A marker, in dog training, is communication to your dog at the instant your dog offers the behavior you wanted. By using a marker, you are telling the dog, “Yes! Right there! That’s the behavior I want!” So it’s a very specific moment, an instant in a chain of action that we want to communicate to the dog, “You’re getting a food reward for THAT.” Markers, therefore, and not used for broad type behaviors like calling a dog. No. They {Read More}
Two Training Questions Every Dog Asks
March 23, 2017 By
When training a dog using motivation and reinforcement what two one-word questions do you think your dog will be thinking? I’ll give you a clue. They start with W. Why and What. If your dog were to talk, those would easily be his two one-word questions to you whenever you go to train. And the answers are the trainers responsibility and so is the success of a dog training session. So be sure you know the answers before you partner {Read More}
Come When Called
March 9, 2017 By
The majority of dogs who come through the Outsmarting Dogs’ board-and-train program need a recall behavior installed into their behavior repertoire. The owners of these pups often tell me how their dogs take off for fun and games when they’re called instead of obeying the cue and coming when called. Playing the chase-me game is great fun and very rewarding for the dog, but most owners are not amused when the game is out of context. We’re living in a {Read More}
Driving With Dogs In The Car
February 25, 2017 By
If you are driving with your dog, it’s important that your dog doesn’t interfere with your concentration. Use either a seat belt for your dog,or if your dog is small enough, use a crate. When your dog’s in a crate, he can have a water bucket, so if thirsty, can get a drink. Keeping water available for your dog is important. And so is distraction-free driving. Deputy Dave Passmore in this news report and video from KSL in Utah was {Read More}
Puppy Grooming Training
February 18, 2017 By
When a puppy is going to face a lifetime of grooming, it’s good to get started with safe and tasty grooming experiences as soon as possible. This is Cameron, our 13-week-old Cockapoo board-and-train client who’s in our puppy training program for Housetraining Plus. The plus part includes being in our puppy STAR program, which is an AKC designation and a good precursor to the Canine Good Citizen, which besides being a therapy dog, is another of Cameron’s goals. He’s got {Read More}
