How Day to Day Leadership Can Address Aggressive Behaviors

The K9 Coach's Corner:  Training Tips for Fans of the K9 Coach

Establish Leadership With Your Dog

Thoughts on Aggressive Behaviors

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I am fascinated by the ability to influence a dog’s behavior – to reshape how they think and respond to various scenarios and stimuli.  I’m most interested helping a dog overcome what humans have done to them. 

There are so many techniques, opinions, and ideas that it’s easy to become confused.  I’m finding I have to weed through some really bad opinions and some pretty opinionated people to get to be able to develop my open opinion and values that I can stand confidently behind.  What must it be like for the average pet owner who starts to see bad behavior in their dog?  Do you even recognize the early signs?  Do you practice conflicting methods based on what a friend, breeder, vet told you?  Or do you just keep trying the same method that worked for your old dog, but things just get worse now?

Many recent articles and books suggest a dog who shows any sign of aggression should be put down immediately and make room for the healthy non-aggressive one’s.  That's an extreme view. 

It’s true that millions of perfectly healthy and happy dogs are put down each year because we humans continue to fall short of t the public on spay/neuter programs and millions of people continue to breed their dogs because “oh, he’s just so perfect, my friends want one just like him” or for profit.  And as if we don’t have enough overpopulation – people are now cloning dogs!  Think of the thousands of dogs that could be saved if that money went to spay/neuter and rescue programs.
 
So what if we put down every dog who demonstrated aggression?  Who gets to define what aggression is?  And what about the people who created the aggression by their abuse, or  failure to train or even nurture positive attributes in the dog? 

In my opinion, dogs are not born aggressive or shy/fearful.   Certainly, how they are raised including in the whelping box (by the mother, the owner/breeder, or the male if he is present) and time with their litter mates (too long or too little) can have an effect on their behavior.    Behavior is further shaped by what they are taught by humans and the boundaries and expectations that are set by us.  Lack of consistency and failure to set boundaries is in fact teaching your dog something.  In fact, everything you do with or to your dog shapes who they are and how they respond to situations in life.     What are you teaching?  What have you taught?   What have you failed to teach?   If you have rescued a dog – what past injustices are you trying to overcome from a shelter dog, life on the street, in an abusive home, or being chained to a tree with little human interaction?

People often think it’s cute when little dogs bark, growl, or nips – they  think it’s altogether different if it’s a big dog or a bully-breed.   It should not be acceptable behavior regardless of size or breed.  A little dog with bad behavior can often be the trigger for a reaction and the big dog takes the blame simply because he’s capable of doing more physical damage and looks and sounds a lot scarier.

There are some basic things you can do to begin to create boundaries and expectations for your dog that can lead to a better balance in their state of being and to prevent bites.

·         Train your dog

o   Start socializing puppies early (8 – 16 weeks).  Set boundaries and discipline even at this young age.  Many developmental phases happen as a puppy matures and how you and they respond will carry forward into their adult lives.  Puppy Training & Puppy Pre-schools are designed to introduce your puppy to other dogs, other people, loud and moving objects, and experienced they will encounter in every-day life.

o   If you have a reactive dog, fearful dog, or extremely shy – start desensitization programs asap.   These issues do not get better over time.   They get worse.  Much worse and can escalate to aggression.

§  Remove your dog from the situation giving them enough space to keep them below the threshold of reaction and reward only calm and relaxed behaviors

o   Aggression – seek professional help immediately.  Aggression is a serious matter that can put people, dogs and property at great risk.  It’s not a natural state of being for your dog – so help them overcome this state of mind.

§  Avoid interactions with other people or dogs until you have professional assistance in training.

§  Keep everyone safe.

·         Train your Children How to Approach Dogs (even parents of non-pet households)

o   Teach your children to ask permission before petting a dog and listen to the owner/handler.   Don’t be offended if the handler tells you “No”. 

o   Teach children to be calm, quiet and approach gently.  Allow the dog to smell them before reaching out a hand.  Never let your child reach their hand over the dog’s head.

o   Don’t allow your children to hug or kiss an unfamiliar dog.  You may find there are some dogs that will never enjoy hugs and kisses from children or adults.

o   If a loose dog is approaching your child, teach them to freeze.  Stand still, quiet and avoid making eye contact.  Running will only entice the dog to give chase.

o   We love when dogs and children play together  -- but that relationship has to be created & should not just be assumed to happen on its on.  You must also realize with some dogs it’s never going to happen.  Therefore, be sure to take precautions when visiting family members or friends with dogs.    (See our blog on the tolerant dog at the holidays)

·         Bringing a new Dog into your home

o   Be the leader from day 1 – or least start today.  Be Consistent.

o   Teach everyone to respect a dog’s space (bed, crate, etc)

o   Teach respect of food.   Feed your dog without small children around until you are 100% confident in your dog’s behavior around food.

o   Never leave small children unsupervised around a dog.  Teach children not to pull his tail, his ears, jump on him, or try to take toys from him. 

o   Teach your dog “leave it” to be able to take a toy or other object from the dog – whether it’s his toy or your child’s. 

§  If your dog is already guarding resources (toys, food, objects or people) it is important to begin training techniques to stop this behavior soon!

o   When visitors come over – have a “place” that your dog goes when the doorbell rings and when guests enter the house.   Set expectations with them about how to greet your dog or to interact with him.  If necessary, put your dog in his crate until your training programs are demonstrating trustworthy results.

o   Train your dog daily.  10-15 minutes of basic obedience.   If he masters those commands, add something new to challenge the both of you!

I am a professional dog trainer and yet,  I don't kid myself.  I still have much to learn.  I  seek to learn every day.  I respect that every dog is different and I've learned to expect the unexpected.   

If you are seeing warning signs of bad behavior it's best to nip it in the bud.   Call me.  I can help. 

 *Disclaimer:

This guide is offered as one method to train a skill.   There may be many others.   Leverage this document as you deem appropriate with your dog. 

Every dog is different.  All dogs learn a little differently.  Some will learn more quickly than others.  Some required different techniques or methods to learn a skill.   Be patient with your dog, praise lavishly, and reward often for doing something right.  While we do recommend consistency in leadership, expectations, boundaries and discipline for your dog, you must also evaluate when something is not working. Don’t just continue practicing a failing method.  

Owners are responsible for the care and behavior of their dogs in the home and in public.   Please be responsible for the safety of you dog, yourself and others.  Know how to read your dog’s signals and respect them appropriately.  

You must evaluate your own experience level and understanding of the techniques before implementing them and the response you receive from the dog regarding your pace and your follow-up actions.  Seek professional training if necessary.

If you need help with your dog, call us to schedule an appointment. 





Dana Brigman
The K9 Coach
Dog Training - Matthews, NC
980-339-8064
www.thek9-coach.com
info@thek9-coach.com

Follow us On

Facebook,  Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest , Instagram  & Google+

The K9 Coach is a Professional Certified Dog Trainer Serving Charlotte, NC, Matthews, NC and surrounding areas.

My mission is a better life for dogs as members of a forever family.

My goal is create training solutions for the home owner, to rehabilitate dogs from shelters and rescues, and to prevent dogs from dying alone as strays or owner surrenders in shelters due to unnecessary aggression or behavioral issues.

Begin trianing with a consult with a professional trainer to be sure you're solving the right problem. Misdiagnosis can make the matters worse. Be sure that there are no medical issues at play and that your dog is not in pain, as pain can be a contributor to a new display of aggression. If you have any fear or uncertainty -- do not attempt the techniques without professional supervision.

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Bringing Home a New Rescue Dog

The Coach's Corner.  Simple Tips and Training Guides for Clients & Fans of the K9 Coach

Bringing Home a New Rescue Dog

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As a new rescue adopter, you have heard how what a rewarding experience it can be!    It’s important to keep some basic training thoughts in mind when you bring him home.  These dogs are not perfect – no dog is.  Some dogs will be effortless to fit in your family, while others may be more of a challenge. 

A good foster program not only provides love, shelter and medical care for a rescued dog, the foster will have provided some basic training, a healthy home environment, and some fundamental training & boundaries.  The foster parent will do a thorough transition discussion with you regarding the dog.  The application process should help in making a good match between you & the dog.

It’s your job now to become the leader.  You will need to continue training, boundaries and discipline for the life of this dog.   If you have adopted from a shelter, your dog may have had no training at all.

The things you do beginning Day 1, will create the foundation for success.  You have to create the bond of trust, respect and leadership (this is not about dominance).  If new issues begin to arise, the sooner you address them the better.  If you are uncertain about a behavior – please get help. 

We all want to love these rescues and give them a better life.  But that does not mean spoiling them rotten or letting them get away with everything because they have never been loved.   You will show your love for them more if you create boundaries and discipline along with lots of TLC.  As a new adopter, there are some things you can do to influence success. 

Be patient and realize training and evaluations take time & effort. Puppies can more quickly overcome poor manners, but an adult dog might actually take many months of training, reconditioning & positive reinforcement to master these skills, and much of the success will depend on you as the handler and the environment you create.  Every positive experience you create for them today, and every negative one you prevent helps set them up for success.

Now, get out the treats and start rewarding all the positive things you want to reinforce and keep him doing.

Some *Suggestions* from The K9 Coach Include:

1.                   Introduce them to your pack slowly one at a time and on neutral turf such as the front yard with everyone on leash. Don't just open the front door or the fence gate and let the go. This may take you a few days to manage introductions & have safe boundaries for everyone to sniff and smell before they greet directly.

2.                   Take time each day to do some basic training. 10 - 15 minutes three times a day goes a long way.  Work with a leash and lots of treats on Sit, Come, Heel and Wait (for doors, food etc). Down is much harder and often stressful for the dog, so get the others mastered first even if it takes you several weeks to master them one at a time. A dog with trust issues or fear may be much harder to teach -- so go slower with these dogs.

3.                   Watch for and learn the signals the dog is giving you -- and he will in most cases give you an indication of his stress, fear, or attitude. Knowing those signals can help you solve many problems before they escalate. And remember, not all indicators are bad. In fact, it's better to be warned, than not be warned at all and a fight or bite occurs.

4.                   Consider some quite time each day in their crate/x-pen, with time to come out and play/train with you. Play can be training too. Have time that your own dogs are out with you alone without the new foster/adoptee. Just take it slow and give everyone some time and attention to acclimate.

5.                   Always be careful reaching for their collar as a correction, or to move them from the couch (which he shouldn't be on yet anyway). Consider a leash vs direct hand to collar corrections until you are confident in his behavior.  Remember – when he gives you the behavior you do want – give a small treat and lots praise.

6.                   It is as important to train children (and some adults) about respecting the dog, his personal space, his resources (toys & food), his size, etc as it is for you to train the dog about respecting the kids.   Visitors may not be as savvy as your own family, so never leave them unsupervised.   If necessary, put the Dane in his crate during play-dates.

7.                   Don't let them on the furniture right away. They may begin to guard it and you. Give them a nice cozy, safe place of their own.  If they are guarding you or the kids, from others – a sharp correction, and temporary removal from the presence of the person or thing he’s guarding is a good start.  

8.                   Begin early teaching that food from the table or during meal preparation is not going to happen. It just reinforces counter surfing and begging. Send them to their "place" or crate during meal times. Once they are more trustworthy, begin setting boundaries to keep them out of the kitchen or dining room during meal time. This may also mean the kids can't eat on the coffee table, unless he's very well trained to stay in place while they eat.

9.                   Avoid resource guarding -- teach them to wait for their food, and do some hand-feeding. If you feel comfortable, see if you can remove the bowl and give them something of greater value while you do so. He's not going to understand if you just take his bowl mid-meal. 

10.                Work on the "leave it" command, by asking them to give up some toy or bone by giving them a much greater value treat or toy, then giving the object back. They need to learn that it's ok to give up something they like when you ask. It just might be your shoe or your kids favorite toy.

11.                Don't entertain guests or take them on outings for the first 2-3 weeks. We know you want to show them off, but you need to bond, and gain some experience with the new pack member. When you do take them out or have people over -- do not leave them unsupervised. Manage their environment, the energy present, and the greetings by others (human and dogs, and especially kids). If any indications of fear are present, give him some space & distance from the greeter.  Teach your guests and your family to respect boundaries with the new dog.   

12.                When you finally do have guest over – ask them to give your dog a treat or two.   Even if it’s to gently toss the treat in his direction.  Do this every time they come over (for a few months) – it teaches them visitors mean I get some yummy treats!  You may need to have him crated for the first few visits, sit quietly by the door, on a “place” in the living room away from the door, before they enter, etc.  The foster can tell you what has worked for them in their home.

Dana Brigman
The K9 Coach
Dog Training - Matthews, NC
980-339-8064
www.thek9-coach.com
info@thek9-coach.com

Follow us On

Facebook,  Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest , Instagram  & Google+

The K9 Coach is a Professional Certified Dog Trainer Serving Charlotte, NC, Matthews, NC and surrounding areas.

My mission is a better life for dogs as members of a forever family.

My goal is create training solutions for the home owner, to rehabilitate dogs from shelters and rescues, and to prevent dogs from dying alone as strays or owner surrenders in shelters due to unnecessary aggression or behavioral issues.

Begin training with a consult with a professional trainer to be sure you're solving the right problem. Misdiagnosis can make the matters worse. Be sure that there are no medical issues at play and that your dog is not in pain, as pain can be a contributor to a new display of aggression. If you have any fear or uncertainty -- do not attempt the techniques without professional supervision.

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Help! My Dog Won't Sleeping Through the Night

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Puppies and newly adopted or rescue dogs often have difficulty being separated from their loved ones overnight.   They will try any antics to convince you to release them; including making you think they need to go outside.  At times, we have to stand strong and let them work out their disappointment in being crated.

Before trying anything we want to be sure we’re treating the right problem. 

• For this article, we are assuming you are not seeing any other signs of anxiety when you leave the home (example tearing up bedding, pools of drool, bent crate bars, etc).  If this is true, I dare say what you’re seeing is not separation anxiety.  If there are other symptoms or issues of stress during your absences from the home, it’s important to address them.  Misdiagnosis of the problem could make matters worse.
• Verify with your vet if necessary that there are no medical issues (example UTI) or something would prevent him from holding his bladder overnight. 
• You also want to be sure that he is old enough and has been through house training such that he should be capable of holding it overnight. 
• Assuming overall health, that he is well fed, has been out to potty before bedtime, you may simply need to let him whine, cry or bark to teach himself to self-soothe and calm.  With some dogs it can be brief, as in a few minutes upon being crated.  With other dogs, it may take a night or three.   If your new family member is one of the more difficult cases don’t despair.  There are a number of things you can to do ease the transition and train for better behavior.

Calming Methods:

• Consider having the crate in your room.

• Play calming music outside his crate on a low volume overnight.  (I once found that singing to my foster puppy put her out like a light within 5 minutes).  A ticking clock often works as well with very young puppies.

• Add some lavender oil to his collar and/or bedding
• Add a little chamomile tea to his evening water.
• Remember no water or food within 2 hours of bedtime.
• Once you put them in bed for the night -- don't take them out until their scheduled potty break (see House Training Guide for Puppies)

Waking Up Too Early:

If your dog has become an alarm clock that sounds off before your real alarm clock goes off, you will need to teach him that he only gets out of the crate when the alarm goes off or you decide it’s time.   It’s possible that something is waking him up that you don’t hear – a school bus, the newspaper, a barking dog, etc.   He will need to learn to cope with that if that’s what it is, but training him to wait for the alarm can help that.  You may lose a little sleep in this training method, but chances are you’re losing sleep anyway.

• If he’s whining at 5 am and you want to sleep until 7 set the alarm to sound before he would normally wake up. Start tomorrow by setting the alarm at 4:45 am.  Get up, take him out, tell him to go potty, and then put him back in the crate with no other interaction.

• You can give him a toy, a treat ball, KONG®, chew-toy, etc with a little bit of his kibble in it when you put him back in the crate, or even have a non-food toy in there to start.   Puzzle toys may keep him entertained longer.  Just prepare it the night before, have it ready on the counter, and grab it on your way back in.

• Do that for a day or two, then day 3 set the alarm for 5:00,  day 5 set it 5:20, etc.   You don’t get up and go in there until the alarm goes off.  Period.  You will be conditioning him to listen for the alarm.   Eventually you should be able to work your way up to normal time to get up.    He will also learn that he may have to go back to his crate and wait quietly.  Keep in mind he might not be so quiet the first few days.  

Going “hard core” and just making him wait it out from 5-7 if he is not fully potty trained may incorrectly teach him that when he’s sick his call for help is going to do no good. You want him to alert you when he really needs to go out! 

Hang in there – ideally it is a few controlled nights of training that will help him learn to sleep through the night.

Dana Brigman
The K9 Coach
Dog Training - Matthews, NC
980-339-8064
www.thek9-coach.com
info@thek9-coach.com

Follow us On

Facebook,  Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest , Instagram  & Google+

The K9 Coach is a Professional Certified Dog Trainer Serving Charlotte, NC, Matthews, NC and surrounding areas.

My mission is a better life for dogs as members of a forever family.

My goal is create training solutions for the home owner, to rehabilitate dogs from shelters and rescues, and to prevent dogs from dying alone as strays or owner surrenders in shelters due to unnecessary aggression or behavioral issues.

Begin training with a consult with a professional trainer to be sure you're solving the right problem. Misdiagnosis can make the matters worse. Be sure that there are no medical issues at play and that your dog is not in pain, as pain can be a contributor to a new display of aggression. If you have any fear or uncertainty -- do not attempt the techniques without professional supervision.

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Handler Consistency Makes All the Difference

The Coach's Corner:  Training Tips for Fans of the K9 Coach

Be Consistent!  Handler Consistency Makes All the Difference

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As your dog is learning fundamental life skills and basic obedience, you must have consistency in your expectations, discipline, and communications.   Your consistency is the key to unlocking success in your dog’s training.   Yes, that means you may have more to learn than your dog!

Your goal should be 100% consistency by all members of the family.   Will you achieve 100%?  No.  But with 100% as your goal, you’ll do a much better job of getting it right and preventing confusion for your dog.

What does this mean?  Ultimately, you make the determination of what your dog is expected to do and what you’ll find permissible.  You may have some decisions to make to prevent family behaviors that may be confusing your dog:

·     Is your dog allowed on the sofa – ever?  Or only when invited?  Or only when Dad’s not    home?

·     If it’s Ok for Dad to feed him a taste of dinner from the table but not for the kids to do so?  Does someone sneak food under the table, and you’re later embarrassed when Fido begs your guests for food?

·     Does Dad make him sit and wait for his food to be delivered but mom doesn’t?

·     Do the kids allow him to bolt out the door while you’re trying to train him to wait at the door?

·     Does Dad invite Fido to jump up on him, but then tries to prevent him jumping on Grandma?

·     Does Dad rough-house with the dog, but then get angry when he tries the same with the kids?

Some things should be non-negotiable though.  Examples:

·     Your dog should never be allowed to jump on people.

·     Your dog should be expected to comply with a command (Sit, Down, Come) every time it’s issued, the 1^st time.  It will never be effective if they don’t have to do it at home, but are then expected to do it 100% of the time in public or when guests come over.

·     Aggressive behavior is never to be tolerated without discipline.  This includes growling in the drive-thru window or as your neighbor’s dog walks down the street.

What does consistency in training mean, really?  Have very clear expectations of what you expect from your dog and the consequence for not meeting that expectation.  Be disciplined in your practice and follow-through.  Whatever you choose as your training technique, you need to demonstrate the same response (praise/reward and/or correction) every single time the behavior is demonstrated while the dog is learning.   You need to use the same word(s), same hand-signals, and the same body language (or lack thereof) every time.   

Over time you can vary or even eliminate treat based rewards if you’re using them, but you can never vary your expectation for the dog to comply with your command.  If corrections are effective during learning, and you have associated the word “no” with the correction  -- the word “no” will be eventually be enough of a correction to let the dog know that he has not met your expectations and allow you to repeat the command.

Your words and body-language communicate a message to your dog.  If not used consistently you can actually create confusion for your dog or perhaps even coax them into the wrong behavior – leaving you wondering why your dog didn’t do the command you expected.  You dog will without question pick up on your patterns or sequence of events and your body language.   It may be so subtle you don’t notice it; but your dog will.   They are far more in tune with body language than we will ever be. 

Your dog is learning something in every single interaction you have with him.  And because dogs learn by association, behaviors they practice generally become habits.  Therefore, if your dog gets to practice bad behavior sometimes, it’s going to be much harder to gain reliability when you really need it.  A classic example of this is your dog has free reign of the house while you’re gone, and barks like crazy every time the neighbors pass by.  You come home and tell him to stop – and it doesn’t work well.  During the learning phase you need to prevent your dog from practicing bad behaviors.  If you can’t be there to correct it, close the blinds, put him in a crate or block access to the front of the house.   And then use controlled training opportunities to teach a new behavior to replace the old (bad) behavior.

Be consistent.  Your dog will thank you for it, and you will find your dog is much better at doing things right, and has a lot more fun doing it.

Have questions or need help with more advanced training or behavioral issues.   Call us today.   We can help.

Dana Brigman
The K9 Coach
Dog Training - Matthews, NC
980-339-8064
www.thek9-coach.com
info@thek9-coach.com

Follow us On

Facebook,  Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest , Instagram  & Google+

My mission is a better life for dogs as members of a forever family.

My goal is create training solutions for the home owner, to rehabilitate dogs from shelters and rescues, and to prevent dogs from dying alone as strays or owner surrenders in shelters due to unnecessary aggression or behavioral issues.

Begin training with a consult with a professional trainer to be sure you're solving the right problem. Misdiagnosis can make the matters worse. Be sure that there are no medical issues at play and that your dog is not in pain, as pain can be a contributor to a new display of aggression. If you have any fear or uncertainty -- do not attempt the techniques without professional supervision.

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Teaching Leave It

Application:  Foods they shouldn’t eat, kid’s toys they should not have, shoes, rodents in the back yard, things on the street, and any other thing you want them to leave alone.

Teaching Method:  There are some things that for which a treat reward just work best.  This is one of them, in my opinion.  Dogs like to eat things that smell and if they have no impulse control, they’ll try almost anything.   Teaching them LEAVE IT with food creates a very reliable skill.  If they can leave a yummy treat, they will likely drop a toy or your shoes!

What Will You Need:   Yummy treats!  Kibble can be used to start.  Increase the challenge with greater value food rewards.

Time Required:   5 minutes, 2-3 times a day over a week or two.  Then ongoing random practice to keep them challenged.

Recommendations for Teaching The Skill*: 

Day 1, Lesson 1:  

·     Start with a treat in one hand that the dog CANNOT have – make it something        yummy.  Close your hand and hold it out in front of your dog.

·     Let your dog smell the hand with the treat.  He may paw, lick, nudge, etc trying to get you to open your hand.  Don’t open your hand, just wait.

·     Have other treats in your other hand behind your back, treat pouch, pocket, etc.

·     The moment your dog removes his nose or mouth from the original hand with the treat, reward from the other hand.

·     Do this several times (3-4), waiting on him move away from your hand

·     Repeat, but this time add the word “leave it” as soon as he moves away from your hand and as you offer the reward.    

·     Repeat with the “Leave It” Command 4-5 more times.

·     Take a break

Day 1, Lesson 2:

·     Follow the same process above, but always use the “Leave it” queue when the dog removes his nose/mouth, etc. from your hand

·    Change hands so that he learns leave it can be applied to either hand

·     Repeat  5-7 times

·     Take a Break

·     Practice a few times each day for 5-10 minutes at a time.

Day 2:  Lesson 3

·     Practice one or two times using the process from the previous lesson.

·     By now your dog may be ignoring your hand and starting to look at you or at your other hand for the reward.  

·     Start to open your palm so the treat is exposed in front of your dog’s nose.   Be prepared to close your hand or draw it back if needed – remember he cannot have that treat! 

·     Wait until he can pull away from the open palm, say “Leave It” and then reward from the other hand.

·     Repeat 5-7 time in this lesson, and then repeat the lesson a few more times the same day.

Day 3, Lesson 4

·     Practice one or two times using the process from the previous lesson

·     Then move to putting the treat on the floor.  Be prepared to cover the treat with your hand quickly.   Remember, he cannot have that treat!

·     Wait until he can pull away from the open palm, say “Leave It” and then reward from the other hand.

·     Repeat 5-7 time in this lesson, and then repeat the lesson a few more times the same day.

Day 4, Lesson 5

·     Practice one or two times using the process from the previous lesson

·     You should stand up with the treat on the floor – be prepared to cover with your foot

·     Wait until he can pull away from the open palm, say “Leave It” and then reward from the other hand.

·     Repeat 5-7 time in this lesson, and then repeat the lesson a few more times the same day.

Day 5, Lesson 6

·     Practice one or two times using the process from the previous lesson

·     Progress to a great toy he likes, or a different treat so that he learns it’s not just turkey or hotdogs he can’t have), but anything you tell him to leave.

·     Increase the value of the treat reward – it may be really easy to leave boring kibble, but much harder to leave a piece of steak.

Ongoing Practice and Increasing the Challenge

·     By now, your do is becoming more reliable at leaving the object or food item when you say leave it.   Add your verbal praise and alternate praise with treats.

·     Begin testing him with toys, by using it to play with your dog, and then tell him leave-it right in the middle of play and reward/treat/praise.  This is much harder! Be patient while he learns and make the reward a good one not just kibble.

·     Toss Treats near him and say “leave it”  -- reward for leaving the food on the floor

·     Practice on your daily walk or while you’re outside and he’s sniffing, chomping on a stick, chasing a bug, or trying to pick up something off the street.    Use your verbal praise lavishly when he leaves the item!!!

·         As he starts to master the command, you should be able to leave your dinner on the floor and walk out of the room telling him to “leave it” and come back to your meal untouched.  It’s challenging, and will take lots and lots of practice of the skills above, but it can be done.

Dana Brigman
The K9 Coach
Dog Training - Matthews, NC
980-339-8064
www.thek9-coach.com
info@thek9-coach.com

Follow us On

Facebook,  Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest , Instagram  & Google+

The K9 Coach is a Professional Certified Dog Trainer Serving Charlotte, NC, Matthews, NC and surrounding areas.

My mission is a better life for dogs as members of a forever family.

My goal is create training solutions for the home owner, to rehabilitate dogs from shelters and rescues, and to prevent dogs from dying alone as strays or owner surrenders in shelters due to unnecessary aggression or behavioral issues.

Begin training with a consult with a professional trainer to be sure you're solving the right problem. Misdiagnosis can make the matters worse. Be sure that there are no medical issues at play and that your dog is not in pain, as pain can be a contributor to a new display of aggression. If you have any fear or uncertainty -- do not attempt the techniques without professional supervision.

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