Clean Run - February 2014 - 66

Problem Solving
If your dog isn't being as attentive as you would like, here are five tips:
1. Make sure your dog wants reinforcement. Is your dog hungry or has he been fed recently? Ideally your dog is as hungry
as possible so that he's receptive to food reinforcement. Do you have the key to what he wants? Consult the list that you
made for last month's article.
2. Have you cleaned up your training environment? Is it littered with toys or is it fairly sterile? Ideally your environment
starts fairly bland and then gradually becomes more cluttered with toys, food, dogs, and other distractions. But be sure to
start your recall work in an easy environment.
3. Have a special noise. I like to use a kind of kissing sound, "mmmmmmwwaaaaaahhhhh." This allows your dog an opportunity to want to look up to your face to see where the noise came from. If you are really keen, you can deliver food
from your mouth, spitting your food directly at the dog.
4. If you didn't do it last month, list all of your distractions in order of difficulty from 1 to 10. Be sure to stay at the easier
stages of distractions for a long time.
5. Recall is all about choice. At first, try to set your dog up to make easy choices. Have your dog in a place where you know he
can succeed so that you can build his desire to respond to that new name cue. Remember, the recall cue needs to mean good
things to your dog-your dog has to hear that word and think, "Bingo!" You are making simple but long-lasting pairings so
don't be afraid to start again if you need to! There are lots more words available. You don't have to use a meaningful word,
just something that works for you and something that sounds appealing to your dog. It's all about sparking an interest!
Keep it lighthearted and fun, enjoy your short sessions, try to train as often as you can, and make sure your dog is hungry!

Where Do You Go From Here?
Building a strong, reliable, 100% successful recall takes thought, but this doesn't mean
you have to spend hours and hours a day plugging away at it. If you can spend just a
few minutes a day, perhaps two or three times a day, working on recalling your dog to
you at opportunistic moments, your chances of creating one of those "brilliant" recalls
for life is pretty strong, indeed. Keep your sessions short, five minutes maximum.
Remember, the key is quality not quantity.

If the motivation is there on the part of both
you and the dog, the dog's desire for the
reward is high, your timing is good, and
you set yourself up for success, the rest is
a "doddle" (an undertaking that's easy to
do)-in fact, it is bound to happen! D

Lauren has been training dogs internationally for many years with a knowledge spanning all canine disciplines. Lauren competes in agility at grade 7, the highest level
of competition in British agility, with all of her dogs, and was chosen to represent Great Britain in the FCI Agility World Championship in 2006 and 2007. She has qualified
for the Olympia Agility finals every year from 2007-2013! Lauren is known for her creative and motivational training techniques with performance dogs as well as her
insight into problem solving. Lauren teaches worldwide, from Canada to Scotland, as well as designs and develops the Devon Dogs' classes, workshops, and events.
She recently released her highly successful DVD on foundation puppy training, Pup2perfection. Contact Lauren at contact@devondogs.co.uk.

The safe, non-toxic way to protect your dog's paws
in any season. Easy to apply. Won't stain carpets.
* Guaranteed to eliminate snowballing, ice build-up,
salt burn, and chemical burn on toes in winter
* Offers excellent protection from hot abrasive surfaces
like pavement or dry grass in the summer
* Protects pads from rough terrain
* Can be used to help heal
cracked or burned pads

color PVC

fittings
www.cleanrun.com

Clean Run | February 14

http://www.cleanrun.com http://www.cleanrun.com

Clean Run - February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - February 2014