Ten Minute Trick Training and Spring Training Giveaway

I'm very excited to be co-hosting this month's Positive Pet Training Week Blog Hop along with Cascadian Nomads and Tenacious Little Terrier. Not only are we talking about how training can be "fun sized" in easy, ten minute increments, but we are giving away an awesome prize package worth $75!

Ruby knows over thirty tricks and I am always trying to come up with new things to teach her and polish existing cues. I would like to apply for a trick title, but aside from that we trick train just for fun. It's a great way to provide mental stimulation during the long winter months, creates a strong bond and improves communication with your dog.

I use clicker training for shaping and capturing new tricks and also for refining known cues. Yesterday I decided we would work on a few of the tricks that have been in progress for a while, and see if we could have any breakthroughs. I set the timer for ten minutes and used Ruby's kibble dinner as treats. Ruby gets so excited when she sees I have the clicker - she really loves trick training and for this reason kibble is high value enough for her.

I actually think ten minutes is too long to work on one single behavior for Ruby. She is a very sensitive dog and if she is not getting something "right," she can get frustrated. I know it's time to move on to something different if she lays down during a session. She also tends to be an overachiever who will offer a lot of her tricks before I even ask. Commonly when I ask for 'down,' she will go ahead and roll over, or when I ask for 'sit' she will go ahead and sit pretty. I have to be fast with the clicking and treating to mark what I've asked for.

Yesterday when working on one of her more challenging tricks, 'march,' in which I want her walk forward while raising her front legs up high, like chorus-line kicks, I realized the importance of breaking things down into smaller steps. I also learned that I needed to increase the rate of reinforcement (delivery of treats). Eventually I want Ruby to take multiple steps on one cue, but my goal yesterday was just to get one step from each foot. If she took more than two steps I would "jackpot" reward her and give her a small handful of kibble.

I think we made a lot of progress in just ten minutes - a wonderful reminder that everyone has time to train! Whether you want to teach a fun trick or work on something practical like loose-leash walking or recall, dedicating ten minutes a day to training is an easy way to positively affect your relationship with your dog.

Enter our giveaway for a chance to win a prize package containing a nosework DVD, puzzle toy and more!

No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and over. Void where prohibited. Giveaway will run from Monday, April 6th, 2015 through Sunday, April 12th, 2015 at 11:59pm PT. One (1) winner will be randomly selected by PromoSimple.com and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Participants must read and agree to PromoSimple's Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, KONG, Outward Hound, Zuke's, i-Click, Dogwise Publishing and Howln Moon Press do not sponsor, administer, or endorse this promotion. Prize pack will be shipped separately by participating bloggers who donated prize items. Prize pack may not be as pictured. 

This post is part of the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop - join us on the first Monday of every month to promote positive pet training and share advice and experiences. The hop is open all week long! The next hop begins May 4th with a review theme - please join us if you have a book, DVD or other positive training aid review to contribute.

From Street Dog to Video Star

A while back, Boca was invited to be part of a video shoot for Colorado-based company Outward Hound as they introduce their new website and re-brand (formerly Kyjen). I was asked if she would interact with puzzle toys and be able to be in a studio off-leash with the other dogs, and I thought she would do great. We both had so much fun and I couldn't wait to see the results, which went live on their website this week and are even cuter than I imagined. 


When we arrived at the studio, she met some of her co-stars and checked out the surroundings. There were lights and camera equipment as well as six to eight other dogs, their owners, video crew and Outward Hound staff. One whole corner of the room was draped with a white background, and the humans had to remove their shoes and stay out of the shots while directing the dogs, who could not be wearing collars or leashes. Boca was slightly nervous at first, and you can see her startle a little in the Paw Flapper video, but she soon relaxed and gave them some wonderful smiles and tail wags.

The dog she posed with in the Star Spinner video was also named Ruby, and was a real sweetheart, although Boca was wary of her as she often is with bigger dogs. It was that much more impressive that we were able to get them to pose so nicely together. It wasn't easy to get Boca to stay in place while I was off to the side, and it inspired me to work harder on our sit-stays and down-stays in case we ever do anything like this again. I am so proud of how well Big Sister did with all that was going on: strange people, strange dogs, new sights and sounds...from starving street dog to commercial star!

At one point, Boca removed one of the blocks from this toy and brought it over to me off-screen, which cracked everybody up. When it wasn't her turn, she sprawled out on the floor like she'd done this a million times. I loved introducing more people to these awesome island dogs. I'm delighted to have had this opportunity and I admit that I can't stop watching Boca happily crunching, frog-legging and trotting off camera to that catchy tune.

Boca Participates in the Woof Pack Insight Group at Kyjen

After writing my trick training guest post for their blog,  Ruby and I were invited to a product testing event at the Kyjen offices here in Centennial, CO. Due to Ruby's reactivity, I had to regretfully decline. After adopting Boca I could tell that her temperament was suited to such social events, and let my contact there know that we would like to attend the next one. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for Boca to meet some other dogs and people before our group obedience class starts at the end of the month. 

Last Wednesday, Boca donned her palm tree collar and we joined about ten other dogs and their parents for a fun evening of toy testing, sizing demos and packaging input. Boca was a little nervous at first, but soon settled in and relaxed. She greeted all of the other dogs appropriately and was very focused on me if I asked her to sit or lie down. By the time we moved to our last station, she was wagging her tail excitedly, as if to say "Oh, boy - what are we going to do next?" I was so proud of her! 

We were placed in a small group with a massive yellow lab who was a dock dog, and a petite blue curly dog (maybe a Portuguese Water Dog mix?) and rotated through three stations. The first was size-testing for an Outward Hound day pack. Having just measured Boca, I chose a size medium and it fit perfectly. She didn't mind wearing it at all! Next we moved to some unreleased toys and puzzles and were asked to complete a survey. Boca seemed to enjoy the puzzle toy. Finally, we provided input for a packaging re-design. Even though I majored in science, my advertising elective in college was one of my favorite classes and so I loved this part. 

Kyjen sent everyone home with an awesome gift bag, and Ruby and Boca had a great time playing tug with their Invincibles frog when we got home. Both girls have also tried out the Slo Bowl - it is great for Boca to eat from if I'm doing training with Ruby, and Ruby seems to be more interested in her food if she has to work for it! 

Thanks so much to Kyjen for the opportunity to be involved with their great product line! Click the picture below if you are interested in signing up for the Woof Pack:

Five Ways to Ditch the Dog Dish

Ruby with her Nina Ottosson treat maze

Recently I listed to Episode 17 of The Great Dog Adventure podcast, which featured an interview with renowned dog trainer and behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar. It contained some wonderful information, and at the end, host Fern Camacho asked Dr. Dunbar what was the one single most valuable piece of advice he would tell every dog owner. Dr. Dunbar replied "take away the food bowl." Don't worry, he didn't mean not to feed your dog! What he meant was, use your dog's food to train, reward and build your relationship. It's a powerful tool that we take for granted, setting down a dish of kibble thoughtlessly when we could be using at currency for communication and bonding! While he suggested doing this for one week's time, I think it's a tool that can be incorporated regularly, and something I've included in Ruby's routine from the beginning. Breakfast is normally a little more hurried since I'm rushing out the door to work, and I feed canned or freeze-dried/dehydrated in the morning, but dinnertime kibble is usually doled out in a number of different ways:

Puzzle Toys

Puzzle toys are a great way for busy, inquisitive dogs to use their natural seeking and foraging instincts to work food out of a variety of doors, compartments and mazes. Kyjen and Nina Ottosson make some good ones.  You may need to help your dog out at first, by showing them where the food is and possibly using a clicker to reward their attempts. Some dogs are more "pawsy" or mouthy than others. Ruby tends to use her paws a lot, and our favorite is the Nina Ottosson Treat Maze. We also like the PetSafe Busy Buddy Mushroom.

Trick Training

Kibble can be used just like treats (if your dog considers it high-value enough) to teach new tricks or practice old ones. I think trick training is a fun activity that nearly every dog/human team can benefit from. For more about it, check out my guest post on the Kyjen dog blog! 

Mat Work

I've talked a lot here about the Relaxation Protocol, a training regimen that is especially beneficial to anxious, high energy dogs to help them learn impulse control and, well, relaxation! It's a perfect way to distribute dinner. Sometimes I take a more informal approach and just ask Ruby to "go to your mat" while I clean up the kitchen, periodically giving her a small handful of kibble on the mat.

Basic Obedience

One of the things Dr. Dunbar suggests is that you pocket the dog's kibble ration for the day and hand it out whenever the dog is showing appropriate behavior. You could reward the dog choosing to go lay on its bed while you're having a snack, or sitting nicely when a visitor arrives. The possibilities are endless!

Other Games

There are so many ways you can turn mealtime into engaging, interactive quality time with your dog. One of Ruby's favorite games is "Catch the Kibble" where I toss each piece on the floor and she scrambles after it, or tries to catch it directly.  We have contests in which I see how many pieces she can catch in a row. Sometimes I ask for sit or a down before I toss, and we also practice "leave it." You can turn recall practice into a game, play hide-and-seek, or introduce nose work.

However you choose to integrate training or games into your dog's meals, I encourage you to take advantage of your time together, and teach your dog to play with its food!

  

WW 3.19.14: Supper Star

Ruby puzzles out her dinner with the Kyjen Star Spinner

 

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