Meet Brandon McMillan: He trained the tiger in The Hangover, coaches canines on his TV showLucky Dog, and even taught Ellen DeGeneres dogs to sit (and stay). Here, he breaks down the top three mistakes he sees dog owners make and gives us expert tips to get any pup on track.
1. When guests arrive, your dog goes bonkers. The fix: You have to be 49% animal lover and 51% trainer. Doing nothing rewards bad behavior. Put a handful of pennies inside an empty water bottle, and when your dog starts barking, shake the bottle and say, “Quiet.” The strange noise will get his attention and snap him out of protective mode. Continue this for a week or so, and hell settle down without hearing the sound.
2. Everything your dog learned at charm school went out the window.The fix: Lack of consistency is the main reason dogs regress. To enhance your dogs muscle memory, make practice part of your daily routine. If youre teaching a specific command, like “Sit,” repeat it at least 20 times each session. His response will eventually become automatic — but dont stop there! Practice every day, even if just for a few minutes; otherwise, hell forget.
3. Your dog cant focus, even with the lure of a treat in front of his nose.The fix: Food motivates dogs to work, but trying to train a dog whos full is like offering a job to a billionaire — theres no incentive. Plan training sessions for before mealtime, while hes hungry and thus attentive. If your dog is more motivated by play and toys than food, train at a time when hes hyped up, like first thing in the morning or right when you get home.
Off camera, Brandon raises awareness about service dogs with Magnolia Paws for Compassion.
Using a Shake Can as a Dog Training Tool
For the most part, dogs do not correlate the sharp, cutting noise of something like a shake can (see Amazon) with the action in which they were engaged. They also don’t typically associate it with whichever behavior from which you were initially seeking to distract them. It’s the fact that such a sound is an unfamiliar disruption that may make a dog fearful, and this is when you’ll see them respond accordingly.
Using a shake can for training implies that each time a dog does a certain activity, the unpleasant and scary sound (the shake can, in this case) occurs, and the dog will develop the belief that whatever they are doing is causing the sound to “go off.” If he or she were to become desensitized to the sound though, the behavior may continue.
Ideally, the sound should cause them to stop the undesired behavior out of fear of the noise and eventually lead to them stopping the unwanted behavior indefinitely. However, the ‘shake can’ strategy is a bit useless if it’s simply used as a stand-alone component of the whole process needed to help change a dog’s behavior. By using this strategy, though, you will be able to modify your dog’s behavior without yelling at or physically punishing them.
Dogs seldom respond well by being yelled at or receiving physically correction. Doing either of these may result in the dog developing an adverse reaction to the human yelling at or physically fixing him or her in the long run, whether that’s fear or aggression. Your presence may instill fear in them, provoke an aggressive response, or they may simply conclude that it is in their best interests to avoid you.
When used correctly, the shake can method is helpful since the dog will not associate an unpleasant sound or experience with you specifically. This will allow them to associate the sound far more quickly with just whatever it is they were doing. After a while, this technique teaches the dogs that a certain behavior results in something unpleasant, yet another activity results in you—their owner or trainer—being pleased and that they will receive some type of reward.
According to experts, the shake can technique transforms bad behavior into a “self-correcting” habit rather than a “self-reinforcing” one.
When utilizing the shake can technique, the basic approach is to strive for the “startle/stop” reaction and then redirect the dog’s behavior and the specific action. As a result, you can easily practice the shake can technique with an actual shake can or just anything else that makes a loud noise and elicits the “startle/stop” response in your dog. However, if you’re willing to invest a small amount of time and effort, you can also make your own shake can at home.
Stop That Barking Dog With a Little Noise
Some dogs bark when they are supposed to. Some bark at every noise. Others could care less and ignore it all.
Barking is a big issue with my Jack Russell Terrier. Shes always ready to defend the home front. Luckily, she does not bark when out in the yard. But watch out if anyone comes to the front door.
I love my dog. Shes fun to be around, great for laughs, and a little bit of a comedian. But there are times she can drive me up the wall. Shes a small dog and very chatty. She is always saying something.
Those cute little noises become a frenzy of barking if someone rings the doorbell, walks by our house, talks loud outside, etc. Shes got to tell us all about it—and boy, does she!
I cant control her verbally. She hears nothing but her own barking. Thats when a shaker can come in handy. It knocks her out of the barking frame of mind and brings her back to the present.
Ill show you how to make your own shaker can. They are easy to use and should help to keep your canine in line.
Any soda can, emptied and cleaned, will make a great shaker can.
Melody Lassalle – All Rights Reserved
Meet Brandon McMillan: He trained the tiger in The Hangover, coaches canines on his TV showLucky Dog, and even taught Ellen DeGeneres dogs to sit (and stay). Here, he breaks down the top three mistakes he sees dog owners make and gives us expert tips to get any pup on track.
3. Your dog cant focus, even with the lure of a treat in front of his nose.The fix: Food motivates dogs to work, but trying to train a dog whos full is like offering a job to a billionaire — theres no incentive. Plan training sessions for before mealtime, while hes hungry and thus attentive. If your dog is more motivated by play and toys than food, train at a time when hes hyped up, like first thing in the morning or right when you get home.
2. Everything your dog learned at charm school went out the window.The fix: Lack of consistency is the main reason dogs regress. To enhance your dogs muscle memory, make practice part of your daily routine. If youre teaching a specific command, like “Sit,” repeat it at least 20 times each session. His response will eventually become automatic — but dont stop there! Practice every day, even if just for a few minutes; otherwise, hell forget.
1. When guests arrive, your dog goes bonkers. The fix: You have to be 49% animal lover and 51% trainer. Doing nothing rewards bad behavior. Put a handful of pennies inside an empty water bottle, and when your dog starts barking, shake the bottle and say, “Quiet.” The strange noise will get his attention and snap him out of protective mode. Continue this for a week or so, and hell settle down without hearing the sound.
Off camera, Brandon raises awareness about service dogs with Magnolia Paws for Compassion.
FAQ
Can of rocks to stop dog barking?
How do you reward a dog with a play?
Positive reinforcement can include food treats, praise, petting, or a favorite toy or game. Since most dogs are highly food-motivated, food treats work especially well for training.