Clicker Training NJ

When that new puppy smell starts to wear off, and the initial excitement and cuteness of puppy destruction, puppy nipping and puppy potty habits wear off, many owners will find them selves confronted with the harsh reality of the adolescent dog. This is when that solid foundation of clicker training becomes extra important. Dealing with growing dogs, is a lot easier with some solid basics.
You'll find yourself going back time and time again to basic commands like sit, go to bed, target, and walk nicely on a leash. It is neccessary in these early stages to find lots and lots of opportunities to reward the "good" behaviors, because having that positive reinforcement history will come in handy time and again. Replacing negative behaviors isn't a matter of "no" this and "no" that. Many owners find that the word "no" is completely ineffective, despite many repititions. A better choice is to carry treats with you as you go through your day and reward the good behaviors. When you do see bad behaviors ask yourself the following questions.
Am I giving the dog the opportunity to perform this behavior? Could I change that opportunity?
How is the dog being reinforced for performing this behavior? Can I remove the reinforcer?
What behavior would I like to see instead?
Sometimes, it is a lot easier simply to limit the opportunities to perform a behavior. Is your dog counter surfing? Block access to the kitchen. You can also remove the reinforcement, by never leaving unattended food on the counters. If you'd like your dog to not enter the kitchen, or to go to his bed in the kitchen, or to stand on all four paws while in the kitchen, be sure to provide ample reinforcement when your dog is performing these behaviors. Seek out opportunities to reinforce. You don't have to spend your whole day stalking your dog throughout his day, but be sure to take note of "good" behavior and make a big deal out of it.
You'll thank yourself in the long run, when your adult dog isn't interested in counter surfing, because he knows that not countersurfing is a LOT more rewarding.
Good luck and happy training!

When the ground is covered in snow, it can be difficult to exercise my westies. We are all stuck indoors, and that energy needs to be channeled somehow, otherwise they tend to find “something” to do.
Here are some options that I have found for indoor exercise:
Some good training games:

Shaping games: Playing 100 things to do with a box, will keep their minds and bodies active.

Working on your recall: A game of pass the dogs works quite well to get the energy out as well as reinforcing a recall. My husband and I can sit across the room/house from one another, and call the dogs. They get to run back and forth for love, attention, and treats. Fun for everyone!

Legal destruction! : sometimes giving dogs “legal” opportunities to rip tear and shred will really get some of that destructive energy out. Try making your own enrichment items using things from around the house. I like using cereal boxes, paper grocery bags, or newspaper rolls filled with treats. Sure it’s a lot to clean up after words, and you should definitely supervise these interactions, but it’s a lot of fun!

Working for your dinner: Hiding dinner around the house instead of just feeding it in a bowl, will keep them sniffing, moving, and thinking

Kongs and puzzles: Stuffing kongs is always a classic (I like frozen meatballs and peanut butter), use an old muffin tin to make your own puzzle, put a treat in each tin, and put a tennis ball on top

Hopefully, these things will help keep snow days fun for you and your fur babies!

Made a new years resolution to do more training! This is the perfect opportunity, it's National Training month! :)

This is a good time to review fundamentals. Take some time to work on behaviors that may have lapsed. Take some time to play training games like 100 things to do with a box. Work on that new behavior that you have always wanted to train but just haven't taken the time to do yet!

Lego and I plan on working on learning to put his toys away. It's been a behavior I always thought looked fun AND useful!

What are your training goals this month?

A vocabulary lesson.

The scientific definitions of positive and negative reinforcement are often misunderstood, and used incorrectly.

Lets start with the words positive and negative.
Positive means adding something. Negative means taking something away.

Now, the reinforcement - means anything that increases the likelyhood of a behavior reoccuring, and punishment- means anything that lessens the likelyhood of a behavior reoccuring.

So it goes.
Positive reinforcement - Adding something to increase the likely hood of a behavior reoccuring.
For example: I ADD a dog treat when my dog sits, so that he will be more likely to sit in the future.

Negative reinforcement -- taking away something (aversive) to increase the likelyhood of a behavior reoccuring.
For example: Taking away pressure on a leash, letting go a collar, etc..

Positive punishment - adding something (aversive) to decrease the likelyhood of a behavior reoccuring
For example: Yelling, screaming, hitting, pulling... all those bad and terrible things.

Negative punishment -- taking away something (positive) to decrease the likelyhood of a behavior reoccuring.
For example: You take away your kids game system when he does something bad.

Clicker trainers only use Positve reinforcement to train! Here at ClickerTraining NJ, I use completely force free methods, and lots of rewarding positive reinforcement! :) It makes ME happy, and it makes my pets happy!

Positive reinforcement can be such a misunderstood phrase. Most people seem to think that positive reinforcement means nothing but treats, but that's certainly not true.
Reinforcement depends on the recipient.
For example:
I really like chocolate. I mean, I REALLY like chocolate. To me, chocolate is pretty reinforcing. Maybe I will tell myself that I can eat a fun size snickers bar if I go for a run. That would work for me!
On the other hand, my cousin is allergic to chocolate. So, even though I personally find chocolate highly reinforcing, if I was to offer her chocolate for a run, I am sure that she would turn it down.
If I continued to offer her chocolate for running, it is probable that she would want to run even less, to the point even that she would no longer wish to run at all.
This is definately something that we can see happen with animals that we work with.
They are the ones who decide WHAT is reinforcing to them. It could be lots of things, chasing squirrels, food, water, attention, petting, a game, a favorite toy, chances to sniff, chances to greet people or animals... etc! Keep your mind open! THen we must apply that knowledge wisely.
When we look at just one example, the example of food (generally considered a Primary reinforcer)
Which foods are reinforcing? How reinforcing is each kind of treat? How big of a piece is required for something to be reinforcing? Is this same treat reinforcing in every circumstance?
We can use this information to create a heirachy of reinforcement, using each treat appropriately.
Sometimes this information can tell us why a behavior that was previously being offered regularly is no longer offered, or is only offered in a half-hearted manner. Some behaviors simply require more reinforcement.
Lets take it back to the running example.
I find a fun size piece of candy, and checkmark on my calendar to be all the reinforcement I need to go running. But, not everyone will feel that way. Some people would need great sums of money, heaping banquets, or new cars to convince them to run.
Just think about this next time you reach for your treatbag.
Happy training!

Hi there! Welcome to my brand new training blog!