved mood. I also think it’s easier to stay committed to exercising before work than after because (1), there are fewer scheduling conflicts, (2) I’m not worn out from a whole day at work, and (3) its not nearly as hot. However, the biggest reason why I have stayed committed is definitely my cute workout partner: who else, but Teddy!

When trying to commit to a new workout routine, it is often recommended to get a workout partner to hold you accountable, so why not make that your dog? Runners World recently did a special section about running with your dog, and in there they included 5 Reasons to Run with Your Furry Friend. Of the reasons they offered, the most salient reasons for me that are that running tires Teddy out (a tired dog is a good dog!) and he seems to really like it.

Runners World also included lots of useful information about how to train your dog for endurance. I found this article to be particularly great. For starters, they provide information about when you can start running with your dog if you have a puppy (you need to wait 9 months for small dogs and up to 16 months for larger dogs). My sister, Katie, is an avid runner and is currently training for a marathon. She adopted Willow, a lab-mix puppy, over the summer and hopes to take her running with her one day. After reading this article, she learned that she probably needs to wait until Willow is at least a year old — I wish I knew this when Teddy was a puppy.

Willow

The other piece of information I found useful was how far and long you should run when you first start out. They said to start running 15-20 minutes three times a week, and building from there, adding no more than five minutes each following week.

This special section of Runners World also includes stories about which breeds are best for different types of running and running accessories for your dog. For more information about useful products for running with your dog, you can also check out one of my earlier posts: Running with Your Dog – Recommended Products.

Happy Running!

Do you have any tips about running with your dog? Feel free to share your tips in a comment.

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Taking your dog off-leash at the beach

11 Aug

For the first two years that we took Teddy to the beach, we didn’t let him go off-leash because we were afraid he would run away.  Teddy didn’t always come when called, especially in environments with plenty of other interesting distractions. When we saw other people with their dogs off-leash, I remember feeling so envious.

I knew this was something I really wanted to work on with Teddy, but in all honesty, I thought that I would probably never be able to take him off-leash.  I even used to tell people that my biggest regret with Teddy was not properly teaching him recall (assuming that it would never happen). Nonetheless, I decided to work on the “come” command (aka recall training) at home, with minimal distractions.  See http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-come/page1.aspx or http://www.canismajor.com/dog/hereboy.html for information about recall training. Once Teddy understood the recall command in my home, I started practicing it with him outside in areas where he couldn’t run away, like a fenced-in yard or dog park.

One thing that really seemed to help is calling him to come inside after he went to the bathroom, making sure to give him a treat. I would also practice this with him at the same time I taught Teddy to “stay,” and actually used it as a reward for staying. I did this every so often for over two years.  The next time we were at the beach (when he was one and half), I practiced calling him to me while walking on a leash. Teddy was doing so well, but I still didn’t trust that we would come back reliably if he was off-leash.

Finally, this summer, we took it one step further. After practicing recall on the leash (so he knew we had treats), we let go of the leash (leaving it on, in case we needed to catch him). I can’t tell you how nervous I was! As soon as we dropped it Teddy ran ahead to play with the other dogs. I remember thinking, Well at least he’ll keep stopping once in a while to play with dogs, assuming that there is no way we could call him back to us. But something remarkable happened.

After playing with the other dogs, he looked back and waited for us to catch up. We called him over to us, and he actually came! Teddy certainly got a lot of treats for that. For the rest of the walk, he came nearly every time we called him and never ran too far ahead.

The next time we went to the beach, we let Teddy completely off-leash and he has been great ever since. I’m no longer worried about him running away (at least on the beach), which is an amazing feeling. Teddy is now part of the cool beach dog club!

Lessons Learned

One big thing I learned from this experience was that being able to take your dog somewhere off-leash doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to stay by your side the entire time (unless you’re near a busy road!). It’s actually better if you let them run ahead, explore, and play with other dogs, calling him back to you only once in a while.

In addition, although I’m sure all the recall training at home and in different environments helped, I think another factor was that Teddy had gotten a little older and calmed down a bit. I’ve read a few different books and online resources on recall training, and many of them talk about how hard it is to reliably train this behavior. Take home message: don’t give up training something as important as recall, even if progress seems really slow in the beginning! Just work on it a little bit at a time and you may be pleasantly surprised one day like I was with Teddy at the beach.

Finally, always be sure to have treats on you when practicing recall training, especially in a new environment. Have treats with you whether you are at the dog park, beach, or just on a walk. Doing so allows you to consistently practice recall, rewarding your dog as often as possible for coming when called. *By the way, I didn’t always have treats at the dog park or on a walk — just once in a while when I felt like training it. But in environments where you completely let your dog off-leash (and there’s no fence), definitely make sure to ALWAYS have treats with you.

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Beach Weekend!

08 Aug

What a great weekend! Kevin and I went to the beach for a few days with some of our friends (and of course, Teddy). I loved being able to walk Teddy along the beach each morning. We recently started taking him off-leash (a huge step for Teddy), which has been great. He certainly seems to enjoy it.

In addition to going off-leash, he has started getting his feet wet (also a big deal for Ted). At one point, he got so caught up in the moment playing with another dog that he followed the other dog into the water, past his shoulders. Considering he was terrified of the water only last year, Teddy really has come a long way!

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Why Use Positive Dog Training?

07 Aug

1. It’s more effective. Positive reinforcement-based methods are more effective than traditional positive punishment-based methods because they give your dog more information about which behaviors are desired. By utilizing positive reinforcement, you communicate exactly which behaviors will result in a reward. Positive punishment, on the other hand, merely tells your dog what not to do without indicating what behaviors are desired.  For more information, click here for an article comparing positive reinforcement-based methods.

2. It’s kind. In contrast, many training methods that use punishment are cruel because they are often too extreme, often hurting your dog physically and/or emotionally. Excessive use of positive punishment may produce an obedient dog, but the dog is obedient because he has been conditioned to fear you. Moreover, positive punishment can cause aggression, given that aggression is often caused by fear.

3. It fosters a strong bond between you and your dog. With positive dog training your dog learns that when he is around you, good things happen. By associating yourself with pleasant experiences in your dog’s life, you build a positive relationship with your dog that is based on trust, as opposed to fear.

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What is Positive Dog Training?

07 Aug


Positive dog training entails rewarding your dog for behaviors that you want and preventing your dog for being rewarded for behaviors that you don’t want.

In order to understand how dogs learn, we can turn to psychology. In psychology, there are four basic principles of learning, also known as operant conditioning (Skinner). The four principals vary along two dimensions: 1) positive/negative and 2) reinforcement/punishment.

The positive/negative dimension doesn’t mean one is good or bad. Rather, positive refers to something being added and negative refers to something being taken away.

Likewise, reinforcement and punishment also have slightly different definitions within this framework. Reinforcement refers to something that increases the occurrence of a behavior and punishment refers to something that decreases the occurrence of a behavior.

When you put these two dimensions together, you get:

Positive Reinforcement: providing something (pleasant) that increases the occurrence of a behavior. Example: rewarding your dog for sitting with a treat

Positive Punishment: providing something (aversive) that decreases the occurrence of a behavior. Example: yelling at your dog for having an accident in the house

Negative Reinforcement: withholding something (aversive) that increases the occurrence of a behavior (aka avoiding positive punishment). Example: jerking the leash so your dog walks by your side (your dog stays close to you to avoid the leash-jerk)

Negative Punishment: withholding something (pleasant) that decreases the occurrence of a behavior. Example: withholding attention when your dog is barking

Whereas traditional training methods emphasize positive punishment and negative reinforcement (you punish your dog so much that they behave just to avoid being punished), positive training methods focus primarily on positive reinforcement and negative punishment. That is, the dog behaves because doing so is associated with something pleasant and abandons behaviors that do not get rewarded.

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