The CUB programme is a social awareness system designed for people and dogs; it is a simple regime that works on your social interaction through cooperation and consistency. It provides simple but effective lines of communication that gives you and your dog the opportunity to understand the rules in life. Its aim is to avoid the stress and confusion that ineffective communication can bring. It can be used on its own or to supplement treatment for behaviour issues.

An example of poor communication is, allowing your dog up on furniture and then a couple of minutes later shouting at it for doing the same thing. Dogs don’t understand ‘sometimes’ and a large number of behaviours can be attributed to this sort of confusion.

Imagine going to a foreign land, where you don’t understanding the local language or customs. If a person smiles at you and points to a seat, you might sit down, how would you react if they suddenly become aggressive towards you. You may be confused and perhaps a little fearful; you might respond in a number different of ways depending who you are as an individual.

To address confusion and improve lines of communication we need to put some simple guidelines in place, for bothyou and your dog to follow. When you are consistent in communicating, your dog will slowly start to understand. Dogs are social animals that have a cooperative nature; providing consistency provides an environment where they can learn.

The Guidelines of Consistency.Be Consistent.

Consistent behaviour is the key to good communication, and communication is the key to understanding.

Consistent behaviour means not only showing your dog what is expected by encouraging good behaviour, but actively ensuring we don’t reward unacceptable behaviour. If right or wrong is clearly indicated then it’s easy to understand.

Your dog isn’t deaf, if it doesn’t respond; it is not because it can’t hear you. Raising your voice and shouting louder won’t make a difference other than to cause increased stress, making it less likely that it will respond positively. Use consistent calm simple one word commands, and reward success. It’s not always easy to remain calm when you have a dog bouncing and barking, but this behaviour will help your dog to understand you are in control.

Train your dog to understand you 

Dogs are not mind readers. For them to learn something new, it is important to show them that we like this new behaviour and not just expect it to understand.

Dogs develop very quickly and a young dog can learn to understand many new skills from a very early age. Reward good behaviour as soon as it happens; we can use food, games, walks and attention to provide this reward.

If you provide any rewards when your dog has shown unwanted behaviour, such as nipping or jumping and inappropriate barking then it is likely it will repeat it, in order to earn the reward again.

If this happens you have trained your dog to do the wrong thing. So ensure that in future you do not reward the unwanted behaviour; then it will diminish and go away.

All family members should be consistent 

If your dog is rewarded for unwanted behaviour by a family member he will repeat that behaviour with them and try it on with you. Encourage older children and adults to follow these guidelines.

Show and expect good manners 

Dogs are naturally good mannered, if you reward good manners and don’t reward poor manners then you will quickly see this is the case. Expect your dog to show you and other people respect, don’t allow it to:

· Jump at visitors

· Snatch or take food without permission

· Demand attention

· Jump around when putting on its lead

· Push through doorways in front of you

· Drag you down the road during walks

All of these behaviours will increase if you reward them and decrease if rewarding stops.

Your time with your dog should be positive and on your terms, jumping, nipping, barking, pulling and other attention seeking behaviour puts the attention in your dog’s court. Do not reward this behaviour or you will increase it.

Fulfil your dogs’ needs. 

Many people live busy lifestyles, this can mean the dog is not given the stimulation it needs to remain physically and emotionally healthy, dogs need activity; they are intelligent animals that need lots of exercise, play, and stimulation. This is an obligation that comes with the dog-human partnership. If you can’t do it get someone to do it for you.

· Exercise, 2 or 3 times a day for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Most of this should be off-lead if possible. Note: puppies should be exercised gently and for short periods during the first 9 months of their life.

· Stimulation, your dog needs to use its brain, so stimulate it by fun training, small doses are better than long sessions, 5 to 10 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day will have your dog and you looking forward to training.

· Play, dogs are social animals who play for the whole of their life, it is important for their wellbeing that you provide opportunity for play, teach your dog to retrieve, or sniff out an old sock and reward good play. Do not put down a bunch of toys and leave them to it, this can lead to even worse behaviour.

· Rest, dogs need time out, don’t fuss them all the time, let them rest, particularly pups. We also need some time out; don’t allow your dog to push its attention on you or others during these periods.

These guidelines are easy, follow them and your dog will understand your intentions better. You will have learned how to communicate and will have more control before long you will find your dog is a pleasure to be with.

Now we know the guidelines, how do we ensure that they are followed?

Use SMART Rewards.

SMART Rewards.

Dogs will repeat anything that is rewarding and stop doing things that are not. It is important to communicate well with your dog and ensure that only the behaviour we want to encourage is rewarded. Most inappropriate behaviour is caused through rewarding by mistake, so you will need to be aware of this when you see behaviour you don’t want. Become a SMART rewarder.

Simply put, a SMART Reward is one that is deliberately given, that stimulates your dog in a pleasurable way. You can use this to shape and improve the behaviour that you wish to develop, SMART means:

Simple, keep rewards simple don’t make it hard for yourself or your dog.

Meaningful, rewards should be offered only for behaviours you want to keep.

Achievable, ensure that your dog is able to earn the reward.

Realistic, don’t go over the top with rewards or your dog will expect it.

Timing, you should reward new behaviour when it happens.

Smart Rewarding can be broken down into several categories.

Touch, our dogs often seek physical contact as a reward, (this can be the basis for attention seeking).

Eye Contact, our dogs will look at us to make contact, returning this eye contact can provide a positive response for our dogs.

Verbal, though our dogs’ communication system is not verbal, they do respond well to familiar, pleasant sounding words and tones. Such as ‘Good Dog’.

Food, this is a survival resource and dogs will often jump through hoops for a tasty treat.

Play, play as a reward is a great way to end a session

It is the process of providing and withholding the rewards at the right time that makes a reward SMART. It takes practice, but once you understand the principle that your dog will repeat any behaviour that is rewarding and stop any behaviour that is unrewarding, then you are on the right track to being able to provide or remove this stimulus on cue.

To shape or teach the behaviour we want: we can provide any or all of the above rewards. To get the timing right use a clicker, or give a primary reward of a gently spoken “Gooood ”. Example; to teach a dog to make eye contact, take a treat, look at your dog, when he looks into your eyes, immediately click, or say, gooood and give the treat. Try it you will be surprised how quickly this behaviour is repeated. Don’t rush it, wait till your dog looks.

To stop unwanted behaviour: simply don’t reward, for example if your dog jumps up, Immediately move your arms away to prevent touch, break eye contact by turning the head away, do not talk to the dog, if it continues to try to make contact, take one step away. Do this each time the behaviour happens, when your dog does something you like, such as sitting in front of you, then reward this behaviour immediately.

It takes practice to follow the guidelines of consistency and learn to SMART reward; but it is the basis for much of the skill of behaviour modification.

Summary

Follow the Guidelines of Consistency

1. Be consistent

2. Train your dog to understand you

3. All family members should be consistent

4. Fulfil your dogs needs

5. Show and expect good manners

Keep training simple, reward good behaviour, don’t reward unwanted behaviour. Use SMART rewards. Practice, if you get it wrong don’t worry, try to get it right next time. Don’t expect too much at first from your dog or yourself.

As with all changes to your behaviour with your dogs, it will take you a little time to get the processes running consistently. If you make a mistake don’t worry, note it and try to get it right next time. You have lots of time, the more you use the principles written here, the better your communication will be with your dog.

Paul Rawlinson Cert Ed ADipCCB PAACT

K9 Dogs: www.k9dogs.co.uk

Further details are included in our training program. Click on the ‘please train me’ button below:

This is quite a simple method of training your new puppy, and something they will want to learn quickly and from an early age.

It is a very simple concept that a dog, like a child, will always want to do things that earn it praise or reward and avoid doing things that lead to it being ignored . (and ignoring a dog is much better than using a punishment such as a smack or shout!!!).

Encouragement NOT force

Positive reinforcement is NOT forcing a dog to do something and then praising it, this can lead to the dog being confused about whether this action is a good or bad thing. Is it a praise or is it a punishment?

Your new dog should be initially gently coaxed into doing something, such as sitting down, with the minimum praise or reward offered for doing so. Once it understands that praise or reward follow even simple commands being obeyed your dog will enjoy his training and make life much easier for you.

Positive refinforcement is a very effective method of training your dog. Further details are included in our training program. Click on the ‘please train me’ button below:

The number one problem of a new puppy in the house is they will want your constant attention. One of the standard tricks they quickly learn is that if they whine, howl or bark  someone will come to see them. This is fine during the day, not so good if it is in the middle of the night.

How to Stop Your Puppy From Whining, and Howling

If the problem is not addressed and resolved right away, whining can turn into an inbuilt routine that is extremely frustrating and annoying. Many puppies use whining, howling and barking in order to get control of their owners, dont worry though, there are several things that you can do to stop excessive whining.
If you limit your puppy’s movements to a cage or a small room, you should always take note of your puppy’s whining. If they start to whine, you should immediately take them out to their designated toilet area. At the same time you should also teach your puppy to accept separation and solitude. Familiarize your puppy with being left alone at times, even when you are at home. This will stop them from developing separation anxiety, as well as the problems that come with this. If you hear your puppy whining, you should also ensure that your puppy is comfortable. It may be that your puppy is thirsty, too hot, too cold, hungry, sick, uncomfortable – or maybe their toy is stuck under a piece of furniture.If you are sure that all your puppy’s physical needs have been met, take some time and help your puppy to get used to being alone. And then teach them that whining is not acceptable behavior.

There are also several things that you should not do in order to stop your puppy from whining. If they whine, do not give your puppy any form of reward. Also do not falter to fittingly scold your puppy when they whine unnecessary. You should never let your puppy feel abandoned. And also do not allow your puppy to soil in their cage or bedding area.

You must understand that at times your puppy will whine for no apparent reason, and you will not be certain to what is wrong with them. For example a puppy might whine at the front door because they have a need for their playmate to come over to your house. This is totally understandable, but should not be allowed to get out of hand. If your puppy whines excessively, you should tell them to stop. If your puppy is whining because their toy is stuck, just get up and get it out for them. Do not frustrate them by ignoring this. Always try to determine the reason for your puppy’s whining before you reprimand them. It might be something you can fix like in the case of removing the toy that is stuck under a piece of furniture.

Training your new puppy, even one who initially causes you problems with its constant whining, howling or barking, can be very enjoyable for both you and your puppy. For a comprehensive and fun way to train your dog, click on the ‘please train me’ button below.

Which is the right training program for your dog?

Any search of the web will reveal a multitude of different courses, ideas, concepts, videos, and programs aimed at obedience training for young and old dogs. Many are cutting edge and some are out of date and no longer accepted by experts as being the right way to do things.. How do you go about finding one that is right for training teaching your dog?

For many dog owners there are some very basic reasons for wanting to mold the behavior of their pet. A dog without some basic dog obedience training can be like that annoying uncle in the family who has none of the social graces, always loud and obnoxious, makes a mess of the house, always adding his opinions into other peoples business – you know the sort. You still like him but you just wish he wasn’t there so often.

Well, you should always want to be around your dog. Isn’t that why you introduced him into your home in the first place, to be your faithful friend and companion? This will happen when you find a reciprocal level of respect and understanding. This in turn grows out of discovering the right way to communicate with your dog  to make sure he fully understands what the rules are and what you expect from him or her.

Common to all good dog obedience programs should be the understanding and acceptance of the following basic principles, though they may be explained slightly differently:

* It’s essential to understand that dogs are pack animals and are much happier when there is clearly defined leadership and they know what is expected of them. This is important for you to understand how a dog’s mind works.

* It is your job to be the pack leader – consistently, repetitiously, persistently, and patiently.

* Tied in with patience is the tone of voice you use. Commands should be given firmly with no ambiguity, but with patience and with no shouting. Your dog must not be confused once he knows what it is you want him to do. There can be no refusal or ignoring of your commands.

* Rewards and corrective actions are also important concepts in any dog training or obedience course. Rewards should be in the form of praise a treat, or a ‘click’ (clicker training) while corrective action could be in the form of holding back praise, treats, a scratch, or a firm ‘No.’

It’s always good to start with the basics. Look for a program that starts with these fundamental concepts and commands:

The Come or Come Here  command is very important for control of your pet. Nobody wants a dog that ignores them nor do you want to have to mount a search party every time he is outside and off his lead.

Stand and Stay, Sit and Stay, and Down and Stay commands are very helpful especially in situations where there are groups of people and activities where your dog needs to be kept away or out from underfoot.

Walking on and off lead, sometimes called ‘heeling’ is very important training as there is nothing more unpleasant then having an uncontrollable dog pulling and tugging on the leash and lunging at other dogs, animals, and people.

In addition to these basic commands many methods will include turns, fetch and carry, back up, crawl, shake hands, catch, climb ladders etc., and all of these with hand commands as well as verbal commands.

Other behaviors or problems that will be dealt with in a well organised dog training for obedience program are house training, excessive barking, biting and nipping, chewing, digging up the yard, aggression, and jumping up on people and furniture. There may also be some discussion of the best dog obedience training equipment to use.

This is a basic idea of the things to look for in a reputable dog obedience training program. Of course a good method and system for training are key to the welfare and safety of your pet, but also to your peace of mind and enjoyment of your canine companion.

Don’t give dogs or other pets as presents this Christmas

Every year around Christmas time the RSPCA in the UK , and other animal charities around the world,  make appeals to everyone to think twice before buying a new puppy or any other pet as a Christmas present. The repeated message is “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”. This prompt is to make people think, and to consider the implications of owning a pet of any kind.

It is a wonderful experience to see your child’s face light up when you present them with an adorable puppy. There’s no getting away from that, however it doesn’t last very long and it is only one side of the coin.

Puppies can be very hard work. They chew, they soil, they can interrupt sleep, they dig and they demand a lot of attention, it’s rather like taking on another unruly child.

Although puppies grow quickly, their education is a slow process, even if you have an intelligent breed. During your puppy’s education and socialisation you need to remain calm and patient at all times, and above all you must be consistent, even if you are at the end of your tether. One small slip up confuses your pup and can set his education back.

Puppies tend to take up a lot of time, Just like a child. Your puppy would need walking (come rain, blizzard or shine) training, feeding, brushing, cleaning up after, as well as playing with. Children soon loose interest with all these chores and they inevitably fall to the parents. Do you have time for all these little jobs every day? If not your bored depressed little puppy will probably eat your sofa.

Of course puppy farms are applying hard sell tactics in the run up to Christmas. They prey on people who are unsure if they should buy a puppy or not. The puppy farms force people into making rash decisions that are not thought through properly. The salesmen may say “Well, someone else is interested in this pup”, of course there isn’t anyone else, they just want to force the sale by making the buyers think that they may loose the chance of buying the cute little puppy they have shown interest in. The puppy farmers are not concerned if you are ready and able to take on a puppy, they are only thinking of the wonderful Christmas they can have once they have their hands on your cash.

Christmas day will no doubt be a wonderful day with your new puppy and your happy children. Any puppy mishaps will be regarded as little accidents and mischievous behaviour and all pups’ naughtiness will be heart warming and laughed off.

Six to eight months down the line, puppy is still having little accidents. Puppy is now a big puppy, and proving to be a bit of a handful. The kids have lost interest and everything is covered in dog hairs

This is when there is a boom in puppies that have been placed into the care of animal charities. The charities can not possibly re-home every adorable puppy that comes to them. Anyway, who wants your unruly puppy at the dogs home when they can go to the puppy farm and buy a younger, smaller and cuter puppy there?

The fact is that some cute adorable pups that find themselves at the dogs home have to be destroyed, due to no fault of their own, other than nobody wants them.

Happy Christmas Puppy!

How good is your dog on the lead?

A while ago I came to the stage whilst training my dogs, that my alsatian was as good as gold when off the lead, but a nightmare on it.

Off the lead he would happily trot beside me or just in front of me without running off, never being nasty at all, and would respond to every command I gave him.

Then, on the lead he would pull like mad and drag me around wherever we went. This was a problem that had to be corrected quickly. He was still not nasty to people or other dogs, but he would not just walk alongside me, he had to pull like his life depended on getting somewhere fast.

I know I am not the only person who has come accross this problem, I see plenty of people being dragged around by their dogs every day. Although I am strong enough to restrain my dog and prevent him from dragging me in another direction I still had to sort this problem out quickly.

Do you recognise this problem? Do you have the same problem with your dog?

The answer was quite simple, but took a little bit of patience on my behalf to sort out. Before long he was happily walking alongside me without trying to drag me anywhere. Now my wife and son can also take him for a walk, whereas they never could do before.

For a simple solution to this problem and other new dog training issues, just click on the ‘please train me’  button below:

Teaching your dog the lie down command

The lie down command is a very useful command and is fairly easy to teach your dog. After teaching the sit command, this command should be a breeze for you. Getting your dog to lie down and wait while you go into a shop or walk away is a very useful command and is also good for gaining trust and a good relationship with your new dog.

The command should be firstly taught indoors or in a comfortable place where your dog is used to learning and doing commands for you, such as its regular walk place if suitable. Then as time goes on and your dog gets better with the command, you should take it into a public place with lots of interests and new smells to distract them. This should test the strength and commitment your dog has for obeying commands.

When to start training your dog

To start with, you should begin the training process before mealtimes when your dog is hungry and where they will be more than happy to please you if it means they get a treat, this will encourage training and will help the progress of your dog.

When you are ready and you have your dogs favourite treats to hand, start by getting your dog to sit for you, followed by a reward .Then let your dog know you have another treat in your hand for him and slowly lower it in front of him, going lower and lower, as the treat gets lowered closer to the ground your dog will be forced into the down position with their belly firmly on the floor and paws ahead of them.

As soon as your dogs belly touches the floor, the command ‘down’ should be said and you should reward them with praise, encouragement and their favourite treat. This makes the dog associate the command with the action and the action with a reward. Dog training, especially new dog training should be an enjoyable experience for your pet for best results.

If your dog steps out of line during the exercise, gently punish them accordingly and do not give any reward. After you have learnt this command and you now think you’re ready for the next step, try taking your dog into a distracting place or area, or playing with their favourite toy around them. When you have your dog under control at all times using the down command it is time to move on to more advanced dog training and you have now got a new trick to show your friends and family.

Good Dog!

This story is absolutely true, and really makes me wonder what some people must be thinking !

I was out walking my dogs this morning over Cannock Chase, a forest just down the road from my house, and met up with a woman with her 2 dogs and we got chatting as the dogs ran around together.

She told me that last Friday, walking along the same path as we were on then, a flasher had jumped out in front of her. Apparently there have been a couple of reports of this flasher in the last week or so.

Protective Dog has surprise of his own

When she reported it to the Police later that day, she was asked if she could describe the flasher. She told the Police that she was a 60 year old widow and hadn’t been looking at his face …

 Victim Support phoned her up shortly afterwords. When they said who they were, she laughed at them and said they should be talking to the flasher. The last time she had seen him he was disappearing back into the trees screaming, with her Alsatian stuck to his ass!
Cannock Chase park dog walk

Use a dog trainer or train your new dog yourself?

This is an often discussed subject. Which is best? Use professional dog trainer or train your new dog yourself?

There is no generally right or wrong answer here, it is all down to you and your dog.

Is your new dog a puppy or an older dog you have rescued?

What is the current level of your new dog’s training? (toilet training, obedience etc)

Do you have the time and knowledge to train your dog?

Do you have the money to spend on a professional dog trainer?

What breed is your dog?

All of these questions will have an impact on whether it is best for you to train your dog or use a professional dog trainer.

Some problem dogs (I have that term but many people understand it) may need a professional dog trainer to get rid of certain habits. But a ‘problem dog’ is usually the result of a ‘problem owner’ who has not given the dog the correct signals during its training or up-bringing so bad habbits have formed.

Most dogs are very receptive to training of some degree. Each breed may be better at certain things, but all dogs naturally want to learn and please their owners. How you train your dog depends on the dog you have.

If you have the money but not enough time to train your dog then maybe using a professional trainer is fine. But if you had already chosen that option you would not be here on my blog page.

So here we will just look at the option of training your new dog yourself.

Old dogs can learn new tricks

Whatever age your dog is, he or she will still want to please you. Old dogs can learn new tricks, as I proved on numerous occasions with my old dog who lived to be 19 YEARS OLD!

So age is not a problem. All you need to be able to train YOUR dog is the knowledge of how to do it. Training a dog is not difficult IF you do it properly from the start. Even rescue dogs who have had bad experiences can be trained quite easily by their new owner. A new owner to a dog is a new start, they may bring some bad experiences or habbits with them but they are very receptive to you and what YOU want them to do. Do things right from the start and you will make life much better for you and your new dog (or old dog).

For dog training you need just a bit of free time

Now if you have had your dog for a while and it still needs training don’t worry. Even if you have not done everything right from the start you can still train your dog now. Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your dog or it’s willingness to please it’s owner. ALL dogs can be trained if you know how.

And that is the important bit. HOW can you train your dog quickly and have fun doing it?

The answer is quite simple, as I eventually found out. Just click the link below and you can get a copy of the information I used to train my dogs and make my life a lot easier.

Click here for full new dog training details

Puppy Training can be very rewarding

When a new puppy comes into the household, chaos usually follows, at least for a little while. It has just left the safety of litter mates and mama, and now it has to listen to and depend on this giant hairless being. What are some training methods to follow? Is there a right and a wrong way?

The following puppy training advice will get your puppy started towards becoming an excellent new family member.

Crate Training – Housebreaking a puppy can be frustrating, but using a crate can make this process run a bit smoother. Make sure there is a comfortable bed in it, toys, and plenty of room. Dogs, in general, don’t make a mess of their sleeping quarters. So a puppy is less likely to mess where it is crated.

There will be yelping and whining at first. Just tap the door and firmly say, “No!”. Eventually, the puppy will get the idea that being in the crate is comforting. Rotate toys so the puppy doesn’t get bored. And make sure to not leave the puppy crated for more than two hours at a time, with an hour of crate-less playtime in between.

Play with your new puppy dog

Play Biting – Biting is a puppy’s way of playing, it does it to litter mates, so why not the human? If it bites, yelp in pain and stop playing, maybe even walk away. With time, it will get the idea that biting equals no playtime. This is especially important when children are in the house. Socialization with other pups of the same age can be a good idea, then it can rough-house with peers.

Jumping – Teaching a puppy that it isn’t alright to jump up on a person is beneficial for both puppy and humans. If the puppy starts to jump, turn around and refuse to look at it. Have treats available for when the puppy isn’t jumping.

Giving a treat when the puppy is sitting or at least has all four feet on the ground will teach it that it is better to not jump.

A final piece of puppy training advice is to have a routine to follow. Consistency is the best way to remind a puppy what the desired behavior should be.