Dog Training Video Demonstration - The Premack Principle

A couple of days ago I wrote about the Premack Principle. I decided that a video would be a great way to show you exactly how it is done. Here is the video:



Hope this helps you train your dog. Feel free to pass it on to all your friends and family.

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. What to learn more amazing dog training principles and techniques. Check out:
The Amazing Dog Training Man's Home Study Dog Training Course.

How to significantly increase your dogs chances of coming back when you call

Have you ever heard the term "Catch 22?"

The phrase became popular after the novel by that name was written by Joesph Heller in 1961.

Wikipedia defines the phrase as: "Catch-22" is common idiomatic usage meaning "a no-win situation" or "a double bind."

Here are some example from the book:

"The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likable. In three days no one could stand him," and "The case against Clevinger was open and shut. The only thing missing was something to charge him with."

What does all of this have to do with significantly increasing your dog's chances of coming back when you call. Because one of the secrets to getting your dog to come back to you is like a Catch 22 situation, or if Joseph Heller were to write it, it would probably sound like this:

"The secret to getting your dog to come back to you when he is off-leash is to let him spend some time off-leash."

You see, the big problem with dogs not coming back to their owners is not that they don't understand the command, not that they don't like you, not even that there is something else distracting your dog.

The big problem with with your dog not coming back to you is...

YOUR DOG'S LACK OF FREEDOM.

If you look at the way many dogs live you'll see that most of them live under some type of confinement. The spend long periods of time in a house, in a fenced in yard, in a crate, in a car, on a leash etc.

The last thing your dog is thinking about when he gets a little taste of freedom is coming back to you or me.

I once worked with a German Short Haired Pointer that had been confined to the house and tied up for seven long years. For whatever reason, the owner after seven years decided he wanted to train his dog.

He showed up for a training session and thought that the area we were in was fenced and let his dog off-leash. Within seconds his dog was out of sight. He became very angry with his dog as we chased after him.

After we caught his dog (which was not easy) I tried explaining to him that what his dog did was natural. That after seven years of confinement I expected his dog to take off.

I added that in order for his dog to ever get good at coming back to him, his dog would have to develop a sense of freedom. He gave me a very puzzled look and asked, "How the heck do I let my dog develop a sense of freedom?"

There are a couple of ways to do this. One of the best ways is to get a 30 to 40 foot long line. Attach it to your dog's collar and go to a big open field. With the long leash attached to your dog, let your dog just be a dog.

Let your dog sniff, play, run around and do dog stuff. Stay close to the long line, this way you can step on the line if your dog starts to get too far away. Then when you call your dog, you can use the long line to get your dog to come to you.

I also recommend tying some knots in the long line. This way if your dog starts to run and you step on the long line the knot will help slow down your dog.

You can also go to a fenced in ball park or tennis court. The more you allow your dog to just be a dog and run around, the easier it will be for your dog to come back to you.

If you follow this simple step you will significantly increase your dog's chances of coming back when you call.

Go ahead and try it out and please let me know how you do.

Your friend,

Eric

Who else wants their dog to come when called: Part 2

In my last post I talked about giving your dog some freedom. That when your dog develops a sense of freedom it will be easier to teach your dog to come back to you when you give the command "COME".

My dogs are very good when they are off-leash because they get to spend a lot of time off-leash. I once worked with a German Short Haired Pointer that was next to impossible to teach the recall command to.

You see, this poor dog had been tied up in the owners backyard for seven years. The dog had never been off-leash his entire life. The last thing this dog was thinking about when he got off-leash was coming when called.

Can you blame him?

Anyway, what we need to do is let our dogs develop the sense of freedom. This can be done with a long line. A 20 to 30 foot long line. Bring your dog to a big open area and put the long line on your dog.

Let your dog hang out and just be a dog. Let your dog sniff and run and explore the area without any commands and as little interference from you as possible. When I do this with a dog that I am training I just stay near the long line. I step on it if the dog starts to get to far away.

Most dogs on leash are constantly getting commands from the owner. "Heel", "Leave it", "Sit", "Stay", etc. When you have your dog on a long line just let your dog hang out and do dog stuff.

After a few days of this you'll see a change in your dog. Your dog will start to come back to you when you call.

I have always believed that the recall command is one of the most important commands we can teach our dogs. This is a easy and useful step to follow and apply. You and your dog will be happy that you did.

As always I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

All the best,

Eric

Who else wants their dog to come when called?

I was a terrible student in school.

Really, I barely and I mean barely squeaked out a diploma in high school. The reason I was such a bad student was because I just could not keep focused on what was being taught - except history.

Math, English, Science class, in one ear out the other.

Because I did so bad in school I couldn't stand it. My day would start by looking at the clock and counting down the hours I had left in school. I did this every single day. All I wanted was out, I wanted FREEDOM!

Since I hated school so much I never signed up for any after school activities. I never played on the baseball or football team (two sports that I love!). I never went to a dance, pep rally, game, event or anything else that took place within a half a mile from school. In fact, my high school year book doesn't even have my picture in it!

I think you get my point.

So why am I sharing all of this with you.

Simple.

I have just shared with you one of the biggest secrets to teaching your dog to come when called. What was the secret?

FREEDOM - or lack of it.

You see, one of the big points that I make when I'm working with a client on the recall command is that most dogs don't come back to their owners due to their lack of freedom.

Think about the way a lot of dogs live. They live a big portion of their lives under some type of containment. Most dogs spend a lot of time on a leash, in a house, in a fenced in area, in a crate, in a car, etc.

Because the dog is always confined the last thing the dog is thinking about coming back to the owner when they get a little freedom.

So the secret to getting your dog to come back to you when you call is to give your dog some freedom...

BUT...

How do you give your dog freedom when they don't come back to you when you call?

Excellent question. In my next post I am going to share with you exactly how to do it. So stay tuned...

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. Ready to teach your dog to come every time you call? Check out The Amazing Dog Training Home Study Course.