Help! My dog has trouble with:
Jumping
Dogs love receiving attention from their humans and figure out pretty quickly that jumping will give them the attention they are seeking, even if the attention is simply telling them to "get off" or pushing them away. The unwanted jumping behavior will then inevitably repeat because it "worked!"
To solve this problem, we need to replace the unwanted jumping behavior with another more desirable behavior, without acknowledging the jumping behavior. This will give the dog some alternative behaviors to offer that are more rewarding!
Courses we recommend:
Puppy Biting
All dogs use their mouths to explore the world around us, whether they are mouthing, playing, or chewing.
Puppies have very small and sharp puppy teeth, so it is important they learn what is and isn’t appropriate to put their mouths on.
There are some behaviors you can teach your puppy to help him or her learn that your skin is NOT appropriate to gnaw on!
The nose touch behavior will teach your puppy how to interact politely with your hand, and the mat behavior will give you a place to send your puppy to if he or she gets a little too wound-up.
Courses we recommend:
Stealing
Stealing can be very reinforcing for our dogs. Dogs who love to be chased end up being chased by you, creating a very fun game! They also get a taste of the delicious steak they stole.
If your dog successfully steals an item, he or she will look for another opportunity to do it again!
It is very important to limit access to things that may be temping to steal. In addition, making sure your dog has strong leave it, drop it, sit, and stay behaviors will help you handle your sneaky thief!
Courses we recommend:
Pulling on Walks
Are you taking your dog for a walk, or is your dog taking you? Leash pulling is particularly troubling (and potentially dangerous!) for owners of larger breeds of dogs.
Every dog learns quickly that walks are fun, enjoyable, and filled with interesting smells! Dogs don't pull on the leash to dominate their owners, they pull because they want to explore. Owners can inadvertently reward their dogs by giving them access to the world when they pull.
Teaching your dog to walk nicely and have a strong work ethic on leash will help with both unwanted pulling and leash reactivity.
Courses we recommend:
Running Away
Many dog owners have encountered this struggle: you want your dog to come to you, but your dog does not have a strong enough recall, so you end up chasing him or her around. This is very reinforcing for your dog because he or she sees it as a fun game of chase!
Practice makes perfect, and recalls are no exception! Our Come When Called and Nose Touch courses will teach you how to make your dog's recall more successful. Our Door Manners and Go to Your Mat courses are also useful when dealing with this problem.
Courses we recommend:
Lacking Focus
Not all dogs are created equally when it comes to work ethic and focus.
Some dogs can work in the middle of a schoolyard, while others get distracted by a fly landing on the wall.
There are a few behaviors that will help your dog settle and learn to focus more on you.
In addition to those basic behaviors, teaching your dog some new tricks will give him or her some fun things to work on that may be more reinforcing than your typical obedience behaviors.
Courses we recommend:
Still unsure? Contact us!
One of our certified dog trainers will get back to you with the requested information and answers to your questions.