Dog Aggression
If you live in the Cary, NC area I can help Stop Dog aggression. Dog aggression is a complex topic that requires experience and skill to address it successfully. I have years of experience and I am...
Dogs and Children
Pre-Baby and Post-Baby StrategiesMany training and planning strategies exist to help families and dogs adjust to the arrival of a new baby or help a new dog coexist peacefully with a family. I can...
Aggression Strategies
Dog aggression is a complex topic that requires experience and skill to address it successfully. I have years of experience in and around Chicago treating all forms of aggression and will show you...
​Did you ever want to change a cue or teach your dog a new cue for an old behavior? It is actually very easy to do this with just a little planning.
Why would you want to teach your dog a new cue for a behavior that he already knows? One common example is when someone wants to teach their dog another cue for Come When Called. My dogs know many different cues for this behavior including the verbal "Come" as well as a whistle, and various visual cues including waving my hand in the air if they are far away. I use a different cue depending on how far away they are and whether they can hear me or not.
To change or add a cue you need the following:
- A new cue that you want to teach
- A cue that your dog already knows
Let's assume you want to teach your dog to "come" when you whistle. To accomplish this do the following:
- Have your dog sit and stay
- Walk 5-10 feet away from your dog
- Whistle
- Pause for a moment (if your dog isn't already coming to you)
- Ask for your dog to "Come" or another cue using a cue that he already knows
- If he doesn't come right away, help him gently by guiding him with a leash or tapping your leg
- Repeat this exercise until he doesn't need the secondary "Come" cue and has learned that the whistle means the same as "Come"
Helpful Tips
- It is important to give the new cue first and make sure you pause before providing the cue that your dog already knows. If you give the new cue and the old cue at the same time, this is called "blocking." If blocking occurs your dog might not learn the new cue because he has all the information he needs from the old cue. The new cue can become "background noise".
- If you pause between giving the new cue and the old cue your dog will learn the cue eventually because he will anticipate that the new cue is always followed by the cue that he knows
Have fun changing or adding cues. Here are some fun things to try.
- Scratch your head to teach your dog to sit
- When you sit on the couch, teach your dog that this means he should lie down on his bed
- When you open the front door, teach your dog to sit
I read an amazing article many years ago about an experiment training sea bass to respond to a tone and swim back to a certain location for feeding. At some point the signal would entice them to come back for the last time when they would be caught and harvested for food.
Stubborn is used frequently to describe dogs that don't perform a task that is asked of them. Maybe the dog is pulling on his leash, maybe he doesn't lie down when cued, or maybe he lies down when you he was asked to "Sit". I think it is much easier to call a dog stubborn than to get at the root of the problem.
Did you know it is better to practice short training sessions and stop when your dog still wants more? This strategy will keep training interesting and you will avoid over training.
"No" (which means don't jump on the guests).
"No" (which means don't chew on the couch).
"No" (which means stop barking)
Sound familiar?
A good strategy for dog training is to be aware of your rewards and how you use them. I recommend something called the calorie bowl to avoid over treating. But, using treats wisely is important for both keeping your dog slim and fit and creating the best environment for a motivated dog that loves to learn.
My name is Jeff Millman and I am a clicker trainer. I know this sounds like the beginning of a 12-step program, but it is not. I am not ashamed of being a clicker trainer, nor do I want to change my ways.
I do want to help explain the benefits of clicker training so you too can train your dog faster and communicate better with him or her.
Read more: Try the clicker to train your dog. It works better.
Ever feel like your dog ignores you unless you have treats? Do you feel like treats are a crutch that you can't move away from? Read on for some tips to help.
There are many strategies to work on teaching your dog to come to you faster when called. One of my favorites is to work on a distance "stay", and then ask the dog to "come".
In my opinion, timeouts are the most powerful, humane punishment that can be used for dog training. I never agree with physical punishments, partly because there are just as effective means of humanely teaching a dog.
Jeff Millman Dog Training
I relocated to Cary, NC and now my dog training business is Jeff Millman Dog Training. Live in Cary, NC or surrounding areas and need private dog training? I can help.
I can help to stop dog aggression, stop dog barking, stop dog separation anxiety and can help with private puppy training, dog obedience training and other behavior problems.
See if you are in my travel area, or fill out my form for private dog training in Cary, NC
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