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What Is Walking With Manners?

Let’s start by defining what walking with manners really means. When you take your dog for a walk, what are your expectations? Everyone is different, so you need to decide what an enjoyable walk with your dog looks like. Once you have a clear idea of what you want, then it will be much easier to decide on a training path that will get you there.

When going for walks with your dog, you want to make sure it is enjoyable for BOTH you and your dog. A walk is not just exercise. It is a time to bond with your dog and to enjoy each other’s company. Once you know what you want in your walks, also consider what your dog wants (within reason). Each dog has their own set of favorite behaviors. Some love to sniff and sniff and sniff. Others like to mark. Some love to run back and forth, zig-zag, jump, and others want to just chill and enjoy the fresh air. The ones who love to chase, pull, lunge, or bark at things will need to learn to replace those favorite behaviors with ones that are more appropriate.

So get a clea picture in your mind of what you want your walks to look like, and then find the path you need to take to get there.

This online training course address the many aspects of walking with manners. It is divided into sections so that you clearly know where to go to reach your target for what you want in a walk with your dog. So, check out each section and see what amazing and fun training lessons and games will help you to reach your goals with your dog so that walks truly are a wonderful walk in the park.

What Are Conceptual Games and Why They Work

What is dog training, and why is it important to you? Is dog training teaching your dog to do a simple behavior when you command it? Is it about teaching your dog cues: Sit, Down, Come, Stay... or is there more to it than that?

There is much more to learning than being told what to do. Your dog, beginning in puppihood, is making decisions and choices 24/7. An integral part of good manners is making good choices. Cues give you the ability to get behavior on demand. But what happens when you are not there? Will your dog still make the right choice when presented with more difficult situations, or when you are not around to cue it? Will your dog still make the right choice when things happen so fast you don't have time to cue? When you are dependent on cues, you are controlling your dog's behavior, instead of your dog learning how to control their own behavior.

Cues don't provide choice. Your dog has one option that is correct. What if that fails? What next? In actuality, cues are only a small part of dog training - the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more under the surface, and that is what you will be learning with me.

Games are flexible and allow a variety of behaviors to be “right." They provide fun in variety, just like life. Your dog's goal is to find joy in life, and you need to be a part of that. So does your training! Simultaneously, you also want to be teaching your dog how to make good decisions and how to handle the endless situations life will offer. This involves life skills, coping skills, and the ability to make a good decision quickly under various circumstances, even when you don't or can't cue it. This is what concept games address.

Every dog has their own personality, their own strengths and weaknesses. Their brain is pre-wired. Various parts of the brain control perceptions, emotions , and responses. But to handle life and to be a great human companion, certain aspects of the dog brain, and the concepts they contain, will need to be developed or boosted. They also need to have the abililty to override others. Temperament tells, but personality is fluid - it can be shaped and reshaped. Your dog will need to have particular skills in order to meet the challenges life will present. These skills are needed for walks, both on-leash and off. They are needed for recalls of all types. They are needed for good manners. They are needed to handle being outside and in public places. This is not just for service dogs or sport dogs. It is for all dogs!

Games shape the dog's brain and build life-skills:

• Relationship - value in you and "the team." You are more important than the environment or outside influences
• Confidence - abiity to handle new situations, trust
• Optimism - seeing the good in things, veiwing things in a positive way
• Flexibility - ability to adapt, change behavior, offer different responses in the same situation, go with the flow, work through anticipation
• Tolerance of Frustration - ability to work through difficulties and challenges, patience
• Focus - attention span, staying on task, eye-contact, check-ins
• Proximity - the value of being close to you, returning to you, choosing you over other things in the envrionment
• Orientation - turning towards you, disengaging from objects, engaging with you, checking in with you
• Impulse Control - holding back in the face of desires
• Disengaging - turning away from distractions, leaving a desire, stopping an interaction
• Engaging - to partake in activities with you instead of outside distractions, to engage with a specified object
• Dependence - looking to you for guidance and permission
• Independence - the ability to be alone, self-soothe and self-entertain, work alone without your help
• Listening - to hear you and follow your lead under various circumstances
• Calmness - to be calm even when there is energy to spare, to calm down quickly after or in between higher energy events, to remain calm when other exciting things are going on
• Grit - determination to work through obstacles and challenges, persevere

You will be getting numerous games to play with your dog that will build all of those concepts. You will do more than train your dog. You will be your dog's life-coach. Games are part of your everyday interactions with your dog. They are part of play. This is play with a purpose! If you make your games part of your life-style with your dog, you will see the amazing results they provide for your dog and for you!

The clip below shows you how orientation games and attention cues come together for an amazing recall.

How Games Work

Every dog has their own personality. They have their own perception of the world, and their own strengths and weaknesses. Every dog is different and unique. The brain is a conglomeration of parts, each with their own function. These parts are comprised of concepts that shape the dog's personality, activate emotions, and direct behavioral responses.

Personality is fluid, meaning it can be influenced and molded. Through coneptual games and training, you can step into the learning process, take action, and shape or reshape your dog's brain. You can influence how the world is percieved and thus the emotions and responses attached. When you step into the picture, you can build concepts to help your dog better handle any situation.

The Dog Brain Process

Stimuli go into the brain to be processed. Every brain, when put into an ambiguous situation, creates an outcome. The dog's personality creates the outcome and determines how the stimuli is percieved and how the dog will respond.

Concepts are the building blocks of the brain.

• Each dog’s strength will vary in each concept
• Experiences also influence the propensity of a response to create outcomes.
• Your relationship is the glue that binds everything together.

Using Games to Influence Outcomes

Step into the picture and influence concepts and experiences to re-shape the brain and to change the outcome. Use games to achieve this by building specific concepts. Games are flexible and utilize the power of choice. Games will target various concept and strencthen them through the choices your dog makes while playing. Thisbuilds coping skills and teaches positive responses that transfer to real-life situations for better results.

• Games allow for multiple responses to be appropriate
• They allow the brain to mold and shape to a variety of situations and rehsape the brain to fit circumstances
• you set your dog up for success because you boost the necessary concepts outside of the triggers
• you insprie your dog, boost the relationship along with it, and provide the freedom of choice which is far more motivating than being commanded or told what to do.

Critical Concpets You Build Through Games

• Confidence
• Optimism
• Focus
• Impulse Control
• Flexibility
• Tolerance of Frustration
• Calmness
• Grit
• Engaging/Disengaging
• Think vs. Do
• Arousal up/Down
• Proximity
• and more!

The Reward Experience

For dogs, rewards can come in many different forms, in many different ways.

• We Reward - food, toys, praise, affection, attention, play, freedom, walks, going outside....
• Dog Self-Rewards - dog chooses behavior that makes him/her feel good (sniff, run, chase, chew, jump, bark, whine, ...)
• Environment Rewards the Dog - seeing or greeting another person or dog, a passing car/bike/skateboard (movement), wildlife, wondrous smells...

It's not just about getting something; reinforcement is also an emotional experience.

• Anticipation of a reward, or the possibility of one happening
• Delivery of the reward and the behaviors involved to get it
• The reward itself and how much it is valued by the individual

These are factors that need to be considered when you are working with your dog.

Have flexibility with rewards. Variety is the spice of life, and that applies to your rewards.

• Build food drive and continue to use your dog's regular food as much as possible, saving treats for tougher circumstances.
• Build play drive with toys and with you, for play and toys brings a different element to your rewards, because it can be more exciting; higher in arousal. And this can be very helpful in busier, higher distracting, higher arousal type of situations. You can out-do fun and excitement with some fun and excitement of your own.
• Use the environment as a reward. Choose an activity your dog loves or giving your dog freedom are great rewards. There are things in the environment that are fun and rewarding to your dog, you just need to figure out what. Sniffing, running, swimming... can be rewards for dogs that can be provided by the environment. Your gateway for environmental rewards is Premack. Environmental rewards need to be put on permission so your dog doesn't just help himself. The environment can also be very tricky. It can reward your dog when you don't want it to, because just seeing something can be reinforcement enough for your dog (even though interaction never occurs). That is why working outside and in public places is a challenge and needs a lot of practice.

How you deliver the reward matters.

• Tossing the food or toy for your dog to chase after it. For dogs that love to chase and run, this can be a better or higher value reward experience than just taking food from the hand.
• Catching the food or toy for dogs that love catching things, will be higher value.
• Delivering the food by hand slowly, calmly, you can influence your dog and help to keep him/her calmer. Placing food on the ground is calmer than taking food from the hand or tossing. And slowing your dog down in getting the food, calms your dog down more as well.

So, when you are working with your dog, consider your goal: drive, excitement, momentum? Or lowering arousal, promoting calmness, or working impulse-control. It all matters.

My dog only listens to me when he knows I have food...

Everything you do matters when it comes to rewarding your dog. Preparing the food for a training session, if your dog is watching you, is a reward experience. It builds the anticipation of being rewarded. This is why your dog will listen well and follow you if you do this and then train immediately after. The preparation is part of rewarding your dog, and your dog is getting rewarded before he/she has done anything for you yet. This also goes for opening a crackling bag of treats, stuffing your pockets or treat pouch and attaching it to you. All of this is seen by your dog as a form of reward. Additionally, if you reach into your treat pouch or pocket before your dog does the behavior you want, you are also rewarding, and this can happen before your dog does the behavior depending on your timing, and can prompt your dog to listen and follow only if your hand reaches into the pocket first.

So what happens if your dog does not get this reward experience before working with and for you? Does your dog listen? Does your dog trust that you will offer payment for the work if partial payment, at least, is not received beforehand? This is a common problem that people run into. Building trust is important to the relationship. And you need to let your dog know that even when there is no proof a reward in the beginning, that listening and following your directions will result in payment, and just payment at that. Contrary to what some people believe, "My dog just loves to please me," dogs don't work for free. There has to be something in it for them. And unbeknownst to those who think differently and don't offer some sort of reward, they are inadvertently putting the behavior on and extinction schedule. It will go away over time. How long that will take depends on the dog and the situation.

So be aware of what you do and who is watching. Prepare food ahead time and get things ready. If your dog catches you doing this, finish what you need to do and set it aside. Training will happen some point later when your dog has moved on to something else. Notice your subtle movements. Don’t reach into your pocket or treat pouch until after your dog has done the desired behavior. Your Marker is a bridge and gives you time. What you do to begin rewarding your dog - reaching into your pocket or pouch, walking over to the bowl with food in it, praising your dog - are all part of the reward experience and count. Don’t get stingy with your rewards. When you are in the beginning stages of training, and during adolescence, rewards are important until you build enough trust and a strong relationship that a shift takes place and it is now about “the team.” This happens because of all the work and reinforcement you do from the beginning.

Equipment

You will need a variety of tools to teach a reliable recall. These tools help aid you in training and prevention until your dog understands the best choice is YOU!

Supplies:

• Harness
• 6-foot standard leash
• long line
• treat pouch
• the best treats ever! It’s about what your dog thinks is best!

toys - squeaky ball, tug toys, etc. (natural fiber tug toys work best)

Long Lines

I highly recommend having a long line as part of your training tools. It allows you to work cues and games at a distance, which is a different and more difficult picture for many dogs to work through while having the safety net of a leash to prevent or work through mistakes. Plus, it allows you to work in public places that are not closed in and still have control and keep your dog safe.

Long lines can truly make a difference when working more advanced levels of cues like recalls!

You can purchase a long line at many pet stores, on Amazon, Chewy, and various other dog supply sites. I like biothane long lines best - they are easy to clean and last a long time. You can get them at J&J Dog Supplies and Palomine.

You need to make sure to use safety when using a long line: always attach to a harness and clipped to the back of the dog, not the front. Make sure that you are stable and strong enough if you clip your dog to you or hold on to the handle- running dogs can easily pull you down when they hit the end of a long line (you can hook the line to something more sturdy). So be sure to use common sense!

My Dogs Are Not Perfect!

My dogs are dogs, just like any other dog. They have their own perosonalities; their own strengths and weaknesses; their own quirks. They can be naughty and make mistakes. You will see some of those mistakes in the videos. What really matters is how we respond those mistakes. Going back to kindergarten, or restarting from the basics is good practice. Prevention is another. Some mistakes mean that your dog gets put back on leash and loses freedom. That has happened to Echo, Doc, Goldie, CJ (Munchie), and Kia - so ALL of them! Fixing the mistakes by reflecting on why the mistake happened and making adjustments so the dog can be successful is best practice. My dogs will get rusty if I haven’t worked with them in a while. Life can get busy and teaching 6th grade can preempt dog training. It will show sometimes in the choices my dogs begin to make. At that point, I know I need to step it up and top off their skills. It falls on me! So, more so than anything else, it’s your mindset that will determine your success. Invest, reflect, and keep at it.

Once, when I was walking all my dogs together, two workers who were repairing the trail asked me, “Are they in training?” My response was truth, “Always."

What is Value?

Dogs make choices based on what is valuable to them. What they like most is their first choice. So pay attention - dogs show you where the value is! Use this knowledge to your advantage. As you go through each day with your dog, be aware of thier choices in any given situation. This wi give you ideas on what your dog likes and loves and then you can apply this knowledge to your prevention and rewards plans.

You need to be the most valuable thing to your dog! That only comes from investing in your dog and being a part of all the wonderful things in your dog’s life. Place value in the things that are important to you, so that they become important to your dog. Reinforce foundation behaviors when they happen for real-life routines, and where you want them to happen — even simple behaviors like four on the floor and sit. Four on the floor for food from you is better than paws on the counter for food. Capture moments in time and reward your dog for good choices so that it will happen again and again, until it is automatic. Reward your dog with things he loves. Use food, use praise, use affection, toys, and play to your advantage.

Live in each moment with your dog. Notice the quiet, appropriate behavior and reward it. Dogs don't work for free, nor should they get the things they want for free. So reward well and build a ton of value in the behaviors you want now so that it is on default in the future.

DMT - Distraction, Marker, Treat

Your First Game for Working Through Distractions

CONFIDENCE, OPTIMISM, CALMNESS, FOCUS, RELATIONSHIP, SOCIALIZATION

Keep it simple and work non-triggers first! It is for anything that your puppy sees as interesting. DMT is for everything with which you want your dog to have positive associations. It is for everything that you want your dog to be calm around. DMT is your go-to game when out and about, introducing your pup to the world. It is also for work at home, with visitors, sounds, and other occurrences you want your dog to get used to and learn a calm and controlled response.

DMT at Home

You can use DMT for visitors, helping to create positive associations with people coming into your home and help to promote calmness with visitors. That is also where you can use the "occupied" and "unoccupied" strategies of DMT. It involves using your crate, ex-pen, gate, or other boundary and teaching calmness and manners withvisitors. Occupied means that you give your pup something high value to chew with the arrival of guests, and periodically add in DMT when conditions change. Unoccupied means that your dog is in management/boundary and does not have something high value to chew on, and you will DMT the arrival. Occupied is easier and typically your first step to helping with calmness and positive emotions.

DMT Out and About (and Socialization)

It can be visual: cars, people, animals, objects, etc.

It can be or audio: barking dogs, engines or horns, people talking or cheering, animal sounds, construction sounds, etc.

Keeping Your Puppy Safe

You need to learn what makes your puppy feel safe andsecure. Only then can you build positive associations and confidence. Over-excitement can eaily shift to anxiety. Frustration can leadto fear. Proper socialization is not easy. It takes insightful observation of your puppy and learning how to read subtle cues. Going up to someone and sniffing them does NOT mean a dog wants to be pet. It does mean the dog is gathering more information to help him decide what to do next. Behaviors can easily be misinterpreted by people. So, proper socialization can also mean rejecting someone who wants to pet your puppy. But in the grand scheme of things, your puppy needs to trust you and that matters more than a stranger's wants or opinion.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: SPACE! - Space is of utmost importance. It keeps a dog safe, and it separates a dog from distractions. Be far enough away so your puppy feels comfortable and can focus on you, too. Far enough away so that your puppy can be more calm and relaxed.

BASIC LEVELS OF DMT:

1. Level 1 - Pairing: When you notice, but your pup has not yet - mark and treat "no reaction is a good reaction." Continue through the entire experience with that distraction.
2. Level 2 - Classic (classical conditioning): When your pup goes on alert and notices distraction but has not reacted yet, you say your CRM (Calm Reward Marker) and reward your puppy. At this stage, this is regardless of how your pup behaves. It is classical conditioning, a scientifically proven method, and at this stage in the game, you do not require any behavior. Hopefully, by catching things early, you will have the opportunity to reward "no reaction is a good reaction" by marking and rewarding no response.
3. Level 3 - Transitioning (classical conditioning transitioning to a behavior): Your dog notices the distraction first, and you immediately begin DMT. Your dog is not acting out in any exaggerated way. That includes no barking, jumping, whining, growling, etc. but they might still not be behaving in an ideal manner. When you say your marker, your puppy turns to look at you. The marker helps your puppy to disengage from the distraction. It might be for just a moment and then the focus is back on the distraction, but DMT is starting to facilitate disengaging from the distraction and a calmer initial response.

With consistency, this creates a "habit" of turning/looking to you whenever something catches your puppy's eye. That is the automatic behavior you want to start seeing.

This technique limits eye-contact with distractions, interrupts emotion and reactivity, and turns your puppy's focus on you to be his/her emotional anchor.Your goal with DMT is calmness.

Releases or cues are to let your puppy know if it is okay to interact but only with permission. Management tools (leashes, crates, ex-pens, gates) are there to prevent rehearsal of unwanted behavior and to keep your puppy safe - avoiding going over to see something, sniffing, chasing, etc. Depending on where you live, curiosity can turn into a life-threatening situation (snakes, porcupines, trash, unfriendly dog, car, etc.)

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