Dr. Sophia Yin - Blog

Gentle Leader Head Collar: Reinforcement or Punishment?

2012-02-25T02:37:30+00:00

What category of operant conditioning does the Gentle Leader head collar fall under? Find out why it is important to be able to distinguish the difference between punishment and reinforcement.

(from How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves by Dr. Sophia Yin)

A reader who uses Gentle Leader head collars regularly in training recently asked me about the use of the head collar. States the reader, “I have gotten myself totally confused and need help sorting it out. What category of operant conditioning does the head collar use fall under? Negative punishment? Positive reinforcement? Negative Reinforcement? Positive punishment?"

You might think that being able to correctly determine the category of operant conditioning is just a scientific exercise; however, it’s much more than that. For instance, say you read an ad for a product that says it uses negative reinforcement to stop an unwanted behavior, when the product actually uses positive punishment. The fact that the product manufacturer can’t get the categories correct indicates that they did not have educated behaviorists guiding the development of their product.

While many people are immediately perplexed when they hear the word operant conditioning, it turns out that the principles and categories are actually straightforward. That’s because operant conditioning, or trial and error learning, is simply a description of how animals learn—a description that requires a few important definitions.

Reinforcement vs Punishment

The first two definitions to know are reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcement is anything that increases the likelihood that a behavior will occur again. For instance, if you call your dog and then give him a treat when he comes, he will be more likely to come the next time you call. Thus, by giving him a treat for coming, you reinforce his behavior of coming when called.

Punishment is anything that decreases the likelihood that a behavior will occur again. For instance, if you call your dog and then yell and scream at him when he comes, he will be less likely to come the next time you call. Thus, by yelling at him, you punish his behavior of coming when called. This second scenario may seem an unlikely event, but it happens to people every day. When owners call Rover five or six times before he comes running and then yell at him for taking his time, they are really punishing him for coming when called.

Positive vs Negative

The second set of terms to know are positive and negative. Positive and negative do not mean good or bad; instead, think of them as a plus sign or a minus sign. Positive means that you’re adding something, and negative means you’re subtracting something. Positive and negative can be applied to both reinforcement and punishment.

Combining the Terms

Now we can combine the terms into four categories—positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. Here’s what the categories are:

Positive and Negative Reinforcement

Reinforcement can be positive or negative. In either case, we are increasing the likelihood the behavior will occur again. Positive reinforcement means that by adding something the animal wants, you increase the likelihood that the behavior will occur again. For instance, if you teach your dog to come to you by giving him a treat when he comes, you’re using positive reinforcement. By giving him food, which he likes, you’re increasing the likelihood that he will come to you the next time too.

Negative reinforcement means that by removing something aversive, something Fido dislikes, you increase the likelihood the behavior will occur again. For example, you decide to teach Fido to come by putting him on a leash and choke chain. You pull on his leash until he takes a step forward, and as soon as he comes forward, you release the pressure. That is using negative reinforcement. By removing the pressure as soon as he starts coming, you increase the likelihood that he will come the next time in order to avoid the pulling.

Another trick for remembering negative reinforcement is to think of it as nagging. When I was a child and my mother wanted me clean my room, she often had to keep telling me until I cleaned it. I would finally clean my room in order to avoid her aversive nagging.

Positive and Negative Punishment

Punishment can be positive or negative, too. In either case we are decreasing the likelihood the behavior will occur again. It seems odd, but when we talk about punishment, we’re usually talking about positive punishment. Positive punishment just means that by adding something aversive, we decrease the likelihood that the behavior will occur again. For instance, your dog raids the garbage can when you’re not looking, so you booby-trap the garbage with mousetraps. The next time Spot sticks his nose in search of a snack, he gets a mousetrap surprise, which scares him. This booby trap decreases the likelihood that he will raid the garbage can again; thus, it is positive punishment.

Negative punishment means that by removing something the animal wants, we decrease the likelihood that the behavior will occur again. For instance, when dogs greet us by jumping, their goal is to get our attention. If we remove our attention every time Spot jumps by holding perfectly still and even looking away, eventually he will stop jumping. By removing the attention that he wanted, we decrease the likelihood that he will jump again.

How to Classify Techniques in a Methodical Manner

These terms seem straightforward so far, but often when you start classifying techniques in real life, things suddenly get confusing. The reason for the confusion is that some techniques may fall into more than one category, depending on how you describe the behavior and the technique. In order to avoid confusion, you have to approach this classification in a methodical way.

Step 1: Define the behavior. For example, if the behavior you want to change is your dog’s overexuberant greeting behavior, you may say, “I hate the jumping behavior,” or “I prefer he greet by sitting.” So in general we usually have two behaviors from which to choose—one we want to increase and one we want to decrease.
Step 2: Next decide whether you want to increase or decrease that behavior. If you want to increase the behavior, you will, by definition, use reinforcement. If you want to decrease the behavior, you will, by definition, use punishment. For instance, if you dislike the jumping behavior and want to stop it, you’ll be using punishment (positive or negative punishment). If you’re going to train him to perform the alternate appropriate behavior of sitting, you will be using reinforcement (positive or negative reinforcement).
Step 3: Lastly, decide whether you’re adding something or subtracting something to determine if you’re using something positive or negative. If you yank the dog’s collar to make him stop jumping, what are you using? You’re adding an aversive to decrease the behavior, so you are using positive punishment (Note: I’m not advocating that you yank the dog’s collar; I’m just using this as an example). If, instead, you remove the attention that he wants in order to decrease the behavior, what type of punishment are you using? You’re using negative punishment, because you’re removing something he wants in order to decrease his jumping behavior. That is, you’re removing the reward for the undesirable behavior. If you wait until the dog sits and then increase this sitting behavior by giving him a treat that he wants, you are using positive reinforcement. If you hook Fido up to a leash and choke chain and step on it so that it tightens until he sits and then release the pressure immediately when he sits, you’re using negative reinforcement.

Now we’re ready to tackle the original reader question. What category of operant conditioning are you using when you use a Gentle Leader head collar? It turns out that it depends on how you use the collar. For instance, say my dog sees food on the ground and makes a beeline for it. I react by holding completely still with the leash-holding hand firmly against my side (or more realistically, I’m wearing a hands free leash). When Fido gets to the end of the leash he pulls and pulls for 10 seconds, gets nowhere, and then realizes he can’t get to the food. Then he stops pulling and takes a step back so that the leash is hanging loose. Following the steps described above here’s how we would figure out the category of operant conditioning.

1. First decide what the behavior is. You may define the behavior as pulling on leash, the behavior you don’t like. Or some people may define the behavior as stepping closer to you so he’s on a loose leash (note that “stops pulling” or ‘not pulling” does not count as a good behavioral description). In the case we are describing here, the behavior we are really focused on is the pulling towards the food on the ground.

2. Next, determine if you want to increase or decrease the behavior of interest. In this case I want to stop the pulling, consequently the category of operant conditioning will be, by definition, punishment.

3. Third, figure out if you are adding something or removing something to, to decrease the pulling. The trick here is that you need to remember what the definitions are when you make this decision. With positive punishment, you are specifically adding something aversive (that the dog dislikes—because it’s uncomfortable or causes pain or is just annoying) in order to stop the behavior. With negative punishment, you are specifically removing something the dog wants or removing the ability to get to something the animal wants. In the particular case of the dog stops pulling because he realizes he can’t get to the food. So the category of operant conditioning we are using when we use the Gentle Leader in this manner is negative punishment. If on the other hand we stopped the pulling by having the dog wear a pinch collar and yanking really hard then we are adding an aversive to decrease the pulling behavior; we would be using positive punishment.

But this isn’t the only way that one can use a Gentle Leader head collar. Let’s say that you have a dog who is staring at a cat and is about to take off in a chase. Before he has a chance, you guide his head towards you so that you can get him to focus on you. When he is looking towards you, you immediately release the guidance and pressure. Then you can engage him in a game such as targeting and reward him for that. Let’s go through the process again.

First we define the behavior. In this case I’m using the Gentle Leader to increase the dog’s focus on me. So the behavior of interest for me is attention on me.

Next, determine if you want to increase or decrease the behavior. We’ve already stated that my goal is to increase the focus on me, so by definition I’m using reinforcement.

Lastly determine if you are adding something the dog dislikes or removing something he wants. Remember that positive reinforcement is adding something the dog wants in order to increase the beahvior. Negative reinforcement involves removing something aversive in order to increase the behavior. And, with negative reinforcement, it’s essential to remove the aversive right as the dog performs the correct behavior. In this case, we are removing the aversive pressure in order to increase the behavior of focusing on us. So, in this case, the use of GL head collar is negative reinforcement.

One point to note is that negative reinforcement can be highly aversive or mildly aversive depending on what is used. For instance, someone could abruptly drag or yank a dog by its head collar in anger until the dog was looking and then release pressure. That could be scary and painful to the dog. Alternatively, one can guide quickly but in a gentle manner without yanking or dragging the dog such that the dog wasn’t scared or feeling pain. This is the way I prefer. So just because the category is negative reinforcement instead of positive punishment, doesn’t make it a friendlier technique. When I use the Gentle Leader head collar, I train owners how to guide the dog in a way that’s clear and not scary for the dog. For instance, we often start by luring with treats to help guide the dog. Then we quickly switch to rewarding the focus with food.

It’s that simple

So there you have it. A fool-proof method for categorizing methods into the proper category of operant conditioning. Now it’s your turn. Think of various techniques you use or interactions you have throughout the day and see if you can categorize them into the correct category of operant conditioning. You can find more practice questions in How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves.

Which Types of Collars and Harnesses are Safe for Your Dog?

2012-02-20T17:26:30+00:00

Which types of collars and harnesses are safe for your dog? Here is a summary of the pros and cons of some of the various collars and harnesses for dogs.

By Dr. Sophia Yin

Dogs come in to the veterinary hospital and to our various handling labs wearing a variety of collars and harnesses. While all of these collars and harnesses are sold online or in stores, some are not necessarily healthy or safe for all dogs. In this article, I provide a summary of the pros and cons of some of the various collars and harnesses for dogs.

Rolled or flat collars
Martingales
Choke chains
Pinch collars
Front-attaching harnesses: Easy Walk Harness, Walk-in-Sync Harness, Freedom Harness.
Head halters: Gentle Leader, Snootloop

Flat and Rolled Collars

Flat collars provide an easy way to attached visual identification to your dog, such as identification tags, but can be potentially dangerous in certain situations.

By far the most common collar is the flat or rolled collar that fastens with a plastic clip or a buckle. These collars are the most convenient to slip on and off and are handy because they can hold your dog’s identification, rabies, and license tags. Even though this type of collar retains its size, the collar can become a hazard. Dogs playing roughly and in a mouthy manner can get their mouth caught in the collar of another dog, causing panic in one or both dogs. As they struggle to get loose, the collar can tighten and dogs have suffocated as a result of this type of play. Dogs who are the object of this type of rough play should wear break-away collars, similar to the break-away collars in cats, at least during play and unsupervised times. Some owners opt to avoid collars or any gear at all unless they are taking their dog on a walk. Although this in an option, I prefer to have visible identification on my dog at all times and a collar with its tags is the most convenient way to do this.

A second downside to this type of collar is that according to a study in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association in 2006, pressure generated when dogs pull while wearing these collars raises the pressure in the eye. As a result, it may worsen the clinical signs or disease progression in dogs with glaucoma, thin corneas, and other eye conditions where the pressure in the eye is an issue. So dogs who have or are prone to any of these conditions should either be trained via a non-force-based method to walk on loose leash and never pull or they should wear a harness or halter type of collar (which we cover below).

Choke Chains

Beware of choke chains in dogs with short noses, bulging eyes, and small tracheas (or trachea prone to tracheal collapse).

When I started training dogs over 20 years ago virtually all dogs who were in training wore choke chains. Although I used choke chains for many years I never use them now that I have a better and more effective set of skills. Before I tell you why, let me first explain how a choke chain is used.

The traditional way these chains are used by professional trainers is to give a sharp jerk—strong enough to make the dog stop what it’s doing and do something else. For instance, if the dog starts to sniff and pull on a walk, you quickly brace yourself and give a quick yank in the hopes that the dog feels it enough to stop pulling. My first trainer told us to generate enough strength by actually running full speed in the opposite direction so that my, then 76 pound boxer, would feel a strong enough pop! The next trainer I had taught me to first attach the leash to a fence so that I could practice the technique and get it right before I tried it on the dog. The technique was a lot like karate where you have to twist your hip to get enough power for your body and so that you can get the timing of the correction right. Most trainers do not give owners practice on a fence first. They just let owners make a lot of mistakes on the dog.

With the choke chain, the idea is that once the dog knows he’ll get a strong correction when he misbehaves, you don’t need to continue to give strong corrections often; a light correction, may be good enough because it’s a reminder that a stronger, more painful correction can occur. In fact, it’s this phenomenon, with the use of a lighter warning correction that makes some people think that it’s the sound of the collar being jerked that teaches the dog, as if there’s something innately aversive about the sound. If that were true, then you’d be able to train dogs with a recording of the sound of a choke chain snapping, even if the dog had never received a choke chain correction before and was not sound sensitive. In other words, if that were true, someone who could have developed a little device that dogs can wear on their leash or flat collar that makes the sound of a choke chain snapping would be rich!

Another factsabout the choke chain is that most people use them ineffectively because they are not that easy to use and there are some secrets that the old time professionals used to make them more effective and the correction stronger. First, these professionalsmake sure the length is right or you won’t get the strong, quick pop. If the chain’s too long, when you go to give a correction, there’s too much slack. When it’s too short, the collar tightens too quickly, before you’ve gained enough momentum in the jerk. Seasoned trainers also know that dog’s feel the correction more if you can keep the choke chain up high, right behind the ears. That’s how Cesar Milan’s Illusion collar works. It keeps the collar positioned so that a correction can have the greatest effect (e.g. create the most effective jerk). Back when I was competing in obedience we didn’t have Illusion collars and they wouldn’t be allowed in the ring now anyway, but we did try to keep that choke chain up high when we were training. A third point, but one that’s the first thing a seasoned professional trains is that the choke chain has to go on the right way. It needs to form a "P," with the tail of the "P" on the same side as the handler. You can tell right away when a force-based trainer isn’t good at his choke chain technique because he doesn’t even put the collar on correctly.

So why do I avoid the choke chain? Besides the fact that my philosophy of training is to focus on rewarding the dog’s good behaviors and removing rewards for unwanted ones until the dog forms good habits, there are many medical and safety reasons too. Not surprisingly, strong yanking on the neck with a chain can cause health issues. If the force from a dog pulling on a flat collar raises intraocular pressure, imagine how high that pressure must rise when you actually yank the dog with a thin chain! Even if your dog has no eye issues, the choke chain, is notorious at exacerbating airway issues. For instance it can worsen coughing in dogs prone to collapsing trachea (weak trachea that flatten more than they should) and affect the ability of dogs will small tracheas, such as Pugs and Bulldogs, to breath. Additionally, dogs may develop neurological damage when the corrections are strong enough. The damage, called Horner’s Syndrome, can result in changes to the pupil in the eye and nerve-induced lameness in the front leg. Lastly, even if you don’t use a choke chain in the manner described above, choke chains should never be left on an unsupervised pet. They can get caught on something and tighten to the point where they strangle the panicked dog.

Martingale

Martingale collars are like flat collars but they tighten when the dog pulls. Even though they tighten, they are generally not used for giving a correction the way a choke chain is. Rather, they are used because they are less likely to slip over the dog’s head when adjusted correctly than a flat collar is. These collars should be adjusted so that even at their tightest they cannot accidentally strangle the dog

Pinch Collar

The pinch collar is almost as old as the choke chain in terms of dog training correction tools. It’s commonly referred to by traditional trainers, as power steering because you don’t have to use as much physical strength to get an effective jerk as you do with a choke chain. Although this product looks to some like a torture device, it may actually be safer in some respect than the choke chain. The pointy parts are spaced out so that the force is spread out across all of them. Overall, pinch collars produce less pressure on the neck when jerked hard compared to the choke chain because the surface area of the pinch collar is greater. If you’re not sure about this, try it on yourself and compare it to the choke chain. You can try it on your arm or your leg. You don’t have to try it on your neck. Although they may cause less pressure around the neck than a choke chainthey do still increase pressure so they can still lead to all of the same issues that a flat collar and even a choke chain causes.

Owners who use the pinch collar may not use it with the strong yanks of a professional trainer. The general dog owner tends to just let the dog pull and because pulling is uncomfortable and even painful to the dog, the dog may pull less. Even when the owner does not use the pinch collar to give jerking correctionsthere are still some important pitfalls that owners should be aware of. The biggest pitfall is that if the dog is fearful, say of another dog it sees, and it simultaneously feels the pain of the pinch collar, the dog may learn to associated the pain with the dog it fears and become more fearful of dogs. The second pitfall is that if the dog is highly excited, for instance, it wants to play with another dog and is lunging on the leash to reach the dog, the pain or aversive feeling they get from the collar can increase their excitement and arousal level. In other words it can cause them to bark and lunge more!

The Harness as One Alternative to a Collar

One of the most common alternatives to a collar is a harness. Veterinarians routinely recommend that dogs, such as pugs with their short noses, and miniature poodles with their propensity for collapsing trachea wear harnesses. However, it’s important to chose the right one. In general I avoid harnesses that hook on the back unless you want to train your dog to pull a cart or a sled. These harnesses actually help train your dog to ignore you and pull you because when you pull on the leash to try to gain some control, they direct the dog’s attention away from you.

So I recommend a front-attaching harness. There are several types:


Premier Pet Easy Walk Harness®: This was one of the first front-attaching harnesses on the market. When the dog gets ahead and pulls, it redirects the dog’s back to you. So if the dog sees a cat and sprints forward and you decide to head the other way, your movement will help turn the dog around so that he’s facing the direction you want to travel. I routinely recommend this harness for dogs who need more directional control than a flat collar provides; however, for many dogs, this harness can alter their natural gait. It tends to hinder shoulder movement. As a result, I’m less likely to use it a lot in dogs that are competing in athletic sports—or at least I would limit its use in those dogs. That same pressure on the shoulder that hinders shoulder movement,can be a benefit in some cases where you might actually need to hinder the dog’s front end. For instance if the dog’s bigger than you and can potentially take you skiing, this harness may help you keep him safe. Another option until you get this type of strong puller better trained is to use a head halter.	Walk-in-Sync®: This front-attaching harness was introduced more recently and comes with a leash and basic training system. Unlike the Gentle Leader harness, it has a strap that attaches between the front legs and over the back. As a result, it allows for unhindered movement of the shoulders.This makes it a better choice for dogs competing in sports than the Gentle Leader harness. It also provides better directional control than a collar but less directional control than the Gentle Leader Harness. Another factor to consider is that when you try to guide the dog in a new direction, the harness tends to guide from the strap that goes around the base of the neck rather than evenly, even when fitted carefully. This tightening varies based on the dog’s body shape.
	Freedom Harness: This front-attaching harness has similarities to both the Easy Walk Harness and the Walk-in-Sync Harness. It has a strap across the front like the Easy Walk but a strap between the legs like the Walk-in-Sync. As a result it provides a little more freedom of movement of the shoulders than the Gentle Leader Harness, but it also provides more directional control than the Walk-in-Sync. Additional control occurs because this harness comes with a leash that attaches to the front and to the back of the dog and when you pull on the leash it tightens the harness around the dog.
Here’s a side view comparison of the Freedom Harness (left) to the Walk-in-Sync harness.

	Here’s a top view. The Walk-in-Sync harness (top) has a strap that goes around the neck and one that goes around the ribs, as well as, additional straps on both the bottom and top connecting the neck portion to the rib portion. There’s plenty of room for the shoulders to move unhindered. The Freedom Harness (bottom) has a leash that attaches to the front and to the back of the harness and provides better control if the dog needs to be guided.

Head Halters

I recommend head halters a lot for those owners who want to speed up training and need help keeping their dog’s attention. Once their dogs are trained well enough, they may opt to switch to a different collar or to a harness. I specifically choose head halters that help you guide the dog’s attention towards you rather than those that just keep the dog from extending his head forward. Why would a head halter help? As with horses, the body tends to go where the head is pointing. Plus dogs can best pay attention to their owners if they are actually focusing on their owners, which they can do best if they are looking at their owners. For instance, if a dog sees another dog and wants to pull and lunge, the owner can gently redirect the dog’s attention back to herself and then engage the dog in more appropriate and equally fun behaviors that they have practiced such as run after me and get a treat or play with a toy.

The down-side of the head halter is that you often need to train dogs to enjoy wearing them and, while some dogs automatically walk nicelywith the head halter others dogs and their owners require some training. Most owners who start their dogs correctly on one of these head halters find that the relatively small time investment getting the dogs used to the collar is well worth it. For some dogs that time is only a few seconds to a minute of pairing the head collar with food. For other dogs I recommend a little practice every day for a week so that the owners are sure the dog loves shoving his nose into the halter on his own. (For instructions, use the same process as counter conditioning a dog to love wearing a muzzle).

Once the dog loves putting his nose into the head halter and the owner puts it on, the owner may need to engage the dog in fun behaviors to distract him from the funny object on his face until the dog gets used to it.

The next step in training dogs with a head collar is to train them that when they reach the end of the leash they are going nowhere. That means the owner must hold perfectly still and avoid taking a step or even moving the leash-holding hand. Once the dog figures out that pulling harder does not work and instead steps back or turns to the owner such that the leash is handing loose, then the owner can resume walking. Better yet, the owner can reward the dog with a treat so that dog comes all the way back to her and then they can resume walking forward. It’s important that the dog learn that a tight leash and the associated pressure created means she should stop. If the dog is not taught this and tends to act impulsively, she may dart out after a cat or other object and hit the end of the leash with some speed. This type of accident could potentially cause neck pain or injury. Even in the emergency situation, if the owner is paying attention, they can prevent neck wrenching if they gradually tighten the leash rather than letting the dog dart forward on a loose leash so that she suddenly hits the end.


Snootloop (commonly used for dogs with shorter muzzles): This head halter has a straps going from the neck loop to the nose loop. They help to keep the strap nose loop on.	Gentle leader head collar: is the most popular head halter for dogs.

Conclusion

So there you have it, an overview of a variety of common collars and harnesses. None is perfect. They are all just tools. But some are more likely to cause problems in your pet or may just provide a less than ideal match for your needs.

The Learn to Earn Program: Implementing the Program

2012-02-16T01:52:23+00:00

Here are the first steps to implement Dr. Yin's version of the Learn to Earn Program, which teaches humans the leadership skills they will need, as well as teaching impulse control in dogs. From excessive barking and jumping, to aggression and separation anxiety, one of the common issues is that these dogs tend to lack impulse control and their humans need to find better ways to provide guidance and leadership.

By Dr. Sophia Yin

To download the free poster on The Learn to Earn Program, go here.

In the last blog, I presented and overview and the reasons behind my version of the Learn to Earn Program. In this blog I will cover the basic steps.

#1 First Teach Your Dog to Automatically Say Please By Sitting for Treats

(Read Perfect Puppy in 7 Days, section 5.2 and watch Training Dogs to Sit: Say Please by Sitting and Training Dogs to Sit: Say Please by Sitting Part 2 ).

Just hold a treat when you have a hungry dog (on leash) and quietly wait for her to sit. Once she sits, immediately give her a treat (kibble or treats) followed by a few more sequentially for remaining seated. Then take a few steps backwards, far enough so she has to get up and follow, and repeat the exercise. Repeat the exercise 5-10 times and stop while she still wants to play more.

Randomly play this repeat sit game during the day. The goal is that she thinks sitting is fun and trotting after you and sitting fast becomes a game. Even try to get 10 repeat sits in a minute. When she can do this easily, start rewarding her on a variable ratio where she may get rewarded every 1-3 times she performs the behavior correctly. For ways to make sit even more fun and compelling, read section 5.2.2 in Perfect Puppy in 7 Days.

#2 During the Day Keep Her Tethered to You When You’re At Home (or to furniture close by when you’re at home) and Reward Her For Saying Please Until the Behavior Becomes a Habit

For many dogs, once they know the sit-for-treats exercise well, which usually takes just 5-15 minutes, they are ready to be tethered to you when you are at home in situations where they would have access to interacting with you. Tethering allows you to reward Fido with treats (kibble) for sitting repeatedly so that she learns sitting and focusing on you is fun. If she tries to nudge, paw or jump on you to get the treats, stand still like a tree and ignore her until she sits. For instance, if you’re working at your desk and she puts her paw on your lap, immediately stand up so it’s clear that doesn’t work, then when she sits and looks at you, give her a series of treats. Or if you walk to the kitchen and clean the counters and she sits, reward her with a series of treats. As she improves, use fewer treats and space them further apart.

When your dog’s attached to you on leash, she should sit and remain seated when you are stationary and then walk by your side on a loose leash (not ahead of you) when you move from place to place. Choose the same walking side you use when you take her on walks.

If your dog tends to dash ahead, remember to always stop in your tracks immediately as her front feet get ahead of yours, even before she has a chance to get to the end of the leash. That way by the time she does get ahead, it will be clear to her that you have become firmly planted like a pole and are going nowhere until she come back and sits in front of you.

Your dog's response after a couple of days to a week will give provide clues as to how consistent you’ve been. If when she hits the end of the leash she comes back to sit and look at you, you’ve done a great job. If, when she hits the end, her first reaction is to pull harder, you know you’ve accidentally trained her that pulling gets her where she wants to go.NOTE: Many owners will need to practice the leave-it version 2 below as well as one or two heeling games (such as repeat sits on the left side and rewarding walking at attention) before their dogs are ready to be tethered to their owners while the owners are walking around the house.

NOTE: When the dog is tethered to furniture near the owner, the dog can have a toy for entertainment.

#3 Apply the Say Please by Sitting Exercise to the Game of Leave-it Version 1

(For a more complete version of this exercise read Perfect Puppy in 7 Days section 5.4) and watch Dog Training Demo: Leave It).

This exercise teaches the dog to 1) look to you for guidance in new situations, 2) that she can’t get what she wants unless she asks you for permission anyway, 3) that blocking means she can’t get by, and 4) that a release word such as “ok” means she can have what he wanted.

Toss a treat on the ground and then block her from getting it. If she tries to make a dash, quickly sidestep (like a basketball player on defense) to make your block. Avoid grasping her leash with your hands (in basketball you’re not allowed to grab!). Each time she makes a move, thwart her by positioning yourself in her path fast enough so that she knows you mean business. Because you’re not confusing her with distracting words chatter (e.g. you are completely silent), she’ll figure out that she can’t get to what she wants and then sit and look at you. Immediately give her a treat while she’s still sitting and then give a few more for remaining seated. When she’s stably looking at you instead of the treat on the floor, move aside so she has a clear path to the treat but be ready to block her again if she starts to get up. Give her a series of treats for looking at you and when she’s stably looking at you then release her with an “ok” and point to the treat to indicate she can get up and get it. Repeat this exercise until she immediately sits and remains focused on you until you give the release (generally at least 5-20 practice trials). At that point you can add a cue word “leave-it” right before you drop treats so that she learns leave-it means sit patiently and look to me for permission and you might get the opportunity to have it.. You can also start practicing in more realistic settings, such as by randomly dropping food in the kitchen or a toy in the living room, telling her to “leave-it” and then blocking her if needed so she doesn’t get it.

#4 Then add the Leave-it Game Version 2

In this version you toss the treat out of leash range and then stand completely still. When Fido pulls to the end of the leash and you fail to budge, she’ll soon figure out pulling gets her nowhere. Since she’s been rewarded so much for sitting and looking at you, she’ll turn back and sit in front of you. Give her a sequence of treats and then when she has a stable “watch” then say the release word and point to the treat. Make sure she can get to the treat on a loose leash or you will have negated what you just did. Note that this exercise helps teach Fido that when she gets to the end of her leash she should turn and then sit and look at you.

#5 Now Require That Your Dog Sit Politely for Everything She Wants.

For more detailed instruction read section 5.3 in Perfect Puppy in 7 Days, watch Sit for Petting: Stellah Learns Self Control

Say please by sitting automatically to be petted: This is the most difficult exercise for people because humans tend to pet their pets without thinking. So it’s an exercise for humans to be aware of when they are unconsciously rewarding the wrong behaviors. This exercise is especially important for dogs that jump on people for attention or that are highly motivated for petting and attention and anxious when they don’t get it when they want it (such as with separation anxiety). In this exercise only pet your dog when she’s sitting. Pet in short 5 seconds bouts so that you can reward her for remaining sitting. Remove your hands and even stand up straight and look away if the dog even starts to get up. For wiggly dogs you can start by giving treats while simultaneously petting so the dog will hold still, and stop the petting and treat giving at the same time. Then work towards petting followed immediately by giving treats before the dog starts to wiggle. Then pet while the dog’s getting treats but space the treats out in time. Then stop giving treats altogether and just reward with the petting. For dogs that are really wiggly, hyperactive, or anxious, require that they lie down instead of sitting to be petted.

Say please by sitting automatically to get the leash on or have taken off: Wait for your dog to sit politely before you go to put the leash on. If needed, you can give treats while putting the leash on. If treats are needed, practice putting the leash on at least 5-10x in a day. That way, by day two or three, treats will no longer be required.

Say please by sitting automatically to go through door: The leave-it technique applies to waiting to go through doorways. Instead of letting Fido rush past you, first wait until he sits to open the door. Then when you open the door, block him, as you learned in the leave-it exercise from coming out. Only let him through the door when he’s sitting stably and focused on you.

Say please by sitting automatically to get out of the car: If your dog loves riding in the car, and in particular getting out, then have her sit patiently before you let her out of the car. Again use the blocking exercise to train this. Ultimately the goal is she automatically sits and waits for your release word and doesn’t need any treats.

Before you toss a toy: When Fido wants to play fetch, wait until he sits to toss the toy to him. If he has huge arousal issues around toys, then actually teach him to sit or lie down and remain seated even after you toss the toy. This exercise is particularly important for dogs that get more aroused and unruly during or after playing fetch and with those who are possessive over their toys.

Say please by sitting in order to get you to approach: For dogs that are overly dependent and who whine or bark when you are out of their reach because they want your attention, tether them to furniture and walk away. Then go up and pet them only if they will sit when you are just outside of their petting range. When they understand this association, then graduate to expecting them to sit if they want you to approach. That is, we want them to learn that whining, barking, and howling do not work to get your attention; rather, sitting or lying down and controlling their emotions is what gets you to approach and pet them.

These are the standard times when dogs should say please by sitting but also tailor the “please” to your needs. Some dogs may need to understand in additional situations (such as coming out of their crate ) that they only get what they want when they are calm and collected. Overall these exercises will help your dog be calmer, more focused and exhibit better self control. As a result he’ll be able to be more attentive to your signals and directions.

Conclusion: That’s the basic overview of the program. For exercises in detail read Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy Off Right. This book is appropriate for puppies as well as adult dogs and their owners. This plan as detailed above will provide you with a dog who’s focused on you inside which will you can then use to build on his focus with you outside and in more distracting situations.

To download the free poster on The Learn to Earn Program, go here.

Stay tuned for the next blog where I answer some common questions about the Learn to Earn Program.

The Learn to Earn Program: Developing Leadership in Humans and Impulse Control in Dogs

2012-02-06T06:53:33+00:00

Dr. Yin's version of the Learn to Earn Program teaches humans the leadership skills they will need, as well as teaching impulse control in dogs. From excessive barking and jumping, to aggression and separation anxiety, one of the common issues is that these dogs tend to lack impulse control and their humans need to find better ways to provide guidance and leadership.

By Dr Sophia Yin

To download the free poster on The Learn to Earn Program, go here.

Every day pet owners email about me problems they are having with their dogs—anxiety, aggression, unruly, lack of focus. One of the common themes with all of these scenarios is that these dogs tend to lack impulse control and their humans need to find better ways to provide guidance and leadership.

Fortunately humans can develop the needed communication skills while training dogs to have self-control and emotional control in one fun, reward-based program called the Learn to Earn Program. In this program, humans gain leadership by controlling all the resources that motivate the pet and requiring the pet willingly work for these items instead of getting them for free. Now, the focus is on using all valued resources to reward desirable behaviors while simultaneously removing the rewards for undesirable behavior.

This overall approach has been called nothing in life is free, no free lunch, or the learn-to-earn program. Each behavior consultant has his or her own variation. The following presentation is my own version of the Learn to Earn Program for Developing Leadership in Humans and Impulse Control in Dogs. The actual program is laid our step-by-step with photos in Perfect Puppy in 7 Days (chapter 5). This blog is part of a 3-part blog that highlights the most important points of my Learn to Earn plan.

Overview

Say Please by Automatically Sitting is the Foundation Behavior

In this Learn to Earn program, the idea is to use everything your dog wants to your advantage as rewards for training purposes. The dog will learn to earn everything she wants by politely and automatically saying please by sitting. She will at the same time, learn that performing undesirable behaviors such as jumping on you cause the potential rewards for those behaviors to go away.

For the fastest training, dogs should earn their meal throughout the day when you are home. That means no food in the food bowl. Instead you’ll carry food around with you in your pockets, a bait bag or have it available in easily accessible containers throughout the house. Then, throughout the day, when you are home, you’ll reward appropriate behavior.

How the Learn to Earn Program Trains Leadership and Communication Skills in Humans.

This program consists of setting clear rules for the dog to automatically sit for all resources. The human learns to communicate the rules by immediately (i.e., within 0.5 seconds) reinforcing correct behaviors as they occur, and preventing the dog from receiving rewards for undesirable behaviors. So a large part of this program is teaching owners the exact body movements and timing that help them convey a clear message.

Leadership is established when humans can set clear guidelines for the dog’s behavior and can effectively communicate the rules by always rewarding correct behaviors as they occur while preventing or immediately removing the rewards for undesirable behaviors before they are accidentally reinforced. The owner must stick to this plan long enough for the good behaviors to become a habit.

When owners can meet these criteria, their dog learns to view them as consistent, predictable, and able to guide. Alternatively, when rules change randomly the dog may view the owner the same way you might view a boss who keeps changing his mind. Overall with the Learn to Earn Program, rather than complying out of fear, dogs can choose to follow human direction because doing so leads to rewards and then doing so becomes a habit. This model reflects a good understanding of the underlying cause of improper canine behavior and leads to a stronger dog–owner bond.

How the Learn to Earn Program Leads to Self Control in Dogs.

In general, dogs have impulse control issues because taking things without asking, barging through the door, blurting out of turn, and pulling with all their might have worked so well in the past. For some dogs and breeds of dog there may be a physiologic or genetic tendency to towards having less impulse control which means their humans must carry out the program more thoughtfully and consistently than owners of the average dog.

In this program we turn the house rules onto their head. Whereas taking things without asking worked before, the only thing that works to get them what they want now is to automatically say please by sitting. We start with easy situations such as requiring dogs to sit for treats or kibble delivered by hand. This way we can quickly build up a high rate of reinforcement leading to a faster rate of learning. Next we systematically work with more difficult situations such as sitting to play fetch or for the opportunity to chase squirrels and then we expect longer or more bouts of desired behavior for fewer and fewer rewards.

The Benefits: How the Program Changes Your Dog’s Perspective

Because dogs learn that the only way they can get what they want is by sitting and looking to you for permission, the learn to earn program teaches them to control their emotions (self control) even if that means remaining calm in order to:

get attention from you or whatever they want most.
that paying attention to you, your words, signals and guidance are important it gets them what they want.
when faced with a difficult situation, they can and should look to you for guidance.

Consequently, the Learn to Earn program is useful for dogs with fear, anxieties (including separation anxiety), arousal issues or hyperactivity, inability to focus on their owners, as well as just general lack of training and unruly behavior.

Why training during all interactions throughout the day and for all resources, including all of their food, is important.

This training throughout the day and for all resources, including each kibble, may seem a huge inconvenience but doing so will make a huge difference. Here’s why we do it.

So your dog will develop a habit rather than a trick: If you only train in specified sessions, your dog may just learn to behave during those training sessions. The things you do at the start of such sessions, such as pulling out a treat bag or placing a special collar or leash on, will become the cues to behave for just that short time rather than behaving well all the time. Then, if on top of that you add other resources such as petting, attention, and play, when she wants these things, you’ll increase your toolbox of rewards even more. Add to this removal of all rewards for undesirable behavior and now you have a formula for changing the dog’s behavior patterns virtually overnight (meaning days to weeks instead of weeks to years).

The necessity and benefits of tethering your dog to you at first.

In the first days of training your dog should be tethered to you on leash at all times when you are at home and she isn’t in her crate or pen, dog-safe room, or tethered to an object near you. When she’s not tethered to you, she specifically needs to be in some type of situation where she can’t practice unwanted behaviors, such as barking, pacing and others that reinforce poor impulse control. Tethering to you is especially important because:

If your dog’s near, it’s easier to reward good behaviors as they occur. Otherwise you tend to forget and miss opportunities, which makes training take weeks or months longer.

Because she’s supervised, it’s difficult for her to practice or perform unwanted behaviors.

Tethering to you teaches your dog that when she doesn’t want to pay attention to you, she can’t just blow you off, walk away, and then get rewarded by something else, such as a dropped food wrapper that she grabs. That is, tethering her to you helps prevent rewards for undesirable behavior.

I use a Buddy System hands free leash (www.buddysys.com) for the tethering to me or to furniture. I keep my dog on a regular flat buckle collar or on a harness that hooks to the front such as the WalkinSync®, Freedom Harness® or Gentle Leader Harness.

How long to continue the plan.

Some people assume they’ll have to continue this intense program forever. The reality is that if humans work at this diligently their dogs will progress more in a week than most dog-human teams learn in many months. But just so you have an idea of how long you will go.

Continue the complete indoor program including tethering:

In general, a dog should stay on this tethering stage until she readily and automatically quickly sits when she wants something—food, attention, to go out the door, etc—and also has a 100% come when called the first time you call even when there are distractions in the house. To develop that 100% come when called you will go through stages where the dog is dragging a long leash so you can specifically work on come.
For most problem dogs that I work with in my house, this takes just several days or at most a week. For more difficult dogs this stage may last much longer (3-4 weeks for me which means much longer for you).

Continue the sit for everything: Until you have the perfect dog that you want. Remember that impulse control in one situation will affect arousal and control in another. So that if our dog goes bonkers over squirrels and over tennis balls, say please by sitting in order to play fetch is important for getting him to behave well around squirrels too.

To download the free poster on The Learn to Earn Program, go here.

Free Downloads: Posters, Handouts, and More!

2012-02-02T03:17:10+00:00

All of the free downloads from drsophiayin.com, in one convenient location.

For those of you who are new to this web site or who have not had a chance to examine it thoroughly yet, I want to direct you to the many free, professional-grade, downloadable resources. Feel free to share these resources and link to these pages, using the title of the pages as your linking text. I hope you find them useful for yourself, your staff, and your clients!

Body Language of Fear and Anxiety in Dogs (poster)

Every year over 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs. One of the most common causes of biting and aggression in dogs is fear. This color poster developed by Dr. Sophia Yin and illustrated by Lili Chin, shows the common as well as more subtle signs of fear and anxiety in dogs. Download the pdf version of the Body Language of Fear and Anxiety in Dogs. You are welcome to make copies to distribute for free.

How to Greet (and How Not to Greet) a Dog (poster)

This color poster, developed by Dr. Sophia Yin and illustrated by Lili Chin, shows appropriate ways to interact and greet a dog while also illustrating the types of interactions to avoid. The poster is also available for free as a pdf download, which you can print on your own to hand out for free. Download the pdf version of How to Greet a Dog poster.

Kids and Dogs

These two posters together show kids and parents the types of interactions they should AVOID with dogs as well as the types of play and interactions that are appropriate.

Dr Yin's Top 10 Dog Training Tips

Have you ever gone to a dog training class or taken a private lesson and left with your head swimming? With so much information, the main messages can sometimes get lost among the more intricate details. Here is a downloadable handout with some take-home message that I use to guide my every-day interaction with my patients as well as my own pets.

Puppy Socialization check-list

It’s now common knowledge that puppies should be socialized, but sometimes it can be tricky remember what they should be socialized to. This socialization checklist breaks the process down into categories and allows owners to keep track, not only of the socialization opportunities but of the pet’s progress. For step-by-step instruction on how to perform the socialization, see Perfect Puppy in 7 Days.

Chapter 2:Dominance vs. Unruly Behavior from Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats.

Decades ago, commonly-held beliefs about dog behavior were influenced by ideas about wolves. Many of these beliefs were mistakenly based on the behavior of captive wolves, which are poor models for the behavior exhibited by wolves living in their natural habitats. Since then, scientists have updated their knowledge of wolf social systems and of dog social behavior. Download this chapter to get the most current views on dominance and what it is.

BehaviorBytes Quarterly Newsletter

Download back-issues and sign-up to receive upcoming issues. Vol. 1, the inaugural issue, focuses on a “One Person Cat-Handling Technique for Injections”, and discussed behavioral drug use for pets. The theme of Vol. 2 is behavior as a value-added service for veterinary hospitals. For many patients, simple procedures such as toenail trims, grooming, receiving pills or injections, are a dread. This issue shows how to train pets that these procedures are actually fun! The issue also discusses how to incorporate the service into technician behavioral sessions.

Behavior Modification Handouts from BehaviorBytes Newsletters: Each newsletter includes handouts for clients. The three available thusfar include:

Training Dogs to Love Wearing Muzzles.
Training Cats to Love their Carriers.
Check sheet for behavior chapters and videos clients can watch online

Consent Forms for Veterinary Hospitals from BehaviorBytes Newsletters: Each newsletter also includes forms that veterinarians can use within their hospital. The two available thusfar are:

Sample refusal of recommended behavioral treatment form
Extra-label consent form

New Puppy Owners Apply Training Principles to Teach New Behaviors

2012-01-11T05:21:55+00:00

Once people understand training principles, they can apply them to many different situations. Read how one puppy owner applied one technique to track her puppy's growth!

By Dr Sophia Yin

You’ve all heard the saying, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish and feed him for a liftetime.”

This saying holds true for training animals and understanding pets. Instead of just memorizing techniques, people have shown it’s essential to understand learning principles which you can apply to many situations. That way you can come up with solutions to situations that are new to you and your dog and can also better determine which techniques may be more appropriate.

One new puppy owner, a reader of this Art and Science of Animal Behavior blog illustrates this point perfectly. Says, Anneliese Sarsen,

We recently picked up our puppy at 7 weeks. After having him home a few days we decided we'd like to keep track of how much he weighs. Recalling your video of teaching a dog to put his feet in the box, we wondered if we could teach the puppy to get on the scale. We started marking with a "Yes" and treating him for touching the scale and progressed from there. Within five minutes he was sitting perfectly on the scale. He's 10 weeks now and still able to do this consistently. We're collecting weekly pictures of him sitting on the scale and we will be able to put together a cute collage. What a fun and easy way to track how our puppy is growing!

What fun and useful behaviors have you trained your dog after reading or watching a video on this web site?

MannersMinder (Treat & Train) Helps Solve Resource Guarding with Other Dogs

2012-01-06T17:29:22+00:00

The MannersMinder (Treat & Train) can be used to help in multiple dog households. In this case, one owner used it to help fix her dog's resource guarding.

By Dr Sophia Yin

When I created the MannersMinder, 2004, it was marketed as a product to train dogs to lie down calmly when visitors come to the door. However, my intention was the trainers would help owners use it for all kinds of situations where they could reward dogs for good behavior away from them. Luckily both trainers and owners are catching on and using it for issues ranging from separation anxiety, agility, impulse control issues, and more.

In this blog, one dog owner, Juanita Boutwell from Napa, California, recounts her success in using the MannersMinder (Treat & Train) to help create a peaceful and safe household where there had once been great strife.

“I used my MannersMinder to stop my dogs from fighting,” she says. “This spring, my adolescent Great Pyrenees, Luke, started challenging my 5 yr old Great Pyrenees, Larry. It was mostly resource guarding kind of stuff, but there were a total of 4 fights over the course of about 4 months, each getting progressively more violent. Three fights required visits to the vet.”

Luckily, Boutwell looked for help in the right place.

“In August, I got Jean Donaldson's book "Fight", says Boutwell, “and liked what she had to say. I then found a behaviorist in my area who had been through the SFSPCA Academy with Jean Donaldson. The behaviorist came to my house and we worked with the dogs one day so she could come up with a protocol for us to practice. “

The behaviorist knew how to tailor a plan to the household’s needs. “Essentially she used the protocol in the "Fight" book,” says Boutwell, “but tailor made for us. It required two handlers though - one for each dog. One dog/handler would approach to a certain distance, then the "Treat Bar would open" and we would treat each dog, then move away again. The idea was to counter condition and desensitize the dogs to each other. At later stages, we would add resources to the picture, as things improved.”

Behavior modification plans requiring two handlers can be challenging since two people are not always available.

Boutwell elaborates, “I had a friend to help me with this, but she could only come over a few days a week and I needed someone who knew enough about dogs and dog body language to help, so didn't want to ask the neighbors or random people who came to the house.”

Luckily Boutwell had a MannersMinder (Treat & Train), a remote-controlled treat dispenser that can play the part of a second person.

“The behaviorist OK'd me using the MannersMinder as my "other" handler on days when I had to work alone, and it worked great,” states Boutwell. “My friend helped me in the beginning, until I got the coordination down of approaching with one dog and treating him. Then I could put the stationary dog in an x-pen or tie out with the Manners Minder, and approach with the second dog on a leash. When we get to the appropriate location (we started at a distance of 20 feet), if neither dog was showing any stress, I clicked the Manners Minder button, and hand feed the dog I had with me. This allowed me to handle both dogs at once and practice daily instead of whenever I could get a helper.

Boutwell’s results were great. “The protocol has worked so well, it’s almost like a miracle to me. I went from two dogs who were best buddies, to two dogs that couldn't be in the same room and I was afraid would kill each other, back to two dogs who are best buddies. And I never really did have to add "guardable" resources to the picture, because the Manners Minder fit that criteria.”

Boutwell has other uses for the MannersMinder (Treat & Train) too. “We use it for other things as well,” she says, “as Luke is in training to do some assistance dog skills for me so we do a lot of shaping play. But we have totally gotten our money's worth out of it working through our protocol."

Wondering who the trainer who so adeptly helped Jaunita Boutwell was? It was Barbara Dwyer of See Spot Stay. Barbara's credentials include:

BSc, Animal Behavior Therapy, Ethology Institute Cambridge

Certified Professional Dog Trainer - KA

Certified Avian Specialist, PIJAC

Certified Behavior Counselor and Trainer, San Francisco SPCA Academy

Certificate in Dog Aggression, San Francisco SPCA

She can be contacted at: seespotstay@pacbell.net

READER QUESTIONS:

What behavior modification plans have YOU used the MannersMinder (Treat & Train) for?

Dog Product Review: Jonesy’s Favorite Things!

2011-12-24T19:29:33+00:00

A lot of new dog products come out each year. Here are some of Jonesy's favorite things of 2011!

By Dr Sophia Yin

Hey! It’s Jonesy the Jack Russell Terrier here to give you the 411 on some of the Best and Coolest Gifts for your four legged friends. Every year I get to test all kinds of games, toys, and other pet products. Some are really cool, and some are just duds. Here are some of my Favorites!

Pooch Treat House

Pooch Treat House: For those of you who want something economical and unique, this $5.00 toy is perfect. Just watch me demonstrate.


First you take a ball, and hmmm….	Drop it in the hole.

And then….. Ooh. Here it comes.	Hey. Jackpot. A treat falls out!

All gone! I guess I should drop the ball in the hole again!

This toy has suction cups on the bottom so it sticks to the floor. It’s also completely dog-powered—no batteries needed. Just drop treats in the little treat chute (human required for this) and when the ball goes in the hole at the top, it causes the treats to fall out. Apparently it’s best if the treats are small and uniform in size.

Kong® Squeaker Air

I’ve played with probably 100s of toys. But my favorite toy, besides all new toys that other dogs are playing with, is this special tennis ball that squeaks.

See! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

The only problem is that I squeak so hard that the squeaker pops out within minutes. But I still like them afterwards too.

Outfox Fieldguard

You might think this mask on my face looks dopey, but once you find out what it does and how much fun your dog can have because of it, you’ll want one right away. This Outfox® Field Guard keeps foxtails out of your eyes, ears and mouth. So if you live in California where foxtails are abundant in spring and summer you’ll now be able to safely go for trail romps without worrying about painful foxtail awns ruining your day. They really hurt when they fly up your nose! (or ears or eyes). Needless to say, foxtails in orifices lead to an expensive trip to the vet.

Oh, I forgot to say, this mesh guard is actually really comfortable to wear. I hate wearing clothes, hats or things on my face and this doesn’t bug me at all. Plus I can play fetch and carrying other things in my mouth.

Walk in Sync Harness

In case your romps all have to be on leash, I highly suggest this ultra-comfortable front-attaching Walk in Sync® harness. Unlike a collar, where, when you get to the end it doesn’t wrench your neck and, because it attaches in the front, it helps redirect your attention back in the direction of your owner at the other end of the leash. What makes this leash different from other front harnesses is that this one, along with Freedom Harness, allows full movement of front legs. There’s no pinching or messing with your running form. For those of you who are new to training it comes with a leash that helps you understand where to hold consistently, plus a video on basic training. Personally, my mom uses hers with the Buddy System hands-free leash though.

Comfy Bed

Here’s something my mom got when we moved into our new home. She wants everything to look nice so she bought this super-comfortable and pretty dog bed. In fact it’s so comfy and sleek that she might get me another for the living room.

This one fits perfectly under her desk. I must spend ¼ of my day here. Of course the other reason I love this bed is that my most favorite game in the world, the MannersMinder, remote controlled reward device, is next to it. I get kibble every time delivery people and guests come to the door. That way I don’t have to be on red-alert 20 million times a day.

Crater Dot

Here’s my other favorite bed. It’s my new Crater Dot by SleepyPod®. Note how the cool modern look goes perfectly with the dog-shaped magazine rack and the MannersMinder. It also looks great with the grand piano that I’m laying under (which you can’t see). You wouldn’t think that this round flat thing would be that comfortable but it’s contoured and I fit perfectly, especially when I’m curled up.

Here’s Dante testing my Crater Dot out. It has a little electric warmer and as you can see, even a 13 pound cat fits well on it. Hey, Dante. Get your own!

Sleepy Pod Carrier

I think this is my favorite product for Dante. It’s an ultra sleek SleepyPod® pet travel carrier that fits under all airline seats. It also folds up flat for storage so it can be stored in your suitcase or in a drawer. Unfortunately even though I’m only 14 pounds, I don’t fit in it because I can’t turn around in it, like Dante can. Here I am in my regular black airline carrier, which is perfect for me but doesn’t fold up nicely for storage. I’m hoping now that Dante has a carrier, he will get shipped somewhere far far away.

Well, that’s it. My favorite things of 2011. Hopefully you’ll get to try out a few if you’re cute and well-behaved like me!

What have been your favorite products this year?

Cat Injections: Training Your Cat to Love Injections Without Ruining Your Relationship

2011-12-20T09:47:16+00:00

Is it difficult to give your cat injections? Do you worry that ensuring your cat gets proper veterinary care will ruined your relationship? Learn how to train your cat to love injections without putting a strain on your relationship.

By Dr Sophia Yin

At first we gave the insulin but then Mochi started hiding from us. We didn’t want to make her hate us, so we discountinued the treatment even though we knew that without she wouldn’t live long.

How many times have you heard something like this where a client fails to carry through with treatment because the treatment ruins her bond with her pet? If the treatment is an injection of some sort, this type of situation should not happen because it’s easy to train cats to love getting injections and this comfort with injections can be taught in just a handful of days. Here’s how.


Start with a hungry cat and tasty treats, such as canned cat food or baby food. Then give the cat the food and once she starts eating it, lightly pinch her skin. The goal is that you pinch at a level light enough so she remains engrossed in the food.	Stop the pinching after about 5 seconds and simultaneously pull the food away. If you do this right, the cat should be looking at you expectantly to offer the food again. This timing helps cats understand that pinching equals treats and removal of the pinching equals removal of food. Next repeat the procedure. Once she’s good at being pinched at your starting level repeat the procedure but pinch harder or more vigorously.

Once she is happy to just eat treats during that procedure, then graduate to poking with a capped needle on a syringe while you pinch the skin. You can use a pen instead if you don’t have a needle and syringe on hand. Again, only poke the skin when the cats eating.	Only poke for around 5 seconds so you don’t go over her tolerance level when first starting at this step. Then stop petting and remove the food. Here, Dante can’t wait for me to repeat the procedure. At this point I can use a real syringe and needle and give an injection.

You can also perform this procedure with an assistant to hold the food. Make sure you’ve timed the removal and addition of food carefully.

Practice in a couple of 5 minute sessions a day. For instance, you can practice right before his regular meal times and use a portion of his meal. The program is convenient to practice and it literally takes just days for most cats to complete as long as you stay below the level that will irritate him. So with just a handful of training sessions, your cat can quickly be ready to receive injectible medications that will help her live a longer, healthier life.

Here is a video example of a cat receiving an injection at a rabies vaccine clinic. The cat has a pleasant experience because she gets tasty treats while receiving the vaccination.

Have you trained your cat to receive injections? Share your story here!

Learn to Earn Scavenger Hunt: Super Fun Dog Class Game for Training Dogs Self Control

2011-12-05T07:41:34+00:00

The Learn to Earn program is designed to teach dogs self control and train humans how to be consistent and gain leadership. In this dog class game, clients had a chance to practice this program with their dogs, while winning fun prizes!

By Dr Sophia Yin

It’s one thing to show class participants how to perform certain exercises and to have them practice in class but providing an opportunity to practice them in the context closer to real life using games and prizes turns a regular class into a spectacular event!

We did just this in our first ever Learn to Earn Scavenger Hunt at my house last week, which was week five of a six-week beginning dog training class. The class was comprised of first-time dog owners, experienced dog owners, as well as humans who foster dogs for shelters and rescue groups.

What the Learn to Earn Program is About

With my version of the Learn to Earn Program, which is detailed in chapter 5 of Perfect Puppy in 7 Days (> 100 photos), dogs are leashed to their owners during interactions throughout the day and the owners require that they sit automatically whenever the owner is stationary and whenever the dog wants something, such as petting, play, to go out the door, to get her leash on. As importantly the dogs learn that saying please by sitting is the only way that they get what they want.

The goal is that owners gain an understanding of how every interaction they have with their dog is a training session, and how by being aware of every interaction, they can change habits in their dogs virtually overnight. In this intensive Learn to Earn Program, dogs quickly learn:

to ask for what they want politely by automatically sitting rather than taking what they want for free
to gain impulse control
to look to their humans for guidance

Humans learn how to be clear and consistent and to give rewards at exactly the right time while removing rewards for unwanted behaviors.

In class we broke exercises into seven missions with a little prize at the end of each. Plus upon completion of a task they also picked up a “Mission Completed” card and those who had the most cards received their pick of prizes at the end. Participants could perform the missions in any order. Here are some of the missions and how the dogs and owners did.

Mission: The Kitchen


Bunny demonstrates that she can wait patiently while her human does dishes in the sink. She’s learned that she can be patient even when her human isn’t looking because her human rewards Bunny even when Bunny is sitting behind her.	Bunny can also wait patiently while her human get stuff out of the refrigerator and can even wait when food is accidentally dropped on the floor! She does both without having to be told what to do, the sit is automatic.

Cailey shows that she can sit patiently while her human gets stuff out of the refrigerator too.

Mission: Hanging Out


After accompanying his owners around the house, sticking close to their side, Riley shows that he can automatically sit and remain seated when the owners relax on the couch.	He can even remain seated when the owners reach into the goodie box for their own treats.

Anna shows that she can lie down calmly as her human works on the computer. She’s looking at the MannersMinder remote controlled food dispenser which is perfect for rewarding dogs at timed intervals for remaining in a calm down-stay.

Mission: Book Delivery


You often don’t realize how many times during a simple route that dogs should be sitting. In this mission, dogs sat to go out a sliding glass door and in another door in order to get to the den. Here M’Haile demonstrates part two where she sat while her human got a book off the bookshelf.	Then she sat in order to go through the babygate.

Bunny shows the final leg of this route. She sits politely as her human goes to place the book onto a different bookshelf and then tidy the books. Her human appropriately rewards her for sitting before she’s about to put the book away and then another reward after. The goal is to give treats frequently enough to keep the dog remaining seated and then over the next few days giving fewer and fewer treats and rewarding more with other motivators too, such as petting or gaining access to what they wanted.

Mission: The Front Door


Here Rocky demostrates that he can sit to greet people at the door.	And he can remain seated while his mom checks the mailbox for a cool surprise. It’s important to be able to keep your dog sitting calmly in this type of situation since you wouldn’t want him to sprint off or dive at people or dogs passing by.

Mission: Folding Laundry


Rocky also shows that he can lie down calmly while his human is folding laundry. To get to the laundry room, he had to heel throughout the house.	Rocket shows that he can perform this mission too.

And being young doesn’t keep Chico, a 5 month old Maltese mix, from completing this mission.

Upon completion of each missionm humans earned a fun reward for them or for their dog. And at the end of the 30 minute game, each participant claimed a prize from the prize basket.

Overall the class was great learning experience for the humans and a benefit for their dogs. What did the humans think? The most common comment, “It was the best class we’ve ever attended.”

What games do you play in your classes?