Tag: fun dog training

It’s all about choice in dog training

Dog training is up close and personal. You can’t do it remotely. And you shouldn’t let someone else train your dog. There are gadgets that are supposed to work – but those are tools you can use. Not people replacements.

Dealing with a bad dog owner

We got a call this week from a person looking for a “thing” that would stop her dog from jumping over her fence. She had no idea what she wanted,  she just wanted something that would do the “job” of keeping her dog in her yard. Her choice in dog training was not to do it.

She has two options:

  • A taller fence (her current one is four feet)
  • A leash, with her attached to the other end

She didn’t much like the options we offered. And highly resented the fact that tethering her dog in the yard is illegal. Not to mention highly dangerous for the dog, which is why it’s illegal. This person shouldn’t own a dog. 

Teaching takes time

If you want your dog to understand the boundaries of your territory, you have to teach your dog where the boundaries are. If you want your dog to stop jumping over the fence, you have to teach your dog it’s not a good choice. And you have to offer your dog a more rewarding option.

That’s the key phrase, and one we can’t emphasize enough. Dogs always do what’s most rewarding. They will, absolutely dependably, choose to do what makes them happiest. It’s up to us to teach our dogs that doing what we want is the best, most rewarding, most fun option. 

That’s dog training in a nutshell.

Pay your money, make your choice in dog training

Dog trainers often say that people get the dog they need, when they need it. If your dog has a behavior you don’t like, you have to decide whether you’ll become a better trainer or you live with the behavior. 

If your dog is a counter-surfer; you’re either right there whenever your dog is in the kitchen teaching better choices, or you leave nothing on the counter, ever.

If your dog jumps the fence; you put a long line on your dog and go out with him every single time teaching boundaries, or you get a higher fence.

Dog’s aren’t convenient

Booker could jump the fence. We made in choice in our dog training to go out with him.
Booker could jump over the fence. That’s why he never goes outside by himself.

We go outside with our dogs every time they leave the house. It’s not convenient. We’d rather stay on the nice cozy couch, trust them to “do their business,” and come home again.

But we don’t have robotic dogs. We have dogs that, without supervision; eat dirt, bark at the neighbors, bark at the neighbors’ dogs, bark at cars, and eat rabbit poop. To prevent all of those things, we’re right there. And when we see our dogs make good decisions, like glancing at the neighbor and looking back to us, we’re right there to reward that good choice to be quiet. 

Choices in dog training include the “battles” you choose to fight, and those you’d rather just manage. If your dog goes digging in the bathroom wastebasket all the time, we completely understand moving the wastebasket rather than dealing with the issue. Some things just aren’t worth the effort to train. (Here’s another post about that choice: https://2-minute-trainer.com/2020/03/24/set-up-for-success-no-more-counter-surfing/)

Along with that choice comes the realization that your dog is going to do some stuff that aggravates you and you’ve chosen to live with it. If that’s your decision, it’s also up to you not to get angry or yell when your dog does it. 

We have a saying for that: “Train, don’t complain.”

Ditch the dog bowl

Should I ditch the dog bowl

Should you ditch the dog bowl? You’ve probably seen the trend lately toward “snuffle mats” to feed dogs. Is it a good idea?

Yes and no. 

Yes – it’s more engaging for the dog, slows down eating, and exercises the dog’s instinct to hunt for food.

No – it only works for dry food, can be messy, and, most importantly, leaves you out of the process.

Not interactive at all

One of the touted features of snuffle mats is that they’re “interactive.” That’s a popular phrase with dog toys, too. But what’s the dog interacting with? The toy or the mat. If our dogs are interacting, shouldn’t it be with us?

Anything that engages your dog without you in the picture is akin to plunking a toddler in front of a screen. It may get you some alone time and entertain the little one. If that’s the objective, it’s all good.

But if your goal is to build your bond and relationship with your dog, it’s wasted opportunity.

Do ditch the dog bowl

Instead of presenting your dog’s food in a bowl, or a snuffle mat, use meal time for dog training games. Use your dog’s for rewards during play sessions. 

Hand-feeding your dog has multiple benefits. It eliminates the concern many people have about giving their dog too many treats – it’s food he/she would be getting anyway. (See this 2-Minute Tip: https://2-minute-trainer.com/2019/07/19/too-many-treats/)

It reinforces the idea that all good things come from you. If you have a multi-person household, you can take turns feeding your dog. That way everybody has a chance to build their own, and the dog’s, skills.

Feeding without a bowl also establishes a daily habit of playing with your dog. In short order it becomes something to look forward to and enjoy.

Adjustments needed

At first, hand-feeding your dog will take some planning and may seem inconvenient. It doesn’t have to be every meal. That’s simply not practical in most busy households. Mornings especially tend to be tightly scheduled.

If that’s the case, how about starting with a couple bites of food from you, then presenting the bowl? Would that be possible?

And if your dog doesn’t eat dry food, it can get messy. Fortunately, we’ve all become expert hand-washers in the last few months. You can also teach your dog to eat from a spoon. It’s adorable and makes for great video.

Take advantage of the time

Of course, if you don’t use hand-feeding to play training games, you may as well just stick with the bowl. This is a perfect example of the bargain we make with our dogs – they get what they want when we get what we want. 

It doesn’t matter what game you play – anything from “puppy push-ups,” to recalls, to stays, or any kind of trick. It matters that you’re engaging with your dog, having fun, and challenging your dog to do more.

Like all training games, it will probably be tiring for your dog. A full tummy and an exercised brain will usually result in a nice, post-meal nap. And you’ll get that alone time. Or cuddle time, which is even better.

It works

We know the vast difference hand-feeding a dog can make. You may have read Fran’s book Tango: Transforming my Hellhound. Tango was aggressive and reactive to both dogs and people when Fran got him. Hope couldn’t go near him or touch him without him lunging and trying to bite. 

What turned Hope and Tango’s relationship around was hand-feeding. Every meal. For six weeks. While he was in his crate. At first, all Hope could do was throw the food in the crate. Then offered it on a spoon. Then from her hand. In a couple of weeks he was eating from her hand, and doing simple behaviors for the rewards she offered. It wasn’t magic, but close to it. Tango learned to trust. Now Tango’s her buddy, because “Auntie Hope” gives the best neck scritches – she knows exactly the right spot. 

Dog bowls in every room

If the way to a dog’s heart is through his/her stomach – take advantage! Why should you let your dog adore the bowl, when it can be you, instead? If your dog’s bowls are really cute – fill them with treats and keep them in every room. It’ll remind you to take every opportunity to play dog training games and reward your good dog.  

Buzzword for today – enrichment

What is enrichment? According to Merriam Webster, it’s “to make rich or richer especially by the addition or increase of some desirable quality, attribute, or ingredient (the experience will enrich your life). 

This polar bear is just waiting for some enrichment

Have you seen those feature stories about enrichment at the zoo around Halloween? Where all the elephants get pumpkins to play with? Or the polar bears get huge ice blocks filled with treats in the middle of summer? That’s enrichment. We’d also call it lagniappe, but we like taking our vocabulary out for a spin once in a while.

Making training game sessions part of life is enrichment for both your dog and for you. It’s something special – time you focus only on each other and playing together. It enriches your bond with your dog. Builds understanding between you. And, in a non-coercive, non-punishing way, teaches your dog all kinds of things that will make your lives together easier.

Any game will do

Some days you may not feel like playing any particular game with your dog. That’s okay. Gather a few different objects from around the house – plastic drinkware, mixing bowls, pillows, cardboard boxes, paper towel (or TP) rolls. It can be anything that your dog can’t ruin. 

Take one object and put it in front of your dog. If he’s a regular 2-Minute game player, he’ll go check it out. Click and reward! See what he does with it. Does he paw at it? Good touch! Click and reward! Does he sniff it? Good sniff! Click and reward!

Sniffing game

If your dog loves sniffing stuff – you’re ahead for this game. Hope is now teaching her French Bulldog Torque to use his nose instead of his paws or mouth to explore. He’s never been a “sniffy” dog, and it’s a skill he may need if the world ever returns to a semblance of normalcy and he advances in Obedience competition. 

She’s using a drop or two of essential oil on a cotton pad. 

  • First step: he sniffs it. Click and reward!  
  • Second step: Hope hides the cotton pad under something (in this case, it was a clean, empty tuna fish can). Torque finds it. Click and reward! 
  • Third step: A second clean tuna can is added – can he still find it? (We’re not here yet!)
  • Fourth step: A third can is added – and now we’re playing the Shell Game!

Useful? Maybe not

Not every game we play with our dogs has to have a reason, or an objective – but it’s fun to try. If you have no intention of ever competing in any dog sport, your dog may never use her “Shell Game” skills. But learning the game enriched her life, and you had fun with it. 

Enrichment can be anything that’s not part of your regular routine. Mix it up! At the Dolphin Research Center, sometimes the trainers just float around the lagoons on inner tubes, tossing ice or gelatin cubes for the dolphins to play with and eat. It’s just for fun. There’s a lot of laughing during these sessions – both from the dolphins and the trainers. And strengthens the bonds between animals and people. 

You can increase the quality of your dog’s life with enrichment.

There is no “right stuff” in dog training

Will the right collar bring success to my dog training?

Remember back when you were a kid and one of the best things about going back to school was getting your new school supplies? How you were absolutely convinced the “right stuff” would set you up for success?

Embarking on a dog training adventure is absolutely nothing like that. All you really need is you, your dog, a plan, and a sense of humor. And treats. (Pay your dog.) Patience helps, too.

It doesn’t matter

Should my dog wear a harness for training?

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is about the stuff. Harness or collar? How long should the leash be? What if I don’t have a balance disc? 

None of that stuff matters. You have everything you need. 

Studies have shown that all collars have the potential to cause neck injuries in dogs. And many dog “experts” claim that harnesses just encourage dogs to pull, because it doesn’t hurt the dog to pull.

The goal is to get your dog to walk nicely beside you, regardless of what it’s wearing. That’s one of the reasons we train our naked dogs in our homes, or in our fenced yards. If your dog can go anywhere it wants, and do anything it wants, but chooses to stay with you and play your game – you’re doing it right!

Safe space

If you’re just starting to develop your teamwork, play your training games in a small, boring, confined space. If you’re the most interesting “thing” around, your dog is going to be fascinated with whatever you do. You know your dog can’t go anywhere. And you know you’re only going to be playing a game for a couple of minutes. 

Once you and your dog develop a habit of playing training games, your dog will race to your training space. They love playing games with you. Our training space is usually in the basement. And our biggest headache was keeping the dogs from dashing down the stairs whenever we opened the basement door. 

So we made that into a training game, too! Now we approach the basement door, tell the pups to “wait,” go down a couple of steps, come back, and reward! Good wait, doggos! Nice job! 

You have the right stuff

Anything and everything can be an occasion for a training game. If you find yourself aggravated because your dog is standing on your lap when you’re trying to watch TV, make it a training game. If the dog is lying in the doorway, make it a training game. (In that case, we’d highly suggest making it a “stay!”) 

Being ready to play games all the time, everywhere, will make your life, and your dog’s, happier. Not worrying about the “right stuff” lets you build your dog’s wardrobe with the fun stuff you love. Not that we know any collar addicts. Just mentioning it for a friend. 

Finding the fix

You know how you can overlook stuff that’s right in front of you? Like the time you searched all over for your phone and you were holding it in your hand? 

Traffic jam!

We’ve been suffering with a traffic jam at our house forever. We have a very narrow entryway from the back door of the house. And when we come in from the yard, all the dogs congregate in that narrow entry, waiting for their “go home!” treats. 

Needless to say, with four dogs and two people trying to get into a space that’s not more than nine feet square, it got a little crowded. And a little tense.

Oh yeah, we’re dog trainers…

Then one day we remembered we’re dog trainers. We had to think of a behavior we could teach the dogs that would solve the crowding issue. And get them out of the doorway before bad weather arrives and coats, boots, and parkas are added to the mix.

It was a perfect opportunity to put our own 2-Minute-Trainer system to work. 

We thought about what we wanted to accomplish: 

  • get the dogs to move further into the kitchen and out of the doorway.
  • We pictured what we wanted the result to look like: 
  • all the dogs lined up, sitting on a yoga mat.

We decided what we wanted to call the behavior: 

Line Up!

We implemented the plan on our next entry.

When we called the dogs into the house, we immediately moved over by the mat for the Line Up! We called the dogs over, saying Line Up! As each dog stepped on the yoga mat we told him to “Sit!,” gave him a treat, and said “Good Line Up!” 

All the dogs lined up, out of the entry way.
Simon, Booker, Torque, Tango

All of the dogs still sitting on the mat got a treat each time another dog joined the “Line Up.” So the first dog on the mat got the most treats! Now all the dogs dash over to the mat when they hear “Line Up!” And we go down the line rewarding each dog multiple times. When everyone’s inside and we’re done, we give our dogs their “release cue” – “Go!”

We solved the problem in just two days. So far we haven’t asked the dogs to maintain a particular order in their “Line up!” behavior, but that would be an easy addition if we want to add it later. 

Dogs love routine and love knowing what they’re supposed to do. Giving them a better choice has reduced the aggravation of coming in the house. Seeing them all lined up, sitting like good boys, lets us enjoy coming home every single time.

An intro to 2-Minute Dog Training Games

If you’re not having fun training your dog, you’re doing it wrong!

If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong!

21st century dog training means having fun with your dog. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong! Dog training games are best for training, learning, and enjoying time with your dog.

Everybody, including your dog, learns better when they enjoy it! Fast, fun dog training games are the most effective way to teach your dog anything. From house-breaking to the showiest tricks, games are the way to go.

Your future with the 2 Minute Training Method

We’re Hope and Fran, creators of the 2 Minute Training method. We’ve developed this method so that in short bursts of training your dog will learn what’s expected of him and make good choices. Instead of a rowdy hooligan, he’ll be a joyful part of your family. Instead of having to lock the dog up when company arrives, he’ll be an integral part of the conversation. Your dog will no longer pull your arm out of the socket on walks. He’ll sit nicely for treats.

Sound too good to be true? It’s not!

This miracle won’t happen overnight, but it will happen, and it won’t be a miracle!

You”ll both practice to make it happen, and you’ll have such a good time you’ll want to do more.

Who we are

How do we know? Because we’re training our own dogs this way. Not traditional “most intelligent” dogs. Not Golden Retrievers. Not Border Collies. Not even Papillons or Pomeranians. These are dog breeds that are among the “smartest” and “most trainable.” Nope – Hope has a French Bulldog. Fran has a Brussels Griffon and two Boston Terriers. Not breeds you expect to see in the Obedience ring, and yet they’re advancing nicely in competition.

We also train fun stuff the same way – like “crawl,” “roll over,” and “sit pretty.” Even training the dogs to put their toys away!

Just short chunks of time. Maybe a few times a day. During commercial breaks in the evening. Or just one session before work.

Have fun with your dog!

It’s fun. We look forward to our short training sessions, and we know you will too.