Do you reward your dog?

In dog training we use rewards to tell our dogs that they have done the right thing and to increase the likelihood of that particular behaviour being repeated. There are several different ways to reward your dog and your dog may prefer one or other method at any given time so it is important to discover what motivates your dog to work and what they find rewarding. Find out what makes your dog’s tail wag the most!

Food treats are a good way to reward your dog because they are immediate and innately rewarding but find out what type of food your dog likes best and bring a selection of different foods. However, quickly try to use some or all of the things below so you keep your rewards versatile.

Play is also innately rewarding so find out what type of play suits your dog and its breed and what they like to play best. Try to make the play interactive with you rather than giving them a toy to go and play with by themselves. You don’t always need a toy to play with your dog as some dogs enjoy running around and ‘being silly’ with you just as much.

Verbal praise is also be rewarding for your dog but dogs need to learn very early on that this is a good thing so spend time telling them how lovely they are and what a good girl or boy they are just before you give them a treat for dong what you want and they will soon learn to associate your praise with being a good thing.

Physical fuss for some dogs is very rewarding but remember not all dogs liked to be touched while working and sometimes there are places on their bodies they don’t enjoy being touched so find out by watching what your dog does when you fuss them. If they move away from your touch it usually means they are not really enjoying it.

There will also be lots of things in the environment your dog finds rewarding, like going for a swim, having a sniff, getting to play with a friend so make sure you build these into your reward strategy too by asking your dog for a behaviour for the reward of getting what they find rewarding.

Every dog is different and what your dog finds rewarding may differ from mine and even between dogs in the same household there will be differences. There may even be differences in what motivates your dog depending on the time of day, the location you are training and the mood they are in.

The important thing to observe your dog closely and watch what he really enjoys moment by moment and to try to capture and use what your dog finds motivating in your training and general life with your dog.

Set goals for 2016

No matter what type of training you do with your dog, be it agility, rally, flyball or just general pet dog obedience, it's good to set goals to give your training a direction.

If you compete in agility with your dog then you should currently be in the middle of your winter training and starting to look towards the next season of competition, therefore now is a great time to set your summer goals.

But goals mean nothing if we don't put into place a plan to achieve them.

For example, if your goal is to progress from Grade 3 to Grade 4 this season, you now need to set little steps in order to achieve this.

If your dog is missing the down dog walk contact, then put into place little goals and steps to achieve consistent contacts, which will then help you to achieve clear rounds in competition.

Plan which shows you are going to enter and get the entries sent off. Consider entering some competitions NFC to work on ring experience. Or maybe your dog is knocking poles and therefore your plan will include jump grips, workshops and fitness exercises.

Perhaps one of your goals is to teach your dog a retrieve. You can set a training plan including step by step instructions on how to achieve this. Your first step may be to book onto a workshop or research different training methods before setting out your own training plan.

Ensure that your goals are SMART:

Specific - it is clear, defined, do you understand what you are aiming for?

Measurable - how will you know when you have achieved it, can you measure how far it is from completion?

Achievable - is it achievable, can you do it?

Realistic - is it realistic, do you have the resources, knowledge and time?

Time - do you have enough time to achieve it, have you set a realistic completion date?

Talk to your instructor about your goals and they will be able to help you in classes to aim your training in order to complete them.

The first ever Rally Competition at Dig It Dogs

Over the last few months Dig It has been holding monthly Rally-O classes, covering Level 1 to Level 3. Everyone was doing great so we decided to have a little competition for those who wanted to have a go at competing in Rally O, to put all of their hard work into practice. 

Therefore on Friday 23rd October Dig It Dog Training Club hosted their very first ever 'Have a Go Rally Competition'. It wasn't an official Kennel Club Show so judging was relaxed and it was a huge success, with 18 participants taking part in our Level 1 course, designed and judged by Julie Nelson. 

It was a fun and relaxing evening with everyone on two and four legs really enjoying themselves. All of the participants went home with a certificate for taking part and those with qualifying scores were awarded a rosette. The first five placements were given numbered rosettes.

I would like to thank Julie Nelson for designing the course and judging, Sheila and Joy for scribing and Lydia for the beautiful rosettes. I would also like to thank everyone else who attended to participate, we're looking forward to running another "have a go rally competition" in the new year, covering Level 1 and 2.

Well done to the following people who were placed:

1st - Angela Wilson with Lily
2nd - Leslie Thompson with Kibo
3rd - Angela WIlson with Willow
4th - Rachel Richards with Chip
5th - Rachel Richards with Daisy

The next Rally O Classes are to be held on 21st November and 5th December, please email enquiries@digitdogs.co.uk to book on.

To find out more about Rally visit our website here: http://www.digitdogs.co.uk/training/rally-obedience/

Tracy

Crufts Ahoy for Multiple Michelles!

Michelle and Sheli, two Dig It Members, both found fame at Crufts 2014!

Michelle qualified for the Final of Kennel Club Special Pre-Beginner Obedience Stakes with her Boston Terrier Donny!

Donny almost didn't get to perform on the day as he had a nasty allergic reaction when he arrived at Crufts, however it quickly settled down and the show went on.

Donny was a super star, showing his cheeky character as normal, and finished 10th out of 21!! He was 5th non-Collie! Woooooo!!

Sheli's dog Willow qualified for the final of Scruffts in the Golden Oldie category. Sheli entered a qualifying show for fun while at a Dig It Display Team event and went through to the semi-final at Discover Dogs and won that to earn her ticket to Crufts!

They didn't win but had a fabulous experience and did a great job promoting the child therapy work Sheli and Willow do!  Since then famous Sheli has been on Radio Stoke!

We're so proud!

Michelle & Donny and Sheli & Willow are Crufts Bound!

Wowie! Double success has come to two of the Dig It guys recently!

Donny and Michelle came 2nd at the Pre-Beginner Obedience Stakes in Scotland and qualified for the final, held at Crufts 2014!

Willow won her Golden Oldie Scruffts Class at Discover Dogs and has qualified to compete for Overall Scruffts Winner, held at Crufts 2014!

HUGE Well Done Guys!!

Katie's Story

Katie is one of our Obedience Instructors. She is very experienced and has been instructing for 10 years! Katie has always owned rescue dogs who were looking for a second, third or even forth home for various reasons.

We asked Katie if there was a dog who she had learnt the most from and she said yes, Bayley.

Here's Katie's story about owning Bayley. 

I don't remember not having a dog as we always had a family Cocker Spaniel and had had two show cockers before we got Poppy, a working cocker. Poppy got us into flyball and agility and then through my flyball contacts I was told about a working cocker that was looking for a new home. At this point I was still living with my parents so it wasn't the right time, but he was from the same place as Poppy so therefore I had a look at his pedigree and lo and behold he was a full brother to Poppy - clearly meant to be!

I went to meet Bayley and fell in love immediately and then got told about his behaviour issues. He had lived with the same family since a puppy and had been spoilt rotten and treated like a baby. But when the family had a baby the attention he was getting was dwindling so his behaviour escalated to get attention and included guarding items, refusing to come in from the garden, snarling, growling and if pushed he would bite. After biting the baby they had made an appointment at the vets for him to be PTS after an appointment with Bark Busters had not worked out well. 

Now I will admit that at the time I was a bit arrogant, I had always had dogs from puppies and had helped at classes for a while and thought that I could handle everything thrown at me, however Bayley proved me wrong - at least at first. He didn't conform to any rules my other dogs did and I remember about a week after we got him thinking what the hell have I done and thinking that I had made a huge mistake!  

Therefore after a couple of sleepless nights I stopped trying to apply people logic and started to think like a dog to get to the bottom of why he was doing those things. Fundamentally it all came down to attention and him trying to get attention in a way that had proven effective in the past. At first we had been giving him attention or talking to him and this was just escalating the behaviour. So instead we ignored him and as his behaviour was that bad at first, he got ignored for a large proportion of the time! After a few times of him parading round the house with my underwear in his mouth he gradually got the idea that none of these tricks work anymore. Gradually through rewarding the behaviours we liked we got the sweet Bayley that was hiding underneath the angry exterior! Sure he would still have the odd tantrum but over all we had a lovely dog that was a lot more relaxed.

Bayley was 5 when we got him and we owned him until he was found to have splenic cancer at the age of 11. As much as it was hard work and tough at times, he taught me more about dogs than any of the dogs I had had before or have had since!
I have so much to thank him for, he taught me about dogs body language, calming signals, warning signs and how rewarding it is to take a dog that has got mixed up and set them back on the right track.

Bayley & his sister Poppy