DOG TRAINING VIDEO: Retrieving from water

In this dog training video my youngest dog, Sara (short-haired german pointer), retrieves a dummy. I use praises and playing as a reward.

DOG TRAINING IN PRACTISE: Teaching conditioned reinforcer to the dog

Dog training should be fun but also effective. Using positive reinforcement requires that we can "tell" the dog precisely when it is doing something right. If we use only unconditioned reinforcer (for example food and toys), particularly teaching new things to the dog, reinforcing could be inaccurate and too slow. Trainer rewards the dog always few seconds too late. Conditioned reinforcer (for example clicker, some sound or light) makes dog training much more faster and effective. Utilizing classical conditioning we can teach to the dog that some kind of sound signal predicts a reward.

You can use any kind of reward, however food is often simplest. Play the sound signal of your choice (clicker, good-word, whistle etc.) and then give a reward to the dog. Pay attension that for example your hand doesn´t move until the sound signal ends. Repeat it many times and remember to take breaks. Add some kind of distractions to the learning situations step by step, for example train your dog in different kind of places. Other people and dogs are also good distractions. Remember that when a new distraction comes along, your dog could stay and stare it/those. Deliver the reward still and don´t repeat the sound signal! Finally you can test the signal by playing it when dog is looking somewhere else. If your dog immediately looks at you and comes to you, it has learned the signal.

I speak in next dog training in practise-articles how to teach your dog some new tricks by using conditioned reinforcer!

DOG TRAINING TIPS: How to activate your dog?

Is your dog a little bit too energetic sometimes? Particularly puppies and young dogs could be rather hyperactive. Some mental stimulation keeps them more satisfied. There´s a wide range of activity toys and dog training equipments (for example kongs, soft dog toys, hard chew toys, dummies, interactive dog toys) on the market, but you can do without them!

One of the most popular dog activity games is surely hiding some food. Dog (preferably hungry) has to use its nose to find tidbits. Remember that food has to be very delicious. Hide tidbits indoors or outdoors (grass, snow, forest etc.) and make it more difficult step by step. You can also make a trail (smell) of blood or food for dog to track, and at the end of the trail is of course lots of food or dog´s favorite toy! If you dont have time to hide some food, give a delicious bone to the dog. Or if your dog isnt so fond of food, but loves his toys (ball, sticks etc.), hide them!

Lively dogs will often settle down if they are encouraged to use their brain more. Start putting an empty toilet roll on the floor and hide a tidbit inside of it. Dog has to figure out how to get the food! Make it more difficult step by step (paper roll, yoghurt can, box etc.). Some easy tricks are also very fun to learn. For example, teach your dog to sit, rollover, dance or weave in and out of your legs while you walk.