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How to train your dog to stay!

Here I am with my current training pack at West Park, in Shippan Point, Stamford, CT. Theo the bulldog has joined us to improve on his listening skills and impulse control.

One thing to remember about many bulldogs is that they are notoriously stubborn. Meaning recall can prove to be quite the challenge. Especially when there is a high value resource to contend with. Like the stick Theo is chewing on in this footage.

Through experience, I have learned to teach a stern aversive marker within the second week of training. This is a verbal cue followed by a negative stimuli. Sprenger prong collars are a good example of such. As a result, you get a dog that stops what they are doing in compliance anytime the verbal aversive marker is given.

Following up with an incompatible behavior such as “come” or “place,” keep your dog from returning to the distraction in question. Once a solid recall is taught, along with a reliable verbal reprimand, you can use the two in conjunction. When your dog fails to comply with an obedience command like, “sit” or “come,” the verbal reprimand can remind your dog that it is not a question. It is a “command.”

Teaching a one hundred percent, full proof come command to your dog is impossible without the use of aversive training methods. We as owners must understand the realities of how dogs learn. Canines bark, bite and growl at each other. It is our job to communicate with them in the most humane way possible while remaining communicative and concise. It is imperative that your dog understands the meaning of “No,” in order to achieve any figment of communication with these complex creatures.

Should Ecollars Be Banned and Confiscated in The US?

Ecollar training, also known as shock collar training, is a controversial method of training dogs that has sparked debate over whether it should be banned in the United States. While ecollars can be effective in certain situations, there are several reasons why they should not be banned altogether.

Muscle stimulation works almost like a “Tens Unit.” This is the same way most effective and reputable brands design their e-collars. Dangerous behaviors such as aggression, can be virtually eradicated with the use of low stimulation training. Dogs that don’t respond to “R Plus,” or “positive” training, would otherwise be euthanized. While off leash, e-collar trainers enable owners to enjoy a healthy, well balanced relationship with their “dangerous” dog.

Ecollars can be a valuable training tool: In some cases, ecollars can be an effective way to train dogs, particularly in situations where traditional training methods have failed. For example, ecollars can be used to teach dogs to avoid dangerous situations such as chasing cars or livestock, or to stop engaging in destructive behavior like digging or chewing.

Ecollars can be used humanely: When used properly, ecollars can be a humane training tool. Modern ecollars often have adjustable levels of stimulation, allowing the trainer to use a low-level signal to get the dog's attention, rather than a painful shock. Additionally, many professional trainers who use ecollars use them alongside positive reinforcement techniques.

A ban would be difficult to enforce: Ecollars are already widely available for purchase, and a ban on their use would be difficult to enforce. Many dog owners may continue to use ecollars without proper training or guidance, leading to potential harm to their dogs.

It may limit options for responsible trainers: A ban on ecollar training may limit the options available to responsible trainers who use them correctly and effectively. It is important to note that a ban on ecollars does not guarantee better outcomes for dog welfare or training.

While ecollar training is a controversial topic, a blanket ban on their use may not be the most effective solution. Instead, education and regulation may be a more appropriate approach, with a focus on using ecollars only in situations where they are deemed necessary and appropriate, and with proper training and guidelines to ensure their humane use.

Puppy Pads or Crate Training:Which is the best way to potty train my puppy?

Puppy potty pads, also known as pee pads or training pads, are a common solution for puppy owners who want to potty train their furry friends. However, while they may seem convenient, puppy potty pads are actually bad for several reasons.

Firstly, using potty pads can confuse your puppy about where it is appropriate to eliminate. Potty pads may give the impression that it is okay to eliminate inside the house, and may lead to a lack of understanding about appropriate elimination behavior. This confusion can make it harder to train your puppy to go outside, and can prolong the potty training process.

Secondly, potty pads can be unsanitary and smelly. While they may absorb urine, they do not eliminate the odor completely, and the urine can seep through the pad and leave a mess on your floors. Additionally, bacteria can accumulate on the pads and cause health concerns for both humans and animals.

Finally, relying on potty pads can hinder the development of a strong bond between you

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The potty training process is an important opportunity for bonding and communication, and relying on potty pads can reduce the amount of time you spend interacting with your puppy and teaching them appropriate behavior.

Instead of relying on potty pads, it is recommended to establish a consistent routine for taking your puppy outside to eliminate. This can help them understand where it is appropriate to eliminate and build a strong bond with you through positive reinforcement and communication. Additionally, consistent outdoor potty training can promote better hygiene and health for both your puppy and your household.

Overall, while puppy potty pads may seem like a convenient solution for potty training, they can actually be harmful to your puppy's development and health. By establishing a consistent outdoor potty training routine and investing time and effort into bonding with your puppy, you can help them develop appropriate elimination behavior and build a strong, healthy relationship.

Crate training is often considered a better option for potty training a puppy than using potty pads. Here are some reasons why:

Encourages bladder and bowel control: Crating your puppy for short periods of time can help them develop bladder and bowel control. Dogs have a natural instinct to keep their living space clean, so if they are confined to a crate, they are less likely to eliminate in it. When you take your puppy out of the crate, you can immediately take them outside to their designated elimination spot, where they can relieve themselves.

Establishes routine and consistency: Crate training allows you to establish a routine and consistent schedule for taking your puppy outside to eliminate. This consistency can help your puppy understand when it is appropriate to eliminate and where they should go.

Reduces confusion: Unlike potty pads, crate training doesn't create confusion about where it is appropriate to eliminate. Your puppy will learn that they should only eliminate outside and not inside the house, which can help speed up the potty training process.

Helps prevent accidents: When your puppy is crate trained, they are less likely to have accidents inside the house. This not only helps keep your home clean but also reinforces the appropriate elimination behavior.

Builds trust and comfort: When crate training is done correctly, it can help your puppy feel safe, secure, and comfortable in their crate. This can help build trust between you and your puppy and make them more receptive to training.

Overall, crate training provides a structured and consistent approach to potty training, which can help your puppy learn faster and more effectively. It can also help prevent accidents, establish healthy elimination habits, and strengthen the bond between you and your puppy.

Are Fearful Dogs Dangerous?: How and Why

Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Ben Gagne (CCTBS)

12/15/21

Most adopters assume that their rescue’s fear is due to some past trauma. As if every timid dog has a history with an abusive male figure. Though abuse does happen, most of the time it is not the root cause for fearful behaviors.

In fact, there are a number of causes for such antisocial behaviors. The leading reason would be a lack of socialization and overall exposure.

Puppies kept in cages throughout the duration of the whelping process are not given the chance to practice exploratory behaviors. This leads to undeveloped motor, and social skills.

Feral hounds that breed freely within urban environments, are hardly ever handled by humans during crucial developmental periods of puppyhood. During the first two months of a dog’s life is paramount to the domestication of canines. Without handling or interaction by humans, pups grow into essentially, wild animals. These are the cases that you would see scurrying under shrubs or cars to escape a scary human. It isn’t that these stray, mongrel dogs have been abused. It is that humans are simply alien to them.

Fear aggression tends to be accompanied with a genetic predisposition to aggressive tendencies. For instance, a Rottweiler is bred in a puppy mill. This Rotty in particular happens to be the runt of the litter. His first two months of life go by, and he has yet to be allowed out of his whelping pen. All of his littler mates are sold off to their new families. But the runt is left behind due to his unfavorable, aesthetic attributes.

Four months go by, and he hasn’t played with another dog since his last litter mate was sold off. The only human interaction he gets is from his daily meal and weekly pen cleaning. You can see where this leads...

Once this dog is allowed into society, he would have never developed basic social or motor skills. This is the “crate state.” He corners himself and bares his teeth when people approach or try to pet him. The humans he does know, are bombarded by his erratic, uncontrollable energy. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

There are countless cases like these. But the majority are the result of an unplanned, unstructured upbringing. Not enough meet and greets with strangers. Not enough butts sniffed. Or diesel trucks heard. Once these dogs are exposed to this stimuli it is an overwhelming experience. They have two choices. Fight or flight.

Regardless of what a rescues past may be, there is no set formula to resolve every case. The first baby step in the protocol would be to introduce the leash. Many times fearful cases will perform what is know in the training realm as the, “gator roll.” Flailing and flopping like a Marlon. With patience, and a solid marker, this can be worked through.

If your dog can walk on a leash, you’re work is cut out for you. Use treats to instill a positive association to scary environments. Reward subtle moments of eye contact or smelling a strangers pant leg. We want tails wagging in all interactions, in any environment.

I will add a link below to a video of other professional trainers working with fearful cases.

How to choose reward for training: Is my dog food motivated?

When selecting a reinforcement for your dog, it is important to make sure that the reward yourei offering s of high value. It can be argued that just about any treat can be used. But what about those dogs that aren’t all that food motivated? Will your dog really drop everything,and take a piece of hot dog from you? imder distraction?

All dogs are unique individuals. Each one has it’s very own traits and characteristics. While some can be highly driven, others may bualkor scoff at the idea of work. Regardless of what the energy levels, all dogs have a motivator.

These motivational stimuli can range from anything, including toys, treats, and affection. Treats tend to be the most valued in the canine world. Your dog’s preferred reward can easily be discovered with a quick reinforcement assessment.

First, offer the very best piece of food that you can think of. This can be some peanut butter, or even strips of raw steak. Most dogs will gobble these right up. Then offer the most cherished toy in the house. Using a squeaker will definitely help figure out which reward is more preferable.

With the food in one hand and a squeaky ball in the other, hold out both rewards. If your dog chooses is the food, try throwing the ball while they are eating out of the palm of your hand. If your dog tends to choose the ball over the food, then he is more than likely “toy motivated.”

While using toys to mark good behavior can be a bit more challenging, it can also make things much more fun. High drive working bred lines tend to work more for tugs or balls rather than food. This interactive kind of stimuli helps to build close bonds between the trainer and trainer. Though shaping and molding with toys takes much more coordination, dogs with such high energy dogs tend to be much more motivated.

Most pets today prefer working for food reward. Training with treats makes marking and capturing behavior much more consistent. Food can be dealt out at a much more plentiful and timely manner.

Luring is also made much easier. Teaching your dog to sit, down, place, heel and come are all founded with a basic lure. Once dogs learn to follow a hand on cue, you can shape just about any behavior. This is also the precursor agility, or just about any canine sport training.

Store bought training treats tend to be full of fillers, and aren’t the most nutritious for our pets. Although there are some amazing freeze dried choices. These are a popular choice, because virtually no dog will turn them down. If you choose to make your own snacks, cheese, lunch meat, or any other deli item can make an incredibly enticing lure.

For beginners, food reward will prove to be the easiest to manage. If your dog prefers toys, they are just as capable of learning. This will just take a bit more time and persistence. Be sure to work with your dogs every day, remaining as consistent as possible. Through consistency and practice, anything is possible.

GET A DOG TO COME WHEN CALLED

Certified Professional Dog Trainer,

Ben Gagne (CCTBS)

12/3/21

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Ben Gagne (CCTBS)

11/29/21

The short answer is, Yes!

The question remains though. Is your senior dog mentally and physically healthy enough for a training and exercise regimen?

When it comes to geriatrics in canines, there are an assortment of different behavioral issues that may arise. Perhaps you have recently added a new puppy to the family, and your senior is not taking the transition well. It’s possible that a health problem could be an underlying factor causing some aggression. The fact of the matter is that, yes, old dogs can be trained.

I can understand why many people would go off of this assumption. Dogs start to form habits very young in life. The old saying “old habits die hard,” holds a lot of truth. So as you could imagine, a dog that has formed a bad habit as a puppy, can carry that habit up into adulthood. It is always best to address these issues early on, but easier said than done.

Knowing that it may be a little tougher to train an old dog new tricks due to habituation, what factors may inhibit the training protocol? One major factor would be health. Often times aching joints could be a cause for some irritability. Sometimes even aggression. These cases must be treated with a bit more precaution than with healthy dogs. Natural remedies, or prescription drugs may help with bad joints. That alone may be able to eliminate the issue.

Internal issues such as cardiovascular or mental health may also come into play.

My rule of thumb when modifying behavioral problems that are related to health is to look directly at diet.

Most seniors aren’t actually seniors, but they are feeble and sick due to poor diet. My go to??? A raw or homemade diet.

This diet change alone can alleviate behavioral issues just by improving mood and overall vitality.

I will write in a later blog on how to transition, and what to feed your dog when switching them to raw.

Does my Dog Need A Muzzle?

Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Ben Gagne (CCTBS)

11/25/2021

If you and your dog have come to the point of considering a muzzle, it is ok, you are not alone. All dogs have sharp teeth, and many modern day dogs are still bred to use them. It’s in their DNA. Yes, even Labrador Retrievers may still need to be muzzled. If you are still hesitant about whether or not you should muzzle your dog, ask yourself these three questions.

1. Has my dog ever bitten a human or other animal? If so, what were the circumstances? Many times dogs are put into predicaments where they may think they have no other choice but to bite. Maybe a scary vet tech, that is too quick to touch, and your dog is startled. Maybe your dog is in pain, and you pick them up the wrong way. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Your dog may not be inherently aggressive by nature.

2. How many times has my dog bitten? If it is over 3, than without a doubt, please muzzle your dog in public. Again, these may be circumstantial bites. Perhaps a neighbor kid hopped the fence for as ball, and your dog caught him trespassing. Scary thought, but in your dogs mind, it is their job to guard the property. Either way, if Fido is prone to biting, than the muzzle might be the best option.

3. How severe are the bites? If their is blood spilled every time, and the punctures seem to be getting worse, than it’s either the muzzle or the deep sleep. Many times a muzzle for your K9 is the only way for them still get some time out and about, while keeping everyone around you safe.

Bottom line is, if you have a dog that is prone to biting, it is best to muzzle the hound in public. Even with behavioral training protocols, you may still experience the occasional flare up. This is just the reality of many aggressive cases. Dogs are not robots. They have minds of their own, and many times they may choose to make bad choices. Consistency in training exercise will minimize, and can even eliminate these risks.

It is not the end of the world though. Through proper conditioning, you can teach your dog to love their muzzles. Positive association to the muzzle will ensure wagging tails, and hanging tongues at the sight of these useful training tool.

I will go ahead and add a link to a video that exemplifies the proper way to muzzle train your dog below...

The Problem of Big Box Training Facilities

Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Ben Gagne (CCTBS)

11/24/2021

Decompression. Manic episodes. Fear aggression. These are some of the words that may come to mind when considering sending your dog to a board and train.

Running a board and train facility of my own for the better part of a decade, it became apparent that the amount of stress put on dogs during their time with us was unnecessary.

The amount of stimuli that a dog needs to adjust to within the first week becomes an excruciating experience for them. Often times dogs in boarding or training are so overwhelmed, that they will refuse to defecate within the few days of decompression.

All trainers know this, but it becomes more about profits and paying off enormous business loans, than about the mental state of dogs in training. Many times, due to this conveyor belt type business model, dogs are left out or neglected, due to their lack of progress. Many employee trainers, will choose to focus on the more inclined canines, rather than the obstinate, or fearful cases.

Canines, though pack animals are territorial creatures. They are not livestock. Most dogs that need the training haven’t had enough exposure or socialization to cope with the shock of being placed in a warehouse full of other highly stimulated dogs.

Not the best learning environment.

Take it from someone who has run their own training facility for ten years. Day training is a far better solution to behavioral modification. The results surpass the traditional boot camp like structure. This is due to the more personalized take on training regimens. Owners are briefed and coached everyday with a professional trainer. It is not a rushed, get rich quick, business model. It is about the results. It is about the mental soundness and progress of both the owner and their best friend.

For the best results around, call the best trainer in town.