Tag: behavior modification

There is dog training magic!

Some trainers will tell you to make a specific sound like a dog growl or make a snake-like hiss as if these sounds are dog training magic.

Alas, there is no magic sound out there that will make a dog behave one way or the other.

However, there is magic in dog training.  Eight-five percent of dog training is science, ten percent is gymnastic dance, and five percent is the dog training magic.

It feels magical when we see our dogs understand what we’ve said, and we feel like we understand what they’ve said. We build that magical connection on the simple and powerful premise of A-B-C. All of us learn behavior through this process:

A = Antecedent – the thing that requests or triggers a behavior

B = Behavior

C = Consequence – the result of the behavior (good, or not-so-good)

The (A) can be a sound that we make, a gesture, something in the environment (like a door bell), the actions of another animal in the home, a bicycle on the street, the funny look I give my dog when she is barking, etc.

No matter what our antecedent is – it only becomes magical when there are consistent consequences that follow the behavior and build understanding.

    You can see Pinball looking at me trying to figure out what I’m asking for. When he gets it, he happily responds and I praise him – magic!
    All of us repeat behaviors that are rewarded and not repeat behaviors that are not rewarding.

    If a dog jumps on you and you respond with a subtle sound, look away, fold your arms tight to your chest, and continue no interaction until the dog stops jumping, you have offered clear immediate consequences. There is no reward and no attention for jumping.

    Maybe the dog jumps again because jumping is a self reinforcing behavior. And you offer the same sequence of No Reward and No Attention.  Dog will learn that the (B) behavior of jumping doesn’t get paid for – an unwanted (C) consequence.

    So, the dog chooses another behavior – maybe sitting or standing next to you. This is dog training magic step one, the dog has chosen a different better behavior that we like. So, we move to step two.

    Magic step two is the big one and it’s on you…

    When dog chooses another behavior (B) besides jumping, like sitting or standing quietly, you MUST offer a consequence (C) that dog likes. This could be food, toys, butt scratches, etc.

    This is where the magic happens and communication begins. The dog starts choosing something better and we reward that better and then ask for even better choices.

    Some might suggest the dog is training you, but in reality it is a dialogue between two different species.

    Magic!!!

    Things Your Dog Will Love: Atomic Treat Ball

    The Atomic Treat Ball is a great positive reinforcement tool to control speed eating in dogs as well as to keep them cognitively challenged.

    Atomic_Treat_Ball_mainDogs and other canids are natural problem solvers:  you can see it when wolves hunt, when the dogs in our Nose Work classes are tracking down the scent target, or when our own dogs are rooting for that single piece of kibble that fell behind their food bowls.

    It’s what they’re wired to do, what they evolved to do, and it’s what they love to do, but the normal life of a dog living in a house doesn’t make for too many riddles to solve – except for the one we don’t want them to solve like how to open the garbage can lid, how to get into the closet, etc.

    That’s where the Atomic Treat Ball comes in and why I’ve been using and recommending it to clients for years.

    What initially drew me to the Atomic Treat Ball was Porthos had developed problems related to speed eating and I needed to find a way to allow him to get his full dinner in a measured, controlled way. It worked wonders to keep him from bloat and torsion, but after a while it became clear that although he loved the Atomic Treat Ball because it was filled with food he enjoyed it equally as much for the fun involved in getting the food out.

    The trick behind the Atomic Treat Ball is in its design. If you take a look at the picture above you’ll see that it’s essentially shaped like four stacked hollow balls – in essence, a molecule – with a single loading hole in one of the balls. The pyramid shape allows dogs to easily roll the toy around without it going out of control under furniture and the single loading hole gives them a reasonably good chance of getting some food out with each go, but it’s an irregular enough reward schedule to neither bore them nor have them run out of kibble too quickly.

    Also, unlike a lot of other puzzle toys the empty space inside the Atomic Treat Ball accommodates quite a bit of kibble or snacks. For Porthos we can actually fit about half of his kibble for each meal into his, which helps to slow down his eating greatly but is also really useful if you need to keep your dog busy for a while or if you want to give them a nice treat that will last if they need to spend extended time in their crates, playpens, taking a break from company or the fix-it person who doesn’t need your dog up their backside, etc.

    The Atomic Treat Ball is cheap, easy, and – most importantly – it works. It’s a great tool to keep your dog cognitively challenged, which is as important to them as it is to humans as we grow older, and I believe that it’s an indispensable tool to have in our bag of positive reinforcement tricks.

    Things Your Dog Will Love: Thundershirt

    The Thundershirt isn’t a dog toy but it is something they’ll love you even more for if they suffer from anxiety or other phobic behaviors.

    Thundershirt-MainThe Thundershirt isn’t a dog toy.

    It’s not something that dispenses yummy treats.

    It isn’t even something that you’d think that your dog would like, but if they experience anxiety from storms, company coming, or crazy human holidays your dog will absolutely love the Thundershirt.

    What the Thundershirt is, essentially, is a body wrap that helps the dog become less reactive to anxiety-causing stimuli using deep touch pressure.

    Research done in the latter half of the Twentieth Century by Dr. Temple Grandin, amongst others, demonstrated that deep touch pressure had significant positive benefits for individuals on the autism spectrum and those with ADHD. Dr. Grandin’s background with autism inspired her initial research with animals and it was discovered that they can receive the same positive results as seen in humans.

    I initially began using the Thundershirt in my own home because Porthos, our black lab-mix, can display Happy-Hunterepisodes of high anxiety related to his OCD, blood sugar fluctuations related to his diabetes, and stress from his other diseases. I also witnessed how well it worked after I suggested that we begin using Thundershirts at ARF, an animal shelter were I consult  in Beacon, New York.  While we did see similarly positive results in the even more chaotic and reactive atmosphere of a shelter we also saw some Thundershirt eating (more on that below).

    So, why would you want a Thundershirt for your own dog?

    Well, you wouldn’t if you don’t live in a place that has thunderstorms, high winds, holidays with fireworks, holidays with kids in spooky costumes knocking on your door at night, hunters in the woods behind your house shooting guns, etc. I think you get my point.

    The Thundershirt is a great tool to add to our positive reinforcement training bag of tricks and it fills all my personal criteria:

    1. It more often than not does what they say it can do – there’s a definite improvement in reactivity when dogs are wearing it. It is recommended that they first be acclimated to it by having them wear it when they are doing something they love – like taking treats, playing ball, or tug.  This allows positive associations along with the physical benefits of the snugness and will help prevent them eating the Thundershirt.
    2. It’s reasonably priced.
    3. I always prefer to exhaust the non-pharmaceutical options available to combat anxiety in dogs before referring owners to a specialist for medical intervention.

    One suggestion we have come across – especially in the shelter setting – is to remember that even for kids on the spectrum this kind of pressure has a limited time of effectiveness. Therefore remember that your dog’s Thundershirt will probably only be effective for an hour or so at a time.  Simply remove it, give your dog something great to do, and a little while later it can be put back on them.

    I find the Thundershirt to be a really good investment for anxious dogs and I think you will, too.

    (Please note:  if your dog has high anxiety please see a behaviorist before trying things out on your own.)

    Upcoming Dog Training Classes April 2025

    Three Dogs Training’s upcoming dog training classes begin Saturday April 26, 2025.

    It’s a fine line between your dog bringing you your slipper and eating your slipper…

    Dog holding a slipper in its mouth
    Late spring classes begin Saturday April 26, 2025 at these times:

    Positive reinforcement dog training should be fear-free and force-free. Your dog should enjoy learning and you should enjoy teaching.

    As a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and certified dog behavior specialist, I have been teaching fun and successful dog training for twenty-five years. Join us!

    For more information on the upcoming dog training classes:
    click here or contact
    Lisa@threedogstraining.com

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    is a uniquely qualified clinician with expertise in evaluating, managing and modifying a wide range of challenging canine behaviors. By using evidence based positive behavior intervention strategies, I will build and strengthen relationships between the human and canine members of a household. This minimized stress in training and creates an atmosphere where all members of the household learn positive training techniques.

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