WHAT BEHAVIOR MARKER SHOULD I USE?

 A behavior marker is a unique sound or word or visual (a flash of light, for example) that is used consistently to pair with a reward in order to tell the dog the precise moment it did something you liked-- and that a reward is coming now as a thank you for doing it. In other words, it is a tool that lets us communicate to our dog exactly WHY he's getting a reward. We know that behaviors that get rewarded will increase-- so let's make it crystal clear to our dog why he got the reward. This way of training is a great kindness to the learner (dog) because it reduces confusion.

Having a behavior marker let's us "shape" behavior that is tweaked and changed by us to achieve the final goal. The marker lets the dog know the exact part of the behavior that is about to be rewarded or reinforced.  Through its use, the dog is then “shaped” as we reward baby steps of progress toward our final goal. This allows us to "shape" even difficult behaviors. 

To understand the importance of marking, I borrow one of Karen Pryor’s excellent examples:  In teaching a dolphin to jump out of the water into the air, what good would it do to give him a fish after the jump?  He could think he is being reinforced for making a big splash, or for landing slightly harder on his right side.  But when the trainer blows a whistle while the dolphin is at the height of his jump, the dolphin quickly learns that jumping will earn whistles and fish!  With that established, later withholding a whistle for that same jump will result in momentary frustration for the dolphin, who will make an extra effort and give higher jumps, for which he will then be reinforced.  The dolphin can learn to jump on command without an event marker, but with less information to work from, the process will take much longer and will be more stressful for him.  Animals that are clicker trained quickly become "clicker savvy" and come to understand that when you withhold the click you're looking for something else, and they exaggerate the behavior or start offering something else.  So it is nuanced, and we need to be skilled with how we use this giving-or-withholding of the marker (and subsequent reward).  More on that another time.

You need to choose what you'll use as your behavior marker. The term "clicker training" came about when the science of operant finally made its way to the world of dog training in the late 80's (yes folks, I was training dogs even before that, back in the old days). Karen Pryor (one of my heroes) published a book called "Don't Shoot the Dog" that explained how operant conditioning works, and it revolutionized the dog training world. I was an early adopter, I'm proud to say.

A clicker is a little rectangular device you can use to make a distinctive "click" sound. Many of them come with a little hole in the end that you can loop a rubber band through, and you can wear it like a bracelet to keep it handy.  

Can you click distinctly with your tongue like a “giddy up horse” sound? I can imitate the sound of the clicker very well with my tongue, meaning I never have to worry about having a clicker in my hand.  Try it, see if you can do it. 

The timing of the click is very important, as you’ll soon see, so having a “clicker” always available in your mouth is great. If you cannot make this sound well, you can also choose another signal- but don’t choose a word like “yes” or “good” unless you’re committed to NOT using that word in regular conversation.  Why? Because the behavior marker (aka click) must be a unique sound that is only used when a reward is about to be delivered for the behavior that just occurred.  

Lastly, many dogs find the click of the actual physical clicker device to be too sharp of a sound for their sensitive ears if you click it near their head.  If you can find a bottle top from a Snapple or similar drink, it has a little nub in the center that you can easily press to make a more gentle click sound.  Or, you can put a bit of tape inside the edge of your physical clicker to mute the sound a bit.  I use my tongue-click, and only if I am working at a longer distance from my dog I will use a physical clicker for its louder volume.

So you need to choose a behavior marker.  I will use the word "click" in this blog when I refer to the behavior marker, but please know you can choose something else like "yahhhh"  or "si"  or "zip" or whatever word you want.

When you click, always follow within a few seconds with a reward.  Even if you made a mistake and clicked by accident-- you want to preserve the sacred relationship/association between that sound and a reward coming.

Remember that your marker is not a CUE-- it is not requesting a specific behavior, it is announcing the impending arrival of a nice reward. 

WHAT LEASHES SHOULD I USE?

 

I recommend using lightweight leashes, preferably of 2’, 4’, and 6’ lengths.  If you want to just work with a 6 foot leash, get good at handling your leash so you can “make it shorter” by bunching it up and letting it out as needed.  Big, bulky leashes are uncomfortable to bunch up in one hand, and you'll have awkward technique if you use them.  I really like the multi-use leashes (sometimes called European leashes) that I talk about here, in this other video. 

You will also need a lightweight long-line for distance work.  This is not a retractable leash. A retractable leash is not recommended for training for a lot of reasons (I wouldn't bother owning one at all). The clicking sound it emits when the brake is used competes with a clicker from the trainer.  They’re large and cumbersome, and they are confusing for the trainer to handle AND be attentive to timing of reinforcement. They often accidentally create a situation where your dog veers into the path of other people, creating a line which has the potential to trip and tangle up other people. They also create a constant tension on the leash, which interferes in the training for "loose leash walking" that doesn't want tension happening on the leash.  You can buy long-lines made of cotton webbing (which is easy on the hands) with a simple leash clip at the end.  You can also pretty easily make one yourself of 1/2 inch cotton webbing, by tying a strong knot to the clip (or sewing it on securely if you have that ability).  It is not actually necessary to have a handle on the end of the line (sometimes you might have your dog drag the line so you can retain control, for example at the beach, and the handle will just get caught on things).  

Please do not attach "accessories" to the leash (like those plastic things that hold the poop bags).  It creates a visual distraction for the dog, and also risks hitting him in the head as you maneuver the leash in various situations.  Your treat bag (sometimes called a bait bag) should contain a pocket specifically for a few folded up poop bags.  You don't need the entire roll with you each time you go out. 

One last note.... dogs love to chew on leather.  Keep that in mind when considering buying a leather leash!  

WHAT COLLAR SHOULD I USE?

 A well-fitting collar of a non-choking type.  The fabric type with the plastic snap-clip closure is easy on the dog’s neck and won’t slip over his head if he pulls back against it. Double check that he cannot back out of it!  It has happened to me.

If you have a "hound" type, with a long slim neck and a rather narrow skull (imagine a Greyhound) they make special "hound collars" that are wider, and that are built to constrict a little bit but only a little bit, to allow you to get it over the dog's head but keep it on the neck with just a little bit of tension.  These are a style called a "Martingale" collar,  meaning it fits on a dog's neck but tightens only a little- only enough to prevent the dog from slipping out.  

"Choke chains" and "slip leads" can choke down very tightly on a dog's neck, causing discomfort and damage to the esophagus.  We don't use those and we do not use prong/pinch collars.  If you feel like you need a prong collar to keep your dog from pulling your dog should be on a harness with a leash-clip in the chest location (not on the dog's back).  Prong collars are meant to stop pulling by causing discomfort when the dog pulls and releasing the discomfort when the dog stops pulling.  This is called "negative reinforcement" (meaning the removal of the pain is reinforcing) and we don't use that because we don't have to-- we can get the same end result with positive reinforcement applied correctly.  Negative reinforcement is designed to cause unnecessary discomfort to the animal.  Think about that. Honestly, I expect more from us trainers. 

I am also a big fan of the head halter type tools -- the Halti, the Gentle Leader, etc.  These require  some conditioning sessions to make the tool a happy thing in the dog's eyes.  Remember that these have the leash attach under the chin, and should never used when the dog is dragging a leash or long line (we don't ever want a sharp sudden pull on that connection spot, which could cause a hard turn or twist on the dog's neck).  When I was raising service dogs every puppy was taught on these head halters, because disabled people often need "power steering" with a service dog and they're great for controlling the dog's direction without needing a lot of physical strength.  

I recommend having a collar on your dog even if you use a harness or a Gentle Leader head halter, because you want something with your emergency number on it in case your dog gets loose (for example, if you are home, the harness is off, and the dog escapes... if you don't have a collar on with an emergency-number tag people can't reach you easily if they find your dog). 

Behaviors to train in preparation for a move abroad

When we move to a new city with our dog it's helpful to have a repertoire of  already-trained skills under their belt in order to make the transition and the journey itself easier for all involved.  Here is a list of skills and behaviors that are worthy of your training efforts BEFORE you make the move:

crate training and noisy travel, being wheeled on a cart while inside the crate.   

riding politely and without fear in elevators

cafe skills (lying quietly under your chair for long periods of time, tolerating boredom, ignoring wait staff and other people who walk by, ignoring other dogs)

Walking by your side, not way out in front of you and never on a flexi leash! (urban environments).

Eliminating with a cue (permission to eliminate)

Walking on new surfaces (cobblestones, slippery floors, textured rubber mats)

Vet exam and handling skills

Remaining calm even though he can see another dog (ie, not automatically assuming it's ok to visit the other dog-- again, urban skills)

Fireworks, construction noise, loud beeps from moving vehicles, thunder and lightening, increased exposure to new sounds, 

Polite car travel, entering and exiting a car/van on cue, and waiting for that cue.

Laying on a mat on command (I think of this as "parking my dog" - we used a yellow dish towel, which is very portable and washable.  Having a reliable, long down-stay on this towel is helpful in many situations-- as is a reliable long down-stay in general.  Highly recommended.  I find in highly distracting (potentially confusing) environments that pulling out the familiar yellow dish towel almost serves as an anchor to reassure my dog that yes, I do want him on that spot.) 

Which skills might you want to work on with your dog next?  

Using the features of my favorite leash

Click here for more info including where to buy this leash.

I guess I need a "Tell Bell" after all....

I love this little "service counter bell" that one of my clients has, which her dog would ring in order to ask to be taken outside to potty.  (My dogs were taught to ring some jingle bells).  The bell sits on the floor by the door, which avoids the issue of the jingle bells ringing every time the door is opened or shut.  I cleverly thought I could avoid the roughly $25 cost of the "Tell Bell" by buying a $5 service bell from Office Depot and super-gluing a fabric button onto it to give the dog a larger spot for his paw to hit (the normal service bell has a very small button to push and I suspected my dogs would object to pressing it with their paws). 

After much struggling with it, I have given up because the surface area of the little button isn't large enough for me to get the glue to stick.  The Tell Bell has been made with a larger button to push (and it has a cute paw on it).  So I am recommending it for my clients who would like to teach their dogs to ring something to ask for a human to open the door.

You can teach this behavior using "target training".  You teach the dog to ring the bell to get a treat.  Then you can use "back chaining" to create the sequence of  (ring bell) (human opens door) (run to potty area and do your business) (click/treat).

The toughest part of this sequence is getting the dog to not ring the bell just to be able to engage you in training.  In other words, they sometimes lie and make you go through the routine even when they don't have to go outside.  If I feel I've been faked out, I just calmly go back inside (ie, no click/treat).  But I'm generous in nurturing the behavior until it's very solid-- in other words, I allow myself to be taken advantage of until the very advanced stage.  I'd rather err on the side of being asked to open the door than have to clean up an accident. 

How to cut up your Natural Balance into dog treats

What's the most efficient (and safe) way to cut up the large salami-shaped Natural Balance semi-moist dog food into little treats we can use in training?  This video shows you!