Do you have a dog that barrels out doorways or from the crate? What about from the car? This can be a dangerous behavior, but boundary training can help. Anything can be used as a boundary. In this video, KPA faculty member Shelly Brouwer uses a leash on the ground to begin teaching her dog Bert to wait at an interior doorway.
Being very comfortable wearing an appropriate and well-fitted muzzle is a good training goal for any dog—particularly in situations where the dog may become worried or uncomfortable (think vet visits!). However, if a dog has never worn a muzzle or been made to feel comfortable with one, having one placed on her face abruptly could cause her to feel even more fearful. Teach your (or your clients’ ) dog to love her muzzle by developing a positive association with it. In this video, the trainer is teaching the puppy that sticking his snout in the muzzle means cheese!
One of the fastest and easiest ways to train a new behavior on cue is to capture the behavior. “Sit” is a simple behaviors to teach your dog, because it’s a behavior that your dog already offers naturally. If the sit behavior is too difficult for the dog, then clicking and treating all four paws on the floor is a great place to start!
Teaching your dog a chin-rest behavior is useful for training shy, overly excited, or reactive dogs. It is also helpful building cooperation during medical procedures (vaccinations, medication administration, and eye and ear care), and grooming.
Are you looking for a fun training exercise this spring? Teaching your dog to go around an object, such as a cone, is a useful skill and the foundation for many dog sports. Learn how to teach your dog to go around an object in this video and give it a try! If you don’t have a cone, buckets, stools, or a waste basket make a great substitute!
Targeting, where an animal touches an object with her nose or paw, is not just a useful behavior for dogs—it can be a very useful and fun behavior for cats, too! A target can be used to lead a cat to a particular spot (such as an exam table), can help shelter cats become more friendly and adoptable, and can serve as the foundation for many tricks—such as jumping through a hoop, spinning, or rolling over. Watch target training in action in this video, and learn more about cat training in Karen Pryor Academy’s Train Your Cat course!
The cat: independent, strong-willed, often aloof. Not exactly training material, right? Surprise surprise: clicker training blows the roof off of many preconceptions—and the oxymoron of a trained cat is one of them.
It turns out that your cat’s intelligence (and fondness for a morsel of something delicious) makes him a quick study. Your cat will amaze you with the things he can learn to do—and you’ll be amazed by his willingness to do them. Clicker training will entertain the both of you, deepen your relationship, and even help prevent common behavior problems. In this video, you’ll get a glimpse of some of the amazing behaviors that you can teach your cat.
The first four months a puppy’s life are the most influential. Most of what is learned during this early period becomes the foundation for adult behavior patterns. To decrease the possibility of behavior problems, including fear, anxiety, and aggression, puppies should be exposed to as many people, places, and things as possible during this critical period—in a fun and positive way. Exposures include new surfaces and textures, too! In this video, KPA faculty member Debbie Martin demonstrates how to make exposure to new surfaces enjoyable and rewarding.
