Training Small dogs can be a challenge.  Dogs that weigh less than 10lbs move quickly.  They are also so close to the ground already that using a Food-Lure (a treat held in your hand, close to their nose) can be challenging.  For medium and large dogs Food-Lures are a convenient ways to move dogs into positions like sit or down.  However, with small dogs Food-Lures can sometimes cause more jumping-bean action than is conducive to training.

For really small, fast-flying dogs I prefer to sit back and relax when training.  For this type of training a CLICKER is really, really handy.  A clicker is a small device that makes a click-sound when the metal flap inside the small box is pressed down and released.

Clickers are used to train dogs, horses, cats, pigeonsrats and even marine mammals.  Using a clicker is simple.  In the beginning the animal in training needs only to learn that each click-sound will be quickly followed by a small reward (technically it must be a reinforcer) that the animal will enjoy and working for.  I like using small, tasty bits of food like cheeses or meats.

The rules are simple.

1.  Click what you like.

2.  Click at the EXACT moment the behavior is accomplished.

3.  Don't command the animal to DO anything, JUST WAIT for something -be patient!!!

4.  Reward the animal after every click.

5.  Train is short intervals 5-10minutes

Sometimes it is helpful to think of the clicker as a camera.  At the end of the training if each CLICK was a PHOTO, and if you placed all those photos on your kitchen table you would have only photos of the behavior (sit, down, bow) that you were hoping to train.

Here are two Kinder-CLICKER lesson for fast-flying, jumpy little-dogs.

1.  Click (and reward) the dog anytime they are NOT moving.  Click the dog for being still in any position.  Offer extra treats for clicks that marked exceptionally cute still positions (like sit or down).  After 2 or 3 sessions, raise the bar and click only certain positions.

2.  Click (and reward) All Cute Behaviors.  This is my favorite.  I will click anything cute!!!  Head-tilts, play-bows, prairie-dog position, sit, down, waving.  Then I pick one behavior that gets clicked and a special bonus treat (gorgonzola).  I like to see how long it takes for the dog to offer only that behavior.

G is for Go!

It is critical that you tell your dog when they are released from duty & free to do what they want.

I really suggest that you use a special Release Word, like "Go," "Free" or "Done!" so that your dog clearly understands when they are no longer required to Sit, Stay, or  be in their Bed.  "Ok" is a poor, release-word choice  because it is so often and casually thrown about in conversation.  Pick a clear word that you rarely use if you want to avoid mistakes.

Dogs love to put together puzzles, especially ones that they think have meaning to them.  

BUT... being clever sometimes gets them in trouble!

Here is an example:

When I leave the house and my Aussie-dog is usually expecting to come with me --He usually is.

When he is invited out the door, he always does a Sit-Stay on the front porch.  

I rarely ask for this, he knows it is expected and beats me to asking nearly every time.  Clever, right?

In other situations he is also proficient at Sit & Stay --He can perform them perfectly in the hardest of distractions.  

But he started breaking his Stay (go before being released) in the mornings on the porch.  

What happened?

I used to hit the car-alarm button on my way down the steps.

Then, open the back of the car for my Aussie.  

I would call him, "Load-up!"

While he loaded himself in the crate, I would load my bags and ever-present mug of coffee.  

Finally I would get him settled in the back, shut the tailgate, go around to the driver's side and we would be off.

NAUGHTY, or CLEVER?

Clever!  Absolutely, clever.  He started chaining the events together.  

Bip-Bip...        Predicted...        Click-Woosh...        Predicted...        "Load-up!"

It took awhile, but eventually my dog learned the sound of the new alarm un-locking the doors and the sound of the tail-gate opening.  

BEFORE I could call him, he would be screaming down the steps and jumping in the back.  

What happened is that the EVENTS over-shadowed (they were bigger and more noticeable) than my words "Load-up."

It became pointless for my dog to listen for a "release word" because he could PREDICT what was going to happen.

I like when he does this on the porch -he predicts that I am going to ask him to sit, so he just does it.  

However, I did not want him predicting a release before I checked that the coast was clear -what to do?

The solution.

I mix up the routine a lot more now.  Sometimes I call him BEFORE the alarm, sometimes after.  Sometimes I load my bags first, sometimes after.  Sometimes I have him heel to the car and sometimes I come get him.  Sometimes I open doors I don't need to, just to test him.

BUT I ALWAYS, ALWAYS say, "Done!" (his release from the stay) before I call him.  That way he knows that until he hears "DONE!" he needs to STAY!.  The word is now more important than ever because I made it THE MOST IMPORTANT CLUE.

Do you have a question for Kelley? by DogTime blogger Kelley Filson

kdlanning 
Murrieta, CA

FEBRUARY 26, 2009, 4:52 PM

How do you resolve separation anxiety with a 6 month old puppy? We've left her alone at the house a couple of times and she's torn up the area that we left her at. Thanks.

Dear Six-Months & SepAnxie,

It is unclear from the information that you have given me whether your pup has the disorder called Separation Anxiety or whether you have a very normal, rascally pup who just got bored or frustrated when left alone.  Is that her picture?  She looks very cute.  For both your sakes, I  hope your pup is just a rascal; Separation Anxiety is not easy to fix and rarely gets better without professional help.  

I am a little concerned that she is already 6-months old and has not been left alone more than a few times.  Did you just adopted her?  Are you taking her to work or doggie daycare?  Is someone almost always at home?  Or, have you avoided leaving her alone because of the mess she makes?  

Always staying with or taking along your pup may seem "better."  However, puppies who are not crate/confinement-trained and/or left alone before 3-4 months of age are more likely to vocalize excessively and behave destructively when left alone later in life.  It is not too late to teach her to be alone, but it might take some patience & dedicated training.  Again that she is 6-month and making a mess does not mean she has Separation Anxiety Disorder, she may just be a normal, messy pup.  Even if she does not like being left alone, there is hope.  I hope the post below can guide you.  

Thanks for inquiring,

Kelley

IS YOUR PUPPY PITCHING-A-FIT WHEN LEFT ALONE?

For many owners/guardians it is hard to gauge a "normal" amount of puppy barking, whining, flailing.  This is increasingly hard when one is trying to accomplish crate/confinement-training.  Depending on the dog, it can seem like your puppy is suffering horrifically when you leave her alone.  While it often sounds awful, there is a good degree of hyped up hysterics that can just be ignored.  This is easy for trainers and other dog professionals, but hard for new puppy parents who are justifiably protective of their new pup.

Puppies come pre-programmed with a highly-successful attention-seeking behavior: bark, howl, cry, whine.  When this doesn't work, (because you ignore their barking (look away, stay away, or stop talking, looking or petting) they throw a puppy-temper-tantrum.  This can look and sound downright scary, so it is understandable why owners panic and grope for information about what is happening.  However jumping to a diagnosis of Separation Anxiety for a pup that barks is like determining that someone who ate dinner and then threw up is bulimic.  Let's rule out normal puppy tantrum and learned barking (flu or food poisoning) first. 

Pups can learn that barking gets stuff -AND they learn it quickly at a very young age.  The truth is that most pups who bark, whine, howl, and yip when left alone are just being normal pups.  When they are born pups learn that whining, whimpering and yowling gets them food, relief and warmth.  Later when the pup moves in with people, it must learn that barking does not work.  Ignoring the noise is the only way to teach your pup that barking does NOT work.  

Punishing a pup for barking is a mistake, it will ruin your relationship, and possibly make the dog aggressive.  Or, the dog will learn to bark when no one can get there to deliver a punishment, but will bark freely when you are not around.  It is hard to ignore a barking dog.  Here are some tips.  IGNORE means:  Do not look at, talk to, touch or go towards your pup.  

Do not return to or let your pup out until the pup has completely given up making noise & settles into doing something else, like laying down, chewing, or eating.  When it is time to let your pup out again, praise your pup clearly from outside the room.  Then, go get your puppy.  In this version, once you praise the pup, they get out -even if they make noise once you enter the room.  Use the same phrase each time you praise your dog.  Here is a harder, tough-love version.  Enter the room, leave immediately if your pup starts to make noise again (don't choose this version if your pup has been in there a long time and is ready for a potty-break).

Puppies are messy!  Pups that chew, shred, smear, and gnaw on this are also normal.   There is no fancy label for their behavior, they are just young.  They can, and will make a mess especially if left alone for long periods of time (more than 2-3 hours).  It is not unusual for pups to chew on paper, shred wee-pads, or smear their pee & poop around.  They don't do it on purpose -it just happens to be there when they are romping around and making up their own games.  

There are things you can do to minimize messes.  Unless your pup has caused serious damage to a door, window, gate, crate or worse themselves, they are a normal pup.  Most messes are NOT done in a panic, but that instead the results of a darn good solo-puppy-party!  However, if your dog has done serious damage to a door, window, gate, crate or bloodied their paws or face, then you may have a dog with Separation Anxiety Disorder.

Understanding & DEALING WITH NORMAL PUPPY BARKING

Barking can be done anywhere and so it is the most difficult to manage.  There are many things you can do to channel your pups play-energy into appropriate places.  Exercise, play fetch and tug, Kong-feeding, chew-toys, puppy-proofing, gating, and crating all help minimize and contain a mess.  More importantly a tired pup is a quiet pup.

Confining and/or crating a pup is important and should be done despite the fact that your pup might rather not be away from you.  Toddlers that fuss when put in a car seat do not get to ride on your lap simply because they want to be there.  Eventually kids stop fussing about car seats and seat belts because it fails to work.  However temper tantrums are aweful -they are more than complaints; they are last ditch efforts to get something, or get out of something.  Puppy barking can be very loud if the pup is frustrated.  This can happen when they are learning that what used to work, crying for food, milk, warmth, companionship, is no longer an acceptable way to ask for things (that worked with dog-mom, but not people-parents).  

IF THEY DON'T LIKE IT, DO YOU STILL HAVE TO CRATE/CONFINEMENT-TRAIN YOUR PUPPY?

Yes.  Imagine if you boarded a plane and the person next to you just started sobbing, them screaming and rolling on the ground.  When a baby cries it is annoying, but acceptable age-appropriate behavior.  For an adult to do this instead of asking for a blanket or beverage is abnormal.  The times in your life at which you learned that screaming and crying would not get you things was probably stressful and frustrating for you and your parents.  Crate/confinement-training is not easy, but it is necessary for a well-adjusted dog.

Now that you understand WHY your puppy is barking...

You can TEACH YOUR PUPPY TO BE ALONE!

If you have never left your puppy alone it is important to do everything that you can to set them up for success.

Puppies should have an area that is safe and can be gated-off. If you have a jumper, try stacking two gates. I prefer this to shutting a door. Door need to be opened to see what is happening, and they can be scratched. If you aren't sure... start by stacking two gates so that any jumping attempts will fail.

This area should be easy-to-clean, in case your pup has an accident. Tile and linoleum floor are best. Cement is porous and will absorb odors unless protected with a sealant. The puppy confinement area should be safe. Remove any items of value and anything your pup might chew or make a mess with such as plants, books, baskets, clothing, cleaning items etc...

This area should have a crate. The door can be left open and a comfortable bed can be inside the crate. There should be some water in a spill-proof bowl. You don't want to have to go back because they barked, jumped and knocked over the water. This will give your dog the idea that barking & spilling = mommy and daddy come back.

Try putting your puppy in this area when she is:

EXHAUSTED! Think a 3-hour walk or hike, a doggie-play session at the beach, an afternoon with the kids from the neighborhood.

HUNGRY! I encourage you to skip or go light on a meal or two. It won't hurt the pup if they miss a lunch meal just once.

You should be:

RESTED! Don't do this when you are tired, cranky or short on patience.

READY FOR SOME NOISE! Earphones, movie, music, home-workout.

NOT GOING ANYWHERE! Don't actually leave during or after the first time you do this.

THE PLAN FOR PUPPIES FIRST SUCCESSFUL ALONE-TIME.

1. Skip breakfast, but prepare a really tasty Kong and put it in the fridge.
   
2. Check that the confinement area is fully prepared and puppy-proofed.
   
3. Take your puppy out for a really, really long hike, play session, walk or combination of all of this.
   
4. Bring the pup back home (don't let this be a long nappy car trip (this will undo the exercise).
   
5. Take your pup to their potty area and allow them time to take care of business.
   
6. Go to the kitchen and get the Kong and a few chew items.
   
7. Put the puppy in the confinement area and give them the Kong. Secure the gate (stacking if necessary).
   
8. Walk away and out of the room -IGNORE what you hear.
   
9. Wait until the puppy is quiet for at least 10-15 minutes, then listen (without disturbing).
   

Does it sound like the pup is asleep? Eating from the Kong? Chewing? Congratulations. Now just let your pup out BEFORE they start to cry again.

Feed your pup like this everyday.  Soon they will need only normal amounts of exercise and you can start putting their regular food in the kong with less and less of the really amazing treats.

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