Obedience: All you need to know.
The information below is relevant to my 3-day obedience course, my 5-day therapy dog course, and can be a selected option for your assistance dog package as well. Read on to learn about: Loose lead walking, off lead recall, using a language system rather than specific commands, impulse control and the importance of training with distractions, boundary keeping - i.e. the back gate, front door, unfenced yard etc, obedience training principles I endorse; and common problem behaviours that can be addressed by my training.
Loose Lead Walking
How I teach loose lead walking:
Everything I teach comes back to the philosophy I hold, namely: Trust and relationship being central. As a result, when I teach loose lead walking, I do so using three key activities that facilitate developing this bond of trust with your dog, which in turn teaches them to walk by your side on a loose lead. To understand why the concept of trust and relationship is crucial to loose lead walking, you need to understand exactly why a dog doesn't naturally want to walk on a loose lead by your side. So read on.
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Underpinning theory of why dogs don't naturally walk by your side:
Do you realise that at their core dogs essentially feel the need to control things. Consider the following scenarios and ask yourself what does your dog do in each of them and why might they be doing it.
- A noise in your backyard: What does your dog do? A: Barks;
- Your doorbell rings: Who gets their first? A: Your dog;
- Out on a walk: Where does your dog like to be? A: In front.
Why? In each of the common scenarios above, the principle at hand that underpins them all - whether you realise it or not - is your dog's desire to control/to see what's in front of them. Consider again, once your dog knows the noise in the backyard is not a threat, they usually stop barking; once they meet the person on the other side of the door, they'll usually let you get a look in too; once they're at home in their familiar yard on a lead they'll suddenly not care about being in front. Why? Because in each of the consecutive scenarios, they have decided for themselves that the need for control is gone. However, we don't want to have to pander to our dog's desire for control, to wait until they've raced down the hallway and seen our guest; pulled our shoulder out of our sockets every time they saw something of interest on the walk; or barked until our neighbours have had enough. So what can we do to curb this?
Development of trust in your leadership:
It's simple really. Oh you may think I'm crazy, you may want to reply, "but my dog and I already have that", but let me explain: I have trained thousands of dogs with this method and it works every time. What I'm about to tell you doesn't mean if your dog is currently pulling on a lead that they don't like you/love you or respect you. By all means, I'm sure your dog loves you - just as you love them - but hands down there is something missing. So here goes: Once your dog comes to realise that you are trustworthy, that you can control the noisy thing in your backyard; that you are in control of who comes inside your house; that you are able to meet the world when out for a walk, then they will relax. They will start trusting "my Mum/Dad's got this" and suddenly they'll stop barking when you tell them to stop, they'll stop tearing down the hallway when the doorbell goes, and they'll stop pulling when out on a walk. Essentially, trusting your leadership capacity allows your dog to let go.
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How does my course teach this?
As mentioned above, I teach loose lead walking in my course through three key activities that all boil down to helping your dog see that you are trustworthy. Akin to a child who knows that their parent has their back - your dog will learn that they don't have to control the world: because you do.
Other benefits will be seen.
It's not hard to see then that these three activities aimed at increasing your dog's perception of your trustworthiness/reliability don't just teach your dog to walk on a loose lead, they also go a long way in helping other common problems, i.e. nuisance barking, jumping, over-excitability, reactivity, anxiety and the list goes on.
The rubber hits the road.
So the next time they bark, if you tell them it's okay they'll stop. The next time the doorbell rings, if you let them know it's fine, they'll approach calmly. The next time you're on a walk, they'll happy be at your side, because they know you've got this for them.
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If you don't believe me, check out all the videos on loose lead walking which can be found on my Facebook page with a simple in-page search of "loose lead walking"" or check out the compilation video to the left. These videos are not from dogs who already walked well. The vast, vast majority of dogs who attend my course do so because they are sled pullers when it comes to walking. Shoulders-dislocated, dogs-not walked because they pulled so bad. Yet by day 2 of my course, walking your dog on a loose lead becomes not just a hope, but possible. In fact, by day 3 very few dogs haven't got it yet, and all have made incredible progress.
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Loose lead walking, taught through trust. That's what this course is about.
Off Lead Recall
One of the hardest skills to learn:
In the interests of being transparent I’ll tell you that off lead recall is one of the hardest skills to have your dogs learn (often if a dog is good at it, it’s more because it was in the dog’s nature to be good at it, rather than something it was taught. As a result some people will have one dog that is brilliant, get a new one and just expect the same, and be surprised that it doesn’t "just do it").
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BUT hope is not lost:
In saying that, if you have been following me long enough, checking out my Facebook pages, you will have seen a lot of awesome recall videos. For those who haven't, I've put some in a compilation video to the left so you can check them out. Essentially, this is to say: it IS totally, 100% possible for your dog to learn consistent off lead recall even in the presence of the most distracting environments. But you will need to work at it. Often.
What do I mean?
When participants attend my course, off lead recall is a skill we work on during all three sessions. At the start it's simple recall - calling your dog to you with minimal distractions and a short distance from you; however, by the third session we line our dogs up walk away from them up to a distance of 10 meters and call them one at a time to us. We do this using an excitable voice (this makes the challenge more difficult for the dogs who are still having to wait until their name is called!); then a whispered voice (difficult for the dog who is being called. This teaches the dog that it's about the name, not the fun of the call); and finally a normal voice (just because). Hands down, while you're reading this at the moment probably thinking you would never be able to master this, particularly in just 3 days, I can say without exaggeration that all of the owners I talk to on day 1 can't even fathom their dog doing so come a year's time. Yet by the end of day 3, their dogs are there, listening, responding and completing the activity without worry. In saying this, a large caveat I give to this and every skill I teach, is that hands down those who do the homework I set during the week, who put the effort in, who remain consistent, it is these who reap the biggest rewards at the end of our time together.
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What homework do I set and why?
Essentially, I encourage owners to spend a total of 30 minutes a night doing the homework I set. It is important to note that this isn't just practising recall for 30 minutes - I mean, you and your dog would get sick of that pretty quick! No, instead I have a variety of activities that I teach you during the course and provide you with a paper copy of, for you to do at home. These activities aren't hard, but they repay dividends to how well your dog progresses during the week. Hands down, people who do the homework report the biggest improvements in their dogs- not just for recall, but all of their new skills.
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Why is recall one of the hardest skills to master?
The reason recall is one of the hardest things to teach your dog, comes back to dog psychology 101:
1) It’s natural for dogs to run- as they’re exploring and having fun.
2) They’ve got so much else to be interested in than you,
3) You’re further away from them and so don’t have the same level of control over them.
4) They get on a scent and like to follow it through.
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How do I teach recall?
Aside from the basis of trust and relationship which I have explained previously with loose lead walking, and which helps to no end also with recall; to help your dog with their recall, I teach a specific method (you can see it in the videos) where you call your dog's name in a "l-o-n-g" voice, jog backwards as they come to you (don't be concrete statues!), lure them to your left side (because the left is the legal side in Australia to walk your dog so everything we do comes back to the left), have them go past you and wait until they U-turn and end up back at your side.
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Why do I teach this way?
This method helps prevent two scenarios:
1) The dogs who come to you when called and dance around in front of you just out of reach,
2) The dogs who came with such gusto they ran past you, forgot what they were meant to do and just kept running.
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I also teach my participants to practice three levels of recall
- Coming to their name said in a normal voice.
- Coming to their name said in an excited voice.
- Coming to their name said in a whisper.
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Doing so teaches your dog two things:
1) It doesn't matter how they are called, if their name is said they should return to you. (Because, let's be real, there are some places it would be improper to call them in a loud or even normal voice ie a funeral home, library, school when a teacher is speaking (I train therapy dogs).
2) That even if other dogs are being called excitedly and are allowed to move, if it wasn't their name then they don't get to return yet.
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One last word on recall:
Do you realise that off lead parks, walking areas, and dog parks are usually only allowed as off lead IF your dog has 100% recall?! If you can't control your dog off lead, these areas are not off lead to you unless your dog is the only dog present.
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So to summarise, off lead recall is tough, but a very necessary skill. It will take time, effort, dedicated practice and commitment from you, the owner. From this course, most dogs will perfect it in 3 days, and those who don't will have the tools and language to perfect it so long as they remain consistent after the training finishes.
Learning a language you can apply for all behavioural problems
If you've found me from past participants who have completed the course, or followed me long enough on Facebook, you'll know the main outcome in how I train is that of teaching you a language which you can communicate with your dog in every and any setting. Examples include, but are not limited to: communicating when to jump and when not to, telling your dog to stay in the car vs allowing them to get out, teaching a boundary they can't cross unless invited (i.e. the open front door, kitchen bench, boundary fence etc), walking them off lead, ensuring they don't nuisance bark, nor steal food off the bench / chew things you don't want chewed / dig where you don't want them to, and the list goes on. Essentially, any problem you have, regardless of what it is, can be solved within the language system I teach you in this course.
In fact, if I was to pinpoint what exactly sets my training apart from other dog trainers, and why any problem you have can be resolved in a short time, it is because of this unique method of training: teaching through language rather than having a specific command for every new thing you want to teach.
The reason this is so helpful is it gives you the tools to address any new issues the moment they arrive: Your dog suddenly starts barking (where before they weren't a barker) you'll have the ability to make it stop as soon as it happens. Your dog suddenly starts reacting to other dogs, you'll have the ability to make it stop as soon as it happens. You move house and your backyard is open fenced, you'll have the ability to teach your dogs where they're allowed to go and where they aren't the moment you move in. You go to a new place and your dog shows a new unwanted behaviour, you'll have the ability to correct them in the moment. And all without needing to do/learn anything "new" - you'll just apply the language you learnt in the course to the new setting, and Bob's your uncle, your dog will respond.
See below for ways (videos and photos) of how this language can be applied.
Having a language vs specific commands.
In all of the following, the dogs you see have been communicated with to let them know what it is we want them to do. This communication has occurred in the moment without needing prior practice (once owners had learnt the process, that is).
Many of these dogs had never seen a horse before, some were quite reactive (barking) just before I started the video, but immediately upon their owners communicating with them that all was ok, they settled.
Our three dogs are sometimes allowed to take food from our hands and sometimes not. We don't have a hard and fast rule on this. Why? Because in the moment I can communicate with them whether they are allowed or aren't allowed. Chicken is their favourite item of choice, here I'm offering it to them yet communicating that I don't want them to eat it. They hadn't practiced this prior. They're just simply responding to my language.
This is an important video if you are wishing to train your dogs out of a prey-drive situation. As depending on the level of prey-drive your dog has, while the training will work, it won't be fully proofed immediately - unlike most other problems you encounter.
When we first got our chooks (one month before this video was taken) we couldn't even put them on the ground with two adults present and guarantee that Murphy (the grey Peruvian Hairless) and Pauley (the standard poodle) wouldn't go them. They were that transfixed. They would stalk them, salivate, froth at the mouth, stare them down, and... if we'd let them, very happily eat them... which we were definitely not going to let them do.
We realised quickly the DIY original fence we had up was not going to do the job, so we quickly got to reinforcing and making a stronger fence -hence the fence in the background. However that wasn't our ideal. We wanted our chooks to be safe even if they flew over the fence so we started training.
It got to the point that I could go feed them, collect their eggs etc and the dogs could happily walk around in their fenced area. So then I decided to start giving our chooks more time in our entire backyard with me present.
This video shows the chooks in our yard and shows how I can control Murphy via my language to stay away from them. Oh yes, don't worry we knew Murphy was still very much interested in them when they're in his yard, and so we didn't leave him alone with them at this stage! But the reason I put it here is so you can definitely see progress - especially when you remember just a month prior two adults couldn't hold Murphy back from eating them! You can see in the background, Pauley now isn't even fussed by them in the slightest. I don't have to remind him, he just won't eat them.
This is an example of what the training can do. With just my tones we were able to train Murphy and Pauley to stay away from our chooks and become happy co-sharers of space with them.
This activity shows a lot of obedience points:
1. Your dog's impulse control of you leaving them and they remaining without moving.
2. The other dogs having learnt how to receive pats and love without getting up, jumping, becoming too excited, or demanding when it's over.
3. Your dog choosing to remain where they are even though other dogs are receiving attention and they are not.
4. Your dog listening to your tones and understanding the expectation even without needing to tell them "stay" or "wait".
Our dogs have been lined up in a row, their owners have dropped their lead, moved away from them and are controlling them with their tones. No "stay" or "wait" command has been given, instead the same language system that we use for everything we want our dogs to do (from not going too far, not jumping up, not eating the chooks, receiving pats from person A but not person B etc) is what we use again here. Again, we didn't practice this, it is simply communicated to in the moment and our dogs know what we want them to do.
Your dog chews bike tires? Here's a video sent in by a past participant showing how her previously compulsive bike chewer now just happily runs alongside her daughter while on the bike. Again, all just with the language I teach you, and all completed with very little practice. Once you and your dog know the language system I teach, everything can be communicated with ease.
Final word:
In the end, your situation may be different to those above. Your circumstances and what you want your dog to do may differ and be unique. Maybe it's going on a bush walk and having your dog off lead - you can communicate how far you are happy to have your dog away from you. Going to a friends house for the first time - you can let your dog know your friend doesn’t want them in the kitchen. There's food on the bench - you can tell your dog not to eat it. There's another dog that enjoys gentler play - you can tell your dog to play at the level that dog enjoys rather than being too over the top. The list is endless. The reality is, this course teaches you and your dog a language so you have the ability to communicate to your dog whatever it is you wish in the very moment that it happens, without requiring prior training of that specific skill. Why? Because your dog has learnt to understand your request and what it is you want them to do. All of these things are communicated to your dog not with a single command i.e. "stay", but with a language system. Why? Because having a language system that remains the same always allows you to communicate with your dog in every new and novel situation. They don't need to already be taught what you want, rather they can be taught in the moment and understand immediately.
8 month old pup, Hazel, shows us how easy it is to keep a boundary. Again, all with just the language system I teach you during the course.
No fence? No worries. Your dogs can learn to keep a boundary regardless. Which they won't cross unless invited through.
Expecting your dog to stay where you have placed them until you tell them they are free. You don't need to tell them wait or stay. Just use the language I teach you and your dog will instantly know what you want.
Impulse Control
A major part of this training is teaching our dogs how to control their impulses. Why? Because a dog who doesn't have very good impulse control is likely to:
* Jump on everyone
* Pull on their lead
* Chase things that move
* Get distracted
* Become overly excited
* Listen to you when it's boring but not when it counts
And the list goes on.
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As a result, from the very start of when you train with me, we ALWAYS train under distraction, teaching our dogs that listening to us and choosing us is a non-negotiable even when life is exciting. This is to teach our dogs how to control their impulses, choose you, and filter out the competing stimuli and desires.
By the end of 3 days you and your dog will have the chance to learn not to jump on people, chase kids, bark at everything, get distracted by what's around them, return to you no matter what is going on, stay in their drop for 30 minutes even with activity around them, ignore other dogs, and more. They will learn how to sit and receive pats and love without becoming overly excited; how to walk calmly on a loose lead; how to choose you even when things are squeaking, other dogs are playing, and the world is busy.
When you look through this page, you'll see it - nothing is taught in a vacuum. There is always movement going on: prams, kids, skateboards, bikes, toys. Your dog will learn to listen to you in the presence of all of these things. Why? Because that's what the real world is like! It's not quiet. It's not your loungeroom. It's busy and it's loud.
Oh, by they way, in case you didn't realise, we also do all of this without the use of food. Why? Because too often food breeds inconsistency: "I obey when there's food, and I choose not to when there's not." Hence, from the very start I teach you a new force-free method of language communication where food isn't part of it.
Boundary Keeping
Athena’s boundary: Athena sitting at the entrance to the kitchen while her owner, Lauren, chops onions. Her owner had this to say, "Athena even stayed there when her favourite toy (monster) went into the kitchen. She is such a good girl!”
Teaching your dog how to learn a boundary isn't just good obedience, it can also be life saving. The boundaries I teach are what are considered "invite only" boundaries. This doesn't mean the dog can never cross, however, they should only cross when you invite them. For example, let's say your dog is taught the front door as a boundary. This doesn't mean the dog can never exit or enter the house via the front door, rather it means that when you want them to go through the door, they must wait until you have invited them through.
Having "invite only" boundaries comes in handy in a host of situations:
- A dog that doesn't barge through the front door and onto the open street;
- A dog that can be trusted to stay in it's yard even if you accidentally leave the gate open;
- A dog that remains on your property even if you don't have fences;
- A dog that doesn't enter specific rooms in your house that you don't want them to have access to;
- A dog that doesn't go near certain areas of your yard that you deem 'out of bounds' (i.e. maybe they have a water sprinkler system you don't want your dog to chew);
And the list goes on.
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Importantly, as you can see from the above examples, your dog will learn this boundary whether there is a physical barrier there (i.e. a door/fence) or not.
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Luna’s boundary: Tammie and Lachie used to have an issue with Luna racing through the double doors and jumping on the bed. Here is Tammie hiding from Luna with her favourite toy, behind the boundary and Luna still doesn’t step across.
Check out Hazel’s boundary keeping skills On the second of the three days of training, you learn how to teach a boundary. Here Hazel shows us how clever she is knowing she can’t cross it even when her owner and playmate, Patrick, runs across the line. Top job Hazel.
This video shows stage one of teaching our dogs their boundary. These dogs will come to learn to stop at this boundary without needing a tone to stop them. It doesn't take long to learn, so long as you're consistent at home.
Walla shows us how easy it is to learn a boundary. Even when Walla’s doggy-pal Bella is inside receiving all the love and feels, Walla stays outside his boundary. Good job Jorjia and Walla.
My Obedience Training Principles
After watching the videos above and reading the descriptions of what is happening, why and the philosophies behind the training, I am now going to provide you with a brief overview of the principles I endorse at my obedience courses.
Every dog and every owner is different
My training is for three sessions. At the end of this training the vast majority of dogs will have mastered all of the skills outlined above and more. However, every dog is different as is every owner. Depending on the level of homework you complete during the course and the amount of time you spend with your dog, will depend on where your dog ends up at the end of the course. I always tell people – if you're going to do my course, understand that it will require a commitment from you in order to achieve the skills shown. No one (dogs or owners) learn by osmosis. Put in the effort because your future self will thank you.
This training's main focus is teaching you and your dog a language.
This training is different to other dog training programmes as you learn a language that you can use to communicate with your dog in any new, familiar or unfamiliar settings. Future new behaviours can be dealt with immediately as they arise without the need for further training. This is why this training is so successful and doesn't require continued weekly attendance as most other training does. .
My 3 day course is not open for aggressive dogs.
I categorise dog aggression to be when your dog is pulling excessively at the end of your lead and is growling, lunging, jumping, and/or acting aggressively towards people or another dog. If you or I are fearful that if your dog was able to get away from you that they would harm another dog OR approach another dog threateningly thus causing the other dog to react, then I will ask you to not return to the course. You will not receive any funds back. I make this very clear as I need every dog and owner who attends my courses to feel safe (and to be safe) while at my course. This course is not for aggressive dogs.
I do not market my obedience course as a dog 'reactivity' fix.
Reactivity is different to aggression. Reactivity may look like your dog barking at another dog but generally calming within minutes; or if another dog enters their space threateningly, they will react. Generally speaking, most reactive dogs who do this course experience marked improvements with their reactivity - with some even ceasing to be reactive. However, this does not happen with all dogs. This is because dog reactivity is largely dependent on early socialisation occurring during your dog’s critical socialisation window (which occurs at 6-16 weeks of age) and requires very consistent owners for it to change later on in their life. In the past I have had many dogs cease being reactive – however, not every reactive dog has. Hence, I suggest this course will help - based on the building of a trusting leadership relationship which is created through the training - but I offer no guarantee regarding reactivity.
I don't use food to train dogs
There are several reasons why I don’t use food rewards: 1) Because owners commonly never move off food (i.e. four years later owners are still offering chicken for obedience). 2) Because food generally creates inconsistent obedience (i.e. the dog is good when food is present, and selective when food is not present). 3) Because it takes a lot longer to train a dog through the use of food than through my method of tones + relationship. 4) Because generally speaking, the common person can achieve a much higher obedience response from their dog with my method than with food. 5) Because there are settings where the presence of food would not be appropriate to bring (this is more so for dogs who are training as therapy/assistance dogs) i.e. a hospital, a childcare centre, a nursing home, etc.
I train all dogs under distraction
I train all dogs under distraction from the very beginning. Why? Because the real world does not happen in a vacuum. There is no point if your dog listens to you when everything is calm. Your dog needs to listen to you even when there are other dogs, activities, kids, bikes, and busy-ness going on around them.
I endorse the use of a head-halti harness as the least aversive tool available to dog trainers currently AS LONG AS IT IS USED CORRECTLY - which I will teach you during the course.
Please read the page titled "Collars, harnesses, haltis: My Advice" from the drop down menu above to understand why I believe this and the reasons behind why I ask my participants to use a head halti on their dogs. This is of course unless their dogs are a Brachyscome breed or have health concerns which prevent the use of a head halti.
Common behaviour problems my training helps
I encourage you to read the section above titled, "Learning a language you can apply for all behavioural problems". It explains how my training can help for almost (if not all) behavioural problems you have.
In saying this, while my training can be applied for almost every issue, some issues will take more time than others. For example, teaching your dog who has a strong prey drive not to eat your chooks/chase your sheep etc will require greater consistency and time from you the owner than say, teaching them not to jump on guests.
1. . Dog jumps on me/people/guests/kids
2. Dog runs away through the open door/fence/gate etc
3. Dog doesn't come when called
4. Dog steals things from the kitchen bench/clothes line/bedroom etc
5. Dog chews
6. Dog pulls on lead
7. Dog is never calm
8. Dog doesn't listen
9. Dog is overly excited
10. Dog digs
11. Dog has no manners
12. Dog nuisance barks
13. New stage in the family (i.e. baby arriving soon, dog needs to behave)
14. Specific situation the dog needs to be behaved for (i.e. wedding photos)
15. Puppy to adulthood, the dreaded teenage years are upon you
16. Frail grandparents visit, dog needs to be calm
17. Wanting to train your dog for assistance dog/therapy dog roles
18. Dog is too boisterous with my kids
19. Dog chases bikes/kids/animals
20. Dog lacks general obedience when food is not offered
and the list goes on.
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With the language you learn in my course, all of these behaviours can be addressed and fixed easily.