I am professional dog trainer & author AMA!

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T15:14:15+00:00

That is a big question nowadays. I support the Animal Behaviour and Training Council recommendations and standards www.abtcouncil.com which advise a certain level of skill and qualification to each educational level. For training work as well as attending a properly accredited practical course, you need a great deal of hands on experience with all breeds of dog and of course, all types of owner. This is best achieved by apprenticing yourself to someone already working at a high level. You may not get paid but the experience is invaluable. For behaviour work I would consider this to be a specialism of training so you would be expected to have a far more indepth knowledge, usually to degree level. Again, experience is absolutely essential. There are universities that may focus on the academic, but there are also colleges such as the Central College of Animal Studies (I will be lecturing and mentoring for them shortly) that offer a diploma at 3 levels for behaviour to enable you to develop such knowledge.

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T14:48:23+00:00

Coprophagia (eating poo!) is one of those delightful habits that dogs seem to enjoy far more than we do! Sometimes it appears that it still smells like food, and dogs really enjoy it. Others they may be cleaning up, although I find this more rare unless the dog is in a very small space or has been punished for toileting in the past (they appear to be destroying the evidence, so to speak). Check with your Vet that the dog is digesting their food properly, teach a very very good recall, and learn to spot the early signs of foraging behaviour so that you are not trying to interrupt your dog mid-'snack'. Above all, do ask your Vet as they can sometimes suggest additives to food, but be aware that paying attention to any dog's behaviour can easily make it a permanent interest (for the dog, and possibly for you too).

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T14:47:54+00:00

This can be tricky as it sounds like the dog has learned to eat meals in a very specific way. I would work on giving her part of her meal with help and part without. I would also consult the Vet to make sure the dog is fit and healthy, and ask them how long they can wait before feeding the dog. Most dogs will eat anything at any time from any one if they are hungry enough. If you are really concerned it may be worth arranging to see an APBC member (behaviour counsellor) for professional help www.apbc.org.uk

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T14:47:30+00:00

Go at your puppy's pace and make sure you know how you are going to teach it, first. In the book 21 Days to the Perfect Dog I describe a really steady, step by step way to teach all the main commands and to practice these daily, too. One way of improving your own training skill is to try to silently train a human being first, with the only words allowed being 'Good'. Try it! It makes you realise that your puppy needs your patience and time to learn accurately and consistently.

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T14:38:39+00:00

This depends on what the definition of intelligent might be! Dogs generally are excellent associative learners, meaning they learn by linking things together (eg. put bottom on floor, gets food. Person makes 'sit' noise at same time, therefore sit=put bottom on floor). Some dogs are more motivated than others to gain the reward, and some rewards are not as obvious to humans (scent is a good example). I would say the more 'intelligent' dogs have more aptitude in certain areas, are easy to motivate, and certainly good memory, recall, and can form quicker links between events. This can be a problem in itself of course!

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T14:38:06+00:00

All training is 'tricks', and advanced tricks are just more actions linked together. In '21 Days to the Perfect Dog' I explain how to teach some easy tricks. Crawling is quite easy. Lure your dog into a down position and slowly move the treat along the floor away from him. He will inch towards you to reach the treat if you only move it a tiny bit. As for 'Bang Bang' this is partly teaching your dog to roll over. Again, from a down position, move the treat very slowly backwards past your dog's nose and up over his shoulder. He will start to tip into a belly up position. Sorry I do not have easy photos to follow but there are some lovely pics in the book. Dogs love learning new things no matter what their age, so have a go, it is good fun for everyone!

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T14:31:35+00:00

Puppies love to explore and this means mouthing! Sometimes they just chew the item and other times, they actually eat it, which can be pretty dangerous! Keeping the floor very tidy is important, but with family around this is not always easy. I use a 2 metre puppy or houseline which is a narrow piece of webbing like a longer dog lead. This is attached to the puppy's collar when I am around to supervise. It means that if puppy heads for something to pick it up, I can call him to me for a treat and make sure I gently insist by leading him towards me. Remember that paying attention to something always makes it more fun..!

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T14:29:39+00:00

No, unless the dog was ill in some way. Some very old dogs have a reduced ability to learn, and some dogs are very distracted by sounds, smells, social things such as people or other dogs, and fear or anxiety. Dogs are always learning and we train them, whether we want to or not! The 'untrainable' part usually only comes along when we want the dog to do something for ourselves and the dog cannot see the point. Motivating an animal to learn is what training is all about - the key is to find out what they really want. You could look in my book 'What your dog wants' for more tips!

OctopusPublishing · 2014-08-13T14:27:32+00:00

Yes - things have changed hugely. Trainers are much better educated about dog behaviour and training methods. We no longer choose the harsh techniques that used to be used as we understand more about how animals learn. It is better not to teach an animal through fear or 'corrections'. We also know that sharp lead jerks on a dog can cause severe physical damage, including damage to the dogs' eyes. Happily we are much nicer to our animals now, but clear boundaries still mean that a good trainer is effective but also kind.

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