Reward based dog training – without using treats!

(From The Whole Dog Journal)

Five ways to reward your dog when you don’t want to use treats.

By Mardi Richmond, MA, CPDT-KA

Food treats are an easy and effective reward for a dog when training. But food rewards are only one way to build strong behavior. There may be times when you do not want to or cannot use food, and there may be times when the best reinforcement is something other than a hot dog! Here are five great ways to reward your dog when you don’t want to reach for the treat pouch.

1) Play with your dog! Anyone who has trained for an active sport like agility or flyball knows the value of using toys, games, and play in training. But toys, games, and play don’t apply only to the sports-minded. Playing with your dog can be a powerful relationship-building tool, as well as a potent reward. Tugging and retrieving may be the most obvious play rewards, but playing games with your dog is limited only by your (and your dog’s) imagination.

2) Use “life rewards.” These are things that your dog enjoys in his daily life, such as going for a walk, running in the backyard, or splashing in a sprinkler – and they can be harnessed by using the Premack Principle.

This principle says a “low-probability behavior” (one that the dog or other subject is less likely to perform, such as waiting calmly at the door) can be reinforced by a “higher probability behavior” (one that the dog prefers, such as getting to race happily around the yard). For example, to strengthen your dog’s sit, ask him to sit before giving him access to any of the things he really enjoys – running with his pals, swimming in the pond, or cuddling next to you on the couch. This type of reward is easy to integrate into your daily life, and can be especially helpful for dogs who need assistance with self-control.

3) Offer a warm word. Praise, “happy talk,” or a simple “Good dog!” may be the most common type of reward there is! Some dogs naturally find praise rewarding, but even dogs who don’t seem to can become praise seekers if you frequently pair your praise with other great things. For example, if you teach your dog to “down” with a click, followed by a treat or tug, you can add in “Good dog!” as you deliver the treat or play the game of tug. Soon, your dog will learn to associate that happy praise with the treat or tug, and “Good dog!” will become its own reward.

4) Touch him where he likes it. Touch can be a wonderful reward for some dogs, but it is also a tricky reward to use. Before using petting, rubs, or massage as a reward, first consider two things: What types of touch does my dog enjoy? And, when does he enjoy being touched? For example, your dog might enjoy a chest scratch, but may shy away from a head pat. Long, slow strokes may feel good and be rewarding when he is settled next to you, but irritating if he is waiting for a run in the backyard. Pay attention to what your dog does when you touch him; if he ducks away or does not engage with you, it probably is not rewarding. If he engages, comes toward you, or asks for more, then it probably is rewarding.

5) Create space. You can use space as a reward by increasing distance or by removing social pressure. In the right situation, space can be very powerful reinforcement. For example, a dog can be rewarded for an appropriate behavior (such as looking away) in the face of an anxiety-producing trigger (such as a scary person) when you increase distance by moving the dog away from the trigger. (This tactic, described as “Behavioral Adjustment Training” or BAT, is more fully discussed in Pat Miller’s article, “When Packmates Fight,” in Whole Dog Journal April 2010.)

In your day-to-day interactions with your dog, you can also use space in smaller or subtler ways by removing social pressure. If you are teaching your dog to stay out of the kitchen by using gentle body blocks, for example, you can reward your dog’s acceptance of the kitchen door boundary by simply backing up a little bit – or removing the social pressure of the body block.

These are just some of the many ways you can reward your dog when you don’t want to use food or treats. Remember, when you are thinking about rewards, you can consider anything your dog finds valuable

Mardi Richmond is a writer and dog enthusiast in Santa Cruz, California.

Teen Angel – dealing with canine adolescence

(From The Whole Dog Journal, Nov 2014)

Your dog’s adolescence can be trying – to you! Here is how to get through this stage with grace.

Is your once cute, cuddly, and well-behaved pup suddenly acting out? Is your dog ignoring you, taking off if he sees something interesting, and chewing on everything in sight? Did his once perfect “sit,” “down,” “stay,” and “come” seemingly disappear overnight? Are his friendly, social ways being replaced with rowdy, over-the-top greetings? Is he sometimes cautious or even suspicious? Does he occasionally look at you as if he hardly knows you?

If your dog is between six and 18 months old, he is in the adolescent phase of life – where his body looks full-grown but his brain is still developing. Many of the so-called problem behaviors seen at the age, such as chewing, overexcitement, and distractibility, are a result of normal physical and developmental changes. Along with the brain maturing, the adolescent body is also going through growth spurts, secondary teething, surging hormones, and fear periods.

The teenage months are often a dreaded stage in a dog’s development; many dogs are given up to shelters or rescues during this phase because they are destructive or out of control. But adolescence doesn’t have to be terrible. In fact, it can be an exciting and fun time. As with their human teenage counterparts, adolescent dogs can be energetic, playful, full of curiosity, enthusiastic about learning, and ready for just about anything.
These following tips will help you not only survive your dog’s adolescence, but also help you both thrive as you travel through this challenging age.

Exercise, exercise, exercise. Adolescent dogs seem to have unending energy and stamina. Even an hour-long on-leash walk may fail to make a dent in your dog’s energy. Leashed walks often need to be supplemented with dog/dog play, high-energy games of chase, swimming, and opportunities to run and explore new areas. The more physical and mental exercise you can give an adolescent dog, the better.

However, adolescent dogs need down time, too. Quiet rest for a portion of the day can help keep his stress hormones from soaring too high (which can contribute to overexcitement). Balancing rest, physical activity, and mental activity will help your dog behave his best.

Also, keep in mind that adolescent bodies are still growing and that joints are not fully developed. To reduce the risk of injury, wait until your dog is more than a year old before you start repetitive, joint-straining activities such as agility, Frisbee, or long-distance running.

Create positive social outlets. During adolescence, it is imperative that you continue to provide positive social experiences with humans and other dogs. To keep up your dog’s social skills with humans, take regular walks in your neighborhood or other areas where you will see people. Invite friends to your home so your dog will continue to understand that people are welcome in your house. Practice “four on the floor” or “sit to greet.” When people come over, use a leash if needed to prevent your dog’s jumping – and of course, use treats, attention, and/or petting to reward appropriate interactions.

For socializing with other canines, identify your dog’s favorite playmates and arrange times for romps and rowdy play. Walk in areas where your dog will see other dogs. For on-leash walks, be sure your youngster learns how to pass by other dogs politely, without saying hello.

For the opportunity to meet and greet new dogs, try beaches and hiking paths where dogs are allowed off-leash. Help your young dog learn to greet briefly and move on by reinforcing him with especially high-value rewards (whether super yummy treats or your dog’s favorite toy) for continuing with you on your walk.

Train! Previous training often flies out the window when a dog reaches adolescence. When you say “sit,” your dog may sniff the ground. When you say “come,” he may act as if he doesn’t hear you. His attention may be everywhere but on you. Try not to take it personally! Developmentally, adolescent dogs (like human teenagers) are learning about the world, their place in it, and their own limits. They may be less interested in you and more interested in friends and the environment. They are learning to think for themselves.

Continue to train – or get started training if you haven’t already. Make training fun, and mix play and training time to keep your young dog engaged. Practice in the real world, but in situations that are not too challenging for your dog, so that he can get a lot of successful practice. Gradually work toward more distracting environments.

In addition, balance “impulse control” behaviors such as sit, down, and stay, with fun and expressive activities such as tricks. Reward your dog generously when he makes good choices on his own, as well as when he appropriately responds to your cues. Use not only treats and food as reinforcement, but also attention, running together, games (like tugging), and the opportunity to explore.

Your adolescent dog’s reliability may be hit and miss. Keep working with him, but remember that he is still growing, developing, and learning.

Manage the environment. One of the most important pieces of surviving adolescence is managing your dog’s environment in such a way that he simply cannot get into a lot of trouble. For example:

-Limit your young dog’s ability to be destructive when he is not actively supervised by confining him in a crate or puppy-proof area, with plenty of exciting “legal” chew items.

-If your dog is still learning to come, always use a leash or long line when you are out in the world, allowing him to be off-leash only in areas where he cannot get into trouble and where you can easily capture his attention (or capture him physically!) when play time is over.

Your young dog will not know how to handle the world! Help him make the best choices; use leashes, long lines, crates, and baby gates to help prevent him from practicing unwanted behavior. Remember that adolescent dogs often forget what they are supposed to do, or get too overexcited to do what was asked. Be ready to help them in those moments.

Enjoy your dog’s youth. Your dog’s adolescent energy, enthusiasm, and excitement can be contagious. Take the time to appreciate what your dog is experiencing and learning. And keep in mind that everything is not always easy for the adolescent dog. Other dogs and people are often annoyed with them. The world is sometimes overwhelming or even scary. Adolescent dogs don’t always know how to behave and that is stressful for them, too.

Celebrate your dog’s adolescent antics – his frequent invitations to play, zoomies through the garden, and his delight over the smallest things. Consider looking at the world through your adolescent dog’s eyes – explore with him, and try to enjoy where he may lead you.

Adolescence is the time your dog is becoming an adult. It is also the time your relationship is growing, developing, cementing. Think past surviving your dog’s adolescence to thriving with him through and beyond this developmental period.

(Writer and trainer Mardi Richmond lives in Santa Cruz, CA, with her wife and her Cattle Dog-mix. She is the owner of Good Dog Santa Cruz where she teaches group classes and provides in-home training. She enjoys working with adolescent dogs because they are so much fun!)

5 keys to handling a dominant dog

(from Cesar Millan)

Like humans, very few dogs are natural born leaders, but you may wind up with a dominant dog that would normally take the lead position in the pack. If you are not the Pack Leader yourself this can cause problems, as a dominant dog will gravitate toward being in charge given the chance.
However, if you take the steps to establish yourself as leader of the pack, you can have a wonderful and balanced relationship with a dominant dog. Here are five things to keep in mind when dealing with an alpha dog.

You need to be even more calm-assertive
Dogs will not follow unstable energy. This is even truer of alpha dogs, who will try to correct what they see as unbalanced behavior. This is why, when dealing with a dominant dog, you have to be even calmer and more assertive than normally.

If you’re anxious or nervous, your dog will sense this, and a dominant dog will see it as their cue to take charge. On the other hand, if you are calm and assertive, a dominant dog will read this as everything is all right, and they won’t feel the need to protect and direct their pack, i.e. you.

Set rules, boundaries, and limitations
Again, rules, boundaries, and limitations are even more important for dominant dogs because it focuses their dominance and gives them a way to express their confidence without using it on you.

At a minimum, there should be rules for where they can go in the house without your permission, they should always have to wait before going in or out the door, and they don’t get their food until they are calm and submissive.

With dominant dogs, you can take it a step further with things like agility training, which allows them to use up excess energy while leading themselves through the obstacle course.

Don’t force affection
Dominant dogs are naturally more aloof and solitary. Remember, in the pack, the leaders do not approach the followers. The followers come to the leaders. The trap that it’s easy for humans to fall into is to pursue their dog to give affection when the dog isn’t “cuddly” enough, which puts the dog in the leadership position.

If your dog is dominant, the best approach is to ignore her. When she wants attention, she will come to you, and this reinforces your role as the Pack Leader.

Use meal time to your advantage
In the pack, the leaders eat first, and the same should be true when the leaders are humans. For dominant dogs especially, you need to create a boundary around the family table, with the dog not allowed to approach while the people are eating.

When it comes to feeding time, your dog must be calm and submissive before you even begin the process, and wait in that calm submissive state until you have put the bowl down, walked away from it and given the “okay” for your dog to eat.

Give your dog a job
Dominant dogs in particular need to fulfill a role in the pack, which is why it’s important for you to give your dog a job. This can be as simple as having them wear a backpack on the walk, or you can train your dog in agility, search and rescue, obedience, herding, Treibball, and more.
If your dog is dominant, then you need to be an even stronger Pack Leader. Keeping these five points in mind will help keep you on top and your relationship with your dog happy and balanced.

Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/basics/5-keys-to-handling-a-dominant-dog?utm_content=5%20keys%20to%20handling%20a%20dominant%20dog&utm_campaign=CW.com%20Article&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=dominant%20dog%2Cbasics%2CTips%2Cdog%20training%2Cdog%20behavior&utm_medium=1414253282#ixzz3HBIwdEQN

Hand target training

(Victoria Stilwell – “Positively”)

The ‘Touch’ cue teaches dogs that an approaching hand is not a threat and therefore does not require a negative response. Many advanced behavioral issues can often be traced back to seemingly innocuous beginnings like a puppy reacting nervously to an outstretched hand or general human touch.

The key to avoiding the escalation of such issues is to desensitize the dog to things that might be considered scary (such as human hands) as early as possible. Teaching the ‘Touch’ cue is a great way of building that foundation and is a useful cue to teach both puppies and adult dogs.

‘Touch’ is also a great confidence-building exercise and can be used to help all dogs accept the approach of a human hand, something that is likely to happen to them many times throughout their lives.

Training Technique:

Dogs are naturally curious animals, so start this technique by presenting your hand to your dog. As he goes to investigate your hand and touches it with his nose, praise and reward him.
Take your hand away, put it behind your back, wait a second or two, and then present it again.
Repeat this exercise until your dog is touching your hand whenever you present it.
When your dog is good at this task, start adding the word ‘touch’ as he goes to touch your hand with his nose. After many repetitions you will find that he will respond as soon as you ask him to ‘touch.’
Try this exercise with both hands so that he gets used to touching either one.
When he is reliably touching your hand, use this cue around the home. Call your dog to come to you, and as he gets close, extend your hand and ask him to ‘touch.’
Every touch should be rewarded at this point–some with praise and others with a treat.
When your dog is responding well indoors, take the exercise outside where there are more distractions.
Gradually increase the distance between you so that your dog has to travel farther to touch your hand.

Why Does My Dog Need To Know This?
The ‘Touch’ cue can also be used if you want your dog to touch other things with his nose such as an object or toy. It can be taught as part of a retrieval exercise or if you want your dog to close a door or switch on a light. This cue is regularly taught to dogs that are being trained to assist people in various ways. ‘Touch’ can also be used to distract dogs that are nervous or fearful of certain situations. Teaching your dog to play the ‘touch’ game by extending your hand to your dog, rewarding him for touching it and repeating the exercise until the perceived fear has passed, gives him something positive to focus on rather than the person or situation that makes him nervous.

https://positively.com/dog-behavior/basic-cues/hand-target-training/

Teaching bite inhibition

How to develop and maintain your dog’s “bite inhibition.”

By Pat Miller

My dog bites me. A lot. Scooter, the 10-pound Pomeranian we adopted from the shelter after he failed a behavior assessment (for serious resource-guarding), has bitten me more times than I can count. Most of the time I don’t even feel his teeth. He has never broken skin, and the few times I have felt any pressure, it’s been because I’ve persisted in what I was doing despite his clear request to stop. Scooter has excellent bite inhibition.

In the dog training world, bite inhibition is defined as a dog’s ability to control the pressure of his mouth when biting, to cause little or no damage to the subject of the bite. We know that all dogs have the potential to bite, given the wrong set of circumstances. Some dogs readily bite with little apparent provocation, but even the most saintly dog, in pain, or under great stress, can be induced to bite. When a bite happens, whether frequently or rarely, bite inhibition is what makes the difference between a moment of stunned silence and a trip to the nearest emergency room for the victim (and perhaps the euthanasia room for the dog).

A bite is at the far end of a long line of behaviors a dog uses to communicate displeasure or discomfort. To stop another dog, human, or other animal from doing what he perceives to be an inappropriate or threatening behavior, the dog often starts with body tension, hard eye contact, a freeze, pulling forward of the commissure (corners of the lips). These “please stop!” behaviors may escalate to include a growl, snarl (showing teeth), offensive barking, an air-snap (not making contact), and finally, an actual bite. The dog who does any or all of these things is saying, “Please don’t make me hurt you!”

Some foolish humans punish their dogs for these important canine communications. “Bad dog, how dare you growl at my child!” Punishing your dog for these warning signals can make him suppress them; he’ll learn it’s not safe to let you know he’s not comfortable with what you’re doing -and then bites can happen without warning. (See “The Gift of Growling,” Whole Dog Journal October 2005.)

Others ignore the signals and proceed with whatever was making the dog uncomfortable. This is also foolish, because it can prompt the dog to express his feelings more strongly, with a less inhibited bite that might break skin and do damage.

The wise dog owner recognizes the dog’s early signals, and takes steps to reduce or remove the stimulus that is causing the dog to be tense, to avoid having her dog escalate to a bite. She then manages the environment to prevent the dog from constant exposure to the stressful stimulus, and modifies her dog’s behavior to help him become comfortable with it. Sometimes, however, even the best efforts of the wisest dog owners can’t prevent a bite from happening. If and when it does, one hopes and prays that the dog has good bite inhibition.

Installing bite inhibition
In the best of all worlds, puppies initially learn bite inhibition while still with their mom and littermates, through negative punishment: the pup’s behavior makes a good thing go away. If a pup bites too hard while nursing, the milk bar is likely to get up and leave. Pups learn to use their teeth softly, if at all, if they want the good stuff to keep coming. As pups begin to play with each other, negative punishment also plays a role in bite inhibition. If you bite your playmate too hard, he’ll likely quit the game and leave.

For these reasons, orphan and singleton pups (as well as those who are removed from their litters too early) are more likely to have a “hard bite” (lack of bite inhibition) than pups who have appropriate interactions for at least seven to eight weeks with their mother and siblings. These dogs miss out on important opportunities to learn the consequences of biting too hard; they also fail to develop “tolerance for frustration,” since they don’t have to compete with littermates for resources. They may also be quicker to anger -and to bite without bite inhibition -if their desires are thwarted. Note: Being raised with their litter doesn’t guarantee good bite inhibition; some dogs have a genetic propensity to find hard biting (and its consequences) to be reinforcing; others may have had opportunity to practice and be reinforced for biting hard.

Your dog may never bite you in anger, but if he doesn’t have good bite inhibition you’re still likely to feel a hard bite when he takes treats from your fingers -and removes skin as well as the tasty tidbit.

If you find yourself with a puppy who, for whatever reason, tends to bite down harder than he should with those needle-sharp puppy teeth, you need to start convincing him that self-restraint is a desirable quality. You can’t start this lesson too early when it comes to putting canine teeth on human skin and clothes. Ideally, you want to teach your pup not to exert pressure when mouthing by the time he’s five months old, just as his adult canine teeth are coming in, and before he develops adult-dog jaw strength. Here are the four R’s of how to do it:

• Remove: When your puppy bites hard enough to cause you pain, say “Ouch!” in a calm voice, gently remove your body part from his mouth, and take your attention away from him for two to five seconds. You’re using negative punishment, just like the pup’s mom and littermates. If he continues to grab at you when you remove your attention, put yourself on the other side of a baby gate or exercise pen. When he is calm, re-engage with him.

• Repeat: Puppies (and adult dogs, and humans) learn through repetition. It will take time, and many repetitions of Step #1, for your pup to learn to voluntarily control the pressure of his bite. Puppies do have a very strong need to bite and chew, so at first you’ll “ouch and remove” only if he bites down hard enough to hurt you. Softer bites are acceptable -for now. If you try to stop all puppy biting at once, both of you will become frustrated. This is a “shaping” process (see “The Shape of Things to Come,” March 2006).

At first, look for just a small decrease in the pressure of his teeth. When he voluntarily inhibits his bite a little -enough that it’s not hurting you -start doing the “ouch and remove” procedure for slightly softer bites, until you eventually shape him not to bite at all. By the time he’s eight months old he should have learned not to put his mouth on humans at all, unless you decide to teach him to mouth gently on cue.

• Reinforce: Your pup wants good stuff to stick around. When he discovers that biting hard makes you (good stuff) go away, he’ll decrease the pressure of his bite and eventually stop biting hard. This works especially well if you remember to reinforce him with your attention when he bites gently. It works even better if you use a reward marker when he uses appropriate mouth pressure. Given that your hands are probably full of puppy at that particular moment, use a verbal marker followed by praise to let him know he’s doing well. Say “Yes!” to mark the soft-mouth moment, followed by “Good puppy!” praise to let him know he’s wonderful.

• Redirect: You probably are well aware that there are times when your pup is calmer and softer, and times when he’s more aroused and more likely to bite hard.

It’s always a good idea to have soft toys handy to occupy your pup’s teeth when he’s in a persistent biting mood. If you know even before he makes contact with you that he’s in the mood for high-energy, hard biting, arm yourself with a few soft toys and offer them before he tries to maul your hands. If he’s already made contact, or you’re working on repetitions of Step #1, occasionally reinforce appropriate softer bites with a favorite squeaky toy play moment.

If there are children in the home with a mouthy puppy, it’s imperative that you arm them with soft toys and have toys easily available in every room of the house, so they can protect themselves by redirecting puppy teeth rather than running away and screaming -a game that most bitey pups find highly reinforcing.

It is possible to suppress a puppy’s hard biting by punishing him when he bites too hard. That might even seem like a quicker, easier way to get him to stop sinking his canine needles into your skin. However, by doing so, you haven’t taught him bite inhibition. If and when that moment comes where he really does feel compelled to bite someone, he’s likely to revert to his previous behavior and bite hard, rather than offering the inhibited bite you could have taught him.

Teaching bite inhibition to an adult dog
Teaching an adult dog to inhibit his bite is far more challenging than teaching a puppy. A dog easily reverts to a well-practiced, long-reinforced behavior in moments of high emotion, even if he’s learned to control his mouth pressure in calmer moments.

I know this all too well. Our Cardigan Corgi, now six years old, came to us at the age of six months with a wicked hard mouth. Hand-feeding her treats was a painful experience, and I implemented a variation of the “Ouch” procedure. Because she was biting hard for the treat rather than puppy-biting my flesh, I simply said “Ouch,” closed my hand tightly around the treat, and waited for her mouth to soften, then fed her the treat. Hard mouth made the treat disappear (negative punishment); soft mouth made the treat happen (positive reinforcement). She actually got the concept pretty quickly, and within a couple of weeks could thoughtfully and gently take even high value treats without eliciting an “Ouch.”

She still can take treats gently to this day, except when she’s stressed or excited; then she reverts to her previous hard-bite behavior. When that happens, I close the treat in my fist until she remembers to soften her mouth, at which time I open my hand and feed her the treat. So, while our bite inhibition work was useful for routine training and random daily treat delivery, if Lucy ever bites in a moment of stress, arousal, fear and/or anger, I have no illusions that she’s going to remember to inhibit her bite. Of course, I do my best to make sure that moment doesn’t happen.

Because I have more leeway with Scooter and his excellent bite inhibition, it’s tempting to be a little complacent with him. I try not to. One of Scooter’s “likely to bite” moments is grooming time. The poor guy has a horrible undercoat that mats, literally, in minutes. This is a highly undesirable Pomeranian coat characteristic. I could groom my first Pomeranian, Dusty, once a week without worrying about mats. I have to groom Scooter every night.

Of course he hates it; brushing always causes him some discomfort as I work to ease the tangles out without pulling too hard on his skin. We’ve made progress in the year we’ve had him; I can comb the top half of his body without encountering much resistance, but I can feel him tense up as I approach the more sensitive lower regions. Rather than relying on his good bite inhibition to get us through, I continue to use counter-conditioning and desensitization. I feed him treats (or have my husband Paul feed him) as I groom, or let him lick my hands (an activity he enjoys mightily -and one I can tolerate in place of his biting) while I comb out the tangles.

Whether you’ve taken the time to teach your puppy good bite inhibition or had the good fortune to inherit a dog who has it, don’t take it for granted. Continue to reinforce soft-mouth behavior for the rest of his life, and don’t be tempted to push the envelope of his tolerance just because you can. Even saints have limits.

Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor. Miller lives in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center.

How to help dogs get along

(from Cesar Millan)

It’s an all-too-familiar scenario. Two humans try to blend their existing packs and wind up with their dogs fighting and creating chaos. It can happen with roommates moving in together, people trying to date, or even when bringing a new dog into an existing pack.
It doesn’t have to be this way and, short of having one or more dogs that are red zone cases (which will require a professional trainer’s help), you can take steps to prevent this problem before it happens or solve it if it does.
Before the Dogs Meet
One big mistake people make when introducing dogs from different packs or bringing in new dogs is by just tossing them together in one pack’s territory and hoping that they’ll get along. Maybe they will and maybe they won’t.
By bringing a new dog into another pack’s territory, you are running the risk of the existing pack becoming assertive or aggressive in order to defend what is theirs. Depending on the new dog’s energy, they may become completely submissive and fearful, or they may fight back.
Whether you’re bringing a new dog into the pack or moving in new humans with their existing pack, the procedure is the same, and you can find it in detail in the article A New Member of the Pack. The short version is that all of the dogs should meet in neutral territory and take a long walk together first, before coming into the home. Then, the humans enter first, followed by the dogs that live there, followed by the new dog.
In this way, you are allowing the dogs to first bond as a pack on the walk, then allowing the dogs currently living in the home to bring the new dogs in. Just shoving a new dog in through the door is an invasion; doing it this way turns it into an invitation from the existing dogs.

Too Late — Now What?
One dog fight does not make for a disaster, but your reaction to it can. Even among the seemingly closest of pack mates, sometimes something can happen that will get them going at each other. One of them doesn’t respect the other’s space and a correction turns into a conflict. Maybe a human member of the pack accidentally drops a high value food item on the floor and both dogs go for it. Maybe one of your dogs is experiencing physical pain and another dog nudged her the wrong way.
The first step with the first fight is to break it up quickly and calmly. Focus on the dog with the higher level of intensity, use touch to redirect (this forces them to release if they’re biting), and then pull them up (not back). Never yell or shout excitedly when breaking up a dog fight — this will only elevate the aggression. You can use a loud grunt or shout, but always in a calm manner. You’re not breaking up the dogs with your voice; you’re defusing the aggression with your energy.
The second and most important step with a dog fight is how you handle it after. The right way: forget it happened, because your dogs will. The wrong way: start worrying about the next fight, because that is the quickest way to guarantee that it will happen.

Avoiding Fights
Dogs in the same pack fight for one reason only: because they do not have a strong pack leader. This is why establishing rules, boundaries, and limitations for the entire pack is important. If all of your dogs are looking to you as a leader, they will not be looking at each other as competition.
It’s also very important to walk your dogs together, side-by-side. Not only does the exercise help to lower their energy, and hence the impulse to fight, but by moving your dogs forward together it focuses them on a common goal instead of each other.
Remember: the worst thing you can do if you have dogs that fight is to ignore the problem by isolating them from each other. What this actually does is create a separate territory for each dog, and fighting over territory is the only natural cause of battles between dog packs. Since the dogs will still be able to smell each other, that conflict will become an obsession. If they ever do wind up together in this situation, then they will fight.

The Key to Success Is You
Even the most seemingly balanced dog pack may occasionally have a fight in it. The important thing to remember is that you are in charge and conflict like this is not the end of the world. Break the fight up quickly and calmly, redirect the dog’s attention, take them for a walk together, and don’t worry that it’s going to happen again.
They may or may not fight again, but if worry over it does not become your obsession, you will not be feeding them negative energy that will lead to another fight. Reward them when they are being calm and submissive, and correct them when they are not. Your dogs would prefer to not fight, and you as the pack leader can help them achieve this goal.

Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/dog-socialization/How-to-Help-Dogs-Get-Along?utm_content=How%20to%20Help%20Dogs%20Get%20Along&utm_campaign=CW.com%20Article&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=Socialization%2Cdog%20training%2Chow%20to%20help%20dogs%20get%20along%2Ccw.com&utm_medium=1413418316#ixzz3GGMty6BL

How to fit the dog walk into your daily schedule

(by Josh Weiss-Roessler)

Walking your dogs is important for a variety of reasons:
It provides them with much-needed exercise that keeps them healthy and relieves excess energy so they don’t cause problems around the house.
It stimulates their brain because there are so many new smells, sights, and sounds to experience.
It gives you a fantastic opportunity to train your dog and make sure that they recognize you as the Pack Leader.
And, of course, it allows them to go to the bathroom.
Despite all of these benefits, many people only walk their dogs intermittently — or not at all — because they don’t feel like they can fit dog walks into a daily schedule that may include work, school, kids, and more. Because of that, we thought we’d offer up some helpful tips that can get you out the door with your pups.
Set Up a Schedule
Ideally, you want to try to walk your dogs at the same time every day, so creating a schedule can be very helpful. If you know you’re going to be walking them every day at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., you can plan the rest of your life around this, set alarms, and so on. Just remember to protect yourself and your dog with reflective gear or an LED collar if it is dark out. And speaking of setting alarms…

Have a Daily Reminder
While an alarm clock may be necessary to help you get up for an early morning dog walk, it’s not the only way to stay on track. For many, setting up a daily reminder on their phone will be even more valuable — and less intrusive. Dogs also have an innate sense of time, so if you get them on a regular walk schedule, they’ll start reminding you themselves.

Bring the Stroller
Many people find that it becomes more difficult to walk their dogs after they have children, but you can’t let this stop you. Bring your little one with you on the walk by putting them in the stroller and bringing them along. Including the baby on the walk can also give your dog a job “herding” the stroller as you go.

Be Flexible
Can’t walk your dogs at the scheduled time one day? No worries — do it a few hours later. Unable to get a walk in at all? Come up with a backup plan such as tossing a tennis ball around your yard. Weather not walk-friendly? Exercise your dog indoors!

Get Up a Half Hour Earlier
If your problem is that you genuinely don’t have time in your daily schedule to go for a dog walk, one of the best solutions can be to expand that schedule by getting up earlier and devoting this time to the walk. It will be an adjustment at first, but both you and your dogs will benefit.
The underlying message here is that life will always create obstacles — it’s up to you to find your way around them so that your dogs can stay happy and healthy.

Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/dog-walk/How-to-Fit-the-Dog-Walk-into-Your-Daily-Schedule?utm_content=How%20to%20Fit%20the%20Dog%20Walk%20into%20Your%20Daily%20Schedule&utm_campaign=CW.com%20Article&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=dog%20walk%2Ccw.com%2C%22dog%20training%20channel%22&utm_medium=1412005693#ixzz3EpReQXpF