Part of learning is processing. You may have one completely awful game session. The next time, your dog may be brilliant. Giving your dog time to “think” about it helps them achieve success. For more information on dogs being selective and how their levels of tolerance change over time see " Does My Dog Love Other Dogs?" Maintaining a stand stay is the first step once the dog can easily and safely get on and off the box. Leslie McDevitt’s 1, 2, 3 pattern game can be utilized to add duration for those wiggly or easily frustrated dogs. A simple cue of “wait” or “stay” can also be utilized and can be easy for the dog if they already have some practice with this cue in other positions. Start with a short duration, only 2 or 3 seconds, and then reward the dog. With each successful repetition, where the dog can remain still without frustration, add one or two seconds of time. What if your dog moves the ring with a paw, instead of her mouth? Ignore it. It’s not what you want, and it may cause confusion if you change the criteria later. Mouth? Yes! Paw? Try again, that’s not what we want. Next on the agenda When you start teaching your dog something new, break the behavior down into little nuggets that can be assembled into the whole behavior.

Chronicle your training! Write down the games you play, the steps in the game and what your dog did – plus your plans for your next training session! Just by watching how your dog relates to the game, you’ll be able to see how he/she learns. Some dogs will get it right away. Others will learn one step easily and have difficulty with another. Just like us, all dogs have unique learning styles. Dogs with sensitivities to unfamiliar people and/or to handling should go to a fear-free certified or low-stress veterinarian/practice and work with a certified trainer to prevent instances like these, which will make for more pleasant veterinary visits for everyone, the dog, their human, and the veterinary staff. Veterinarians Must Know What Dogs Are Thinking and Feeling. (Animal doctors need to be aware of what their patients are telling them.) For example, a positive or negative arousing event (trigger) may take place that pushes your dog into an emotional and physical state of readiness via increased adrenaline and cortisol. The trigger might be a sudden sound, the anticipation of driving to the park and then being held in the car, waiting for a toy to be thrown, new people entering the property and the anticipation to be petted and given attention etc etc….

Dogsaster Stacking Dog Game

Dog Training: Blending Science With Individual Personalities. (Facile one-size-fits-all solutions ignore the complexities of what's happening.)

Many dogs are not trained to voluntarily cooperate during medical care and veterinarians are in a tough spot in many ways. Many haven't been formally educated in dog behavior so they would not know what warning signs to look for with aggression (see the Canine Ladder of Aggression), and are also dealing with a number of stressors. We have a total of six rings. We use diving rings because the rings that came with our post were too chubby for our dogs to hold and manipulate easily. Now we toss all six rings down and our dogs, knowing the game, get each one, carry it across, and place it on the post. Dogs learn what’s “good” by associating the “thing” with the reward. Try to place your reward (treat) near the post, so your dog knows the post is a good thing. She may not know what to do with it right away, but she’ll be happy to be around it.