reward-based training Archives - Page 6 of 9

Give and take in dog training

Life would be easier if everybody would just do what you want, wouldn’t it? But people have this pesky attitude that their opinion matters, too. Just like life, there’s give and take in dog training.

In a civilized society, the two points of view hash it out and come to a mutually satisfactory conclusion. Nobody gets everything they want, but everybody gets something.

Dog training’s like that. You want your dog to behave. Your dog may have a different, or fuzzy, idea of what “behaving” looks like. How do you reconcile those different opinions?

Pick your battles

There are three ways of resolving behavior issues with your dog:

Ignore it:

Simon has to "leave it," but Booker gets a cookie too. — Simon has to “leave it,” but Booker gets a cookie too.

This is for the things that you wish your dog didn’t do, but aren’t worth the energy to change. It’s different for everyone. And it depends on the dog. Booker and Simon (Fran’s Boston Terriers) both love to eat grass outside in the yard. Booker seems to have a cast-iron stomach. But eating grass (and dirt) makes Simon throw up. It was worth the effort to teach Simon to “Leave it!” for everything in the yard.

Is it fair there’s one rule for Simon and a different one for Booker? Probably not. But no one’s ever guaranteed that life is fair. The dogs don’t seem to notice, or care. As long as everyone gets a cookie when the treat pouch comes out, they’re all fine.

Manage it:

Managing the environment is how to deal with irritations you’re in the process of training, but haven’t gotten there yet. If your dog steals shoes, everybody puts their shoes away behind closet doors. If your dog is a counter-surfer, nothing’s on the counter.

This is also where the “tools” come into play. If your dog constantly pulls on leash, while you’re working on loose-leash walking, you can certainly use a no-pull harness. While you’re teaching your dog not to eat grass, control access by taking them out on leash and collar, even in your yard.

A friend of ours is a top-notch dog manager. And up until now, a complete failure at clicker-training, or game-based dog training. We tried. She just didn’t have the patience to let her dogs make decisions. Instead, she’s always told them what to do. Her current dog is having confidence issues her commands can’t fix. For this dog, whether she likes it or not, she’s learning to be patient.

Train it:

This is where you set your priorities. If you’re in a multi-generational family with toddlers or older people, your priority may be that your dog doesn’t jump on people. (2-Minute Trainer Method Book 4: Impulse Control) One of our students last session has balance issues, so her priority is loose-leash walking. Another wants to take her dog to the dog park and hiking, so the recall (Book 2: Come!) was top on her list.

Everybody’s priorities are different. These are the battles you choose to “fight” with frequent, short games that teach your dog the behavior you want. If you want your dog to stay quietly in their “place” while your family is at the dinner table, you sit at the dinner table and play “Place!” (Book 1: Clicker and Place) for a couple minutes every day.

Nobody can teach their dog everything all at once. And dogs can’t absorb it that way. Fortunately, once you and your dog are in the habit of playing training games, you’ll get around to all of it in time.

Give a little, take a little

You’re not a bad dog owner, or a quitter, if there are battles you choose not to fight. Management is fine, if it works for you, your family, and your dog.

Our most obvious one is at meal time. All of our dogs eat in their crates (in the dining room) at the same time we eat. No worrying about who’s eating which food. We’re not concerned about resource guarding. There are no suspicious silences from other parts of the house, and no hooliganizing wrestling matches. It’s a time we opt for peace, quiet, and not having to pay attention to the dogs.

In a way, that’s dog training, too. There’s no fussing in the crates, and no resistance to them. When the food preparation starts, the dogs go dashing to their respective crates. Everybody knows the rules, and happily abides by them.

Give your dog time and tools

Do you give your dog time? Or do you expect your three-month-old puppy to be housebroken in a couple weeks? Leash-trained in a month? Stay out of the trash / laundry / mud instantaneously? It would be interesting if dogs came pre-programmed for all the “right” behavior. But they’re not machines. They’re living, breathing, thinking beings. And dogs need time to learn.

Say you’re out in public and you see a parent and child about two years old. The child is on a crying jag, screaming, kicking, and out of control. And the parent shouts and smacks the child.

You’re shocked! It’s obvious the child is overtired and the situation needs calm, not escalation. You don’t expect a two-year-old to know how to act in public, be perfectly potty-trained, and a pro at self-soothing. But many people expect a months-old puppy to be all of that and more.

Why positive reinforcement dog training “fails”

Positive reinforcement dog training is the best, scientifically proven means of training your dog. It works on people, it works on dogs. It doesn’t work fast, and it’s often misunderstood. Just like a human child is given time to learn at their own pace, without repercussions, dogs need time to learn, absorb, and practice good social behavior.

Lately there’s been a lot of nonsense floating around social media that positive training equals letting a dog do whatever it wants, whenever it wants. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dogs trained with positive reinforcement understand the limits of behavior and abide by them because they know. Not because they fear punishment if they fail.

Complete opposites

The nastiest trend in dog training lately is “balanced” training. From the explanations, it seems like this is a capricious mix of punishment and reward. If the dog does something good, it’s rewarded. If it does something “bad,” it’s corrected. But how is a dog supposed to know which is which? And how is “good” different from “bad”? Can you imagine living life at someone’s whim? Never knowing when something you do is going to end in pain? Dogs deserve better.

Until your dog understands how to be “good,” it’s up to you to limit the dog’s options for “bad.” If your dog steals shoes, keep shoes out of reach. Does your dog dig in your backyard? Go with him and keep him on leash. If your two-year-old child is fascinated by trucks, you stop him from running into the street. You don’t wait until he’s in traffic to act. You teach him not to do it. And pain isn’t part of the lesson. When one strategy in the 2-Minute method isn’t working the way we expect it to, we move to another: our “Plan B” – never a painful lesson.

Frustrating for the dog

One of our students has a bright, exuberant Miniature Poodle who she wants to compete with. One of his persistent problems in Hope’s competition Obedience class has been with the recall exercise. Instead of running straight to his Mom, at least half the time he runs over to Hope and starts jumping on her “Hi, I’m here!” “Hi!” “Hello!” “It’s me!”

Since Hope never encourages him, rarely looks at him, pets him, or talks to him, she didn’t understand why he does it. Until last week. His mom brought him into the building on leash, and he immediately spotted a new person. The dog ran over to this person while his mom said “He’s going to jump on you.” Since classes are at a dog daycare facility, it didn’t bother the person. Hope, witnessing this, told the dog’s mom she shouldn’t allow it. And was firmly told to mind her own business.

This dog will never understand why it’s okay to jump on a random man in the lobby and not the judge in the Obedience trial. His mother could easily turn this around – the dog is smart and eager to learn.

Keys to dog training

Dogs are easy to train if you abide by the key rules:

Be consistent. The rules are always in effect. Either it’s never okay to jump on people, or it’s always okay. Dogs know black and white. Shades of gray are alien.
Learning takes time. Be patient. You’ll know when your dog starts to think about their choices. Be on the lookout for those moments of decision – when your dog thinks before acting. That little hesitation before choosing the right thing is a triumph. Celebrate all the little wins.
Until your dog knows, control access. Remember there are three ways of dealing with dog behavior. Ignore the things you don’t care about. Manage the things your dog doesn’t know yet. Train the things you want your dog to know.

Give your dog the tools and the time

Real World Dog Training

How true-to-life is your dog training routine? Is your dog up to real world dog training? What happens when you’re in the middle of a 2-Minute training game and someone in the house starts banging pots in the kitchen? Or somebody opens the door, either leaving or coming home? Does your dog stick with the game and play with you? Or do they run off to see what the fuss is about?

It’s hard to focus on what you’re doing when somebody elsewhere may be more interesting. Dogs are really curious beings – they always want to be in the middle of the action. How do you get your dog to stick with what you’re doing, rather than run off to explore that odd sound in the other room?

Being with Fran was more rewarding than exploring. — Being with Fran was rewarding

The best answer is to set up the situation and teach your dog there’s nothing more interesting than playing training games with you. The harshest test we ever dealt with was many years ago in a puppy class. Our instructor stopped at a fast-food restaurant on the way to class. He threw fresh, yummy-smelling french fries all over the floor. And our job was to walk our puppies from one end of the room to the other – without the dogs grabbing a single morsel. We’re delighted to report that all the puppies succeeded. And, when that trial-by-fire was over, he allowed us to share a couple of fries with our good dogs.

Are you more interesting than a french fry?

If you’re not sure, it’s time to fill your dog training games with fun, energy, and really high-level rewards. If you use a bunch of different treats your dog loves, have a fresh batch of this “trail mix” handy. If your dog’s favorite reward is playing tug, stick a great tug toy in your pocket, ready to whip out at any moment. Randomize rewards so your dog never knows when the next one is coming.

Dogs love schedules and patterns and it’s easy to fall into habits in dog training. To pull an example from obedience competition – in the “Recall” exercise, when called, the dog runs to you from across the room and sits directly in front. When told or signaled, the dog then “Finishes” the exercise by going to heel position at your left side. There are two different ways for the dog to get there. He can either go to your right and circle behind you to get to heel. Or he can swing into position toward your left side.

The Finish always follows the Recall. Every single time. Which means that dogs, being smart, understand what’s coming next. And they “save you the trouble” and go right into heel position instead of stopping in front. Which, depending on the judge, can mean failing the exercise. So how do you fix it?

Randomize it! If dogs don’t know what’s coming next – they pay attention to what’s actually going on. Sometimes ask for the circle finish. Other times the swing. Still others, tell your dog to wait and go around them!

Embrace the chaos

Randomizing all the factors in dog training games ensures your dog can ignore distractions, focus on you and your game, and disregard outside influences. Ask your family to make weird, random noises from various rooms. And if, after a quick glance, your dog stays with your game, reward heavily – an instant game of tug, and series of high-value treats, a quick belly-rub/wrestling match.

Just like playing games in different locations cements the learning with your dog, working through various distractions will help them focus when you need them to. If your dog is incredibly distracted when the doorbell rings, get a doorbell app on your phone and play different rings during 2-Minute dog training game sessions. If it’s somebody talking on the phone that your dog can’t resist, ask someone to sit to the side during your game and talk into the phone (whether or not there’s someone on the other end).

Set your dog up with different scenarios you can practice in a controlled manner. If your dog is constantly underfoot when someone’s trying to prepare food in the kitchen, have a mat or bed in there and practice “place!” Create real world dog training dilemmas and help your dog deal with them.

No training bubble for you!

Your dog lives in the real world. Set her up for success by creating real-life situations and getting her to concentrate despite the distractions. It’s tempting to stay in an isolated environment where your dog is always perfect. But it’s like the first-time parents of a newborn infant insisting that everyone be quiet because the baby’s sleeping. Baby has to learn to sleep through all kinds of real world noise. And doggo has to learn to focus in the real world, too.

“Drop It!” dog training game

“Drop It!” is one of the top three commands every dog should know. It can, potentially, save your dog’s life. We know – we have personal experience. The “Drop It!” dog training game is an important one to teach your pup early.

One day we had our dogs out in our own fully-fenced yard. Hope looks over to see her French Bulldog Dax chewing on something. Not good. Hope went over and told her to “Drop it!” Luckily, she did. It was a three-inch long stick of rat poison. Unfortunately, the sticks are about five inches long to start with.

It was a scary time, but getting the majority of the poison away from her, and a quick trip to the vet saved her life.

How did the poison get into our yard, you ask? It turns out that someone in the neighborhood used them in their own yard. The wildlife in the neighborhood – squirrels, birds, raccoons, opossums, skunks, etc.- didn’t know that only rats are supposed to eat them. They thought they’d discovered a bountiful feast and carried them all over the area. As far as we know, Dax was the only dog that found one. But we were cleaning up other animals for weeks.

Was it legal for our neighbor to do this? No, it wasn’t. Did we sue them to recover veterinary costs? Yes, we did. And won. However, no dollar amount would matter if our dog hadn’t recovered.

Teaching “Drop It!”

The first phase of “Drop It!” is relatively easy. It’s just trading toys with your dog. Start with a toy they like, but aren’t crazy about. You can either use two identical toys, or toys that have the same relatively low value. Play tug with your dog for a few seconds with one of the toys. Then hold the toy still while the dog is still holding it, and say “Drop It!” while you start moving the second toy with your other hand. The moment your dog releases the first toy to grab the other one, say “Good ‘Drop it!’” And play with the second toy – same procedure. That does it for the first “Drop It!” lesson.

Tango plays the "Drop It" game with his toys - dropping them in the bin. — Tango plays the “Drop It!” game with his toys – dropping them in the bin.

Dogs will be wary of letting go if they think that’s the end of the fun. As long as the game continues, the dog should be okay with swapping one fun thing for another. When it’s time to end the game entirely, rather than swapping, don’t ask for the “Drop it!” Instead, use something like “That’s all!” and offer an incredibly yummy treat.

Yes, we’re bribing the dog to do what we want. We’re okay with that. Until the dog understands the command, and will reliably do it, we use whatever positive means necessary to get the result we want. Taking away something valuable may cause dogs to guard it. And resource guarding can become a big problem.

Next step in “Drop it!”

To progress the “Drop It!” game, use a variety of different toys and/or treats, gradually introducing items your dog finds very valuable. It’s one thing to get a ball-loving dog to drop a rope toy. It’s another to get them to actually drop the ball.

If your dog is crazy about a certain toy, or kind of toy, be sure to have multiples of that identical item to teach drop it. Even the most well-trained dog may be reluctant to drop a cherished item. It may take a while to work up to the most valuable resources.

Go at your dog’s pace. If they don’t believe that the “other” item is as good as the one they have, they may not willingly obey the “Drop it!” Some dogs, like our own Booker, are more interested in the interaction with their people. The item doesn’t matter as much as the game.

Torque, on the other hand, prizes the ball above anything else. To him, having the toy is more important than the game. “Drop It!” is a persistent struggle for him, and when his better nature wins, he’s rewarded with even more time with his beloved ball. And if you’ve played the “Carry It” game with your dog, the “Drop It!” dog training game is the next logical, and important, step.

Know your dog

Knowing your dog’s personality and reward hierarchy is key. Stay with the less-valuable items as long as you need to build your dog’s trust in the game. Don’t make “Drop It!” the end of fun – reward with more time and use a different cue to end the game. You may even find that using a timer is beneficial. Your dog will learn that the “beep” of the timer signals the end of that game. Keep in mind that dogs love routine. If you always end the game when you hear the beep, your dog will know it’s time to go do something else.

Dog Training Plan B

There is no “one size fits all” to dog training. Your first attempt at training a new behavior may work, but dog training needs a “Plan B.”

One of the nifty things about dog training is that you can see it working. You can see the dog thinking, trying to solve the puzzle. And they love the process of problem-solving. Dogs trained with games are always happy to try. But what if the dog can’t do it? It’s time to present the question in a different way.

Dog Training Plan A

Cagney, the exuberant black lab mix pup. — Cagney, the exuberant black lab mix pup

We were visiting with family this past week and got to meet their 10-month-old Black Lab mix puppy. Cagney is a really nice puppy. He gets along with their 14-year-old Pom mix, their small children, and is a happy, friendly pup. Who jumps to say hi. And to steal stuff off the counters.

When we came in, Cagney greeted us by jumping up. He’s a tall boy – his front paws were easily able to rest on our shoulders. An exuberant, but rude, greeting

And, like almost every puppy owner out there, our cousin reached for Cagney’s collar, pulled him away, and said “No jumping.” Needless to say, as soon as she released the collar, he was jumping again.

When asked, our cousin gave us the go-ahead to try something else. So we started the tried-and-true method of turning our backs on Cagney. He loved the game. He just followed us around in circles to jump some more. Apparently, there’s a lot of spinning in circles with little kids around. Cagney had fun, but it didn’t work as a “stop jumping” game.

Shifting to a new plan

Dogs always follow the path that’s most rewarding for them. Cagney’s goal was to get our attention. And, from his perspective, he succeeded. His jumping has always gotten him attention – either from the person he was jumping on, or from his people getting hold of him. Either way, his goal was met.

We had to shift his thinking. Another way of stopping a dog’s attention-grabbing behavior is just to leave the vicinity. Walking away from the dog takes away the game and usually stops it cold. But Cagney is, once again, accustomed to the behavior of small children, who constantly run around. That method wouldn’t work with him.

The response to Cagney’s jumping is to stop everything. Movement, conversation, looking, grabbing, everything. We folded our arms and stared at the ceiling. Cagney didn’t understand at first, pawing at our arms, and jumping. This is where the hardest part of dog training comes in. We just stood there, silently. In just a few moments, Cagney’s puzzlement (or frustration), caused him to just sit. And he was immediately praised, rewarded, petted, and fussed over. He attempted to jump. Arms folded, eyes on the ceiling. He sat again. Praise, pets, and treats.

Not a doggy genius

And just like that, with only a couple of repetitions, Cagney got the idea. There were a couple of times over the next few hours that he forgot himself and jumped. But he learned just that fast – when he wanted our attention, he came over and sat. The “be patient and ignore” method also works with nuisance barking as a Plan A or a Plan B.

Is the jumping problem “solved?” No, not yet. It will take a while before the 10 months of jumping is overridden by the new sitting behavior. If our cousin doesn’t keep it up, it won’t last at all. And until it’s a habit to greet people by sitting, our cousin will have to get all visitors to “fold and stare.” And reward heavily every time he successfully sits instead of jumping.

Dogs learn by the timing and placement of rewards. When Cagney makes the right decision to sit, praise has to be almost instantaneous for him to make the connection. Puppies especially have a very short attention span, and if there’s a lag between behavior and praise, the link may not take.

Planning ahead

The reason we have a variety of games to play for almost every dog behavior is so we can adapt to the dogs we meet. What works for one dog, may not work for another. Just like people, they have different learning styles, different experiences, and different knowledge sets.

If the game you’re playing with your dog isn’t getting results, think about what’s going on, how the dog is reacting, and what you can do to change it. Just like when you’re talking with someone who isn’t understanding what you’re saying, find a different way to express it. There are lots of ways to do almost anything. The right one is the one that works.

Pick it up! dog training game

Lots of dog-training games start with the dog picking something up. For many dogs, getting them to ignore something on the floor is harder to do than grabbing it. If your dog’s in this group, now you have a way of putting their natural curiosity to work. We touched on the “Pick it up!” dog training game in relation to Obedience dumbbell work.

Since dogs don’t have hands, their way of checking something out is first to sniff, then to taste. Exploring their world is generally a good thing – as long as you’re there to pull the not-so-good things out of their mouths. We know one puppy who took four different trips to the emergency veterinarian because: Socks!

Torque loves the "Pick it up!" dog training game. — Torque loves the “Pick it up!” dog training game.

Assuming that your dog’s a picker-upper kind of dog, getting them to do it for the Pick It Up! game is simple. Assemble a bunch of different “stuff” from around the house. Try to vary the shapes and materials. Include plastic, wood, metal, fabric – whatever you can find. For obvious reasons, don’t use anything that can’t be easily cleaned. We use various kitchen utensils and items destined for recycling. The kitchen stuff can go in the dishwasher, and the recycling will still be recycled if/when it gets broken. A recent 2-Minute Trainer “Spotlight” video featured Torque putting his cans in separate containers.

How to Play “Pick It Up!”

Have your treats and clicker ready. Start by placing one object, say a wooden spoon, on the floor. When your dog looks at it, click and reward. Clicker-trained dogs know when they hear that sound that they’re on the right track. Reward close to the spoon so the dog knows the spoon is important in this game. Dogs learn by association. When your dog sees that you’re interested in the spoon, that you reward for interaction with it, he/she will quickly learn to be interested in it, too. So if your dog isn’t interested in looking at the spoon, much less picking it up, just be patient and stare at the spoon. Lean over to emphasize your focus on that spoon.

Chances are your dog will look at the spoon just to see what you find so fascinating. You may even get a semi-frustrated “Lady, are you crazy?” look from them. That’s okay. If you stay where you are and just wait, your dog will look at the spoon. Click and reward!

Dogs repeat what’s rewarded. What gets rewarded, gets repeated. When your dog’s looked at the spoon and been rewarded three times, it’s time for you to ask for more. Your two minutes are probably spent by now, so save it for the next time you play.

Be patient

Next time you play “Pick It Up!” your dog’s probably going to run straight for that spoon and stare at it. But it’s time for the next step, which is getting the dog to touch it with their mouth. Many dogs will paw at something, rather than pick it up. It’s time for you to be patient. Stare at the spoon. If you’re soft-hearted when it comes to your dog (and who isn’t?), give a click and treat for that initial look. Then wait patiently and encourage your dog to do something else. Lean over and stare at the spoon.

Resist the temptation to click and treat if your dog uses their paws. That’s not what we’re looking for with this game, and you may wind up confusing your dog if you reward pawing. If they try it, just be encouraging, but make it clear that’s not the behavior you want. “That’s okay, dog, but not what we want. Can you try something else?”

Some dogs get frustrated and try to disengage or get a little wild. If your dog disengages, have them on leash to play. At least they’ll stay in the vicinity. Keep staring at the spoon – your dog will come back and try again, as long as you’re patient and encouraging. If your dog tends to lose focus and start messing around, play a game they know, like “Touch!” to get their head back in the game.

Hardest part of dog training

You’ve heard us say, many times, that the hardest thing in dog training is doing nothing. This is one of those hard times. And if the timer goes off after your 2 Minutes, and your dog hasn’t touched the spoon with their mouth, that’s okay. You’ll try again another time, starting again from the look.

You want your dog to be successful. But this initial stage is where your dog does the most learning. If you “help” by handing your dog the spoon, or pointing at it and saying “get it, get it!” you’re not letting your dog learn. You’re depriving them of the chance to solve the puzzle. And the joy of figuring it out themselves.

Sooner or later, your dog will touch the spoon with his/her mouth. Click and reward! Three times. Then ask for more. The next step is to pick it up. Success! Call it something – “Good Pick Up!” “That’s Pick Up!” or whatever you want to call the game. Use something that’s easy for you to remember.

What next?

When your dog is successfully picking up the initial object, he/she may drop it as soon as they hear the click. That’s okay. That’s what this game is about. Adding on more behaviors such as holding it, carrying it, putting it someplace else, are all different games you can play with your dog.

The next step for “Pick it Up!” is to play with other objects. Different shapes, materials, and placements around the room, then around the house. You can even name the objects for your dog. Studies have shown that dogs can understand names of things, if you want to teach it. Again, so that your dog can generalize “Pick Up!” play with other things in different places.

This simple game can turn into whatever behavior you can imagine. It’s the start of that all-star dog behavior of fetching you a soda from the refrigerator. Or something even stronger.

Play Canine Kitchen Games

You don’t need a lot of space to play training games with your dog. Not much time, either. While you’re waiting for the water to boil for your pasta is a perfect time to play some Canine Kitchen Games!

If you’re like most people, lots of the time you spend at home is in the kitchen. It’s the hub of every home. And where you’re hanging out, chances are your dog is, too. Why not have a little fun while you’re there?

What are Canine Kitchen Games?

Any dog training game that doesn’t need “stuff” can be a kitchen game. And there are even some you can use kitchen stuff to play.

"Touch" is a great canine kitchen game. — “Touch!”

“Touch!” is a perfect kitchen game. Even if you only have enough room for you and your dog to stand, you can play. All you need is some treats and your hands!

Another good Canine Kitchen Game is “Tap!” and you won’t even have to wash your hands.

If you want to get fancy and you have enough room, put a big bowl upside down and play some hind-end awareness games. Once around in either direction with the dog’s paws up on the bowl. It only takes a minute, you’ve had some fun with your dog, and accomplished something!

You can even play Puppy Pushups as kitchen game.

Spin it around!

Another option is to teach your dog to spin. Most dogs seem to love it and it’s an easy one to teach. This is one of the rare games that we actually use a lure to begin teaching. While standing, hold a treat by the dog’s shoulder. When they start to turn toward the treat, just keep moving it until the dog makes a complete circle. Some dogs make it all the way around the first time. If your dog doesn’t, start over and give the treat before the dog breaks out of the circling position. You may have to work an increasing arc before you get a complete spin. Meet your dog where they are – then ask for more.

You can teach your dog to spin in both directions. It’s a good idea to give them different names, we use “Spin!” for one way, “Turn!” for the other. Use whatever words you can remember – and keep straight in your mind for clockwise and counter-clockwise. It also helps to move your hand in the direction you want your dog to spin.

Use waiting time

Canine Kitchen Games are great for times when you’re waiting, like in the veterinarian’s office. Or times when you’re out on a walk and don’t want your dog to see the bunny across the street. If you’re in your own yard and want to distract your dog from the person passing by. Or you’re next in line at an agility or obedience trial and want your dog to focus.

These little games have lots of uses. They don’t take much time or effort to learn or play. You can play them anywhere without any prep. And they’re another opportunity to smile and play with your dog.

Teach your dog “Poop” on command

Nobody relishes standing out in the rain waiting for their dog’s to eliminate. You can make life easier for both of you when you teach your dog “Poop” on command.

There’s an old joke that an alien visiting our planet for the first time would be convinced that dogs are the species in control because their minions follow them around, pick up their poop, and carry it around.

But every responsible dog owner has the obligation to clean up after their dogs, regardless of what aliens think of us. But it would make life better if our dogs would eliminate when and where we want, rather than taking forever to find the perfect spot.

You must be willing

To achieve the “poop on command” goal, you have to be willing to commit. You must go out with your dog every single time, you must have treats with you, and you must be clear and consistent.

Even though we have a fenced yard, we go out with our dogs every single time. Even if it’s raining, sleeting, or three in the morning.

There are lots of reasons we do:

When we had a nasty-dog neighbor, we could avoid fence fighting.
We can stop our dogs from eating various unknown, nasty things in the yard.
We get first dibs on the bread slices the squirrel drops in our yard (yes, we do have foolish neighbors).
It lets us know if one of the dogs has stomach issues, before they mess the house.
We know which dog has the tummy trouble.

Is it convenient? Not particularly. Especially with multiple dogs, we think it’s wise.

Getting cooperation

Everybody poops. That’s a given, as well as a beloved children’s book. Learning your dog’s schedule makes for easier housebreaking and elimination training.

When you know your dog has to go, head out with them. If there’s a particular place you want them to go, put them on collar/harness and leash and head directly to that spot and wait. If your dog is one that wanders around before getting down to business, take a couple laps around the yard with them and go back to the chosen spot.

Then it’s a waiting game. For the kabillionth time, we’ll repeat the doing nothing is the hardest part of dog training. But waiting is the best thing you can do.

When they hit the mark, praise and reward. Call it whatever phrase you choose to use. We use “go poop” because we got over being embarrassed in public long ago. A friend of ours uses “Hit it!” We assume she’ll never be part of a band.

Every single time

If you want your dog to learn to poop on command, you have to praise, phrase (good poop!), and reward every single time.

We’re often asked when praise and treats can be phased out. The answer is always never. When you’re willing to do your job without pay, that’s when you can phase out your dog’s.

Dog Training Game: Step on it

One of the best ways to encourage your dog to be curious and make good decisions is to play “Step On It!”

Torque playing "Step on it" — Torque stepping on a mat

It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. And it’s always a bit of a shock when we introduce it in our puppy classes. The people who thought their puppies were bold, naughty explorers are surprised when their puppies are reluctant to try it.

The more the merrier

The game is simple to play and you can do it with anything, anywhere. You can play it one item at a time, or have a few stations set up to play.

Get some varied, flat materials. We use bubble wrap, cardboard, cookie sheets, yoga mats, wire grating, mesh screening, aluminum foil. The bottom of the item has to be flat, but you can certainly use boxes or, this week in particular, foil roasting pans are a great choice.

Have your dog on collar or harness and leash, just so they don’t leave the play area. Many dogs will disengage and “check out” when they don’t know what’s expected of them. Especially if your dog has been conditioned that you always tell them what to do, they’ll be reluctant to try new things.

How to play

Basically, you stand by the flat object, clicker in one hand, treats in the other, and that’s about it. To free up your hands, you can step on dog’s leash, giving him/her lots of slack, but not able to leave the area.

Click and reward for any interaction your dog shows with the object. If he/she looks at it, even a passing glance, try to catch the moment, click and reward. Up until now, the game is similar to “Boxey.” Toss the treat on the object, rather than feeding from your hand. We want the dog focused on the thing, not on you for this game.

If the dog looks at the object, click, and toss. Up to three times. By all means talk to your dog, encouraging him/her to “check it out,” “go see,” “what’s that?”

After your dog has been rewarded three times for looking, ask “What else?” It’s time to ask for more. If your dog has taken the treats tossed on the object, it’s already a little bit familiar and they should be ready to sniff it, paw it, step on it, etc.

Asking for more

For each advance, reward no more than a few times before asking for more. You can either use one object at a time, keeping the sessions very short, or set up a few different things so your dog learns to generalize exploring different things.

Don’t worry if your dog doesn’t get very far the first time. Familiarity with the game will encourage them to try the next time.

If your dog doesn’t engage with the object at all, just lean over and stare at it. This is where the hardest part of dog training comes in – doing nothing. It’s really difficult to just stand there, talking to your dog, and wait for them to get with the program. We understand. But you can do it, and your dog will learn more and better if you’re patient. Resist the temptation to lure your dog to the thing by tossing the treats on it or in it. We’re rewarding, not luring. The difference is teaching your dog to make good decisions, instead of just following commands.

Goal of the game

Eventually, the game’s objective is to get your dog to either stand or sit completely on the flat object, whatever material it’s made of, whatever noise it makes, wherever it is. This is a confidence-building game that’s particularly beneficial for dogs that tend to be timid or wary. It encourages them to explore their world, knowing that you’ll be right there, side by side.

Easy and Fun Dog Training

Games are easy and fun dog training. And, over time, the most effective and long-lasting learning for your dog.

Long term benefits outweigh short-term attention in dog training.

And that’s where we see people getting frustrated and tempted to use aversive methods. Just this week one of our puppy class students pleaded to use a pinch collar on his five-month old Golden Retriever. Because when he tried it, he got better attention immediately.

That’s the way aversives, pain training, works. You’d pay attention, too, if it was the only way to not get choked.

Long-term gains

Fortunately, this man does want to do better by his puppy. He’s a long-time aversive trainer, so positive, game-based dog training is new to him. He was accustomed to instant obedience from his dogs. But he had to enforce that throughout their lives. They didn’t obey because they understood. They obeyed because they wanted to avoid pain.

The issue with this puppy is that she’s smart, curious, and five months old. The other dogs and people in class are more interesting than her people. So the first step is to be more interesting than anything else around.

Building the bond

He’s used to tugging on the puppy’s collar whenever he wants her to look at him. It’s going to take a conscious effort on his part to change that. It’s habit to say her name and pop the collar, not even giving her time to move her head.

The hardest thing in positive reinforcement dog training is waiting. Patience is not only a virtue, it’s a requirement. Jack’s assignment is to say his puppy’s name and wait for her to look at him. Not say anything else. Not let her go wandering off. Just wait, calmly.

Eventually, with nothing else available to do, the puppy will look at him. And that’s when he pounces with a celebration and reward. That reward is whatever is most valuable to the puppy – food, a game of tug, or on-leash fetch, or even a little wrestling match.

She will learn that looking at her “dad” is the most fun thing to do. It always, every single time, results in happy, fun games. It’s the best thing ever! And that’s how you build your bond with your dog.

Checking in

Jack and his wife are under instructions to reward their puppy every single time she looks at either one of them. They have treat bowls in every room in the house, and pouches to carry outside. For three months, since they got her, the puppy hasn’t been encouraged to engage with them. The focus has been on the toy, the food, the leaves blowing down the street.

They will be able to claim her focus if they make the investment. What gets rewarded, gets repeated. If the puppy is rewarded every time she looks at them, she’s going to look at them a lot more. And, when her people are more interesting, she’s less likely to find everything else so distracting.

Long-term investments pay off

When the puppy understands that looking at her people will always result in good stuff, it’s a lesson learned for life. It may take longer to penetrate than choking. But it’s a conversion worth making. Nobody really wants to hurt their dog. When you know better, you do better.