CONTINUE YOUR TRAINING

Thank you for attending Puppy Preschool. We hope you have enjoyed the classes.

Some of the behaviours may feel like they are developing slowly however the puppy (very young animal) is learning ALL THE TIME. Every time you interact with them, they are learning from you.

Be prepared. Have food, toys, a plan and be consistent with your words.

Open your mouth – give, ta, drop it, thank you, let go etc. You can’t have that = leave it. These are different cues for the puppy.

Remember the puppy is still a baby and that it’s a learning W not a learning curve.

Remember to only practice each new behaviour 3 to 4 times each training session.

Targeting – Hold your flat palm out close to the dog (less than 10cm) and wait for the dog to sniff or move their nose towards your hand. Mark and reinforce them for touching their nose onto your hand. Resist moving your hand towards them instead, reposition your hand if they don’t move towards you.

Chin Rest - Take a piece of food between your fingers and lure the dog’s chin to rest in your other hand or lap. Aim to allow the dog to place their chin on your hand not put your hand under their chin.

Middle - Take food in both hands, with one hand lure your dog behind your leg. You can place this piece of food on the ground behind you to help position the dog. With the other hand, use the food to lure them through so that they are standing between your legs, give them a few pieces of food in rapid-fire while they are remaining between your legs.

Collar/Harness hold - While the dog is sitting in front of you, turn your hand palm up and take your hand slowly towards the dog’s head if the dog remains calm, mark and reinforce. Next move toward the collar or harness. Continue until you can slip two fingers under the collar then and mark and reinforce. Increase the time you hold the collar until you can attach the lead while the dog remains seated and calm.

The same technique can be used to build cooperative care behaviours such as eyes, ears, teeth, and paws.

New novel objects

Support the puppy’s learning experience by helping them explore new novel objects and exposing them in reduced positive ways to people, sights, and sounds. This is to build confidence and body awareness. Proprioception.

Check out these other examples that you can try at home

https://youtu.be/qlS4vFhdALc?si=R1UMNqgkR_VtZMCG

https://youtube.com/shorts/P7rwTPYbXI4?si=MtvUFYnDLQ-oJFuU

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Helping Dogs Overcome Fear And Grow Confidence Without Flooding

Dogs That

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‍The really real relaxation

Ignoring the food reinforcement

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Sit to say please is so much more than don’t bite at my hand.

Just like the gender bias that has been drummed into all of us that the pink harness = girl and the blue collar = Boy we have been conditioned to think of food as a treat. Don’t think of food as a treat or a bribe, it's random reinforcement for life – payment for working – not rewards for being “good”. Keep the food out of your hand.

It has been a pleasure to train with you and your families and I am sure the puppy will provide you with many years of enjoyment.