Because we have questions over how to train our puppy to be a service dog, and frankly how to train it so it doesn’t eat its own poop and to come back when called we hired a trainer.
She’s a lovely lady who is accredited to train therapy dogs, great. She is local and happy to work with us, wonderful. She only uses positive behaviour training, perfect. However my husband is beginning to suspect that she is in fact three dogs in a trench coat. The reason for this is that the answer to any question, training issue or problem seems to be the judicious application of treats. Needless to say the puppy loves it when she visits. It doesn’t matter what you want to do with your pup it seems the answer is make sure you have an endless supply of treats.
Do you want your pup to sit? Use a treat. Do you want them to come? Hold a treat? Do you want them to leave something? Hold a treat and THEN give them two treats from the other hand for leaving the single treat alone. Today trainer wanted to teach us ‘positive interference’ this is a technique to use when puppy is ‘mouthing’ (she says mouthing it feels like biting) someone. It’s very straightforward, when puppy is mouthing you to ribbons you chirp happily ‘to the fridge’ and skip to the cooler, where you give pup a yummy treat – ham, cheese etc, to interrupt the behaviour.
So there you have it, puppy biting? Give them a cold treat. Puppy not biting give them a room temp treat. Puppy crying in crate give many treats.
So yeah, three dogs in a trenchcoat.
Raising the Modern Fae 