So often, I hear people say that their dog has trained them well! And yes, in a way, that is true because dogs observe us with attention to the tiniest details in our behavior with amazing accuracy. Every movement, every sound, every action, and its consequence is registered by them.

We humans, on the other hand – not so much. We are preoccupied with ourselves and somehow less concerned with our own responses. Or, better put: We do not necessarily think through what our responses tell our dog.

NO SPECIAL SESSIONS OR TIME NEEDED
That leads me to the concept of “inadvertent” reinforcement.

Let’s say your dog is happy to see you and greets you by jumping up. Your natural reaction might be to pat them as their front paws are up on your lap. Although when you have guests arriving, you are not pleased that your puppy is greeting them with the same behavior. You then either reprimand them or ask yourself why the puppy is jumping on your guest and how you can “correct” that behavior. Well, the first step is to realize that you have reinforced that behavior yourself.

In addition to that more obvious kind of physical reinforcement, keep in mind that dogs find all kinds of other – perhaps more subtle reactions – reinforcing. Those include, for example: commenting or laughing!

Some might find it astonishing that reprimands and corrections actually give the dog a tremendous amount of reinforcement from you and are often much more intense in nature than praise. Since they have no idea why exactly you get so animated and intense, and if that is usually the biggest reaction they get out of you; they will do it again and again. The human then tends to label the dog “stubborn” or “incorrigible” without realizing that they themselves are encouraging the unwanted behavior.

THINKING AHEAD AND FROM THE DOG’S POINT OF VIEW
Good dog training is all about being mindful and thinking from the dog’s point of view! You can best “help” them by making it more obvious how to choose the behaviors that get the reinforcement they crave. Ask yourself if you are as focused on your pup’s behaviors as they are on yours! Observe them in order to reinforce them successfully. Then they will gladly play along with you.

The post What Is Inadvertent Reinforcement? appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.

Dogs’ intelligence and prowess are all too often measured by their size. Generally, it is assumed that larger dogs need to be “trained” just because of their sheer size. Sure, a Rottweiler can cause more damage than a chihuahua. But is that a reason to deprive a highly intelligent being of knowing what to do to live comfortably in our “civilized” world? 

What if you were dealing with a short person? Would you say that they did not need to learn how to read or they did not need exercise because they were smaller? Of course not!

Small Dogs Stepping Beyond Cute Costumes into Confidence

So, in this New Year I wanted to encourage everyone to treat their smaller dog just like your larger animal companions. Instead of dressing them in little girls’ fairy costumes like dresses with wings attached, why not give them proper walking gear and teach them some manners so they can walk down the street without being fearful? Their anxiety and their self-confidence are just as important as those of the Dobermans they are barking at.

 “It’s always the little ones” is something I hear over and over. Why do people assume that because a dog is large they do not experience stress when they are barked and lunged at by tiny dogs? Why would people who live with small dogs find it amusing that their little dog barks at larger dogs to laugh it off? Just because they think it is the large dog handler’s responsibility to avoid conflict? Or because they think that their dog is fully “trained” when they can find a pee pad in their apartment most of the time? Why have such low expectations?

Here is to taking small dogs’ emotional and physical needs seriously. This month, let’s start to think about what the world looks like to a tiny being who has no instruction and no idea how to move through the scary New York City environment. Who is clipped into a step-in harness that rubs their armpits but looks cute? Who gets scooped up without warning, who gets handed from person to person without having any ability to give consent or choice and then getting reprimanded for growling or even snapping. Whose fears are not taken seriously because “they cannot cause that much harm” or they can be controlled with restraining gear more easily.

So, if you live with a small dog, why not include them in your New Year’s resolutions and consider their intellectual, physical, and emotional needs that are as important as those of large doggos?

Haqihana’s Revolution in Harness Comfort: A Game-Changer for Small Dogs

One of the easiest changes you can make to take your tiny dog seriously is to provide them with good walking gear. Harnesses are not jackets, and leashes are not a means of steering, pulling, or restraining your tiny companion. Teach them how to walk on a leash; don’t take it for granted that they already know this. And provide them with a harness that allows them to move naturally and freely. Don’t use the harness as a tool to restrain them: teach them where you want them to be.

Haqihana is the only company that makes truly comfortable high-quality harnesses and leashes for tiny dogs. Keep in mind that teaching them how to walk will help your dog to know what to do and where in relationship to you, the handler, they should walk. The harness will provide comfort and safety for both of you. 

HAPPY WALKING=HAPPY RELATIONSHIP=HARMONIOUS  TIME TOGETHER 

The post Train Your Dog Month: In Consideration of Small Dogs appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.

I hear these complaints worded in such a way a lot…

Fill in the blank: “When I want them to ____” “when we say____”, “when they see____”, “when they hear____” “When they are _______they do not _____”

“What should I do?” The frustrated dog guardian asks.

“What have you been doing about it?” I ask in return.

They reply: “Well… I try to ____, but they don’t hear me – they’re too excited.”

In a way, you have already said why you are not getting any satisfying results.

Your dog is too excited and distracted!

It is well worth realizing that whatever you were trying to do up until now is not going to work. Rather than getting frustrated with your lack of results, change your plan! Even though it might feel like you are going backward, it is, in fact, the opposite.

A good example would be how to teach your dog to walk without pulling on the leash. 

It is a common error to assume that you can teach this in the environment ( out on the sidewalk) where the dog naturally is already pulling or lagging and there are too many distractions for the dog to think and focus. 

Consider the following:

Teaching something when the learner is not able to focus is inefficient, to say the least.

What specifically would you like to teach? Think of the physical movement or the spacial relationship between you and the dog that you want your dog to learn. Rather than change their mind about the distractions that are causing your dog to pull or lag, teach them the actual skill first.. Practice and reinforce that particular movement, or combination of movements, in a non-distracting environment. In other words: Make it fun and easy!

Once they are fluent and know what the “rules” of that particular game are, you can add other distractions and environments. The less goal-oriented you are in the beginning, the more fun you can both have during the process and the more successful you will be.

The post Don’t Expect The Impossible appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.

I talk quite a bit about reward placement and delivery (thrown, rewarding directly to the dog, or on the floor in front of the dog, etc.); but I have not thought about clarifying the aspect of the timing of the reward.

Reward Timing

Here is a good example: 

The other day I was with a client and noticed that her dog rushed through the door. Since she is worried about dog-on-dog encounters in the hallway, I mentioned that it might be helpful to teach the dog to wait as she opens the door. This would give both of them some space to see if the path is clear to proceed.

Her response was, “Oh, I always ask  him to sit before going out and give him a treat when he sits”. But she opens the door after she feeds the reward and the dog rushes out the door. 

What You Are Reinforcing

In the example above, the woman is reinforcing the “sit” – which the dog already knows.  

The sit position is not what needs to be taught! What should be taught is the ability to remain in that position while the door is being opened. 

The timing of the reward is off! The dog was rewarded before the task being taught even happened.

In terms of reward timing: the first question to ask yourself is, “What do I want to teach?”

This might seem painfully obvious, but it may be a bit more complex after all. We often get stuck repeating the same training process without getting the result we would like. Next time this happens to you, think about the timing in your reward system! 

Coming soon: Be flexible! If it ain’t working…STOP!

The post Timing Is (Almost) Everything  appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.

I always think that the best way to “train” a puppy is by reinforcing them in time. Of course, that requires us humans to be mindful enough to notice and observe our dogs just as they observe us. 

So often, I hear people say that their dog has trained them well! And yes, in a way, that is true because dogs observe us with attention to the tiniest details in our behavior with amazing accuracy. Every movement, every sound, every action, and its consequence is registered by them.

We humans, on the other hand – not so much. We are preoccupied with ourselves and somehow less concerned with our own responses. Or, better put: We do not necessarily think through what our responses tell our dog.

NO SPECIAL SESSIONS OR TIME NEEDED

That leads me to the concept of “inadvertent” reinforcement. 

Let’s say your dog is happy to see you and greets you by jumping up. Your natural reaction might be to pat them as their front paws are up on your lap. Although when you have guests arriving, you are not pleased that your puppy is greeting them with the same behavior. You then either reprimand them or ask yourself why the puppy is jumping on your guest and how you can “correct” that behavior. Well, the first step is to realize that you have reinforced that behavior yourself.

In addition to that more obvious kind of physical reinforcement, keep in mind that dogs find all kinds of other – perhaps more subtle reactions – reinforcing. Those include, for example: commenting or laughing!

Some might find it astonishing that reprimands and corrections actually give the dog a tremendous amount of reinforcement from you and are often much more intense in nature than praise. Since they have no idea why exactly you get so animated and intense, and if that is usually the biggest reaction they get out of you; they will do it again and again. The human then tends to label the dog “stubborn” or “incorrigible” without realizing that they themselves are encouraging the unwanted behavior.

THINKING AHEAD AND FROM THE DOG’S POINT OF VIEW

Good dog training is all about being mindful and thinking from the dog’s point of view! You can best “help” them by making it more obvious how to choose the behaviors that get the reinforcement they crave. Ask yourself if you are as focused on your pup’s behaviors as they are on yours! Observe them in order to reinforce them successfully. Then they will gladly play along with you.

The post What Is Inadvertent Reinforcement? appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.

I often receive inquiries from people who are frustrated with their puppies’ overall behavior.

“They don’t listen” “they jump” “they bark” “they pull on the leash” are very common complaints.

Teaching Your Puppy Essential Skills

I will then ask a couple of questions along the lines of: Have you taught the puppy some skills? The answer often is: They know “sit” “paw” and maybe “touch” or something like that. 

Now: How could this be the basis of polite manners? 

Let me remind you of how you yourself came to understand things. For example when you learned how to read. You learned that “A” sounds like the vowel “A’. Then maybe you learned another letter. For example : “B”. 

Fantastic!

If these were the only letters you could decipher, what would happen if someone presented you with a newspaper article and asked you to read and understand a sentence?

Can you see how that would be an impossible task?

Yet we seem to expect our dogs should be able to make that leap. 

In contrast, show a dog what to do in the context of a particular situation and reinforce that! The puppy will then remember that: Oh! You are holding the harness: Yes, I remember that!  I was highly rewarded when I stuck my head through the loop. I am going to do that again! It has brought me goodies in the past and it was fun!  Soon you can give that complex behavior a name and your animal companion will know what to do. WIN! WIN!

Your Partner in Effective Dog Training

At DogRelations NYC, I use this  approach to help you communicate much more effectively with your dog. As a New York-based positive reinforcement dog trainer, I  believe in creating a fun and rewarding learning environment for your dogs. My goal is to turn your ‘they don’t listen,’ ‘they bark,’ ‘they jump,’ troubles into ‘they listen,’ ‘they behave,’ and ‘they understand.’

The post Alphabet Soup appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.

Consider the perspective of an excited puppy: “I want to jump because I am so pleased to see you, and I want to lick your face.” The prong and choke collar using typical human response? Physical correction! Or imagine the puppy catching an intriguing scent and wanting to investigate, only to be met again with physical restriction and pain or discomfort at a minimum.

Such actions can easily lead to physical harm, particularly to the delicate neck area. The emotional toll, however, is just as significant. Dogs communicate and experience the world differently than humans. For a dog, a simple act of exploration or an expression of joy being met with a harsh response creates confusion and, more often than not, leads to long-term behavioral issues.

It’s true that dogs have been wearing collars for millennia, but the question arises: does tradition justify it? Whenever I see a dog with a chain around its neck, it evokes an uncomfortable image of enslavement. Although this reaction is subjective, what’s objectively undeniable is the potential harm to your dog’s health.

The Harness Alternative

Prioritizing Your Dog’s Health

Whether it’s a human tugging a leash to guide or “correct” a dog, or a dog pulling on a leash to pursue its curiosity, both scenarios can lead to serious health problems when a collar is involved. This isn’t limited to specific collar types; it applies to all kinds, including flat collars, limited slip or Martingale collars, prong collars, and choke chains – the latter two being so harmful that they have been banned in much of Europe.

The sight of a puppy on a tight leash, its collar exerting undue pressure on its neck and spine, is truly distressing. The potential physical damage should not be underestimated. A pulling collar can constrict blood vessels, put pressure on the thyroid gland, potentially deform the base of the tongue, and even cause nerve damage. It can also increase the risk of tracheal collapse, particularly in small breeds, and exacerbate conditions like glaucoma due to increased intraocular pressure.

That is just not acceptable.

Dispelling the Myth: Do Harnesses Encourage Pulling? 

A common misconception persists that harnesses, due to dogs’ inherent opposition reflex, encourage them to strain against the leash, much like sled dogs. However, sled dogs are specifically trained to pull, and it’s not the harness that causes this behavior.

Harnesses offer a distinct advantage: instead of focusing pressure on the neck as collars do—especially harmful ones like prong or choke collars—harnesses distribute the force of pulling across the dog’s body. This is why sled dogs are equipped with double-wrap harnesses rather than collars!

Whether or not you believe that all puppies have an opposition reflex: If you have ever experienced the first time a puppy is put on a leash, you will inevitably have seen the puppy bucking backward against the restraint or trying to run away, not being used to having their freedom constrained to about 6 feet. A leash is a safety tool, not a device for steering. Neither the human nor the dog should be pulling! Walking on a leash is an activity for both humans and dogs to do in cooperation, actually a learned skill.  The less tension on the leash, the more cooperation is encouraged.

Embracing A Y-Shaped Harness

Your dog’s well-being and ability to move unencumbered should always be your priority.

Regardless of your dog’s age, size, or stature, a shift from collar to harness is beneficial for all. For optimal health and comfort, select a well-fitting harness that doesn’t restrict your dog’s movement and enables them to move with ease.

A Y-shaped harness, such as the Italian-made, Haqihana Harness, is ideally suited for just this. Haqihana Harnesses are designed with the dog’s anatomy in mind, with the front aligning with the breastbone and a Y shape that leaves the shoulder joints unrestricted for natural reach and drive. The harness is not only soft and durable but also adjustable at five points, ensuring a perfect fit for every body shape and size, with specialized models catering to long-backed and deep-chested dogs.

An often misunderstood feature of the Haqihana Harness is the point of leash attachment: the back. This is not an aesthetic choice; it comes with significant benefits for your dog’s comfort and behavior. It creates a sense of freedom for dogs as it follows their natural movement, mostly making them feel as if they’re off-leash. Compare this to so-called no-pull harnesses to front-attached leashes, which will pull them to the side and inhibit their ability to walk comfortably by putting pressure on the upper part of the front legs and preventing them from having a relaxed and natural stride.

A Y-shaped harness that is back-attached to the leash reduces injury risks by spreading the force evenly across the body instead of straining the neck and throat. It also promotes proper posture and natural movement, preventing any spinal misalignment. This combination of enhanced comfort, safety, and improved behavior is why NY Magazine named the Haqihana Harness the best harness choice for long-backed breeds like dachshunds, corgis, whippets, and greyhounds.

The post The Harmful Effects of Traditional Collars & The Risks to Health and Behavior appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.

Best Dog Harnesses Article

In the “11 Best Dog Harnesses” article, I was able to share my love for Haqihana harnesses. These harnesses are fantastic because they provide comfort, durability, and safety for our canine companions. With their ergonomic design, Haqihana harnesses ensure that your dog can move safely but completely freely without any restrictions.

Elisabeth Weiss, a dog trainer and the owner of Dog Relations NYC, prefers the Y-shaped harnesses from Italian brand Haqihana for long-backed dogs like whippets, dachshunds, and German shepherds, noting that it’s also ideal for breeds that are long-backed as well as deep-chested, like Great Danes.

Best Chew Toys and Treats for Teething Puppies Article

In the “10 Best Chew Toys and Treats for Teething Puppies” piece, I got to discuss the benefits of Icelandic lamb horns. These natural keratin chews are perfect for teething puppies, as they help alleviate discomfort, keep them engaged, and prevent them from chewing inappropriate objects.

Elisabeth Weiss, a dog trainer and the owner of Dog Relations NYC, prefers Icelandic lamb horns to other edible chews because they contain keratin, a structural protein that supports healthy nail, skin, and hair growth in dogs. Keratin won’t splinter as a puppy gnaws, Weiss says — instead, the horn gradually breaks down, ensuring that heavy chewers won’t crack their teeth.

Thanks to NYMag “The Strategist” and, in particular, Brenley Goertzen for interviewing me and allowing me to share my expertise. 

My goal has always been to contribute as much as possible to the welfare of all dogs, and that includes seeking the best possible ideas and practices. Dogs enrich our lives in so many ways. We, humans, owe them the best health practices, safekeeping, and understanding of their inherent needs. Be sure to check out the articles “10 Best Chew Toys and Treats for Teething Puppies” and “11 Best Dog Harnesses” to discover more great tips and product recommendations. Together, let’s continue to build a future filled with wagging tails, wet noses, and endless love!

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Quite often, people then decide that the puppy has sooo much energy they have to “get rid of” by tiring the puppy out. They walk or run the puppy until the puppy is exhausted and then falls asleep. However, when the puppy wakes up, they have to start tiring out the puppy again because the puppy is beginning to crave the behavior of being excited and running and never gets reinforcement for being calm. In effect, they are creating a dependency on exercise..like humans who need to run in order to feel ok, and if they don’t get to run, they get grumpy.

Well, guardians who rely on running their pups to tire them out, they are literally reinforcing the excitement and the running. 

However, what they need to do in order to calm the puppy down is to reinforce them when they are calm! If they would reinforce their pups when they are doing “nothing” they would soon see their puppy offering calm behavior because it pays off for them and thus becomes a desirable state of being for them.

If more puppy and dog guardians would be aware of that, I would get fewer complaints about “puppy zoomies” or incessant barking or jumping.

My advice:

reward your dog for doing “nothing.” It sounds crazy, but if you think of the fact that a dog who is doing nothing is considered a good dog, then it begins to make sense!

Give it a try, and be amazed.

The post Here is a reminder of how behavior works appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.

Yesterday I got a text that June was able to stay alone without any signs of anxiety or barking for a whole hour!

It is an excellent example demonstrating that separation anxiety is largely a function of dependency, helplessness, lack of confidence, and a sense of lack of control over the environment. 

So, with a dog who is suffering from separation anxiety, all of these aspects need to be addressed by teaching them that they, in fact, are able to have control over their environment. Instill in them a good amount of optimism and the ability to self-soothe.

To this end, allowing dogs to think things through for themselves is key. A dog who depends on being told what to do might always appear “well-behaved.” However, there is a dependence on being told what to do rather than knowing what to do in a situation.

Practicing this on a regular basis will reinforce their ability to reason. Reasoning becomes easier (practice makes this easier, and reinforcement makes it fun). So as they are faced with a challenge, in this case, stress and frustration caused by anxiety because they do not know how to deal with being left alone) is so much easier to overcome.

The other key factor towards success was to reinforce inherent doggie needs such as sniffing, licking, and chewing, not only by providing those opportunities but by using them to reinforce secondary reinforcers such as toys and play to use those as valuable reinforcers for June.

I want to express my gratitude to Mary Hunter of Behavior Explorer, whose teaching on reinforcement systems really helped me be more creative in unraveling this case. Also, listening to Hannah Brannigan’s podcast, which really dovetails a lot with Behaviorexxplorer’s thoughtful approach, played into my thinking about this case. In particular, her podcast DFTT (DrinkingFromThe Toilet) episode #162, Working with Compulsive Behaviors which, clarifies the differentiation between “compulsive vs. stereotypical” behaviors. It focuses on horse cribbing behavior. The key to success, in that case, was to change the environment to interrupt the cycle of self-soothing behavior and reinforce the interruption of that behavior. That, in turn, reinforced Mary’s ideas that changing the learning environment contributed greatly to teaching this rescue horse’s behavior pattern of cribbing.

In June’s case: He had been left in his crate when he needed to be left alone. I suggested allowing him to roam as opposed to leaving him locked up in his crate, which had such an important history of aversion. We started by highly reinforcing a relaxed hanging out on a mat in a different area of the apartment along with some desensitization from distracting noises along with a high rate of reinforcement for being quiet/not barking and calmly hanging out. I am not going to bore you with all the specific ideas here!

Needless to say, this has been a reinforcing experience for all: for June, for June’s guardian, who did an incredible job following up, and for me as well.

The reason why I wanted to write about this is because, with a little bit of imagination and empathy, we can get behavior changes by using our common sense and putting ourselves ”in the paws” of our dogs.

The post Interesting Session: Follow up on June appeared first on Dog Relations New York City.