How long does it take to train my dog

00.29 in does, Dog, how, it, long, my, take, to, train

A FAQ I receive is: "How long will it take for my dog to be trained?" I hate to say it, but there is no simple answer...or magic wand. Every persons situation and dog is different. Whether it be a puppy that has been brought into a first time dog owners home, or a intra-familial dog-dog aggression case - all depend upon the humans that are taking care of the dog(s), and the dogs themselves. Some factors to consider are:

• Type of training - general manners, aggression/fear, guarding/predatory issues. 
• Human involvement - keeping up with the training plan, setting the dog up for success.

For "good manners" courses I currently offer 4-session "intensives" as opposed to the traditional 6 week+  classes. Why? I found that most people are more likely to commit to a shorter time frame if they are receiving the information they want. And that for those that are into keeping up with their dogs behavior modification, will return for additional class time (my ongoing classes provide this type of training plan). 

For the more difficult behaviorial issues, again it really depends upon the humans and dogs. But I would place more emphasis on the "humans" and their involvement. Think about how long it takes a human to change something about their own behavior? Something like smoking cessation takes quite some time to get over the "initial hump". Afterwards, the person will need to help maintain this behavior by setting themselves up for success - spend time around non-smokers, go to places that dont allow smoking etc... But its a lifelong process. With our dogs, there would be the "initial hump" - meaning more training. Once the dog is behaving in a way you want, you will still need to set the dog up for success, and help "maintain" the behavior by practicing elements of the initial training plan... Some of the dog-dog cases Ive worked took many many months - with multiple training sessions every day, for extended periods of time. 

So when I hear people asking me "how long will it take to train my dog?" I will ask "How much time, energy, and in some cases money, are you willing to put in?" and "How badly do you want it?" 

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Dog Behavior and Discrimination how come my dog listens to my husband but not me

16.55 in and, behavior, but, come, discrimination, Dog, how, husband, listens, me, my, not, to

I know, nowadays the word "discrimination" can be a negative thing. As socially conscious humans were not supposed to discriminate - at least when were talking about certain human characteristics. But trust me, we discriminate all the time - and its a good thing, as youll see below. How does discrimination relate to dog training? First a general definition of discrimination: 

• the recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another: discrimination between right and wrong | young children have difficulties in making fine discriminations.
• the ability to distinguish between different stimuli : [as adj. ] discrimination learning.

With consistency, and precise timing, we can actively teach dogs to discriminate. Check out the video of me and Poncho the dog. Im teaching him to discriminate when to jump through my legs. Turning my right leg out is the cue for him to jump through. Turning my left leg out, he isnt supposed to. He got his reward for staying put. 

Poncho learned pretty quickly that: right leg turned out = jump through = gets rewarded. Left leg turned out = stay = gets rewarded. If he didnt jump when he was supposed to, or jumped when I didnt want him to, then Id give him a "too bad", which is the cue for "no reward". The punishment is he doesnt get a food reward, and he has to wait to try again. 

Another human world example:

• Green light = "go", Red light = Stop, Yellow light = "slow down in preparation of stopping" (although some folks define the yellow as "speed up and get through the intersection"). 

In this example we, as humans, discriminate between the different colors of the traffic signal, and based on what weve learned, we know what to do for each one. I dont know about you, but when I was a child, I quickly learned which parent to go to for what, and when to ask. This is example of "discriminative learning".

As a certified pet dog trainer, I often hear comments or get questions, either from my manners class students or my Noozhawk advice column about "Why does a dog do one thing for one person and not another? Why does my dog pull on leash with me, but not my spouse?" Well, the simple explanation is: One person is more consistent with teaching and rewarding what they want and/or punishing out what they dont want. In a case like this, the dog in question has been able to discriminate which parent to go to for what! 

Dogs, just like small children, dont have the mental capacity to distinguish between right and wrong. They arent born with the section of the brain that is wired for it, and they never really develop it. However, they are very good at differentiating between safe and dangerous. Along with discriminating between safe or dangerous stimuli, they are masters at discriminating between finite cues - provided passively or actively. For example:

• Passive cue: sneakers = going for walkies, dress shoes = dog stays home while human goes to work. 
• Active cue: human places specific blanket (environmental cue) on couch = dog gets to hang out on couch. No blanky on couch, doggy isnt allowed on couch.

So, if your dog is behaving differently for you than they are for someone else, ask yourself: 

• What am I rewarding or not rewarding my dog for?
• Am I being consistent?
• What cues am I giving my dog?
  

Then, once youve answered yourself, you can then fix the problem, if there is one. 

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Rambling finally pays off! At least in my own mind

18.16 in at, Dog, finally, in, least, mind, my, off, own, pays, rambling

Hello and welcome to my blog... Finally! All these years of rambling behavior, in emails, phone calls, and everyday conversations, I now finally have an outlet where I can just let it all pour out! I love modern technology! Thank you Google and Blogspot - and of course Lorrie Thomas for encouraging me to become a blogger!

So, what is all of my blogging going to be about? What are my goals? My intentions?

Mostly professionally related dog training topics - training and education for canines and their humans... But with a side order of my own personality ;-) Tips and tidbits on the basics of training your dog, trouble-shooting issues I commonly see or am frequently asked about, interesting cases I’m working with (real names protected of course), addressing interesting emails I may receive, responding to comments, or simply my very own humble opinion on life’s daily adventures...I’m thrilled you’re here, and am looking forward to having you join me on this new and exciting blogging experience...

Joan (AKA: Poncho’s mom)

The Inquisitive Canine, LLC

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Not the high fiber diet I wanted my dog to have!

07.08 in diet, Dog, fiber, have, high, i, my, not, the, to, wanted

Last Saturday morning found me and my little family off to Santa Barbara for an early morning race. It was kinda rainy, and a little windy. For those of you who know my beloved little pooch Poncho, he is not a fan of the wind! (HA! no pun intended) Im not a big fan of the wind either, but for a different reason. Anyway, we didnt want to leave him here, so off we went on a family adventure. 

For as long as I can recall, my darling husband gives extra "rewards" to Poncho by allowing him to lick the leftover crumbs from his napkins and wrappers. And, for as long as I can remember Ive asked him not to. Hmm, I guess this trainer doesnt know her animal,  since weve been having the same conversation over and over. Trust me, Ive used every approach of Skinners Operant Conditioning Quadrant, mostly sticking with positive reinforcement, ("Good job honey, thanks for listening to me, thanks for giving Poncho the crumbs out of your hand instead of the napkin!) And negative punishment, (I take Poncho away from him if I see a napkin about to be presented)... Well, I guess my "animal" still hadnt learned! 

So, Im

 out on my 1/2 marathon course...in the meantime, my hubby has run and finished his 5K, gone to the car to get Poncho, walked him around, then proceeded to get snacks (human treats) at the post-race finish area. They greet me excitedly when I finish. Im thrilled beyond belief to be done with it... Then, my darling hubby decides to drop the bomb...nice way to end a perfectly good race... 

• Hubby: "Uh, honey? I gotta tell you about Poncho."   
  
• Wifey: "Oh really? What did he do? Was he a good boy with all the people and dogs?"
• H: "Has nothing to do with his behavior. Poncho is doing great with everyone."

Okay, so this is where the look on my face completely changed, you know, into the: this look I have on my face predicts nothing good for you! 

• W: "Oh dear gawd what happened!?"
• H: "Poncho ate a muffin wrapper." 
• W: "HE WHAT??!!!" "How the......!!!!!" "WHAT THE....!" (insert multiple expletives here)

Needless to say, I finally made my point about dogs and paper products with crumbs on them! 

Yes, Poncho was being rewarded with the opportunity to lick the muffin wrapper that was so generously given by my husband - When my hubby tried to take it away, Poncho decided it was quite delicious and didnt want to give it up - "guarding it" if you will, which hubby and I know is not only "normal" in dogs, but very strong in our dog - at least with food. 

Was I concerned? Yes, you bet. Did hubby at least call the vets office? Yes, you bet. They confirmed that Poncho should be okay, and to watch his behavior: breathing normal? Check! still eating? Check-check-check! Still energetic? Check! Peeing? Check! He even pooped too! Normal all around...so we decided not to rush him off to the vet emergency. We would observe for any changes, and take him in if things got bad or we got worried. 

So, after I calmed down (now my heart rate was up because of the wrapper incident), I actually said "thank you" to my hubby for being truthful (want to reinforce those behaviors we like and never want to punish him telling the truth, right?), and for taking action by calling the vets office. Then we went about our day, while keeping a close eye on Poncho...the happy ending? Five hours later it passed :-) Phew... 

Which brings me to the topic of dogs and consuming anything that isnt nailed down! Check out the photo op of Sir Poncho the Graduate chewing up his latest Manner Class certificate... Fortunately, it was for the pleasure of chewing and not consuming. 

Lets revisit what dogs are: scavengers, predators, and omnivores! >>> theyll eat anything at any time, and its more fun

 if its moving! They are also chewers! And they chew for a variety of reasons.... Put it all together, theyll eat anything! Sometimes they just chew it, sometimes they eat it, and sometimes theyll even "guard" it so you wont take it from them! Hello? This is normal 

behavior, and its hard-wired into their doggy DNA - its one characteristic that makes dogs dogs!

I recall during my training up at the San Francisco SPCA there was one particular dog (Freddy, see pic of the handsome shepherd mix) that was very clever at grabbing the trainers treat bags

 off their waistband, removing the ziploc baggy of treats from inside of it, and ingesting the entire thing! I wasnt there either time, but the first time he was rushed to the vets, the second time the trainers rolled their eyeand remembered not to use a treat bag when working with him. Live and learn, right? You would think dogs would learn too, but alas, it seems the ingesting of something, even some innate object, is usually more motivating than the punishment of aftermath. 

One other comforting thought was when my dear friend Emilia emailed me on Monday saying she was swamped the entire weekend because her dog Nellie had eaten a highlighter! Emilia 

and her hubby realized this after seeing all the ink on Nellies rear end. They spent their weekend observing Nellie for "odd" behavior...(odder than usual I guess?) :-) Check out Nellies pic on the left... I guess she was considering interior decorating as a new career. Fortunately mom and dad have provided many new legal outlets for her, and the pillows are no longer an appealing choice. 

Well, I guess if Nellie can tolerate a highlighter, then Poncho and his extra fiber would be okay...although, I would never ever ever add something like that into his diet intentionally, nor would I risk leaving something like that around - As we have come to learn, dogs sometimes dont have the best judgement when it comes to meal planning. 

Another few things Id like to add about dogs and chewing/ingesting anything is:

1. If your dog does, or you think your dog did ingest something that could harm them TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE VET! (or at least call your vets office) Its not our job to evaluate our dogs health if were not a professional veterinarian. 
2. Determine WHY your dog is chewing, destroying, or eating things they should be chewing, destroying or eating! Is it boredom? Is it because of isolation distress or separation anxiety? Is it because theyre teething? There are many reasons why dogs do any of those things. First determine "the why", then you can make plans on what to do about it, if in fact you need to change your dogs behavior. 
3. Supply your dog with "legal" items, then reward them when theyre making the better choice. Check out the picture of Poncho and his "legal" items. 

For more intriguing anecdotes on items that dogs eat, check out this great Web site that Matt Goodman and his dog Watson have developed called: Things My Dog Ate! After looking at his site, I can honestly say Poncho aint that bad when it comes to ingesting the non-food items... well just keep the wrappers away, and count our blessings.

If you have questions about chewing, ingesting, or guarding, or want to teach your dog some training exercises that would help with any of these issues, please contact me. My classes and workshops at the inquisitive canine studio and Ventura College Community Education, and of course privates can help you and your dog. 

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Help My Dogs Chewing

05.12 in chewing, Dog, dogs, help, my

Help My Dogs Chewing!


Chewing is essential for maintaining the health of your dogs teeth, jaws, and gums. Puppies especially have a strong need to chew to relieve the irritation and inflammation of teething. Dogs chew to relieve anxiety and boredom, as well as for entertainment. Your dog’s jaws are his tools for carrying objects and for investigating his surroundings. Essentially, a dog’s approach to all items in his environment is “Can I chew it?”


Chewing is Normal, Natural, and Necessary 

Dogs generally sleep at night and in the middle of the day. However, chewing is your dog’s primary form of entertainment during his morning and late afternoon activity peaks. After all, there are only so many things your dog can do when left at home alone. He can hardly read a novel, telephone friends, or watch the soaps! Indeed, most chewing sprees stem from your dogs relentless quest for some form of occupational therapy to pass the time of day when left at home alone or un-monitored.


Chewing is a perfectly normal, natural, and necessary canine behavior. Prevention and treatment of destructive chewing focus on management and education—to prevent your dog from chewing inappropriate items and to redirect your dogs natural chewing-urge to appropriate, acceptable, and resilient chew toys.


Prevent Destructive Chewing

When leaving home, confine your puppy or dog to a long-term confinement area, such as a single room or puppy play pen or crate —your puppy’s playroom—with a comfortable bed, a bowl of water, a doggy toilet (if not yet housetrained), and nothing to chew but half a dozen freshly-stuffed chewtoys. Housetrained adult dogs may be confined (with their chewtoys) to a dog crate. Your dog will happily settle down and entertain himself with his chewtoys as soon as you leave in the morning, and later he will be more inclined to search for chewtoys when he wakes up in anticipation of your afternoon return. This is important since most chewing activity occurs right after you leave home and right before you return. When you return, instruct your dog to fetch his chewtoys so you can extricate any liver or treats which he could not get out and give them to him. 


When you are home but cannot watch your puppy carefully, confine your puppy to her doggy den (crate) with nothing but a freshly-stuffed chewtoy for entertainment. Every hour on the hour (or at longer intervals with housetrained adult dogs), take your puppydog to her doggy toilet (see Housetraining), and if she goes, praise her and play some chewtoy games with her before putting her back in her crate with a freshly stuffed chewtoy.

The purpose of confinement is to prevent your dog from chewing inappropriate items around the house and to maximize the likelihood your dog will develop a chewtoy habit. If you can watch your dog carefully he or she does not need to be crated, if you need to answer the phone, have a shower etc be sure to put your puppy back in his/her doggy den. 

Redirect Chewing to Chewtoys

The confinement schedule described above optimizes self-training; your dog will train herself to chew chewtoys. In fact your dog will soon become a chewtoyaholic. With a good chewtoy habit, your puppy will no longer want to destroy carpets, curtains, couches, clothes, chair legs, computer disks, childrens toys, or electrical cords. Your dog will be less likely to develop into a recreational barker. And also, your dog will happily settle down calmly and quietly and will no longer be bored or anxious when left alone.


You must also actively train your dog to want to chew chewtoys.
Offer praise and maybe a liver treat every time you notice your dog chewing chewtoys. Do not take chew toy chewing for granted. Let your dog know that you strongly approve of her newly acquired, appropriate, and acceptable hobby. Play chewtoy games with your dog, such as fetch, search, and tug-of-war.


Chewtoys should be indestructible and nonconsumable. Consumption of non-food items is decidedly dangerous for your dogs health. Also, destruction of chewtoys necessitates their regular replacement, which can be expensive. However, compared with the cost of reupholstering just one couch, £50 worth of chewtoys seems a pretty wise investment.


Kongs, Tuff Toys, Biscuit Balls, Big Kahuna footballs, and sterilized long-bones are by far the best chewtoys. They are made of natural products, are hollow, and may be stuffed with food to entice your dog to chew them exclusively. To prevent your dog from porking out, ensure that you only stuff chewtoys with part of your dogs daily diet (kibble or raw food) with a few nuggets of really yummy treats for him to be surprised by. Firmly squish a piece of liver in the small hole in the Kong, fill the rest of the cavity with moistened kibble and a few yummy treats, and then put the Kongs in the freezer. Voila, Kongsicles! As the kibble thaws, some falls out easily to reinforce your dog as soon as she shows interest. Other bits of kibble come out only after your dog has worried at the Kong for several minutes, thus reinforcing your dogs chewing over time. The liver is the best part. Your dog may smell the liver, see the liver, (and maybe even talk to the liver), but she cannot get it out. And so your dog will continue to gnaw contentedly at the Kong until she falls asleep.
Until your dog is fully chewtoy-trained, do not feed her from a bowl. Instead, feed all kibble, canned food, and raw diets from chewtoys, or handfeed meals as rewards when you notice your dog is chewing a chew toy. 


Here is a great video on stuffing Kongs: 

Here is my video on being prepared for puppies, bored teenage dogs and adult chewers:

To learn more, read Doctor Dunbars Good Little Dog Book and our Chewing booklet, available on-line from www.amazon.com.  Reprinted by www.dogstardaily.com with permission of Dr. Ian Dunbar and James & Kenneth Publishers, behavior blueprint by Dr. Ian Dunbar

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Introducing Kikopupextras my second youtube channel

00.25 in channel, Dog, introducing, kikopupextras, my, second, youtube

I have created another youtube channel where I can upload videos more frequently without worrying about annoying my subscribers of my main channel.

www.youtube.com/kikopupextras

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Why Wont My Dog Listen

06.17 in Dog, listen, my, why, wont

Maybe youre better off than most.  Better off than me, Ill admit.  Maybe your dog listens to you all the time, the first time you ask for something.  No?  Alright, because its something you can work on.  Even on a holiday (its pretty easy to get started).  Take a quick break - halftime, a commercial break during the National Dog Show, or just a moment to let that turkey settle (honestly, are you really going to walk it off?!), and read this short article on why dogs dont listen to their owners.  Its written by your favorite trainer! (Thats me, right?)

Why Wont My Dog Listen? by Mary Majchrowski, CPDT-KA

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In honor of my mom

23.26 in Dog, honor, in, mom, my, of

Dear Mom,

Just wanted to wish you a Happy Mothers Day, and tell you how much I love you. I cant believe its been fourteen years since our last "moms day" together. It feels like yesterday.

You would be proud of me. All of the love, care, and compassion you and dad always showed towards animals really rubbed off on me. Im a dog trainer and behavior counselor now. You would love my studio here in Ventura. I share my passion for the love of dogs and their families in my classes, workshops, and private clients. I really love my job mom. You always taught me to follow my heart, follow my passions, and do what made me happy. Well, Ive done just that. And I have you to thank for it. For allowing me to believe in myself, and follow my dreams. My only wish is that you were here to see it. 

If it werent for you, I wouldnt be where I am today. I think of you every day, and miss you terribly. You will always be with me, in my thoughts, and in my heart. 

I love you,

Joan

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The hunt is on for my top dog!

10.12 in dog, for, hunt, is, my, on, the, top

I love Easter... Why? Because I get to play "dog mom" to my little one Poncho. I know I know, even though I am a positive reinforcement dog trainer here in Ventura at The Inquisitive Canine. I do know Im an over-the-top dog mom too. Every Easter I like to set up a "kibble hunt" for Poncho in our back yard. This is actually something I often do for him as an "enrichment" activity. But its special for me today because 1) it takes me back to my own childhood... 2) makes me feel part of the crowd with the rest of my friends that have *hunts* with their human kids... 

This time I allowed him to watch me set up the hunt...a little different from years past. Why? Not sure...just felt like it. Anyway, I started out by leashing him to the bench in the yard - then walked around dropping and placing pieces of his kibble (and a few extra yummy treats) in various places in the entire backyard. Under plants, between rocks, behind furniture... He was going wild! Very excited throughout... Kept offering a sit and down stay for me (check out the picture). He has learned that these two behaviors get rewarded - a lot, so why not keep offering them... I love that he has figured out how to make the right choices... (something I teach in my dog training classes) Anyway, once I let him go Poncho was all over it! Kept him busy for quite awhile - tapping into that predatory drive, fulfilling those desires to hunt...plus kept him out of my hair long enough to have my own breakfast. He has to eat anyway, right? I just like to use his meals to my advantage while making it more fun for him... 

This is an activity I recommend for my clients - you too can learn more about enrichment, and preventing the "boredom blues" in the classes I teach at my rockin indoor dog training studio - The Inquisitive Canine...

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Why Wont My Dog Listen to Me

08.47 in dog, listen, me, my, to, why, wont

One of a dog owner’s greatest frustrations can be a dog that doesn’t listen to what they are told to do.  You may feel that you spend an endless amount of time calling your dog into the house, trying to keep them from jumping, or attempting to get their attention when you are out for a walk.  Or maybe there are simply times you feel your dog has very selective hearing.

All dogs can be good listeners, but they need the proper guidance and relationship with their owners to achieve this.  If your dog doesn’t listen to you, one of the following is probably the reason.

You aren’t as much fun as whatever your dog is doing.  Many of the occasions when our dogs tune us out are simply because there is something more interesting to do.  If you are trying to call your dog in from the backyard and aren’t getting any response, your dog has probably learned that there is a greater reward in ignoring you – more squirrels to chase, more time to smell the grass, etc.  Plenty of dogs listen well at home, but when they are taken out, to the park or into town, they quickly stop listening to even the simplest commands.  In any of these situations, getting upset or frustrated won’t make your dog any more likely to pay attention.  The only way to get your dog’s attention is to become more interesting than whatever they are currently doing.  Make yourself fun, make yourself interesting, and make yourself exciting!

Fear of punishment.  If you correct your dog for something, you should be confident that you are addressing a behavior that you do not want repeated, and that your dog will associate the correction with that exact behavior, not something else.  For example, if your dog gets out the front door and leads you on an hour long chase through the neighborhood, chances are by the time you catch up to him you will be quite frustrated, if not outright angry.  However, if you punish your dog for finally returning home (or merely allowing themselves to be caught), your dog will associate that correction with the last action they took – coming back.  Because dogs have relatively short attention spans, they cannot make the connection between what you are frustrated with (the bolt out the door that happened an hour ago) and the punishment they are receiving now.  That means that if you correct him when he comes back, next time he won’t want to come when you call him.  Using positive methods instead of punishment based training will ensure you never make a mistake like this.

Your dog hasn’t been formally trained.  Many owners expect their dogs to respond to commands that haven’t ever been officially trained.  You may think your dog knows how to do something, but they may in fact have only gotten lucky in responding properly.  Or maybe they do have a little understanding of what you are asking, but don’t know well enough to be able to perform around distractions, when they are tired or bored or in a different situation.  Our dogs genuinely want to do the right thing, but we need to give them the tools.  If you feel your dog isn’t listening because she’s just being difficult or stubborn, consider that maybe she just doesn’t get it.  The easiest way to fix this problem is to do some formal training: go to a class, get a private lesson from a professional trainer or find a good book.  Educate yourself so you know the right way to teach your dog.

You’re speaking the wrong language – English!  Let’s face it; we are a very ego-centric species.  Without even knowing it we often expect our dogs to act the way we would.  It’s the only way most of us know how to behave.  But when we expect our dogs to understand us or act like us, we are usually asking too much.  If you’ve ever thought of your dog as your child, talked in complete sentences and sort of expected an answer, or felt like your dog was holding a grudge against you, you’re guilty.  Don’t worry – it happens to the best of us.  However, if your dog seems to be ignoring you, maybe it’s just a “language barrier” of sorts.  You speak English and she speaks canine.  And it’s not just about interpreting a bark.  Dogs are very tuned into body language.  They communicate mostly through posture, movement, eye contact…all without a single spoken word.  The next time your dog doesn’t listen to you, consider if she really understands the question.

If your dog is not listening, regardless of why, the best solution may be found through a professional dog trainer.  Good dog trainers don’t just know how to get a dog to sit, they can interpret relationships between dogs and owners and help you learn how to improve them.  That leads to a happy ending for both you and your dog, and lots more listening!

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My vet approves this message!

05.59 in approves, Dog, message, my, this, vet

Attention all puppy owners! And to those who know people with puppies and friends and family of puppies: Dr. Shelly Wilson (one rockin vet and owner of The Animal Doctor here in Ventura) has written to me that she agrees with the position statement the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has released on early puppy socialization, and how such steps can really help with the development of a healthy and happy dog, a happy household, and prevention of behavioral issues that dogs often develop without the proper steps. 

You can always contact Dr. Wilson, DVM, one of the other doctors, or her staff if youd like additional information, or to have your dog seen for a check-up! You can also access the story by clicking here.

Just like us humans, the earlier we begin learning, enrichment, developing coping skills, and proper social skills, the better adjusted we are as adults. There is no reason why we shouldnt be doing this with our domestic puppies - as long as its done in a safe way that refrains from causing any physical or emotional harm... Check out some of the services I offer at my studio that fills this need. 

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Dont Jump on My Guests or Me!

12.00 in Dog, dont, guests, jump, me, my, on, or

Teaching your dog not to jump up is about being consistent. I regularly see people telling their dogs to get off or down - the main problem is that this gives the dog attention every-time they jump - reinforcing the behaviour. Ignoring jumping can be really difficult as jumping up often hurts or can really knock the person the dog is jumping at.

DID YOU KNOW? - If you randomly reward a behaviour it becomes stronger than if you reward it all the time. Thats why jumping up, counter surfing and begging are so hard to break ... someone in the dogs life is sometimes rewarding the behaviour. Thus randomly rewarding it - making it stronger still.

In this Video Emily Larlham shows you how to train the dog not to jump in the first place by rewarding the dog quickly and regularly for having four feet on the floor. She also puts the treat on the floor to stop the dog looking up for the reward.

Pay attention to the need to reward BEFORE the dog has jumped. This means you always need to be prepared whist teaching it, have treats ready in places around the house, by the front door inside and out, and always on your person when out and about. Remember keep some rewards up occasionally once trained (thus randomly rewarding this new feet on the floor behaviour, making it stronger!!).

When you dont have time or effort to train the dog dont allow them to jump at people by having them on the lead and standing far enough away your dog cannot make contact with people should he jump. Make sure people do not speak to him if he is leaping about on the lead. You can also put him in his crate or another room or garden if you have people round and you dont feel like training him the whole time. Sometimes you will also have guests of a certain type and it is not appropriate to train the dog with them there.

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