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Weekly Training Tip – Training and Play

Training and Play (Jan 8th) 

I find many people separate training and play time.  It is important to include them together.  Your dog will not only work for food but will also work for toys.

There are a few benefits for training your dog during play.  One is that it teaches your dog to control impulses (biting and jumping).  Asking your dog to perform a command during a play session allows your dog to create a pause in play.  Pauses create a time for your dog to relax and decrease arousal ( For those of you that are familiar with calming signals. Pauses are also a calming signal.).  Also when your dog is playing, he is in the primitive / reactive part of the brain.  When you are asking your dog to perform a command, you are switching him from his reactive part of the brain to his cortex / thinking part of the brain. The faster your dog can make these shifts during play the easier it is to manage overall arousal in your dogs life

So what does play and obedience trianing look like together?  Here is an example with a game of fetch.

• Ask your dog to down.
• Click when your dog downs. Then immediately throw the ball for your dog to fetch it.
• When your dog brings the ball to you, ask him to drop it.  When he does ask him to target.
• Click when your dog targets (touches your hand on command).  Then immediately throw the ball.
• Repeat the above process with any command: leave it, watch, come, sit, stay etc.  Use different commands rather than the same one every time.

You can also do the same process with any type of play such as tug-o-war, hide and seek, go find it with a treat, chasing a lazer light razer on the wall etc.  Object play is best to manage arousal and decrease bites in play.

Create play to be fun and a learning experience for the both of you!

Happy Training!
Johanna Teresi, Professional Owner and Trainer for Four Legged Scholars LLC 

Find out how they really feel!

Readings with Patty Pet Psychic
This weekend
Saturday and Sunday 12 to 5
Petco at 6842 S Redwood Road
With your animal or from a photo
$10 for 15 minutes

801-503-2599

www.pattypetpsychic.net

Weekly Training Tip – Intention

The Power of Intention in Dog Training (Dec. 31st)

This weekly tip was inspired from personal experience this week.  My dog, Seiki, has for unknown reasons at the moment developed fear when cars pass him when we are walking on the sidewalk.  Most of the time when I have walked him in the past I walked with the intention of exercise for Seiki and I.  As this new transition arose I noticed it was difficult walking, Seiki and I felt frustrated.  Everytime a car would go by he would become fearful and then would want to run and dart around on his leash.

I began to notice today what my intention had been in the past and realized that I wanted to change my walking intention during this new transition.  My new intention when walking Seiki is now ” I am walking to be in the present moment with my dog.  I am also walking to create a positive association with my dog and cars.”  With this new intention my frustration was gone.  Our walk was now peaceful.  I did not focus on exercise.  Instead, I focused on the behavior of my dog.  I rewarded him with a special treat every single time a car past by to formulate a new association with cars.  I enjoyed our time together.  Seiki walked nicely on the leash and the darting on the leash was totally gone

This week pay attention to the intentions that you create before walking and training your dog.  If your dog barks at other dogs, people, etc. and your intention is to walk for exercise this isn’t in alignment with creating a quiet dog.  If your intention is to focus on your dog and to create quiet behavior with stimuli then your results and your emotions will be much more in alignment.

Remember as you and your dog change your intentions will change.

Also, notice your intentions with your dog as you approach the new year!

Happy Training and Happy New Year!

Johanna Teresi, Professional Trainer and Owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC

Weekly Training Tip- Training Breaks

Training Breaks Can Be Good (Dec. 23rd)

There are many times where I have seen benefits from training breaks (a few weeks to a few months)!  Sometimes not training a behavior for an extended time period can speed up the learning curve in the dog.

I am not exactly sure why this but I remember reading about it years ago and I see it over again.  My dog is a great example his recall (”come”) regressed.  We took a break from working on “come” for about 2 months.  He received much exercise in my yard, from training and during on leash walks.  After the break, his recall was 100% at Tanner and at City Creek Canyon even with birds (birds were a number one distraction for him).  My hypothesis is that the dogs have time to actually think about the material (integration time) instead of being constantly bombarded with learning material.

Sometimes a break results in a regression in training.  So how do you know if a break will be beneficial or not?  I have no clear cut answer to this.  Generally when I have taken breaks away from training it was never conscious.  It was a break due to circumstances that appeared in my life.  Then when I got back into training…wow…..progress….just like that!

My insight would be to follow your impulses and intuition.  If you strongly feel pulled to take a break follow that impulse.  If anything if you back track in training your dog will learn it faster the second time around.  Generally impulses and intuition if clearly felt are rarely wrong.

So throw away the guilt about not working with your dog constantly!  Remember breaks can be good!

Also another tip.  You do not have to train your dog everyday for him to learn a behavior or command.  Consistency is the key and daily boundaries.  So many of my clients feel guilty when I show up and they haven’t worked enough with their dogs daily.  If you are working on a command 2-3 times a week you will see progress. Short training sessions lasting 2-5 minutes are generally best as well.

Take a break around the holidays and be consistent with your dog!  Have a wonderful time and may your season be filled with love and light!

Happy Holidays!

Johanna Teresi, Professional Trainer and Owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC

Weekly Dog Training Tip

Holiday Party Tips (Dec 18th)

Holidays can be easeful with your dog(s) or very stressful.  Here are some tips to create a more easeful holiday.

1.) First and foremost keep your dogs occupied during this busy part of the season.  If you don’t have time to exercise your dogs contact one of the following dog walkers:

Adam 801-828-7200

Kathy 801-503-5256

Portia 801-755-2881

2.)  There are also awesome toys to keep your dog busy that I recommend at Pet Expertise

3.) If you need a break put your dog in his crate with a Kong or bully stick for your dog to chew on.

4.) During parties give each guest a small ziploc bag with some kibble or treats.  Your guests are then instructed to give your dog a treat when he sits.  If your dog jumps, the guests are instructed to turn their backs and ignore him until he sits.

5.) Children should only be with your dog under adult supervision.

6.) Exercise your dog before your guests arrive.  Off leash walk or play is best.

7.) If you are boarding your dog I recommend Animal Medical Clinic in Bountiful .

8.) Give yourself time for just you so that you are not rushing around doing everything for everyone else.  The more relaxed you are the more easeful the holidays will go for you and your dog!

Happy Holidays!

Johanna Teresi, Professional Trainer and Owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC

FREE WEEKLY DOG WALKS IN JANUARY

Meet other dog lovers and have fun walking your dog!

Here is the link:

http://www.meetup.com/trainingdogs/calendar/ or

fourleggedscholars.com/community_education.html

Weekly Dog Training Tip

Knowing What You Want

On Wed Dec 9th I was on a radio show, “Who Let the Dogs Out” with my Life Coach Megan Sillito.  I would love for all of you to listen to it!  

As I was talking in the show, I realized that I have a formula that I use to help owners create what they want with their dogs. Below are the steps to create what you want with your doggies!

1.) Be clear with your body language.  Some of you have heard of this before and it cannot be told enough.  This is extremely important.

For example: If your dog is about to break a sit stay lean into your dog.  This is telling him not to move forward because you are moving into his space. If you lean back or stand still your dog may still break the stay.

Anther example:  If you want your dog to learn come.  Run away from your dog with your back toward your dog. This is clear body language.  If you run with your front facing your dog then you are saying come to me but don’t.

2.) Be confident.  This is created easily by visualizing success.  If you visualize yourself training the behavior you want with confidence, clear communication, and clarity you are increasing great communication to your dog.  If I am your trainer, watch carefully how I train when I am with you.  Now close your eyes and visualize yourself as me training your dog.

3.) Be authentic.  If you feel frustrated, fear, anger, sadness, or any emotion voice it.  Let it out.  Do the same with stories.  If you have a story voice it.  One story might be “My dog won’t listen to me”.  You might even have a story that your dog only listens at home or that your dog is not smart.  After voicing it (this creates conscious awareness), do one of the following:

• Wonder.  Wondering if this story is possibly untrue.  If you agree that it is untrue recommit.
• Recommit immediately.  Recommit only if it is a “yes” for you to recommit.

When recommitting here are some suggestions (Make sure the recommitment statement resonates with you.):

I recommit to:

• creating ease and flow with dog training.
• wondering how to create obedience with my dog.
• allowing my dog to listen to me.
• being clear in my communication so that my dog knows exactly what I want.

All of the above helps you become clear with what you want to create with your dog.  If you are hesitant or unsure with want you want, positive results are less likely to be created.  Your body language, confidence in training, and emotions all affect your success with your dog.

Happy Training!

Keep the Holiday Season safe for Your Dog

Holiday foods can be harmful.  Many holiday foods are harmful or even toxic to canines.  These include fatty or spicy foods, bread, dough, fresh herbs, alcoholic beverages, sweets of all kinds – especially those with chocolate or xylitol, an artificial sweetener.  Particularly dangerous are cooked poultry bones.  Cooked bones easily splinter and the bone shards can cause choking or get stuck in your dog’s gums.    Instead, give “dog bones” specifically designed for dogs to chew.  Ask your veterinarian for suggestions.

Decorations are not playthings.  Keep your pet away from holiday plants, many of which are poisonous such as holly, mistletoe, poinsettias and amaryllis.  Also be sure all potpourris out of your pets reach.  Snow globes can contain antifreeze which is extremely toxic to dogs.  Keep electrical wires or batteries out of your pet’s reach.  Chewing or biting anything electrical can cause him shock or burns.  Don’t leave a lighted candle unattended.  A lit candle knocked over by a swinging tail can burn your pet or cause a fire.

Christmas trees can be hazardous.  Anchor the tree to the ceiling or wall to prevent it from tipping over.  Hang non-breakable ornaments near the bottom of the tree.  Avoid putting tinsel on your tree.  If ingested, tinsel can twist in your dog’s intestines and be deadly.  Don’t let your dog drink the Christmas tree water.  The water can contain preservative chemicals which can trigger severe ingestion in dogs.  Stagnant plain water can breed bacteria and cause nausea or diarrhea to the pet which imbibes.  Regularly sweet up fallen pine needles, as they can puncture holes in a dog’s intestines if ingested.

Pets like presents too!  Help your dog stay busy and out of the holiday trimmings by giving him fun, safe toys.  The Buster Cube and Kong are virtually indestructible puzzle toys that reward your dog with treats and keep him well entertained.

A final note:  Please don’t give a pet as a surprise gift!  A cute puppy might seem like the perfect gift choice, but many of these holiday presents end up at animal shelters.  Owning a dog takes a genuine commitment of time and responsibility and adoptive owners must be ready to participate in training and other activities.  If someone you know seriously wants a dog, consider giving a leash and collar or a dog training certificate, along with a note saying a dog of the recipients choice comes with it.  This helps ensure the lucky person sets just the right pet to bring in to the family.

Weekly Dog Training Tip – Emotional Roller Coaster

The Emotional Roller Coaster

We have two choices with emotions in our lives.  Choice one is to feel our feelings.  Choice two is to repress our feelings.  Today I had an amazing session with Megan Sillito.  The anger I felt today was so intense.  She allowed me to fully feel my emotions with happiness and peace.  It was an amazing reminder that I can choose to feel my emotions without a negative connotation behind them.

I notice I do this more and more.  The more I fully embrace how I feel the more open space is created.  The more authentic relationships I create with my clients and the more present I am in my relationships.

Getting out of my head and into my body can be conflicting at times.  Last week I created a conflict with a close friend of mine as my mind got wrapped around stories and what I wanted to say.  When I chose to really “feel  my feelings” the conflict resolved itself and my friend chose to feel as well.  It was amazing.  I felt more love for her than I ever have.  The connection was one of the soul and was about ultimate truth.

So today I have felt much anger and sadness.  I have chosen to play with it.  As a result, I was so present with my dog client this afternoon it was amazing.  I arrived at my clients house feeling angry.  I chose to breathe.  Then when I entered into the house instead of ignoring the anger I chose to be crazy.  I told the dog I felt angry.  I said it multiple times until it passed and sadness came. The anger was covering up the sadness.  So I cried and the dog came and laid with me.  It was beautiful.  I realized in that moment that I had chosen so many times to repress my emotions when working with this dog.  I would choose to put on a mask that I was feeling fine on days that I really wasn’t.

So today I chose differently.  The bond I created with the dog was so amazing.  When we left for our walk anger arose again so I chose to run and run.  It was so fun to feel my anger while running.  The dog ran with me and enjoyed it so much.  She was so happy.  I was laughing and felt so open.  I shifted to happiness and presence.  We worked on recalls and leash walking.  The session was amazing.  I also noticed the more I allowed myself to be who I was the more I was giving permission to this gorgeous dog to be who she is.

I noticed after I left I felt more sadness. I chose to go home and turn on some sad music and dance.  Seiki, my dog was so happy to dance with me.  We had fun with my sadness.  He loved it and I enjoyed it as well.

So the moral of the story is to feel your feelings.  It does great things to your body.  Most of all it allows you to create open space so that you can create wonderful space for your dog….amazing presence, a soul connection, easeful training, etc.  When you repress emotions training becomes so very very hard.  Create it be easeful.  Use any of the tools I have stated above and most of all have FUN doing it!

Happy Training!

via Four Legged Scholars LLC – Dog Training

Johanna Teresi, Professional Owner and Trainer of Four Legged Scholars LLC

Weekly Training Tip – Calm Behavior at the Door

Calm Behavior at the Door

Many owners dread it when people knock at their door.  Their dog barks and then immediately jumps all over the visitor when they enter in the house.  Read below and learn some simple solutions to make this transition more easeful.

Have treats, your clicker, and your dog’s leash readily available by the door.  When someone knocks at the door, put your dog’s leash on and  lure your dog away from the door.  With a treat in your hand move your hand toward your dog’s muzzle.  Then guide your dog by moving your hand to the location that you want him to remain. Usually your hand is like a magnet when you have a treat in it.  Choose a location that is out of the visitors path when he enters and a place that is not in the pathway of the opening door.

Next, ask your dog to sit.  Say “sit” then C/T (click and treat).  Repeat this multiple times in a row at a fast rate.  It might be beneficial to have multiple treats in your hand so that your C/T are super quick.  After your dog has been retaining the sit for a few seconds ask the visitor to come inside.  Body block your dog by standing in between the visitor and the dog.  Continue to say “sit” and C/T as the visitor walks inside.  When the visitor is visible this is the hardest time for the dog to retain the sit so once again have a high treat frequency.  I also recommend that you request the visitor to open the door rather than leaving your dog to open the door.

When you are ready to let your dog up say “okay” and he will be free to break the sit.  Repeat the above process multiple times with a variety of visitors.  Once your dog is consistent with holding the sit, you can begin to increase the time interval between the C/T.  Eventually, you will stop using the clicker and switch to random rewards.

For any further explanation contact Four Legged Scholars.

Happy Training!

via Four Legged Scholars LLC – Dog Training