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.
Are you sure you are telling your dog what you want?
Dogs do not KNOW the "meanings" of words as we understand them. This means we have to be careful not to confuse our dogs. In general trainers share a set of common commands that have consistent expectations: come, sit, down, stay, heel. But since you will have to teach your dog what you want them to do anyway, you can pick whatever command you feel comfortable using. Here are some general rules to help you be successful.
RULE ONE -Be consistent. Use the same command for the same expected result all the time. When working with a new dog avoid confusing differences such as LIE-DOWN, GO-LIE-DOWN, DOWN.
RULE TWO -Be clear. Avoid confusing situations and unwanted behaviors. Don't pick similar sounding words for different activities like: GO (as in you are released from stay) and NO (you were about to get up, don't do it) or HERE (as in come-here) if your command for walking is HEEL.
RULE-THREE -Be Fair. You can't use the same word in commands for different activities. DOWN can't mean lie-down & get-down and SIT-DOWN is a terrible command choice.
Here is an example: A client of mine was frustrated at her dog who was "deliberately disobeying" her when she wanted her dog to move off the furniture. If the dog was sleeping on the couch and my client commanded the dog, "Get Down." The dog would not move.
For my client DOWN had two meaning: 1) Lie-DOWN 2) Get Down from there.
For the dog, down meant LIE DOWN and since he was already lying down on the couch he didn't feel a need to do anything further.
We taught a new command OFF and used a toy to lure the dog off the couch and reward the dog for Four-On-The-Floor and soon everything was solved.
Some command suggestions:
DOWN: Lie down where you are.
BED: Go to your bed and lie down.
OFF: Get your paws to the floor (off a couch)
SIT: Place your bottom on the ground.
STAY: Do not move form that position until told that you are free.
WAIT: Do not move forward, jump in or out, cross the threshold.
GO: You are free to do as you like (released from STAY or from COME).
COME: Run to me immediately.
THIS WAY or HERE: When you are done... (sniffing, playing, peeing) please come find me over here.
DROP/OUT: Spit out the item.
GIVE: Place item in my hand.
LEAVE-IT: Don't go near it, smell it, look at it, think about putting it in your mouth.
OUT: (if not used above) Get to the other side of the threshold (room), or the the nearest surface texture change (tile to carpet, sand to grass).
UH-OH/AH-AGH: You are about to mess up, stop and I will forgive you.
TOO-BAD: You messed up (timing is important) right there. Aways leads to Time-out or Party-Ends
