3 Ways to Improve Your Dog’s Sphynx Downs
Sphynx downs allow Service Dogs to fold into a down instead of sliding into one. Folding backward means the dog takes up less space than the sprawl that often happens when the dog first sits, then flops into a down with gravity doing most of the work. Sphynx downs are more efficient, ergonomic, and neater than their sliding counterpart. Training them, however, takes a bit of practice and lots of repetition. Learn to improve your dog's sphynx downs by following these simple tips! Use a Platform to Teach a Sphynx Down Platform training helps provide clear boundaries for your dog. When it comes to positions and position training, platforms offer your dog instant feedback as to whether or not they're in the correct place. They're either on the platform or off the platform -- there's nothing in between. It also allows the trainer to manage the environment and situation so the dog can better differentiate and sort behaviors to offer. Platforms can be sophisticated and purpose-built, like the Klimb dog training pedestal or a Karunda bed. Raised surfaces in the environment work well, too. Examples include steps you can stand to the side of, the edge of a porch or (unheated) fireplace hearth, or stable concrete blocks arranged so there's space for all four of your dog's feet on the surface. Place your dog in a stand at the platform edge. If your dog doesn't yet know how to fold back into a down, use a lure backward at an angle between their front legs to teach them the basic position. Work on building competency with the behavior before adding distance or distractions. If your dog currently sits then slides into a down when you use your current down command, consider pairing a new cue with the sphynx down behavior. Until your dog reliably folds into a down on cue on a platform, try to avoid using the new skill in real-life applications without the ability to heavily reinforce it. Practice the position from a variety of orientations. Try standing in front of your dog and beside your dog. Give sitting on the floor or kneeling a shot. When your dog responds to the verbal cue regardless of your physical position or body language, you know they're starting to actually understand it. Put Your Dog on a Line The next step to improving sphynx downs involves fading use of the platform. Ideally, we want the dog to
Why Your Service Dog Needs to be Crate Trained
After house training puppies, crate use tends to fade as dogs mature. They stop destroying things. They can be trusted to be out and about with supervision. However, just because your dog doesn't need to be crated doesn't mean you should let their crate training fall by the wayside. Here are 3 reasons why your Service Dog needs to be crate trained. Crating Service Dogs: In Case It's Ever Necessary During day to day life, your dog might not ever need to be crated. However, sometimes, events are beyond our control. If your dog needs to be hospitalized at the vet, they'll be staying in a sanitary crate or kennel unit. Dogs who aren't used to being crated often stress when confined or separated from their handlers. If you're traveling, you might need to crate them at a friend or family member's house. If you're hospitalized, part of the requirement for having your Service Dog on unit might include them being crated while you're undergoing testing or procedures. Looking for guidelines on bringing your Service Dog to a behavioral health facility? Check out our guide to Psychiatric Hospitalizations With a Service Dog. Crate Training: For Safety and Management Sometimes dogs need to be crated for their safety. Crate training can really help with environmental management. If there's remodeling or construction going on in your home, crating your Service Dog keeps them safe and secure. For ill or injured dogs, crating them allows them to rest and recuperate safely. If you're working on boundaries or a behavioral issue, using a crate allows you to keep an eye on the situation and manage your training plan more effectively. Crate Training: So Your Dog Has Opportunities for Quiet Time Working dogs work hard. Just like people, some dogs need more alone time than others. Crate training gives your Service Dog a quiet place to rest. If your Service Dog provides task work in the home, they might not ever willingly take a break. Crating your dog is an easy way to signify that they're off duty and they can rest, chew a bone, or enjoy some downtime.
Film Review: Pick of the Litter
The Pick of the Litter documentary follows a litter of puppies from Guide Dogs for the Blind, emphasizing the highs and lows involved with training guide dogs.
3 Ways Training Tricks Keeps Your Dog Healthier
People love showing off their dog's tricks. Flashy skills like rolling over, playing dead, or sitting pretty provide lots of opportunities for fun. While many dog owners assume training tricks serves little purpose for their dog beyond entertainment, they're quite wrong! Training tricks offers many health benefits for dogs both young and old. Trick Training Provides Mental Stimulation Make no bones about it -- mental stimulation, science says, is just as good, if not better, than physical exercise! Working your dog's brain offers great opportunities to stave off boredom and reduce excess energy. Learning tricks requires your dog to focus on the new skill or behavior, master it, and link it with a cue. Performing tricks on cue means your dog has to sort through known behaviors and cues, select the correct one, and then do it! That's hard work that occupies a lot of brain power and mental juice. If you don't have enough energy to train tricks, try some of these other tools for increasing mental stimulation for your dog. Training Tricks Builds Strength Many tricks require your dog to use their body in ways that aren't common in day to day life. Sitting pretty, commando crawling, standing on hind legs, perching, pivots, and many other common dog tricks work your dog's core strength and body awareness. Training tricks builds strength, enhances mobility and flexibility, and allows your dog to get a nice workout while having fun. Remember to start slowly and built up duration and intensity. Performance in the beginning may not be awesome, but don't give up -- keep practicing and your dog's physical capabilities will improve. Tricks Help Bond Dog and Owner One of the best ways for dogs and owners to bond involves spending qualiy time together. Playing, grooming, and, you guessed it, training, all offer ample opportunities for bonding. Learning tricks helps handlers hone training and communication skills. It assists dogs in furthering knowledge and capabilities, while also letting them practice focus, learning to learn, and all kinds of other important engagement skills.
5 Common Languages Used for Dog Training Commands
Trainers and handlers use verbal commands in dog training to communicate with their dogs. The dog learns to associate each command or cue with a specific behavior or skill. When the dog hears that command, they perform the behavior. Some of these skills are very simple, like position changes. Others are very complex, like running to the fridge to retrieve a beverage. When people think about dog training commands, oftentimes, English comes to mind first. You tell a dog to "sit" and they do it. For professional working dogs or performance dogs, though, trainers often use languages other than English for their cues. Sometimes they do so because of the culture of their breed or sport. As an example, lots of dogs who compete in the sport of Schutzhund are trained in German. For other teams, especially teams that utilize their skills in real-world environments or in public, training commands in another language is a matter of necessity. Sometimes, it's even a matter of safety! Imagine a police dog responding to a fleeing suspect who yells "DOWN" or a Service Dog who turns to respond to a mother who asks a child to "COME HERE." A large part of that can be mitigated with distraction proofing and handler focus, but many trainers find using another language for dog training cues to be simpler and safer overall. Without further ado, here are lists of cues in 5 common languages used in dog training: English, German, French, Dutch, and Czech. English Cues for Dog Training Sit Down Stand Stay Wait Come Heel Finish Kennel Retrieve Take It Drop It Go Search Shake Jump German Dog Training Commands Sit - Sitz (See-tz) Down - Platz (plah-tz) Stand - Stand (Shtahnd) Stay - Bleib (Bl-i-b, with a long "i" sound) Wait - Wart (Vahrt) Come - Hier (Heer) Heel - Fuß (Foos) Finish - Fuß (Foos) Kennel - Zwinger (Zuh-ving-ehr) Retrieve - Apport / Bring (Brink) Take it - Nimm (Neem) Drop It - Aus (Ous) Go - Geh (Gay) Search - Such / Voran (Sook / For-ahn) Shake - Pfote (Pif-oh-teh) Jump - Hopp (Hop) French Dog Training Commands Sit - Assis (ah-see) Down - Couche (Koosh) Stand - Debout (Da-boo) Stay - Reste (Rest) Come - Ici (ee-see) Heel - Au Pied (oh-pee-aye) Finish - Au Pied (oh-pee-aye) Kennel - Chenil Retrieve - Rapporte (aport) Drop It - Halt (alt) Go - En Avant (on-a-vahn) Search - Cherche (scherch) Jump - Saute (soat) Dutch Cues for Dog Training Sit - Zit Down - Af Stand - Staan Stay - Blijf Come - Hier Heel - Volg Finish - Volg (left) / Rechts (right) Kennel - Hok Retrieve - Apport Drop It - Los Go - Voruit Search - Revieren Jump - Over Czech Cues for Dog Training Sit -
How to Improve Your Service Dog’s Basic Obedience Positions
Basic obedience positions, consisting of sit, down, and stand, provide a foundation for much of the movement your Service Dog does throughout the day. Public access uses long downs, mobility work relies on rock solid stands, and sit is the most commonly cued position for most dogs. Lots of puppies learn sit first. Next, they master down and down stays. Some go on to learn stands, but many don't. By improving your basic obedience positions, you can improve your communication with your Service Dog while also improving task work, public access, and functionality. You can also use basic obedience positions to build your dog's strength, mobility, and flexibility. In addition, improving sits, downs, and stands offers a great chance to work on your dog training skills, including timing, reward placement, and reinforcement schedules. These skills also serve as a base for more advanced obedience and positioning skills, like pivots, emergency downs, and stays out of motion. Basic Obedience Positions and Cue Differentiation Does your dog know sit? Many people believe their dog does but then discover their dog relies on a mixture of physical, environmental, contextual, and verbal cues and not on the cue "sit" itself! The same goes for downs and stands -- does your dog still respond to the cue if you're standing straight up and you don't use your hands? What if your back is turned? Many dogs, including highly trained ones, only know what their handler wants if the cue is delivered with precisely the correct elements. Work on improving your dog's response to verbal cues. Strive to reduce or remove physical elements from your cues. Change the way you deliver cues -- sit down, stand up, lay on the ground, try it from an elevated position, etc. Work until your dog performs reliably off a single verbal cue regardless of the environmental set up or the position you yourself are in. Expanding your dog's generalization of a cue might come in handy during emergencies or in situations your dog can't readily see you. Basic Obedience Position Transitions Playing position transition games is a great way to improve basic obedience positions. Most dogs can go into a down from a sit, but does your dog pop into a sit from a down on cue? Do they stand on cue while sitting or in a down? How many times can they transition cleanly? These games are great opportunities to work on cue differentiation
Hospital Access Rights for Service Dog Teams
When it comes to hospital access rights for Service Dogs, United States federal law permits Service Dogs to accompany their disabled handler into in non-sterile, public areas. Cut through the chaos with this plain English explanation of the rules, exceptions, laws, requirements and expectations for Service Dog hospital access.