Positive reinforcement V Negative reinforcement

Posted on May 6, 2012 by admin

How do we train Dogs at Black Banks Kennels?

 

In my opinion there are only two reliable ways to train a dog or of course a combination of both. The two ways I am talking about are Positive reinforcement & Negative reinforcement when I started training dogs only Negative reinforcement was recognised and that was the way we did things then we did not know anything else. Over the last 10 years or so Positive reinforcement has become the preferred method. The main difference between the two are as follows

Negative reinforcement you basically punished or corrected bad behaviour so the dog learned to avoid it. If your dog pulled on the lead you would use a check chain to administer a correction (jerk on the chain) to let the dog know it was not acceptable behaviour therefore the dog learned not to pull.

Positive reinforcement you basically identify the behaviours you want your dog to display and reward them so your dog wants to offer you the behaviours because they get the reward.

We first of all teach the dog the exercise or behaviour we desire once that exercise is learned we teach the dog to associate it with a name. For example we  teach the dog it gets rewarded in the sit position once he understands how to do the  sit position we teach him to do it every time we say the word sit and he gets a reward.

If that does not work then it is usually one of the following

The dog has a behaviour issue which needs to addressed first by a qualified and experienced behaviourist  ,

The handler is to blame for poor communication

The reward is not big enough.
The dog MUST have a WANT for positive reinforcement to work and the handler must know the best way of communicating with the dog

I therefore spend a lot time teaching people drive building and new methods of communicating with their dog which also teaches them to bond better with their dog and have fun.

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Dog kennels in Teesside and Tees Valley

Posted on April 7, 2012 by admin

With our Kennels being close to both Darlington and Teesside allows us to have customers from both areas . Though there are many kennels in both areas I think what we offer is different to all our competitors as well just boarding and training we now offer Dog Activity Holidays the ultimate experience for your dog. This year our activity holidays have proven popular attracting dogs from across the region we have had dogs from as far as Leeds and Newcastle as well as Middlesbrough, Stockton on Tees, Hartlepool  and of course Darlington

agility exercise with Rotty

Whilst your away why not give your dog an extra fun time and let him or her learn a new skill or polish up an old one.

This does of course require roundabout a 2 week stay

Training Activities

As well as boarding Choose from one of the following activities.

 

Loose lead walking

Beginners Agility

Elementary Searching

Sharper recall

Retrieve

Emergency stop

Send to bed

Loose lead walking

There is not much pleasure in a dog dragging you along the street or through a door or gate we can work with your dog to ease and in most cases eliminate this problem

Beginners Agility

Doing agility exercises with your dog can be great fun and an exhilarating experience for both the dog and the handler we can start your dog off on this journey with getting them to do the tunnel, the long jump and a clear jump

Elementary Searching

Ever lost something in the grass and wanted to find it a dog can locate objects with human scent on using their nose much quicker and easier than you can with your eyes this training starts your dog off learning how to search for hidden articles.

Sharper recall

Does your dog fly back to you or wander back when they please our skilled trainers will work with the dog to improve the recall so even under some minor distractions the dog will be faster to respond.

Retrieve

Some dogs pick up balls and other toys without having to be taught and enjoy fetching them back to their handlers others have to be taught this process. The Retrieve game is one of the main foundation exercises in modern dog training and builds up a bond between dog and handler.

Emergency stop

Are you able to stop your dog whilst he/she is at a distance from you ? Being able to shout wait at a distance and getting your dog to stay put is a useful thing to teach any dog and could one day save their life.

Send to bed

When you need your do to be safe and out of harms way sending them to bed is an ideal way done in the right way it will be a pleasurable experience so your dog will be happy to comply

Pampering

As well as the usual 3 exercise sessions a day all our boarders get choosing an activity holiday for your dog ensures they get an extra three sessions a day training with one of our skilled trainers we also include a wash and blow dry for your dog the day before your pick up

Suitability and assessment

Not all dogs can be trained to do all things so why not book a free assessment and have a look round and we will give our best advice

 

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Dog Behaviour Problems

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

It is a sad fact that we are now getting more calls on dogs with behaviour issues than we are with dog that just need  training.

In Order to help our clients with these issues Darlington dog trainer Andy Coates has teamed up with Dog trainer and behaviourist Dave Davies to offer a dog behaviour clinic to its clients across the North East.

Black Kennels Darlington’s most friendly dog kennels is now hosting a Bi weekly behaviour clinic Mondays and Fridays delivered by Dave Davies BIPDT. The clinic is a very cost effective way of getting across some sound advice on subjects where there are so many conflicting and dangerous ideas flying about. You will also get your dog assessed and a bespoke program developed that should help with most behaviour problems by a suitably experienced and proven behaviourist. The clinic covers most issues like Dog to people aggression, dog to dog aggression Anxiety Separation and phobias. Phone 01325 526147 for more details or to book your appointment

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Dogs Searching for hidden articles

Posted on January 29, 2012 by admin

How often have you lost your keys, mobile phone pen wallet or something else dear to you in grass and have not been able to find it here is a video demonstrating a useful thing to teach your dog

Kizzy Rottweiler does search square

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Feeding your Dog

Posted on December 21, 2011 by admin

What to feed your Dog ? I am not an animal nutritionist or any sort of expert on the feeding of animals but get asked this question a lot.

Some people give there dogs unlimited quantities of dry food to graze on all day and another meal at night most feed there dogs once or twice a day a balanced diet.

Some dogs like humans are naturally greedy others are not motivated by food. Most people when training their dogs use food to reward the dogs for following the cue. The success of this varies from dog to dog based on how much they want that particular treat (how tasty yes they do have preferences) or how hungry the dogs is.

In the wild do you not think a hungry dog is better motivated than a well or even over fed dog? After all if I paid you well or even just enough to allow  you to sit at home with your feet up would you want to go to work?

There are generally two ways to train a dog either with reward known as positive reinforcement or by compulsion known as avoidance training or a combination of them both.

Most trainers these days use positive reinforcement utilising prey drive (for toys) or food drive though praise should not discounted.

One of the best ways to motivate a dog with food is to mix up their daily ration in a bowl then put it in a bag and feed him it through out the day every time you train with them that way they work for their food.

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Dog to Dog Aggression

Posted on November 17, 2011 by admin

One of the most frequent issues I and many of my colleagues now get asked to address is dog to dog aggression.

I thought it would be a good idea to discuss the theory on how most of this occurs and why it is on the increase.

If we look back 10 to 20 years ago very few people owned more than one dog now this is much more common. Sometimes people (but before everyone shouts not all)  buy a second dog because they don’t have time to spend and devote to their first dog. This logic is totally flawed one dog can not train another monkey see monkey do does not work with dogs.

The young dog comes from the litter and meets a new dog (owners existing dog). The only experience the young dog has had up until now with other dogs is its mother and the play fighting that was done with its litter mates. So how does it react to the older dog of cause it wants to play and play fight but what is it learning.

In my opinion the young dog is learning how to fight with other dogs and how it is supposed to interact with other dogs by play fighting with other dogs especially if left unsupervised.

So the first time it meets another dog it goes up to them and wants to play or play fight with them but not every dog wants to play some are aggressive.

We now have the required ingredients for a dog fight. If the young dog is hurt or very frightened after this encounter it can ruin a young dog for life.

I am not saying don’t  have more than one dog or never let them play fight together. I am simply informing you of a theory that is held by a lot of dog trainers as to why we get asked to deal with dog to dog aggression problems so much these days.

What ever you decide make sure the young dog bonds with you first not the older dog as it is you that needs to train the young dog.

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Working Trials Rottweiler 6ft Scale

Posted on November 2, 2011 by admin

In the Working Trials Stakes dogs are expected to do the 6ft Scale here is a video of my little Rottweiler Bitch practising at our dog training facility in Darlington with some good success.

Click on the link below to see the video

scale

 

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Stopping a dog nipping or mouthing

Posted on October 8, 2011 by admin

Stopping a dog nipping or mouthing out of excitement

 

At Black Banks Kennels in Darlington as people who follow our blog are aware we don’t just do fun holidays for your dogs and cats. We also do dog training in Darlington, Stockton on Tees, Middlesbrough and across the North East we also try and write useful tips about training and modifying dog behaviour. This subject of dogs nipping is something we get a lot of calls about.

 

In some puppies and young dogs the urge to bite or nip does not  fade away once they leave the litter. Most puppies will bite at there litter mates in games when they bite too hard there litter mates will let out a little scream a noise like “eek”. This will tell the puppy he or she is being to rough and the intensity and frequency of the bite is usually adjusted.

We can use this natural way of controlling the puppies biting instincts  in our training technique to modify this behaviour. Every time your puppy bites at you or someone else simply let out a little scream and show with your body language displeasure to the puppy for a few seconds then go back to normal with them.

 

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Dog Inoculations for Kennels & Catteries

Posted on October 4, 2011 by admin

At Black Banks Kennels our Darlington facility insist on Inoculations for the safety and welfare of everyone for dogs and cats.

For dogs we do not insist on Kennel Cough but the standard inoculations with anual boosters are an absolute must.

The main things these inoculations together with anual boosters help prevent are Parvovirus, Distemper (Hardpad) , Infectious Canine Hepatitis, Canine Parainfluenza Virus, Leptospirosis and can also give protection against coronavirus.

The vast majority of our customers are aware of this and get these things done as a matter of course there a few that don’t understand or realise that this is essential some understand that there is need to get a puppy done but then do not continue with the annual inoculations.

For cats, Feline Infectious Enteritis, Feline Calcivirus and Feline Rhinotracheitis.

It has been quite distressful for us to as well as the parties concerned to have to turn away customers who are ready to go on holiday because there dogs are not inoculated. We have a duty of care to all the other customers and animals that have kept the inoculations up to date and despite been offered bribes we have kept to that policy. If a kennels does not even ask you for proof of vaccinations then what other short cuts will they be doing with the care of your animal.

 

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Building Drive for Dog Training

Posted on August 29, 2011 by admin

I often get asked by clients why does my dog not do this or that or do this or that quickly ie will not sit every time or will slowly walk back instead of running. One factor that has a great influence on this is the dogs drive or interest. Why should your dog come running quickly back to you when you call him/her when they have found an interesting smell to sniff or another dog to play with. They need a reason you could probably get them back quick if you produced a roast leg of beef but that’s a bribe and not the sort of thing you carry in your back pocket. You could get them back if you went over attached a lead and pulled them back but by the far the best way if to have them wanting to run back as soon as they are called because they want to.

 

Most dogs have a drive of some sort discovering building and developing that drive makes for a better bond between dog and owner and encourages the dog to show the behaviours you want. We use the following drives in training as rewards (not bribes)

 

Prey Drive Chasing balls, Frisbees playing with tug toys

Food Drive Small training treats or jackpots for something special

Pack Drive Grooming Stroking tickling, verbal praise

 

Variety is the spice of life for humans and dogs if we give the same reward every time the dog does what we ask  or no reward the result is usually the same after a while the dog does not show the same enthusiasm as it did at first or does not want to do it at all. The same as a human if your boss stopped paying you chances are you would not bother going to work or if you put 10p in a slot machine and every go you got 10p back you would soon get bored .So what do we do we create a win win situation for our dog every time the dog does what we ask he/she gets a reward but that might be a stroke, a tug on a rope, a bit of fresh chicken, a biscuit, a smile and some verbal praise an unpredictable reward. It will excite your dog more not knowing which reward he/she is going to get and he/she will want to please you.

 

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