Who's A Big Dog?

When reading the title, be sure to move your head back and forth and use baby talk, because that is they way I said it when I asked the big dog in the story below this same question. Laugh and deny all you want, but we have all spoken baby talk to a dog before. It helps them understand right? :)

Over the holidays, I was visiting my Aunt and Uncle and played with their beautiful, exuberant, Great Pyrenees/Bernese Mountain Dog mix named Bailey (yes, we are a two Bailey family). When a dog of his size and energy is in the room with you, he is pretty much the center of attention and conversation. At one point I referred to him and his breeds as “large breed”. My uncle, the large dog lover, sort of chuckled and pointed out that while most people refer to this 107 pound beast as “large”, he does not think of him that way. He reserves “large” for the nearly 200 pound St. Bernard’s he used to own.

This reminds me of a time when I had a good laugh. A long time Papillion owner walked into the dog training club one day with a Rat Terrier at the end of her leash. She introduced me to her new breed and explained she had wanted a bigger dog. I suppose relative to a Papillion, Rat Terriers are indeed “bigger”.

So how do we define small breed? What makes one a large breed or a giant breed? Or should we refer to them as small dogs, medium dogs, etc… There does not seem to be any qualified definitions for these classifications that we use and hear every day. Some definitions seem to be based more on weight, while others look at overall physical size. The AKC probably does not have defining these classifications high on their priority list of things to do, so be careful when you use or see these generic descriptions of dog sizes. Try to have/get examples or comparisons. The receiver of the information may have a very different perception than intended.

If you would like to see Big Bailey, as I call him, he is in the pictures section of Paw Pages, which can be linked to from www.dogism.com. My Bailey is the main face you see in the picture associated with this blog. Luey is peering from behind.

Timing Your Treating

Okay, as promised, how and when you treat is as important as what you use. I tell my students on day one to reward the behaviors you want and ignore those you don’t. (There is an exception here for aggressive and dangerous behaviors). Sounds simple enough, right? It can be, but depending on how fast your dog tends to move, how fast you move, the level of difficulty of the behavior etc… it gets harder.
Let’s quickly define a “reward”. Anything that the dog finds pleasing and will want again. Praise, a food treat, a tug on a toy, a thrown ball etc… are all rewards. Food treats are the most convenient and easiest to use initially, so hopefully, you have a treat motivated dog. The thought of a reward motivates a dog to do a behavior again, so it gets the reward again. We do not have to get too detailed into that. Just be sure you are actually rewarding your dog from your dog’s point of view. Not what you think the dog should like. Rewards might also change. After three straight weeks of hot dog treats, your dog may no longer find the hot dog rewarding. Change it up.
The general rule of thumb is to treat your dog within 2-3 seconds of the behavior. Obviously, sooner is better and sometimes necessary. This is where clicker training or a “marker” word are needed. A “marker” is the sound the clicker makes, or the word you use the exact millisecond the dog does what you are looking for. The marker is associated with the reward in the dog’s mind (there is a process to this association that I am not covering here. If you do not know how to make this association, you can find it online or contact me). So even if you cannot reward the exact moment the dog does something right, you can use your marker. My marker is “good”. Many people use “yes”. Simple, quick and easy to get out. Or use a clicker device.
Let me put this into action for you. If you are teaching your dog to “sit” for example, you will want to have the treat ready and offer it to the dog as soon as the butt hits the floor. At the same time, you are giving your marker. If you are not ready and super fast, some dogs will pop back up before you have a chance to move your hand the two inches necessary to treat. That is why your marker must be instantaneous with the action. If the dog is already standing when he gets the treat and you did not mark the sit, you just rewarded the standing position, not the butt on the floor. I see very often, a dog that did a very nice “down” and was immediately marked and praised, but the handler is standing, fumbling for a treat. 5seconds later, the dog is jumping up, sniffing for the treat and the reward is being given to a dog that is jumping (which would usually be a behavior we ignore). Marker or not, how confusing is that to the dog? In the dog’s mind, he thinks the behavior is to down and then jump up so he can get the treat. That is why the marker is key and reward timing is everything. You have to be quick, especially when you are first teaching a new behavior. Be on the ground with your dog if you have to. I understand that the timing is rarely perfect early on, just try to do the best you can and really pay attention that you are rewarding the correct behavior and only the behavior you are looking for.

What's in YOUR treatbag?

I learn with every new class I teach something that I now know as common knowledge is not necessarily for those new to dog training. Unless you have one of those dogs who just is not treat motivated, treats will be a part of your training forever. More so in the beginning than later on. I tell my students the first week of class to bring more than one kind of treat. Not only do you need treats of different value, but you need variety to keep the dog interested. Not that I couldn’t eat chocolate chip cookies all day long, but it is better to mix in a peanut butter cookie now and then.
I usually have 4 types of treats in my pouch. Fortunately, with Bailey, one of those can be dog food. Sometimes I make it more exciting by mixing the dog food in with a freshly cooked, still steamy, hot dog. The grease from the hot dog rubs off a little onto the food. I also always try to have Zuke’s products or similar. The Mini Naturals are a perfect training size for all but the largest of dogs. Jerky Naturals and Solid Gold are nice sized squares. They break easily into 4 or 2 pieces or you can give the whole thing for a jack pot ( a super big, super yummy reward for finally accomplishing a behavior or performing a task the dog generally dislikes). There are those who say that treats can be tiny, nothing more than a taste to be effective. My boys disagree. However, you should not give large pieces all the time either. Dogs can fill up quickly and too many treats can pack on the pounds.
Anything soft and easy for you to break (or bite off) and the dog to chew are good training treats. String cheese, hot dog slices, diced veggies if you can get away with it. I once read a training book which suggested not to use fatty ham trimmings as treats. Okay, um, good advice. I do not think I want to reach my hand into a pouch full of fatty trimmings. Hot dogs and the like can get a little greasy, but your dog will happily lick your fingers (smelly hands can also make a dog think you have a treat when you do not). I also wear my grungy jeans when training, so I can just wipe my hands on them! One trick with hot dogs and other meats, I line my pouch with a baggie so it does not get as greasy. Sometimes, I have the baggy on top of dry treats if I do not want to mix the two. Roll the top of the baggie down for easy access to the hot dogs, yet it is still easy enough to reach underneath.
What you use is important, but so is how you deliver the treat. We will talk about that next…