2-minute tip Archives - Page 18 of 28

So much dog training, so little time

Feeling overwhelmed by all there is to teach your dog? There’s so much dog training to do! Especially if you have a puppy or a newly-adopted dog. There’s just so much! From the daily routine, to potty-training, to leash walking, to jumping, barking, etc. The list goes on and on.

You don’t need to “fix” everything all at once. There’s no schedule, or deadline. Your relationship with your dog, your partnership, will grow over time and whatever issues you have will melt away as your dog’s understanding grows and strengthens.

Pick just one thing

Another consideration is how very tired you are with a new dog in the house. A new addition sucks up a lot of time and energy – without accomplishing much of anything. Or having much fun. We understand. You’re not alone.

And that’s why it’s vital to carve out those two minutes to have fun with your dog. Everyone can find two minutes to play! It doesn’t have to be the same time every day. Or the same place.

All you have to do is decide. Play a dog training game around the last thing your dog did that was annoying. Or naughty. Or wonderful! You can also play games to reinforce good behavior.

It gets done – one little bit at a time

We come from a long and not-so-proud heritage of pack-rat personalities. We never reached hoarder status, but there was too much stuff. To turn things around, we just decided to do it. It’s probably the origin of 2-Minute-Trainer. Because we grabbed a timer, set it for 15 minutes, and tackled whatever mess was in front of us.

You can decide to play training games with your dog, too. You won’t “fix” everything in a day. It takes time. And the progress is incremental. But one day you’ll look around and realize – we did it! Our home was tidy! And you’ll look around one day, sooner than you think, and realize you have the world’s best dog!

Don’t even try for big chunks. Nibble away! If there’s a specific behavior you want to change, picture the change and parse it into the smallest possible steps. Work one step at a time, and soon they’ll all be done. Remember the Lao Tzu proverb: The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

So much dog training

All dog training, even little Puppy Push-ups games, address the three things we all want: better manners, increased trust, and expanded confidence in our dogs. When you have no ideas for today’s game, fall back on something your dog already knows and loves.

If you want to change it up, do it in a different room. Or outside. Just know that every single 2-Minute Training session you spend with your dog will have lasting effects. The relationship between you and your dog will grow geometrically as you play dog training games.

Dog decision making – help your dog choose wisely

Dogs, like people, are always making decisions. Which toy should I play with? Is this the best chewy toy in the house? Which bush should I pee on? She called me – should I “come?” The crux of positive reinforcement training is guiding dog decision making. Building the understanding that what you want, and what your dog wants, are the same thing.

We’ve talked before about dogs not caring about being “good.” They don’t even know what it is. Dogs will always do the “thing” that’s most valuable to them. It’s our job to build value in good decisions.

For example:

Fran’s 2-year-old Boston Terrier Simon doesn’t always love Hope’s 6-year-old French Bulldog Torque. For unknown reasons, he just rubs him the wrong way sometimes.

We watch the interactions between the two very carefully. During supervised play times, Simon wears a leash that Fran hangs onto. It’s not to drag him back, it’s to prevent contact. Torque will try and get away when Simon loses his temper. The leash is to make sure Simon doesn’t follow.

When Simon’s body language tells us that he might be taking umbrage, Fran calls him to her. She’s been doing this consistently. Last night we were delighted to see him make a wonderful decision. Simon was losing his cool, his hackles started to raise, he was staring at Torque. We saw it and Fran started calling Simon in a happy voice – one that he knows always results in rewards.

He thought about it. You could see him pause. And then he ran over to Fran, away from Torque, and was completely and thoroughly praised and rewarded.

Make it worthwhile

Simon is always rewarded for making good decisions.

Would Simon have made the same, good decision, if it didn’t “pay?” He could very well have gotten supreme satisfaction from going after the other dog. He didn’t because he knew that Fran would praise him, play with him, and give him treats for going to her. It was more rewarding to Simon to be doted on. Good dog decision making, Simon!

That’s why you never call your dog to you for something he/she doesn’t like. If your dog hates getting a bath, go and get him/her. Don’t try to fool your dog, either. Don’t call him/her into the bathroom, give a treat, and then shove him/her in the tub. Not fair.

Never too late for training good dog decision making

Positive reinforcement, and 2-Minute-Trainer training games, are all about guiding our dogs into making the best choices. Being a “good dog” may not be something dogs understand. Getting rewarded is speaking their language. Dogs will repeat behavior that’s rewarded. They’re smart enough to discard what doesn’t work for them.

Your attention, treats, and play are all rewards your dog will try to get. When you witness your dog making a good decision, be sure he/she is lavishly rewarded. You can’t “spoil” your dog with praise, treats, or playtime.

There’s no such thing as too much praise for good behavior. If you slack off, or let good dog decision making go unnoticed, you’ll lose it. Dogs are wonderful, adaptable creatures. They’re also in the “what have you done for me lately” camp. If something that used to get rewarded no longer does, they’ll stop doing it.

How to get your dog to calm down and relax

It’s the very first thing we “work” on with puppies – get your dog to calm down. Just like human children, puppies don’t really know when they’re over-tired. They’ll fight taking a nap, just like a toddler. You can watch their eyelids droop, but they just won’t relax. As they get more and more tired, puppies can get increasingly frantic. And your frustration grows. The dog needs to nap. And you need to grab a shower and a meal!

Puppies are little tyrants. If you allow it, they’ll take over every aspect of your life and schedule. They’re selfish little beasts, only caring about their own needs and wants.

Frankly, if puppies weren’t so adorable your heart melts, there’d be no excuse for them.

Start with the basics

“Sit and accept praise” is one of the very first behaviors we teach with a new dog or puppy in the house. When the new addition gets you up at four in the morning and, after a potty break, decides it’s play time, you need a way of letting him/her know that’s not the way it’s going to be.

Many trainers would have you stuff the puppy in the crate, maybe even cover it, and wrap a pillow over your head to muffle the complaints. The ear-piercing, howling misery.

But we’re not believers in letting a dog or puppy cry itself into exhaustion. The dog doesn’t learn anything from that. Even at four in the morning, it’s time for a session of “Sit And Accept Praise.”

Not the most fun training game

Our very first dog training mentor preached this exercise, even before positive reinforcement was a “thing” in dog training. He is a good and wise man.

This is probably the only 2-Minute-Trainer game that’s not really much fun for either of you at first. But it is part of the deal we make with our dogs. They get what they want when we get what we want. It’s a simple bargain, but an important one.

How Sit & Accept Praise works

Sit & Accept Praise is easy. With your dog wearing a collar, have him sit next to you. On the couch if it’s allowed. You get on the floor if it’s not. (As an aside: we don’t understand why people have upholstered furniture their dogs aren’t allowed to get on. But we think dogs are more valuable than any “stuff.”) (By the way – we also outline Sit & Accept Praise in our Puppy Basics. If you missed that, it’s no big deal, but you might want to get the free download for more great information.)

Sit and accept praise is the best way to get your dog to calm down.

Your dog may not want to sit next to you. That’s why he/she is wearing a collar. With your arm and elbow holding the dog at your side, thread a couple of fingers through the dog’s collar. Make sure your position is comfortable and that, if the dog fusses and moves, your fingers won’t bend awkwardly. The game may not be the most fun, but it also shouldn’t hurt either one of you..

Then sit there, petting the dog with the other hand and speaking softly to him/her. Let your dog know that he’s a wonderful dog, and a good dog, and the handsomest dog in the world. If you’re a reader, read your book out loud. Just so your dog hears your voice being calm and gentle.

That’s pretty much it. It’s easy to get your dog to calm down with this technique.

Dog’s not having it

When you feel the dog start to relax, you can ease the tension in the arm holding the dog at your side. Keep talking and petting. An occasional treat is fine, too. As long as the dog doesn’t get too excited by it.

If, when you lessen the hold, your dog struggles, just go back to where you were. In time, your dog will learn that you mean it, it’s time to relax.

It may take more than one repetition for the message to get through. When your dog does relax, even lie down, give him/her a cue word that identifies the action. We use “relax,” so when our dogs’ tension eases, “good relax,” “nice relax, buddy,” “what a good relax.” That way, throughout the dog’s life, we can tell him to “Relax” and he knows what to do.

Dogs don’t judge

Afraid of doing it wrong? You don’t have to be. Dogs don’t judge.

Some people are reluctant to try new things. Especially if they’re in a public place, or if they’re being watched. We see it in our dog training classes all the time. We have to encourage people to be louder, more active, keep trying, talk to their dogs, etc. Because we’re all afraid of being judged.

Dogs don’t judge

One of the best, and most fun, things about 2-Minute dog games is that there’s never a buzzer or anyone yelling “wrong!” You can play and adapt every game to where you and your dog are right at that moment. And dogs don’t shut down or quit – they’re encouraged to keep trying.

“Try again!” is a phrase that makes our dogs wiggle their butts – it means they get to keep playing. That particular attempt may not have been rewarded, but they get to keep playing and discover what does get the cookie.

You can’t “break” your dog

Positive reinforcement training will never “break” your dog. We have seen dog victims of harsh methods who may never recover to become normal dogs. That doesn’t happen with training games. The “worst” consequences for the dog is not getting a treat. And another opportunity to try.

You also don’t have to worry about getting things right every time. Just like our dogs, we have another chance to play and try again.

This week we’re playing a new game with our dogs. We’ve seen videos of dogs riding skateboards and thought it looked pretty fun. So we got our dog a skateboard!

See what they think

Whenever we introduce a new training tool (toy!) to our dogs, we take the first session or two to see what they think of it. If it’s something that’s familiar, the introduction doesn’t take long and we can start a new game behavior quickly. If it’s something as alien as a skateboard, we want to see how the dogs react before we formulate a game strategy. That’s exactly how we start even the very first dog training game, “Boxey.”

Each of Fran’s dogs reacted a bit differently:

Booker's second time on the skateboard. Dogs don't judge - he was all about the fun.

Booker (8-year-old Boston Terrier) dashed right over, put multiple paws on the deck, and wasn’t fazed in the least when it started moving. His game will emphasize putting three paws on, then moving it with purpose.

Tango (12-year-old Brussels Griffon) doesn’t see too well at this point, but is so familiar with training games that when he noticed something new in the space, he went over to it. He sniffed it, got paws up on it, and was clearly willing to play.

Simon (2-year-old Boston) ran over to the skateboard and was in constant motion. “You want this?” “How about this?” “I’ll try this!” “One paw good?” “Three paws?” “What about shoving it across the room?”

Clearly none of them was afraid of the item itself, or its movement. And we’ll play games tailored to each dog. Booker’s game will work on refining technique. Tango will probably learn “go for a ride” with us moving the board. Simon’s game will focus on focus. That pup is smart as can be, but still has the attention span of a puppy Boston.

Dogs just want to have fun

We didn’t worry about doing something “wrong.” The dogs got to “meet” their new toy, and we were able to get an idea of each dog’s training game. The next time the dogs see the skateboard, we’ll have a plan for each one – what action will get a “click and treat,” and which one will be ignored.

The plan doesn’t always happen. Because they’re dogs. That’s okay. We don’t have to be perfect, and neither do the dogs.

You don’t have to worry about getting things “wrong” in a dog training game. Dogs trained with positive reinforcement games will keep trying, keep exploring. Rewards are great, but most dogs adore playing the game. Most will keep trying, just because playing with you is fun.

And if you click at the wrong time? Just give your dog the cookie and try again. Nobody’s perfect and your dog will forgive you. Your mistake may confuse your dog for a minute, but that’s okay. Nobody got hurt. Nobody saw. Dogs are adaptable. Dogs don’t judge. And your dog loves playing with you.

Stay positive in dog training – results come in time

It’s extremely rewarding to see the results of your training. It’s sometimes hard to stay positive in dog training and have faith that you’re making a difference. Lately we’ve had a couple of wonderful examples of how patience and positivity work. We’re changing lives, especially our own, with the power of positive reinforcement training.

By Simon, we think he’s got it!

Simon, Fran’s 2-year-old Boston Terrier is a nosey fellow. He has to check out everything that’s going on, and right in the middle is where he wants to be. Like most Bostons, he’s also incredibly friendly and wants to run up to everyone for overly-enthusiastic greetings.

Simon, demonstrating his jumping prowess. By staying positive, results come in time. — Simon, demonstrating his jumping prowess.

Our yard is surrounded by a four-foot chain-link fence. Our neighbor was out in his yard and Simon felt compelled to run over to say “Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!” And repeatedly jump, bouncing off the fence at about 3.5 feet.

The neighbor is a very tolerant man, and accustomed to living next door to dogs, so he ignored Simon entirely. Which gave Hope the opportunity to get close, say Simon’s name, and instantly reward when he turned to look at her. We could see him think about resuming the jumping, greeting craziness, but he didn’t. We could actually see him decide. Paying attention to Hope was more rewarding than greeting the man.

Laying the foundation

Simon’s good choice was something we’ve worked on forever. He’s finally becoming mature enough to make choices. Essentially, Simon is an adolescent with all the decision-making skills of human teenagers. And since he was a puppy, he’s been rewarded for choosing us over anything else.

Our dogs are always rewarded for coming to us. Always. Every single time. Because we always want them to come to us when called. If they’ve been incredibly naughty, we don’t call, and we don’t say their names. We go to them for the ensuing discussion. Our dogs’ names and “Come!” always have to be linked to something good. (See “Get your dog to come dashing to you every time.“)

We always want to stay positive in dog training. There’s good reason for this. We always want our dogs to come running happily to us when called. Especially if there’s a skunk in the yard. Or the handyman left the gate open.

Positive works on people, too!

It occurred to us this week that the “stay positive” message has worked in our retail life, too.

When our current mail carrier first came on the route, he was not communicative, did his job reluctantly, sometimes didn’t bother showing up, and was generally surly and unpleasant.

Over the course of months, that’s changed. He now comes into our shop with a smile on his face, a friendly greeting, and looks out for us. He even went out of his way to learn a new way of using his equipment to help us get our outgoing packages into the postal system computer faster.

Also a dog person

All we did to change things around was stay positive. Regardless of his demeanor, we greeted him with a smile. Thanked him for everything he did. Gave him treats for his dog. Some days it wasn’t easy. Especially when he “forgot” to come back to pick up our outgoing mail, and we had to rearrange our schedules to go to the post office.

Over the course of months, our mail carrier has learned that coming into our shop will always be a pleasant experience. We’re never going to yell at him, never take our bad mood out on him, and always going to be happy to see him – even when he’s bringing monthly bills.

You may get the impression that we’ve “trained” our mail carrier to be the service person we wanted. You would be right. And all through our determination to stay positive.

Training Game: teaching your dog to tap

Teaching your dog to “Tap” is another little training game to play anywhere.

Little games that don’t need anything but you, your dog, and some treats are useful wherever you go. If you’re waiting at the vet’s office the game can help reduce your dog’s stress. If your dog obsesses on the neighbor mowing the lawn, you can get attention back by playing a game. Whenever you need to reclaim your dog’s focus, having a few games to play will make it easy. (“Touch” is another game we talked about a couple of months ago.)

Making sure that every interaction with your dog is positive and fun ensures that your dog will want to engage with you. If he/she can always count on having fun (and treats!), there’s nothing better. Not even the squirrel climbing the tree across the street.

Teaching “tap”

Does your dog use his/her front paws to get your attention? Many dogs do, and you can make use of this habit to lay the foundation for the game.

For us, Booker is the one who uses his paws the most to get attention. As a matter of fact, it’s really annoying. You’re sitting there on the couch and he comes over next to you and grabs your hand. Which is how television channels change and texts turn into gibberish around here.

Instead of getting annoyed, use the dog’s natural habit to play the game.

Tapping the shoe

Our vision of the game has the dog “tapping” the toe of a shoe with his paw. To change Booker’s annoying habit into a fun game, we brought a shoe with us when we went to relax on the couch. Teaching your dog to tap may require equally strange props!

With the shoe either next to us or on our lap, we ignored Booker pawing at us until he touched the shoe with his paw. Then he got attention, pets, and treats! That’s really all it takes to get a dog choosing to play a game. It’s fun to watch them figure out what action is triggering the reward.

Do it again!

The hardest part is being patient. Booker “patted” lots of different things until he zeroed in on the shoe. The game stays the same until the dog figures out that tapping the shoe is what gets the cookies!

Once your dog is successful about three-quarters of the time, it’s time to start asking for more. If the shoe was on your lap, can the dog tap it when it’s next to you? How about if the shoe is on the floor? Across the room? And finally, how about on your foot?

Tap dancing

The goal of the game is for the dog to tap your toes alternately, left and right. Once your dog has the idea of tapping a shoe, the rest should be relatively simple. Remember to keep moving forward, but not so fast that your dog (or you!) get frustrated. If your dog is having some trouble taking the next step, wherever you are, just go back and reinforce where she was successful. Small steps get you there!

Torque taps Hope's shins. Teaching your dog to tap is fun.

It’s okay to set your own criteria for every game you play with your dog. Torque, Hope’s French Bulldog, likes to “tap” her shins rather than her shoes. It wasn’t worth it to Hope to change his mind – he’s engaged, having fun, alternating his “taps,” and playing with her. Shifting his focus down to her shoes didn’t seem important. Especially when it’s easier to see his cute little face when he taps her shins!

You can bank on your dog training games

Can you bank on your dog coming when called? Every time? In any situation?

Can you bank on your dog's recall if there's a skunk?

Let’s set up a scenario. You’re in the back yard with your dog after dark. You both hear a sudden rustling from the cluster of daylilies in the corner.

You catch a glimpse of a black critter with a long white stripe down its back and scream “Razzmatazz, COME!”

Does he?

Tilting the odds in your favor

In this case, which was very real, Razzy came bounding over. Hope grabbed him and ran for the house. The skunk was gone by the next time we went into the yard.

Were we absolutely sure that Razz would obey in the face of a fascinating and smelly distraction? No. But we tipped the scale in our favor by playing dog training games.

Money in the bank

Every time you reward your dog for making a good decision, like “Come!” you’re tilting the scale in your favor. Your dog will remember that “Come!” always results in something good happening.

Building up that account of “good stuff” lets you get away with the occasional time when you don’t have a reward handy, but you really need your dog to obey. Like when there’s a skunk in the yard.

Razz did get a bunch of treats when we got inside. And our eternal gratitude for being such a good Griff.

But the account was depleted just a bit. That happens whenever the payoff isn’t immediate. Which means you have to build it back up, rebalance the scales, to make sure the account is full next time you need it.

Always pay your dog

Many people look to lessen or stop rewarding their dogs “after they’re trained.” There is no “after.” Dogs are always learning and paying attention. If you stop rewarding a behavior, the dog will stop doing it. See “Food is dog training currency.”

Wouldn’t you stop going to work if there was no paycheck? Or, even worse, if it bounced?

Every training game you play, every reward you deliver, is money in your dog training account. If you have to “spend” that balance to be safe from the skunk, be sure to replenish the account on a regular basis.

If you do, you can always bank on your dog.

Training is all about your bond with your dog

There are all kinds of reasons to play training games with your dog. There’s a whole list of positives: improve manners, build trust, inspire confidence, etc. But the most important one for most people is that it deepens and strengthens your bond with your dog.

Many people think that because there are multiple people living in a home that the dog is a family pet. Maybe. But if one person is primarily responsible for that dog’s care, their bond is stronger. And if one person is always the one to play training games with that dog, that bond is powerful. If the same person both cares for, and plays training games with that dog – that relationship is unbreakable.

Unbreakable bond with your dog

Fran has trained Tango (Brussels Griffon) to put his toys away, into a bin. Training games strengthen the bond with your dog.

We got an illustration of that this week. Fran’s 2-year-old Boston Terrier Simon is in need of some road work to build his stamina before his agility career takes off. Fran’s taking him for his workout at the time she’d normally play training games with her two other dogs, Tango and Booker.

Tango is a 12-year-old Brussels Griffon. If you don’t know Griffs, know that they’re generally one-person dogs. Tango was extraordinarily so when he was younger. You can read all about it in Fran’s book Tango: Transforming My Hellhound. He tried to bite anybody else.

He has mellowed through the years. Now Hope can handle him easily, and he generally pays pretty good attention to her. When Fran’s not home, he’s happy to follow Hope around instead.

But he doesn’t “get” playing training games with Hope. That’s reserved for his person. And Tango adores playing his training games. The game today was supposed to be “Put your toys away” which is his favorite in the world. He bounces when he retrieves the toys from the pile, he bounces when he heads over to the toy box to put them away.

Never heard it before

Tango is adorable when he sits there, stares at you, and has a completely blank look on his face. He never heard “Put your toys away!” before. Unless Fran says it.

The take-away here is that if you want your dog to be a family dog, everybody needs to play training games with him/her. (We wrote about this a couple of months ago too.) You can all play the same games. Or each person can have a unique training game. But everybody has to play.

If, on the other hand, your objective is that unbreakable bond between one individual and a dog, that person should play training games. Just once a day helps. Several 2-Minute-Training games per day will cement the relationship forever.

Positive reinforcement works

This week we are grateful to the people and government of the great state of Ohio for proving that positive reinforcement works.

It wasn’t an experiment, and it wasn’t dogs that proved it. (Although our dogs prove it every day, through our commitment and philosophy.) People respond to positive reinforcement, consciously. It’s a shining example of the power of this method of training.

Deadly serious

If you watched the news this week you know that the rate of vaccination against COVID 19 has been dropping. Officials, both medical and governmental, around the nation have been scrambling for ways to get more people to overcome vaccine hesitancy and roll up their sleeves.

Getting a vaccine so you’ll be protected against a potentially deadly disease sounds like pretty good motivation. But it wasn’t enough.

Protecting your friends, loved ones, and people who you come into contact with is another good reason. Again, not enough.

Being able to ditch the mask, go places, and do things is an excellent reason to get vaccinated. And it still wasn’t enough.

We’d equate it to giving your dog a pat on the head and saying “Good dog!”

What worked

The State of Ohio got creative.

The state is sponsoring five $1 million dollar drawings open to adults getting the first dose of vaccine. Sign-ups increased by 28%.

Ohio is also offering a chance at one of five full-ride scholarships to any in-state college or university for teens age 12-18 getting a first dose of the vaccine. Vaccine sign-ups skyrocketed by 94% among 16 and 17 year-olds in the state. (Here’s the Ohio Department of Health’s release about the success of the program.)

This is positive reinforcement. This is how people react to the possibility of a great reward.

Pay your dog

Simon is proof that positive reinforcement works.

Yes, your dog loves you and will “work” for you. A pat on the head and “atta boy!” is nice. If you want enthusiastic, eager attention and active learning, pay your dog. The better the reward, the better the response. You’ll find the statistical proof in Ohio.

Dog manners for greeting visitors

Is your dog a nut job when company comes? Do you wish your dog had better manners for greeting visitors?

It’s been especially tough during the pandemic – not many people were open to visiting. Many dogs either forgot the manners they had, or never had a chance to learn polite greetings. You can turn that around, with some basic training games to teach your dog what to do when the doorbell rings.

Doorbell behavior

It’s always easier to teach something “to” do, rather than “not to” do. If your dog learns that the doorbell, or a knock on the door, is a trigger for a specific behavior, you’re giving them a familiar goal.

You won’t necessarily be able to stop your dog from giving a startled bark. A doorbell is meant to alert the household that someone has arrived. What a learned behavior will achieve is making the aftermath of the doorbell sound into a familiar routine.

Teach “Place”

If space and your routine allow it, have a dog bed or mat in view of the door. When you teach your dog “Place” (2-Minute-Trainer.com Book 1) your dog will know that his/her “job” is to run to the bed when the doorbell trigger sounds. It’s really an ideal scenario. Your dog will be able to see what’s going on, you’ll know where your dog is, and whoever is at the door will be able to deliver your pizza without fuss.

If you’re not in the habit of getting deliveries, set up the scenario with a friend or family member when your dog has mastered “Place,” and will dash to the bed or mat as soon as you say your cue word. It doesn’t have to be “Place.” If a different word comes more naturally to you, by all means use it and teach that word to your dog so that he’ll develop better dog manners for greeting visitors.

Choose a different behavior to “do”

One of the biggest obstacles in teaching dog training is getting people to change from the “don’t” words to the “do” words. It’s natural to tell your dog “Off!” when she’s jumping on your friend. (Never “Down!” – that means lie down. Each word has only one meaning for your dog.)

But it’s not helpful. It doesn’t give your dog anything to do. “Stop” doesn’t mean anything to dogs. She’s doing lots of stuff – walking, jumping, sniffing, licking, etc. What do you want her to do?

It takes time and conscious thought to change the “stop doing that” into “Sit!” or “Touch!” Giving your dog a task to perform, one that’s familiar and is always rewarded, if more likely to be successful.

Just like kids

If you’ve ever witnessed, dealt with, or been with squabbling children, it’s a very similar situation. We’re convinced it’s how the vast majority of “road trip games” came into being. Giving them a task, like license plates to look for, is more effective than saying “Stop touching each other!” It separates the children to look out their own windows, and occupies their minds. Do the same for your dog and manners will improve!