These are honestly the BEST dog training videos I've seen on RU-vid! SO clear, concise, I can see and understand everything that's happening... Absolutely fantastic. Please make more! 😁😁😁
SO TRUE!! The best dog channel ever. It's like if he is telling about photographing or how you learn to use photoshop.... :D. Such a pleasure to watch and learn. No cuteness, no adds, no bullshit!
I now realize I was lucky to get a shelter dog who isn't interested in food lures. The treat hasn't been working, so I figure he's not reasonable. I shower the praise and touch & VOILA! He's a love junkie! Thanks Ian!
A couple of years ago, I had a student who liked treats and toys okay, but she loooooved affection! That was a great reward for her listening to Mom and Dad.
I've had three dogs but never a puppy. Getting my first one next week and realized months ago that I have no idea how to train it. Thanks to your videos, I'm feeling comfortable and confident! Can't wait to get the lil terminator home and begin our training!
Thank you so much! I've been really struggling with getting my 3 year old heeler off treats! I've been convinced that she's smarter then I am 😂 I'm excited to give this a try tomorrow!
I love these videos. I have a smart puppy that has figured out she doesn't want to do anything unless she's getting a treat for it. I'll be using this method.
This guy is amazing !!!! So clear and the mindset behind everything. It's like a light bulb going off in your head. Well done underrated even tho it's an old video a must watch staples. Well done mate
I have taken a dog training course from one of the big names that took 6 months and lots of $$ to complete. I've only watched a few of your videos so far, but I have gotten more out of those few videos that I did in that whole course. You explain everything in a clear and concise manner and the videos clip and pictures that you use reinforce everything that you are teaching. There are a lot of good RU-vid videos out there for dog training, but you are way at the top of that list. Thank you of sharing your experience with us.
I’ve commented already at an other video of yours, but I just can not express my gratitude for your videos enough! With every video I have realized what I did wrong in the past and now I’m making enormous changes in my dog behavior. Thank you for your hard work! Never stop the videos pls ❤️
Great advice and often a big stumbling block for many people. Strongly conditioned behaviours do in fact become reinforcing in there own right. I spend a lot of time discussing and refining reinforcement schedules and creating novelty.
I recently discovered your videos and LOVE them...best on RU-vid...but "'ride a book' s*** f***" has killed me. 😂🤣 Thanks also for the unexpected belly laughs. 😆
I've just stumbled upon your videos in the past hour or two and they are amazing (it's prompted me to read your blog thoroughly as well). My family is getting a puppy in June and I've been looking at and studying dog training videos like a madwoman. Yours are some of my favourites and are honestly so useful. You even talk at length about some things that I've heard trainers only mention in passing but never really explain. Now I'm binge watching your videos from the beginning. Anyway, I thought I had to mention that and tell you that you are doing such an amazing job, I hope you will keep making videos because they are a great watch. Thank you thank you thank you so much for all the tips and engaging commentary!
You probably wont see this because its been 6 years but YOLO. I have a 3 year old poodle toy that we have had since he was a puppy and just now I decided to do intense training for tricks and "Come" and so on. Now the issue I have is he does the tricks without food lets to spin sit touch and then he starts barking as if to tell me "give me food". and then sometimes he just wont stop barking... I tell him no and he stops but Im not sure how to get over this hurdle
Barking like that usually means your dog wants more of what you have-that may not always mean food. Take a look at the "Modular Reward-Events" video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KzsZ9tk-fh4.html I also have an eBook on barking here: www.simpawtico-training.com/barking-decoded/
I like these videos with their fast paced explanations and digestible points. However, it would be great to have either some companion videos with more actual dog work, showing not just success, but pacing it to show a variety of dogs working at their own pace through the programs, or to simply add more dog work content to the videos.
What about no pulling at walks.? I tried with the metode of stopping everytime , but a walks suddenly takes hours, tried with the right harnish...THANKS by the way for that informstive videos....
Hey there! SPEED is the thing with the stopping. Take a look at our video on speed here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-abrI5d_pHds.html and then possibly our walking PDF on our website: www.simpawtico-training.com/learning/downloadables/
@@SimpawticoDogTraining THANK YOU ....for your fast reply...I will try to follow.it with my english bull terrier.. Storm..He was so fast to learn no toilet inside or marking ...only 1 mistake at both...Used your videos...
1) Remove lures 2) Reduce the number if food rewards •even though you have food, they won't get a reward every time •only reward when behaviors are polite, prompt, and precise •repetition 3)Replace food rewards with life rewards correct responses mean all kinds of other grear rewards 4) Remove rewards
my dog does the sit command without rewards, however he does not do the down command without one and he has been doing it just as long. If I could get some tips on what to do that would be nice!
Followed your instructions on the “drop it” video and it was a game changer! My dog picked it up so quickly. Thank you and I’m looking forward to watching all your videos. Do you ever need to revert back to giving treats every once in a while in your training sessions as sort of a re-boot? For instance, sometimes my dog won’t sit for me unless I have a treat. Should I start the 1-4 method all over again?
Hi Whitney. Yes, obedience will degrade over time, so it's useful sometimes to pop in with food rewards or other kinds of stronger reinforcement to sharpen them back up. Kind of like a good kitchen knife. ;)
Yes! Absolutely I do. And it's a huge focus in all of my Puppy Classes. I'm working on a video for it now, actually. Just need some more footage and we'll have it wrapped up.
Simpawtico Dog Training Really hoping this one releases soon! We got a new little puppy and he is a SERIOUS biter, been working with him on it but it seems like second nature to him and I don't want to have to keep correcting him ineffectually.
It absolutely IS second nature for a puppy! And it's one of the most important things they do; the more a puppy uses its mouth the safer they'll be as an adult. Check out this article: www.dogstardaily.com/puppy-biting
How long should you stay in each section, like an average, i am currently using treats and she does pretty good, i know now where to move on, but sadly i don´t know how long lo space it out, a day? a week? a month?
Hi Ricardo! That's impossible to answer because every behavior will move at different speeds with every dog being taught with every person. There are too many variables to put a time limit on it. I would say, let your dog tell you when she's ready to move on. If you're at 80% reliability or above-that is to say at least 8 out of 10 times you get what you want-it's time to start changing the game. Using food lures? Get 'em out of your hand. Get good after that? Start getting a little bit more work for the reward. Then a little more. Then a little more. Then use a different reward. Then ask for more...and so on. You could fly through it, or you may have to backtrack a couple of times. No sweat. Just pay attention, be sensitive to her current skill level, but challenge her. Always challenge her.
Best video ever and very useful! But I have a small question, normally how many times we could train our dog per day, since each section should be not longer than 2mins.
I'm not sure about phasing out all rewards, eventually. I work with Rally Obedience and you are def taught that PRAISE is a reward and that this can replace food eventually. but asking a dog to work for its own 'pleasure'? not sure. a dog is NOT a human so why appraise them like this? not sure I like that idea that they 'reward themselves'... but I really liked the clear messages you have here, and breaking it down in stages/steps, with repetition at the end. One tip that I hope you find constructive: though there WAS a lot of information here. maybe a bit slower would have worked for me better (old brain ;))... ' THANK YOU though!
Hi Helen. I appraised them like that because it's absolutely possible. Any animal with a nervous system can be conditioned this way. As you know, praise must come within seconds for it to be connected to the behavior. Police and military dogs don't get praise or rewards in the heat of a situation because their handler is working. But doing the JOB with their handler is absolutely one of their greatest joys, and is inherently rewarding. Many working breeds do their jobs on farms and such with no external rewards happening. There are tons of other activities in every dog's life that follow a similar route. Of course they're not humans, but that does not mean that every comparison is invalid. This advice comes from some of the world's leading behaviorists; I didn't just make it up. As I said in the video, though, 90% of pet dogs won't get to that level, and no dog would ever get to where there are NO external rewards in their life, ever. AND THAT'S OK. Praise is fat free, low-cal, and you always have it with you, and your dog will love you for it. I'm fine with that...my own dogs are praise hounds and I love praising them. Also, I appreciate your tip, but remember that RU-vid audiences typically don't like long-winded videos, so I try to keep them succinct and short whenever possible. The upside, though, is you can rewatch it as many times as you want for free!
hey I have a dog that is really aggressive when taking treats. how do I get the dog to stop snapping for the treats and lures? thanks again love the videos.
The method I've used for that is to sit down with some treats and do some super basic behaviors the dog knows really well. Not working on the behavior itself, just going to use it as an excuse to feed treats and work on politely taking them. I use my wrist like a pivot and when I present the treat I say, "Easy." Then we move in. If they snap for it, the wrist flicks it away and I give them feedback, like "Hey! Try it again. Easy." And I just keep flicking it away until they restrain themselves somewhat. Essentially I'm demonstrating that treats are not promised or guaranteed, and doing a behavior correctly isn't necessarily a guarantee either. The implicit requirement is that they must take food politely too. Initially it'll still be messy but as you work you can get a dog to take food very, very gently. Probably within two or three days. Patience, repetition, feedback, and consistency. That's really it.
Thank you so much for the feedback. My German Shepherd is extremely aggressive with food and any sort of treat. I will give this a shot also could you do a video on disciplining dogs. I recommended your videos to a friend. I personally don't believe he disciplines correctly. I would like him to hear an experts advice. Thanks again for the speedy response.
Thank you for some great videos. I have a question, do I then also have to phase out the marker word “yes!”? As many people say a treat has to come after every click or marker word. And if I don’t use the marker word, how will the dog know he’s right? Thank you!
Hi Emma. The only time you really need to fade markers (or at least their frequency) would be for competition dogs. For pet dogs, there's no need to ever fade the marker. However, I would suggest to alter the phrase "a treat has to come after every click or marker word" to more accurately read: "REINFORCEMENT has to come after every click or marker word." Reward events don't necessarily have to be centered on food, and in fact over time markers become secondary reinforcers themselves. Take a look at our Modular Reward Events vid for some more on this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KzsZ9tk-fh4.html
You can start now! Build some "momentum" with your training, and then start progressively phasing them out. Take a look, also, at our Modular Reward Events video for some more on this subject: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KzsZ9tk-fh4.html
If you use a marker word such as “yes” then reward, do you still use marker while fading/removing treats? He is trained that yes means he’s getting a treat. So this confuses me. Thanks!
Hi Claire. Yes, absolutely keep using the marker. So, the marker should mean "you're getting a reward," not necessarily "you're getting a treat." The difference is that the treat is just a thing, whereas a good reward should be an experience, an event. And that event can include food, or it can include toy rewards, but it always involves praise, petting, and opportunities to move into other activities. This will make reward less about the food than it will moving into something awesome. Also, consistent use of the marker will condition it to be what we call a secondary reinforcer, meaning that hearing that word will become somewhat reinforcing all by itself. This will also help you bridge the gap between food rewards and other reward structures. Check out our vid on the Training Trifecta: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-smCgn-qM8ps.html
In a nutshell, yes. The AKC actually has a decent guide for getting started with it: www.akc.org/content/dog-training/articles/how-to-teach-a-dog-to-fetch-or-retrieve/ Give that a try for some more details. ;)
Great vid and info! But quick question, should I be doing this for every new skill I’m teaching as well? Or is the goal to eliminate the need of food treats while training new skills? Thanks!
Great question! This will be done with each behavior. Each one will develop at a somewhat different pace, so you may be able to do this faster or slower depending on what you're teaching and how you're teaching it. As you build your skill in teaching things and your dog learns how to learn, you'll probably find you need less food to get new things taught as well!
This was really helpful but I would love to know timings on this, like I’ve got a 9 week old puppy and she’s learning really fast with food, but at what stage do I start phasing out? Immediately and always follow this or do I need to keep teaching until she’s really grasped the commands perfectly? Thanks 😊
Hi Danielle. It's a delicate balance, for sure. You want the behavior to be pretty good behavior you start rolling back the frequency of the food, but you want to start rolling back as soon as you can. I usually go by the 80% rule: if you can get it 8 out of 10 times, you're ready to either make it harder, or stay there and roll back tangible rewards. Hope that helps!
Simpawtico Dog Training that makes so much sense, I will defo implement this. Thank you so much for getting back to me too it’s really appreciated, keep up the good work 😊
We have a King Charles Cavalier, 4 years old. We've gotten to Phase 2 where I reduce the rewards and tell him to do multiple actions for 1 treat but it seems almost as if when I try to replace with real life rewards like voice, touch, or something else he doesn't care or only does the action some of time with a real life reward... What do I do because I would love to get to Phase 4! It feels as if he only wants to listen if I give him food haha
Hi Jenan! Try making more of a gradual crossover for a while. That is to say, keep giving the food for now, but couple it ALSO with the huge praise and petting and such. You want to condition him to associate the two things. Then as you gradually remove the food, the praise and petting remains so it's not so abrupt of a change. See how that goes!
My dog was really good at "leave it" without treats for a while, but now she has figured out that eating garbage off the street is better than leaving it if there's no treat. How can I fix this?
not sure about removing the lure totally, my last fella went deaf and without signs to tell him what to do he had on idea what we were asking. I can see why it would but useful to remove though
Hi Jess. Remember that a hand signal is not a lure. A food or toy lure is used to cause a behavior and teach the movement of the hand so it becomes a hand signal. Once the action is happening reliably, the lure isn't needed-the movement of the signal ought to induce the action, at which point food/toys may still come *afterwards* as a rewards only. Easily done with a deaf dog!
I'm having no luck, at least I don't think so - it's my fault, we started with treats so he's just not that interested. Problem is, yes, I can get him to sit, I can ask him to look, and he is steadily getting come and leave too. I just think when there's distractions around it's so difficult to get his attention back and for him to listen, guessing it's fairly normal for a pup his age, but I get worried that he's not listening to me and just for the food. Have I already ruined my little dude?
You haven't ruined your little guy! Sometimes we get stuck in things like this. You'll just need to add a few layers and tricks to the process to get it moving in the right direction. My "Bait & Switch" video goes with this one. Check it out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5BzftYi5oks.html
@@SimpawticoDogTraining Thank you! The only RU-vidr who's come back to me, appreciate the time you took to respond, and glad I haven't ruined him (yet!) I think it's the emotional tiredness really, you worry things aren't going well and forget about what is. He's crate trained, so I need to remember that's pretty awesome for an eight week old pup! Gotta celebrate the wins as well as work on the mistakes! I'll give it a watch, and practice having a bit more patience. Thanks again, subscribed for life.
@@SimpawticoDogTraining Just wanted to update, it's working great! Noticed earlier he came to me (comes, touches nose to hand) and sat without food! Next up is doing it with food as a distraction lol. Thanks again just saying guys, subscribe, best doggo youtuber out there in my opinion! Still gets quite mouthy during play but I'm learning how to manage this too, main thing is he is clearly not biting me because he wants too, just because he's so excited about what's in my hand!
@@89MazzaUK Awesome! That's tremendous progress! I'm glad you're feeling better about stuff. Don't hesitate to let me know how it goes! Keep up the great work.
What about a dog who learns to be naughty to draw a correction and get a treat? I'm trying to get my heeler mix to stop counter cruising and table surfing... he now is jumping up at the table and looking at me like "well, where's my treat?"
That can happen. It's accidental chaining. Add more layers to the chain. So instead of just rewarding them getting off, make them stay for 3 seconds. Increase the amount and complexity of things to do until it's just not sustainable. It'll get boring really quickly.
A lure is anything that induces the behavior that you're trying to teach. This is necessary because a dog isn't going to know right away what we're trying to get them to do, so the lure allows you to jumpstart the behavior. Then you can put it on cue. In most cases the lure is the same food reward they'll get after they do the behavior, but not always. In any event, whenever you're doing lure-reward training, getting rid of the lure is the pivotal first benchmark.
Every command will have a different time frame for this progression. It's not about age, it's about fluency and skill in a given command. Some will go faster than others. Just have to take each behavior on its own merit.
@@SimpawticoDogTraining thanks for replying and I found your channel last night an I'm working on see them all. I appreciate your effort in replying that means alot
My chihuahua picks up tricks far faster than my German shepherd does, I’ve already taught my chihuahua to target, sit, stay, come when called, and sit pretty, my German shepherd on the other hand constantly runs away if he has the chance, completely ignores me and only listens when he sees fit, is completely non food motivated (seriously he doesn’t even like peanut butter 🤯) and he’s far louder than my chihuahua and barks more 😬
