Does your puppy try to run away when you reach for her harness? Hands reaching toward a harness often signifies to puppies that playtime is over. However, it is very important for puppies to feel comfortable when their harnesses are grabbed.
Successful Dog Training Classes: Making Repetition Fun
Repetition is a powerful key to learning. Children learn new skills by repeating a behavior or piece of a behavior again and again until the skill is committed to memory and becomes a habit (like practicing piano). The very same principle works for dog training classes. By repeating the same skill or exercise enough times, the handler becomes better at delivering cues and the dog understands more quickly what the desired behavior should be. However, if learning becomes too repetitive, it can become boring (once again, like practicing piano!). So how do you use repetition in dog training classes without boring your learners? By making it fun!
September KPA CTP of the Month: Camilla Chu
Camilla Chu, KPA CTP, is an experienced teacher, first instructing humans and now training animals as well as human/animal teams. Her business, Behaviours In Training, is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Older Dogs CAN Learn New Tricks!
Teaching an old dog a new trick is not only possible, it’s beneficial! Training older dogs helps keep them in good shape both physically and mentally. Think of training as Sudoku for dogs! Learning new behaviors is also enriching and fun for you and your dog. It is a great way to spend time together and strengthen your bond.
Polite Door Greetings
Does the sound of the doorbell send your dog into a frenzy? It is natural for dogs to become overly excited when guests arrive. However, you can control the chaos by teaching your dog to be calm when the doorbell rings. The first step in teaching polite door greetings is to teach a few alternate behaviors that you want your dog to do when he hears the arrival sound. These should be simple behaviors that your dog knows well such as place, come, touch, get a toy, and go outside.
Gamify Your Training: Dueling Dogs
Teaching dog training classes is not easy. Not only do you need to be a skilled trainer, but you must also keep a group of dogs and people focused and motivated. How do you garner broad smiles and wagging tails? By making learning fun! Try incorporating games in your classes to help your learners retain what they learn and become enthusiastic students.
Building Duration Behaviors
When you ask your dog for a sit or down, does he pop up immediately? For many dogs, behaviors that require them to hold a position for a longer length of time can be challenging. So how do you add duration?
Teach Your Dog to Find Your Keys
Lost your keys? Maybe your dog can help! Teaching your dog to identify and retrieve specific objects, like your keys, is not only helpful but can enhance your dog’s problem-solving abilities. Rather than simply learning to retrieve an object, the dog learns to distinguish a specific object from other objects.
August KPA CTP of the Month: Joy Chia
After first hearing about the Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Dog Training Professional (DTP) program from a friend who provided daycare for her dogs, Joy Chia, KPA CTP, enrolled in 2013. She was inspired after attending a ClickerExpo conference in San Francisco. Joy completed the KPA DTP program in September 2013, in Sequim, Washington, with Terry Ryan.
Learning Opposite Behaviors
Can you teach your dog to offer two opposite behaviors? How… and why?
Teaching paired, opposite behaviors accelerates the learning process by helping the dog understand a behavior in context. It also teaches the dog a concept that can be applied to future learning.