A shake can is even useful when improper behavior takes place across the room. For example, if your puppy is urinating in inappropriate places and voice commands are not making him stop his flow so he can be taken out, a shake of the can will usually do the trick at which point you can give him your usual command for exiting the home toward his outdoor bathroom area.
Let me say at the outset that a shake can is a tool for getting a dog’s attention, it is not a weapon. I am adamantly against the concept of spanking, hitting, smacking or otherwise administering blows to a pet. Doing so is not a part of responsible training, it only teaches your dog that you are someone to fear.
Dogs, like people, may become accustomed to sounds, even annoying noises such as that of a shake can. Therefore, start out with just enough racket to get your dog’s attention. You can always add more sound later.
Use the shake can as a tool and it can be a great asset in the puppy training process. Start with short, gentle shakes, gradually increasing the sound level and/or the duration of the shake if he begins to become “immune” to the rattle.
You will need your pet’s attention any time you want him to learn something new or respond to a command. If he is already responding, you won’t need to shake can. However, if he ignores you, rattle it lightly, just a single time, then begin your intended activity as soon as he is paying attention.
Jeff Millman lives in Chicago with his wife, two children and three dogs. He has a private dog training business called Chicago Paws as well as Watch and Train. Even though he has been training dogs professionally since 2002, he still loves dogs and loves his job.
Visit Jeff Millman Dog Training in Cary, NC and surrounding areas for all your private dog training and private puppy training needs.
She told me that another trainer told her to use a spray bottle filled with water and spray her every time she growled. I cringed and immediately said that is REALLY bad advice. I used to be more gentle when I disagreed with a technique, but now with the popularity of The Dog Whisperer and other trainers that I mostly disagree with, I am getting more vocal when I hear bad training being practiced.
I was speaking with a client the other day about her dog that is afraid of men. Her dog is a rescue, had a rough background including some abuse by the previous owner. She had always been a little skittish around men, but until recently she had not been growling and now my client was concerned because it was becoming more frequent and severe. I asked what she had tried before speaking with me.
Why is spraying your dog or using cans filled with coins such BAD advice? Let me explain. The most common uses of using spray bottles or cans with coins are when dogs are growling or biting. In my clients case her dog was growling at men. So, her dog growled at a man and then got sprayed in the face. She felt that it was working because her dog stopped growling. However, I asked her if her dog was now comfortable with men. She said that she was not comfortable because she never went close to any of her male guests and still seemed uncomfortable around them. You know what happened? She now has a dog that is STILL uncomfortable around men, but now doesnt growl at them becasue she doesnt like the consequence of getting sprayed in the face when she growled. My client taught her dog not to tell her when she is uncomfortable. That is BAD because growling and other signals are a warning when dogs are uncomfortable. If signals are punished, then you end up a dog that wont tell people when they are uncomfortable. People often get bit is when they dont have an idea when a dog is uneasy.
Place the ball in a plastic bag with the money in it and store it there when not being used.
Time to go out into the wide world by planting a few bills around your neighborhood and having your pup find them. Try to do this when there is no one else around as other people might distract your pup or worse yet, steal your money. Each time your pup is successful, be sure to give him lots of praise and of course, his favorite treats to let him know he has done a great job!
The task is pretty simple: your goal is first to teach your dog to recognize the smell of paper money (its the ink that has the distinctive smell). Then you must teach your dog to use his newfound “love” of the way money smells to help you find money no matter where it is hidden. You never know how much money your dog might find for you every time you go for a walk. While you can train your dog to find money at almost any age, you should plan to start training him for this as soon as he has mastered the basic commands.
Have your dog smell the ball and once he starts to show interest in it, have him sit. This will be his way of alerting you to the fact he has found cash. Be sure to reward him with a treat and praise.
Not only will you be training your dog to recognize the smell of money, but to find it, and to alert you to the fact he has done so. One thing to keep firmly in your mind is that it will take time for your dog to learn to recognize the smell of money and then to use his sense of smell to find it.
Dog Training Tips with Brandon McMillan
There are many conventional techniques that have been used to train dogs over the years, one of which is shaking a can filled with coins. Many owners and trainers have chosen the behavior modification method that incorporates a “shake can,” and this combination is actually widely used to assist individuals in modifying their canine’s behavior.
Usually, shaking a can is not considered bad for dogs. Instead, it serves as an “assistance tool” that, when used properly, may aid you in altering some undesired canine behaviors.
It should be emphasized that a shake can and any other analogous noise mechanisms are used as tools for the “startle/stop” method for certain behaviors, not as a means to control a dog’s behavior in its entirety. Shaking the can just once should get your dog’s attention and get him to stop indulging in whichever activity you don’t want him engaging.
To “startle” your dog, you simply just produce an unexpected and loud noise that will cause him or her to “stop” whatever action in which they are were currently engaging. Typically, the startle effect and subsequent cessation of activity are both extremely brief, lasting only around 2-3 seconds.
However, there is one drawback of shaking a can with coins. If your dog is not accustomed to such a startling and loud noise, there is the chance that they may show some aggressive or fearful behavior. This is due to the fact that a canine’s hearing capabilities are far greater than ours, and they are far more easily disturbed by the sharp noise of the can.
When it concerns achieving the desired output from your dog, it is critical that you learn how to most effectively use a shake can to avoid any stress or unwanted reactions along the way.