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This blog was originally started to write about the journey of 2 very different dogs on their path to agility. As with all of life's path's there are detours so we continue with this journey now but add Kaffee's to our Myst experiences and what we learn along the way.

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Progressive Reinforcement Training

9/22/2016

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Picture
Beckett visiting the Flagstaff Extreme Adventure course this past weekend to see lots of children and big kids having fun on an adventure course high up in the trees in Flagstaff Arizona. We are working on not only socialization but how to greet people without jumping up on them.
My friend sent me this link just as I was thinking about how to construct my blog writing on dog and specifically puppy training. ANNOUNCEMENT: DELTA SMART PHONE ACTIVITY TRACKER AND TRAINER FOR DOGS

“Garmin is proud to announce the new Delta Smart dog activity tracker and trainer that works with a compatible smartphone to help keep family dogs safe, healthy, and well behaved.The Delta Smart is a small, inconspicuous, and durable module designed for continuous, long-term wear that attaches to almost any dog collar. When connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth and the free Garmin CANINE app, pet owners can give automated or highly customized training corrections and monitor their dog’s activity and behavior – directly from their smartphone touchscreen.”
 
This came to me at such an interesting time. Currently I have an 18 week old Border Collie puppy, Beckett. He has such a perfect disposition and loves to not only work with me but just be with me and do whatever I ask. However, puppies grow up so fast and as they learn more about the world outside their home they, like children, tend to want to be more independent and do what they would like. Much of this is reflected in their manners when greeting people, going places, or just how they interact with challenges that happen when living with other dogs in the family.
 
The timing was perfect to learn about Emily Larham, whose youtube channel ‘Kikopup’ has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Emily created what she calls “progressive reinforcement training” to describe an ethical way of training animals that involves no form of physical or psychological intimidation. Emily uses her creativity and perhaps a little different approach of positive reinforcement to solve problem behaviors, tricks and the need for good manners.
 
I signed up yesterday for Emily’s “Weekly Manners” online tutorials at her Dogmantics Dog Training web site: http://dogmantics.com/

Visit her youtube channel on dog training by following this link.  https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup
 
Since I joined Weekly Manners I have quickly understood how Emily uses progressive reinforcement to change behaviors such as how to greet people, how to stop unwanted behaviors such as chewing on things in your home, and how to settle when with you or at a restaurant. My husband and I tried a few of these to find that Beckett LOVED this training and quickly learned to settle and be quite and rest in my husband’s office.
 
I also was worried that my puppy became over aroused when I took him to our enclosed training field with my older Border Collie who is not really into puppies but still likes to tug with them. I was not sure how to handle this over arousal and lack of focus on me yesterday. After watching Emily’s free video on “How to Stop Unwanted Behavior” such as chewing or whatever else your dog and puppy does, I quickly understood how to work with my puppy to get him to stop the nuisance barking at Kaffee to play and interact with him. Free youtube video, "How to Stop Unwanted Behaviors"

As with any dog training, we start at home in an environment where there are fewer distractions and a higher probably of success. I thought that a very valuable point that Emily made is we DO NOT want to scold the puppy since this can cause him to find that being around you is punishing and also that they can do this behavior when you are not around. Emily introduces the awesome concept of a positive interrupter noise that you choose to interrupt the behavior and redirect the puppies attention to something else. YES, IT WORKED this morning and all day even if the other dogs were excited.
 
This training philosophy Emily uses is very easy to use to generalize to problems you may have with you dog or puppy.
 
So this brings me once again to the sadness I feel when I see things like shock collars and now this Garmin device for smartphones that are used and have to be used regularly on dogs to get recalls and desired behaviors. Sadly there is now an entire movement on using shock collars to train dogs. People do not seem aware of what this does to dogs long term – forever. It is very sad to see.
 
I must now report that little Beckett settled down quietly when visiting an outdoor restaurant we visited this weekend; he settles quietly in our offices while we work and is quickly learning to change his over arousal behavior and to be calm and focused on us with distractions or behaviors like chewing that we want to change. THANK YOU EMILY for sharing what you have learned about a humane and positive way to train puppies and dogs without harsh punishment and shock collars.

TO READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY GARMIN ON THIS SHOCK COLLAR DEVICE FOR DOGS AND THE OUTRAGE BY THOUSANDS OF DOG OWNERS, GO TO MY RESOURCE PAGE. 
 
 

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    Author

    Cynde Leshin lives in Sedona, Arizona with her husband and 4 dogs: Myst, Kaffee, Puli Ziggy and one year old Beckett. Cynde has worked in the health care field for over 10 years, is an author, instructional designer and most recently as a faculty member in the College of Education at Western Governors University. She is now enjoying her free time doing photography, writing, creating educational programs, hiking, training and enjoying her dogs. 

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