by Tenille Williams | 11 Aug, 2022 | Dog Behaviour, For Dog Owners, Puppy Training, Training Tips
Have you ever heard of counter conditioning?
You may have even used it before without realising it.
You might need to use counter conditioning if you’ve ever:
- Felt embarrassed by your dog’s behaviour while out in public because they’re freaking out and you can’t get through to them
- Wished you could just talk to your dog and explain that your neighbour’s possum shaped lawn ornament is not a demon
- Felt like you’re being towed behind horse and you may as well be on grass skis every time your dog sees another dog
These are often fear based responses and they keep both you and your dog from being able to enjoy your time together to the fullest.
With counter conditioning, you can:
- Change the way a dog feels about something that they’re fearful of
- Turn a negative association into a positive one
- Transform your dog’s behaviour in the presence of that originally scary thing.
As a trainer who uses counter conditioning often, I can help you break down the science into simple steps and achieve results like improved confidence in your dog.
A dog that actually looks forward to seeing things that previously triggered them.
A more enjoyable time together on walks and out in public.
Are you ready for this?
Work through step by step in Frantic To Focused, my signature course that helps owners with dogs who are reactive to triggers (including but not limited to other dogs). You can see all the details by clicking here.
by Tenille Williams | 10 Jun, 2022 | Dog Behaviour, Dog's Diet, For Dog Owners
A lot of people I meet are concerned about using food treats in training.
When the dog is performing well, they’ll say, “he’s just doing it for the treats,” or, “she’ll do anything for food!”
When it boils down to it, there are two motivations in dog training – the dog is either working to receive something or working to avoid something.
There is then a spectrum of value on either side. For most dogs, food treats are of high value compared to say, verbal praise or pats.
The other advantage of a food treat is that you can be more precise in timing the treat to be a clear reward for a specific moment in time, especially using marker training.
Not many dogs will work for praise only when they have no prior experience with the command.
When they’re experienced with the command through training with a higher value reward such as food, they can be gradually weaned to praise only. But when you’re starting from scratch you need a way to show the dog what to do and how to move their body.
There are usually two options for this: show the dog where to move their head by following a treat or physically move the dog into position. You can also do a combination of the two. For most dogs, receiving a reward as part of the process and not being shoved around is a lot more motivating.
The next step is to ensure the food reward happens as a reward, not a bribe.
The dog may initially learn the movement by following the treat but next, you want to create the behaviour to happen first, then present the reward second.
In this way the food can truly be a reward rather than a bribe, and can be reduced to a sometimes thing, rather than a necessity.
To read more articles in dog training, visit our blog.
by Tenille Williams | 20 Feb, 2020 | Dog Behaviour, For Dog Owners
Does your dog sit and wait for his or he food at dinner time? Awesome work!
As a person who easily gets hangry, I marvel at how well dogs can wait for food.
Because they’re dogs and food is usually a top motivator, we can use feeding time to our advantage for good manners.
From what I’ve observed over the years, here’s some tips to make this skill work to your advantage even better:
- Make sure your dog doesn’t go for the food until they get a release word
- Set the rule that your dog has to look at YOU (not stare at the food) to get their release to eat
- After putting the bowl down, if your dog has mastered waiting, practice a couple of other commands they have to do before released to eat
If you are finding yourself wondering how other people do this and thinking your dog would never wait for their food and would just about crash tackle you to get to the bowl, this is a great opportunity to work on some training that is actually more simple than you might think.
Get started at the Dog Matters Academy to learn the principles to help you teach this and much more:
- Browse the free lessons in the Dog Matters Academy
- Sign up for Academy Premium and take the full training program that will improve any behaviour you’re struggling with with your dog
- Read my free ebook, The Good Dog and submit a question for me to answer within the same module area
by Tenille Williams | 20 Feb, 2020 | Dog Behaviour, For Dog Owners, Training Tips
You don’t need to feel ashamed if your dog is behaving badly. I think that’s what causes MANY people to say to me, “he’s not a bad dog,” or, “she’s really a sweet natured girl.”
Of course the reason they are speaking to me is usually because the same dog is showing aggression, destroying property or jumping up on people to the point of hurting them.
What I want people to know is, I KNOW your dog is not a bad dog. It’s okay.
The truth is, good dogs can display bad behaviour.
Of course, what is, “bad,” is a matter of interpretation and preference.
At the same time, if your dog is a danger to you, themselves, or others, the issue needs to be addressed.
Training through behaviour problems is about moving forward and creating positive change.
If you’re feeling like you will be judged when seeking help and it’s stopping you from taking the next step, I want you to know that there are non-judgy trainers (like me) out there and it’s about finding that right fit that you feel comfortable with.
You can also be selective with where you post online. Large free-for-all dog groups aren’t always the safest spaces to seek help without judgement.
The more serious or ingrained the issue, the more likely you will need in person help.
Sometimes though, you might feel like the issue is really bad and super embarrassing, but it might be simpler than you think to address it!
It’s all about taking that first step.
So when you’re ready for that, here’s 3 ways I can help you:
- Browse the free lessons in the Dog Matters Academy
- Sign up for Academy Premium and take the full training program that will improve any behaviour you’re struggling with with your dog
- Read my free ebook, The Good Dog and submit a question for me to answer within the same module area
by Tenille Williams | 20 Feb, 2020 | Dog Behaviour, For Dog Owners, Training Tips
If you are in a foreign country and you don’t know the language, no amount of repeating the same word to you is going to make you understand it.
You would need to be shown what it means by pointing at an object or using a translator.
Remember too that your dog speaks a different language to us.
When they aren’t listening to something it is often because they don’t yet know the translation and need to be taught what the word means.
While repetition is the key to learning, this doesn’t mean repeating a word over and over and hoping that your dog will eventually get it.
It means repeating the behaviour until the dog knows that this behaviour leads to a good outcome.
And THEN we introduce a word, the new language.
That’s why you’ll often hear me say, “don’t name it til you love it.”
While I’m training something new to a dog, the owner often asks me, “why aren’t you saying a command?”
I’ll often start out saying little other than praise words (your dog needs encouragement).
But if I say the command before the dog knows which behaviour I want, the chances are they won’t get it right, which means they are being set up to fail AND as a human, my next step would be to start repeating the word.
When we repeat the word without meaning with it, it becomes less meaningful and easier for your dog to ignore.
So repeat the behaviour before you repeat the word, and don’t name it til you love it 😉
Woofs and wags
Tenille
PS Whenever you’re ready, here’s 3 ways you can improve your dog’s behaviour today:
- Browse the free lessons in the Dog Matters Academy
- Sign up for Academy Premium and take the full training program that will improve any behaviour you’re struggling with with your dog
- Read my free ebook, The Good Dog and submit a question for me to answer within the same module area
by Tenille Williams | 20 Feb, 2020 | Aggression & Reactivity, Dog Behaviour, For Dog Owners
“She is biting the kids – but she’s not aggressive! She just wants to play!”
“He rushes up to other dogs and fights break out – but he is just being friendly – he is not aggressive!”
“She’s growling at strangers – but she is not aggressive.”
These are things I hear almost daily and I want people to know – it’s okay. I know your dog is not a bad dog.
I know that when your young dog mouths your family members, he is not being aggressive – he is being playful and doesn’t know any better that teeth are not allowed on people.
Mouthing and play biting and straining on the lead out of frustration are not aggression.
If the dog is growling, this can lead to aggression and in fact many trainers would define growling as an aggressive act.
Just because a dog is acting out of fear, it doesn’t mean that they can’t or won’t cause harm. In fact, most aggression comes from some type of fear or insecurity.
To a degree…
Aggression is built in to every dog.
It’s a tool built into their instincts to protect them and help them survive.
Aggression brings down a hunt to feed and nourish them.
Aggression wards off threats to protect them from harm (hence fearful dogs will growl, lunge and bark)
No matter why a dog is displaying aggression, being that they are living in the human world, aggression from dogs is not acceptable – but there is hope.
If your dog is displaying aggression, seek the help of an experienced trainer.
If your dog is one of those dogs who is mouthing, biting, lunging or making people feel threatened through unruly behaviour, but is not aggressive, much of this can be solved with some basic manners training and a better understanding of how dogs communicate and why they do the things they do.
To start learning how to understand your dog better and address these unwanted habits, visit the free Dog Matters Academy hub here.
Woofs and wags
Tenille
