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.

CHEW ON THIS... Humans used to really like barking.  The evidence?  We have lots of dogs (all breeds and sizes) that do it.

When people complain that a dog is "misbehaving" what they mean is that the dog is exhibiting behaviors that are inconvenient, irritating or disruptive.  Very few dogs actually exhibit ABNORMAL BEHAVIORS.  Barking is a good example of an annoying behavior that is normal for dogs.  

Excessive barking is a common concern.  Barking, whining and howling can cause problems with neighbors and embarrassment for dog owners.  Desperate, guardians are ready to try anything to eliminate or reduce barking.  Sadly, I am often disappointed with the advice I overhear.

Many people try to punish dogs for barking.  These techniques often have mixed results and at best temporarily startle the dog into silence.  In my mind punishment fails to deliver lasting solutions to excessive barking for three reasons: 

1)   There is an undiagnosed or unrecognized discomfort or FEAR at the root of the problem.

2)   The instigation/motivation to bark outweighs the potential penalty and/or the reward for being quiet is non-existent or pitifully small.

3)   Punishments are invariably inconsistent & fail to be instructive.

Lets look at each of the reasons that commonly recommended punishment/startle methods fail.  Then we can have a discussion about achieving lasting results. 

First comes fear.  If a dog is barking because it is upset (fearful or frustrated) punishments often make the problem worse.  Imagine that you are deathly afraid of butterflies.  Some would say this is an irrational fear, but it would be very real to you -try talking me into loving spiders!  If you were afraid of butterflies having them fly around you would be terrifying.  Now image that when you wave your arms around to protect yourself, that I blast you with water, or even grab your arms and hold them down, all while yelling at you, "NO!"  Even if you stopped waving your arms at butterflies... particularly when I was I was around, the FEAR would still exist and cause more problems later.  Dogs who bark when they are fearful need remedial socialization (desensitization & counter-conditioning) to the fear-evoking stimulus (scary thing), not punishment.  This would be a good time to contact a certified trainer or behaviorist.

Motivation is everything!!!!  Most people probably KNOW BETTER than to drive when drunk, cheat, steal, lie, etc.  Clearly, KNOWING is not the problem, or human society would have no problems with these problems.  Behavior, more often than we would like to admit, is the result of a complicated formula including consequences, context, and wants/needs/urges.  It is NOT about KNOWING.  Even if "rightness" did come into play, keep in mind that for humans this is an entire realm of our being that we tout as separating us from the rest of animals.  Despite all this I can still bet on hearing at least once each week, "My dog knows better than to ____________."  "Big Whoop!" is what I say.  Even if your dog did "know better," they clearly didn't care.  Your dilemma is NOT a knowledge-based problem; it is a motivation problem.

And punishments...  Lets say that every time you bowled/golfed badly I tried to either scare you into thinking I would hurt you or actually caused you physical harm.  Now let's ask some questions about what you learned.  Do you understand what you did wrong -think specifics?  Was it your footwork I didn't like?  Maybe it was the timing?  No?  Was it the form?  Where you had your left arm?  The ball you chose?  This is the reality for many dogs -they cannot understand specifics about WHAT EXACTLY they did wrong.  They just know they did something...  If they are lucky they figure it out what behaviors are unsafe/dangerous to their well being before they are petrified of the situation or the instructor.  Sometimes they just learn that doing nothing is the safest game in town.

There is a better way, check back for more postings on showing your dog what you want when you say "QUIET!"