Austin Dog Trainer Blog

Really Funny Boxer!

This boxer is so funny - I just love the look on his face at the end of the video!

Cara, Dog Training and Behavior in Austin, TX

Using Reinforcers

My dog training students often ask me how often they have to "pay" their dogs for doing things.  They usually have food in mind as the "payment" and they're wondering how long they have to carry food with them during their dog's training.  First, I tell them that they should pay their dog for good behavior or for performing requested tasks (like a recall or sit) forever.  Then, I explain two important things: 1 - just because the dog should get paid "forever", doesn't mean they have to get paid every time they do something they're asked to do, and 2 - the payment doesn't always have to be food. 

Why pay forever?  How long would you work without getting paid?  If your boss stopped paying you, how many days, weeks, or months would you continue to work without getting paid?  My own dogs will work a good long while without a paycheck, but I've trained them and been very generous with my reinforcers in the past.  This makes them more willing to work for me in the future without pay.  But, for example, if I notice that I've asked them to do a Leave-It with a cat on our walks several days or weeks in a row, I'll make a mental note to bring some good treats or a toy they like on our next walk so I can pay them for a Leave-It. 

You'll notice in that example, that my dogs don't need to get paid every time they comply with a Leave-It cue, but I do pay them occasionally.  You'll also notice that I don't always use food as the reinforcer.  Sometimes, their payment is a toy, or going through the door, or coming out of a crate, or going up into the car, or getting to come into my lap for petting, or any number of things that my dogs may want in life.  Look for real life reinforcers in your dog's life and then begin to substitute them for food reinforcers AFTER your dog really understands the cue and task you are working on. 

Cara, Austin Dog Training and Behavior

Dog Barking in the Crate?

Well, aside from making the crate a really incredible place to be (hide treats and new toys there for your dog to find, use stuffed food toys to entertain your dog in the crate, periodically drop treats in the crate when your dog is quiet) you need to be sure you're not reinforcing any problem behavior in the crate.  Remember, reinforcement doesn't just come in the form of treats or petting - it can be talking to your dog when they bark in the crate, letting your dog out when he whines or cries in the crate, or yelling at your dog when you can't take his barking anymore.  Instead of reinforcing your dog for barking, whining or fussing, use a timer to cope with the barking!

When your dog is fussing in the crate, use an egg timer or set the timer on the microwave for 4-5 minutes.  Don't make a peep or even look at your dog during this time.  Just wait for the timer to go off.  If you don't have a timer, wait for the commercial break in your tv show to start or end.  Or, go wash the dishes in the sink.  Anything that will take more than a few minutes will work to help distract you and help you realize that the barking does in fact end very quickly if you only ignore it! 

If you try this method and your dog is not stopping the barking within 30 minutes, you need to call a professional trainer for some help!

Cara, Austin Dog Training

Why we changed our Austin Dog Daycare!

We recently made some major changes to the way we run our Austin Doggie Daycare and we're very happy that we did!  Our new dog daycare routine is working better for the staff and the dogs. 

As dog trainers, we've always known that dog daycare can be a wonderful thing for dogs or a breeding ground for problem behaviors.  When you bring together large groups of dogs, the potential for dogs to become overstimulated and cranky is very high.  Dogs can also learn very rough play styles or one dog may be picked on or bullied by other dogs.  Because of this, we have always had a strict policy of having nap times for dogs throughout the day and we kept our play groups at about 7 dogs per group.  Recently, I decided that this still wasn't good enough.

Young, exuberant dogs continued to engage in play that was too rough and, although our playgroups were small and supervised, our staff were having to time out dogs left and right or try to address problem behaviors in too many dogs at one time.  We simply weren't being effective! 

Last week, we made the switch to a new routine and the difference is amazing!  We have continued to have nap times, but the dogs also have Kong time where they're working on stuffed Kongs, bully stick time where they get to chew on a yummy bully stick, and one-on-one time with a staff member doing tricks training or other mental stimulation games.  Naturally, they still have play sessions with other dogs, but we match two to three dogs in short play sessions where one staff member is specifically helping those dogs to interact appropriately.  The dogs seem to be loving the new system and so are we!  Time outs are drastically reduced, our staff is more cheerful and relaxed, and the dogs get plenty of exercise, socialization, and one-on-one attention without learning poor manners or becoming overstimulated.  Because of the extra snack times, we've had to have owners bring their dogs' breakfast and dinner in to daycare so that we can use their kibble for part of their Kong stuffing mixture.  After all, we don't want a bunch of overweight dogs walking around!  That was an easy enough change to make, though! 

If you're bringing your dog to a doggy day care, take the time to ask how many play sessions your dog will have, what kind of dogs they'll be paired with, how long the play sessions will last, how poor play manners are addressed, what else the dogs will do during their day, and how many dogs will be in your dog's play group.   We're a fairly small, unique daycare so you may not be able to find a dog daycare in your area that does things quite like we do, but it's worth a good hard search to find the right setting for your dog!

Cara, a much more relaxed and happy dog daycare owner!

Dog Jobs Board

Sorry, folks!  The dog jobs board link that was on our main homepage was removed.  We've had some people looking for it - here is the link to the Dog Jobs Board:

Click here!

Cara, Austin Dog Training, Behavior, and Dog Daycare

Can my puppy spend the day outside when I'm at work?

Well, as with a lot of questions in dog training, the answer is, "it depends."  It depends on what breed of puppy you have (a lab will do better than a Maltese would in the yard).  It depends on whether you want a dog that might bark all day or dig holes in the yard (if left to their own devices outside all day, your dog will learn bad habits like digging and barking).  It depends on whether you want your dog to be house trained (if your puppy is outside all day, she won't need to use her muscles to control her bladder and bowels - if those muscles aren't being used, your puppy won't learn to hold it and your house training efforts in the house will be sabotaged).

Ideally, use a pet sitter or dog daycare instead.  And, if you must leave your dog outside during the day, create the perfect setup to protect your pet and keep them safe - see our post on outdoor kennels for more info! 

Cara, Austin Dog Training, Behavior, and Doggie Day Care