Week 3 [For Fearful Dog Over 1 Year Old] Homework and Maintenance

 Behavioral Calming Exercises That You Can Rotate on Different Days:

NOTE:  I USUALLY RECOMMEND 1/2 HOUR FOR CALMING EXERCISES AND 1/2 HOUR FOR OBEDIENCE EXERCISES.   IF CALMING EXERCISES TAKE UP THE ENTIRE HOUR, AND YOU CAN'T GET TO THE OBEDIENCE, JUST DO OBEDIENCE THE NEXT DAY INSTEAD.

(Example Monday might be Sit on The Dog, Tuesday might be  30 minute Long Place, and so on)

  1. Sit on The Dog [video] 30 + minutes Goal:  Is for the dogs to settle in less than 5 minutes in the area you are working in (remember that it can be longer than that, but this is what I look for), and learn to relax next to you.  If you find it is a nice day out, find a low to mid-level outdoor area to do this.  
  2. Long Place [video] 30 minutes  Goal:  To get your dog able to stay on place for 30 minutes and increase the difficulty level gradually (playing with another dog, doing noisy chores).  You do not have to restart this if your dog gets a paw or all of him off, just get him back on immediately through body bump or leash correction.  When I do this long one, I usually note how many times (if at all) the dog tried to leave and if there were any unusual circumstances.  This is also good to do outside when you are hanging out (but hold onto the 6 ' or 15 ' long line leash in an outdoor area.

Obedience Exercise (days you are not working on transitional leash): 

NOTE:  I USUALLY RECOMMEND 1/2 HOUR FOR CALMING EXERCISES AND 1/2 HOUR FOR OBEDIENCE EXERCISES.  IF CALMING EXERCISES TAKE UP THE ENTIRE HOUR, AND YOU CAN'T GET TO THE OBEDIENCE, JUST DO OBEDIENCE THE NEXT DAY INSTEAD.
  1. Random Sits First Command and with collar correction when needed  [video] -5 minutes Goal:  To get three sets of four in a row sits that do not need a correction. Sits will come into play on one of the other exercises, too.  This can be a good warm-up before starting other harder things.  
  2. Still Sit Stays [video] Circle Sit Stays [video] with leash dropped (when ready inside) or held(outside with 6' leash or long line) 5-10 minutes  . Remember that you do NOT need to start these at a minute at home.   The goal is for you to be able to do them for a minute.   With a different handler and environment, you may have to go down on your time.  Start with the still sit stays, and then, when you can do those, begin the circle sit stays.  Goal:  To get four in a row at the end without needing corrections, either verbal "no" or collar correction.   If you start at less than one minute at home, build up 10 seconds at a time if you can do four in a row easily at the previous time.  Also, if you can't already, the goal is to be able to drop the leash inside your home when you do these for a minute.
  3. Transitional Leash [video] 15-30 minutes  NOTE:  YOU COULD BUILD IN YOUR OTHER EXERCISES ON THIS STRUCTURED WALK FOR OLIVE OR YOU COULD DO ONE OF THESE EVERY OTHER DAY FOR OLIVE.   THEN IF YOU DO THE LATTER, YOU COULD DO THE OTHER EXERCISES ON DAYS YOU DON'T TAKE A STRUCTURED WALK.  ALSO AS LONG AS SHE IS NOT BEING REACTIVE, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO USE THE NOSE LOOP.  Goal:  Just to provide Olive with a structured walk where she can enjoy the outside with her family AND also be under control (responding to commands of sit or sit stay).   Be sure she is not pulling on a structured walk.  You can let her take time out for sniffing by releasing her.
  4. Let's Go [video]  5+ minutes Goal:  Is to get three sessions of four in a row coming to you  on command without needing a collar correction.  
  5. Intro to Place  [video] 2 minutes  Goal:  To just get your dog comfortable walking over a new place object and/or doing place in a new environment.  You only need to do this one time per new place and/or environment.
  6. Send to Place [video] and Circle Place [video] with metal training collar and leash  10-15 minutes for both (usually less than five minutes for the send to and then the remainder of the time for circle place)  Goal:  For send to place you want to be able to get three sets of four in a row (without needing to correct or hold tension on the leash once on, so try and block any attempts off with a leash correction or body bump).  For circle place, you want to be able to get four in a row easily, starting with one circle, and eventually building up to one minute.  Do it slowly so it is easy before you increase the duration.
  7. Examination on elevated surface [video] and muzzle on and off [video] 15 minutes  Goal:  Get Olive feeling comfortable with you inspecting and stroking her eyes, nose, neck, snout, shoulders, mouth (opening sometimes), feet, tail, and backside.   In between things that might make her tense, give her pets that she likes (like her shoulders and behind her ears).  With the muzzle, just get her used to putting her head inside for "muzzle" with food in it for her food reward.  Occasionally, buckle up the muzzle as well.  We want these to be non-stressful periods with the muzzle when you are practicing, so it is more of a pattern and habit for her.  That way at the vet, hopefully, this will begin to make her feel easier about the examinations.  Remember, she has to trust you to do this first.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 2 [For Fearful Dog Over 1 Years Old] Transitional Leash Work

  PART 1 WALK AND SIT WITH ME (NO COMMANDS) ON LEASH:    NOTE1:  BECAUSE THIS IS A BEHAVIORAL EXERCISE, COMMANDS ARE NOT USED TRADITIONALLY. NOTE2:  I HAVE ONLY MOSTLY PART 1 WITH LOLA SO FAR. STEP 1:    Make sure you put the transitional leash on correctly for handling your dog with the nose loop on and the safety attached to his collar.   STEP 2:   You can either start walking or start your dog off in a relaxed sit, and then start walking. STEP 3A:   In the very beginning, I stop at the first pressure the dog puts on the leash.   Also in the beginning you usually need to pull up on the leash to get them to sit.  Once the dog relaxes, I will walk again until the next time. STEP 3B:   When the dog has a handle on this concept, I may pull back slightly with my hand on the leash if I feel tension, but the dog is doing pretty okay.   Then I make up either paces or objects to which I will stop and prac...
Read more

What is motion memory and how it relates to dog training

Image
Motion memory refers to those things that your body has become habituated to movement and/or action to the point it can override how you are trying to change movement and/or action. As an example, often I click my mouse twice over things on my computer even as I realize I don't need to do that anymore. In fact, it usually makes a whole bunch of useless windows open up that I don't need, and slows downs processes on my computer. My habit of motion is overriding what I already know that I need to do.  Where do these things show up in dog training? · When a handler wraps the leash around their hands or puts their whole hand through the handle loop. The correct way to hold the leash, which takes awhile and practice to set into the conscience of the handler, is to put your thumb through the loop of the leash, and then wrap your fingers around the whole handle. · During the training of the heel, when the leash hand floats into the air. I don’t know why this ...
Read more

Week 4 [For Puppy Over 6 Months Old] Notes and Homework

Image
 NOTE 1:   CHAIN COLLAR SHOULD NEVER BE ON WHEN NOT TRAINING.  CHAIN COLLAR CAN BE ON DURING A SUPERVISED WALK.  THE REASON FOR THIS IS THE CHAIN COLLAR CAN CATCH ON SOMETHING AND CHOKE YOUR DOG. NOTE 2:  WHEN TRAINING MAKE SURE YOUR CHAIN COLLAR IS CONFIGURED CORRECTLY AND YOUR LEASH IS HELD PROPERLY. NOTE 3: WHETHER SOCRATES IS INSIDE DRAGGING THE LEASH OR OUTSIDE ON A LEASH, TRAINING SHOULD ALWAYS HAPPEN WHEN SOCRATES IS ON HIS TRAINING LEASH AND COLLAR. NOTE 4:  DO NOT USE COMMANDS UNLESS YOU PLAN ON FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THE PROCESS (IE YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE HE DOES IT BY MOLDING HIM OR PUTTING HIM ON LEASH AND PUTTING HIM THROUGH HIS PACES). NOTE 5:  NEVER TRAIN WHEN FRUSTRATED, AND DON'T GET FRUSTRATED WHEN TRAINING (OR SHOW IT).  TRAINING REQUIRES CAREFUL STEPS AND PATIENCE. NOTE 6:  Except for Sit on The Dog, Long Place as behavioral exercise (30 minutes), and possibly Behavioral Down, I keep most training times at 15 minutes o...
Read more