Welcome to day five of the challenge. If you see the value of positive based training but have some questions about how to begin, hopefully today’s example will set you on the right path.

Let’s take the approach that we want to set our learners up for success right from the beginning. With training we want to keep in mind the three “Ds”:

Distance
Duration
Distraction

Distance is the amount of space between your dog & something they may need to interact with (like another dog or a bicycle or a squirrel). Duration is the amount of time that we are asking for that behavior to stay in place (like a sit, but holding that sit for more than just a quick second). Finally, distraction refers to the amount of activity or other people, sounds, objects, etc. that are directly around whilst asking for a behaivor (for example, are you in your kitchen at home or at a busy street with many busses, cars, people, & possibly other dogs all around).

Now then, whenever we increase one of these “Ds” then we need to start by making the behavior that we are asking for a bit easier & begin with tiny steps towards increasing the difficulty level.

For example, if asking for a behavior in a busy dog park vs. at home in your quiet kitchen we would want to take a few steps back & request something less complex to start. In doing so we make it easy for your dog to get it right. Thus, setting them up for victory!

ACTION: Find a quiet spot with little distraction & see if you can ask your pup to do something simple that you are pretty sure they know how to do. Make certain that there is not a lot going on & that they are in a position to easily accomplish what you would like to see. (An example might be asking your pup for eye contact with you. Start by saying their name & praising when they look at you).

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Day FOUR-21 Day Positive Training Kickstart Challenge

Have you ever been present when a person’s dog doesn’t do as asked & then heard someone say, “Oh, he’s stubborn!” Or, “My dog’s not very smart!” Or “He’s just trying to be dominant!” The words “stubborn,” “smart,” or “dominant” are labels. They are what is know as “constructs” that folks use to describe behavior. The problem is that behavior isn’t what a learner IS, but rather what a learner DOES. In other words, a behavior is a VERB!

Using labels randomly to describe behaviors can be counter productive as we need to take into consideration & be mindful of the fact that “stubborn” to you may look like: my dog goes about her business without doing what I’m asking. Whereas “stubborn” to someone else may look like: my dog is watching me & just staring at me without seeming to understand.

ACTION: Try to think of a label that you might use to describe your dog’s activity & then clarify the observable behaviors that explain exactly what that looks like: (example: My dog is scared: looks like “tail tucked, shaking, licking her lips”).

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Day THREE-21 Day Positive Training Kickstart Challenge

Often times we spend the day without realizing that our dogs are exhibiting behaviors all the time that we like. For example, is your dog lying down quietly on the floor? Are they just hanging out sleeping? Did they come over to you & sit down nearby? These are three great examples of things that dogs do every day that are in fact, opportunities to reward & reinforce great behaviors.

More often than not, folks allow these situations to just pass by without a thought, & then when an unfortunate example (say the dog begins to bark at someone going past the house) occurs, people take that opportunity to scold the animal.

Instead of waiting for the bad, try LOOKING specifically for something you LIKE that your pup is doing & make a point of rewarding that behavior. A small bit of something they like to eat, a belly rub, or a pat on the head are examples of things that dogs often find reinforcing.

Catching your animal doing something right encourages them to try again. Each time that you reinforce behavior you are actually reinforcing future behavior as learning is a result of reinforced repetition!

ACTION: Watch for FIVE things today that your dog is doing that you could reward. Try to catch them in the act of doing something that you like (just resting quietly counts 🙂 ) & let them know that you like that behavior!