Training the Best Dog Ever Quotes

“Rule number one for kids: They must ask to play with the dog. Ultimately, your”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“What gets rewarded gets reinforced, what gets ignored disappears”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“Good leaders don’t have to act like bullies to command respect—not in the human world or in the dog pack.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“Say “ready” to cue her to look up at you, and mark and treat her when she does. Then walk”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“As you know, I don’t think most dogs need to perform an extended, perfect heel; it’s a fairly advanced skill that requires more concentration than most dogs can successfully muster at this level of training. Used”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“The off cue means “don’t touch.” It teaches your dog to stop a certain behavior, such as sticking her nose in the garbage, carrying your favorite shoe, crossing the threshold of a door that you just opened, or hoarding the Kong you gave her a couple of minutes ago. Off is a clear way to tell your dog that certain boundaries are not to be crossed without your permission.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“A stay is a great exercise to throw in randomly during evening hours to teach your dog not to beg at your dinner table and to relax while you watch TV or read this book. Prepare”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“keep your dog interested in succeeding on those long stays, do a couple of short stays as warm-up trials, and again after the long trials. Be”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“but if he starts to lose focus and begins to fail trials, go back to a behavior that he already knows well and enjoys. Reward him for that and end the training session on a positive note, and go log it.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“Since you are back at learning stage #1 (acquiring a new skill), don’t use the slot machine; treat him on every trial and generalize as you did previously. The moment his rump touches down, mark it with the praise “good sit.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“To help him focus on this one word, do not say his name. For example, do not say, “Brieo, sit.” Since”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“hand signal that you already know. As mentioned earlier, always maintain the hand signal when adding any verbal cue. It’s crucial that your dog continues to focus on you. Typically, people who use choke chains are attempting to teach their dogs to rely on verbal cues and physical rebukes in order to get the dogs’ attention and make them follow their commands. My opinion? If your dog is not yet fluent with your hand signal, then wait until he is. The signal for sit should be very clear—you’ll be using it a lot!”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“This week, to practice luring your dog to follow your lead, I want you to play the Follow the Lure game that you learned about in Week One (see Chapter Nine for details). Adapt the game for walk time by palming a treat in the hand on the side where you walk your dog. I walk dogs on the left side, so I palm the treat in my left hand. The other hand holds the leash handle. Move your dog-side hand, with the palmed treat, toward your dog’s nose to get his attention. Allow him to sniff the treat before luring him to follow you in a new direction. Change directions often, luring him in circles and weaving between obstacles. Make it fun with start-stop-sit-and-turn routines. As you learn more behaviors and cues, mix those in, too.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“Most dogs will naturally start to play or wander around until they find a play partner or a toy. Patting her and pointing let her know that it’s okay to do something else now. She may not associate the verbal cue right away, but dropping the leash and patting her serve as her cue. Eventually she will also associate the verbal and physical cue that tells her it’s playtime.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“play together. The simplest way to teach release is to drop your dog’s leash—assuming that you’re indoors or in a fenced area so that she can’t run completely away—and say “release” or “go play” with a happy voice as you pat her side, then point her to the play area. Most”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“Repeating a cue can cause what behaviorists call learned irrelevance: When we repeat a cue (to sit, for example), our dog learns that the first time we say “sit” is irrelevant, and that he needs to wait until we say the word five times in a row and with a certain tone before he is supposed to sit. Don’t accidentally teach your dog to think that the sounds coming out of your mouth are irrelevant. This is why it’s very important to pay attention to your verbal cues, consistently offering them only once and always in the same tone of voice. If your dog doesn’t get the cue, simply turn around and start over again with the lure. When he succeeds, remember to mark and reward.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“The tone is not commanding; it is excited and playful. I”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“Also, be sure to say the cue only once. For example, don’t say “Come here, Brieo, come here. Come,” or “Sit-sit-sit-sit” even if your dog doesn’t sit.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“Add your dog’s name to the beginning of any positive cue (including recall and sit), but remember not to add your dog’s name when it is a negative or boundary cue (such as staying off the furniture). Also,”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“As you withdraw treats for one cue, it is important to begin another cue with treat rewards so that your dog stays interested in training. This technique builds his desire for lifelong learning.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“As your dog continues to master each cue, you will withdraw treats. When your dog achieves total mastery for a cue (which may take a number of weeks, so be patient), you will have withdrawn treat rewards altogether for that cue. We’ve introduced”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“important component of this technique is a reward called jackpots—a virtual puppy bonanza. Instead of rewarding your dog with one treat, you give him 7 to 10, one at a time. (This will feel like a much bigger reward than if he eats them all in one gulp.) Be sure to say “good” with extra enthusiasm each time you dole out a treat in the jackpot. Awarding”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“Behaviorists have discovered that once a dog first acquires a skill (learning stage #1), the most effective way to reinforce that skill so that it becomes an “always” behavior (learning stage #4) is by using unpredictable and random rewards. It’s”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“you have reached that 80 percent automatic threshold for sit, meaning that your dog sits on cue 8 out of 10 times, stop rewarding him with a treat at the end of every success. An interesting thing happens when you begin withdrawing treats that your dog has come to expect: He tries harder to get the treat, which keeps him interested in training.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“want you to begin to ask your dog to sit for everything, including her meals. Because”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“When you tether your dog to your belt loop, you are literally keeping him close to you, helping him learn your body cues as you turn, change speeds, pause, and start again. Tethered to you, he learns, with practice, to pay close attention to you and walk at your pace. And vice versa—you will learn to anticipate his body language: how he starts to drift away from you and explore something, or tries to go toward a room or object that’s off-limits. If he misbehaves in some manner—say, he begins to venture toward something off-limits (perhaps that special couch) or to go potty inside—you will be so close that you can immediately direct him to stop pulling, drop contraband, or move away from an off-limits area or object.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“During these brief, off-leash play periods, observe whether your puppy hides or exhibits any aggression. If she needs to get away from the other dog, don’t pick her up or you will teach her to want to jump up when she feels uncomfortable or feels a desire to be rescued, which could make her more fearful. Instead, let her move between your legs if she feels more comfortable there, and then have the other owner redirect his dog’s attention (ideally, by luring and then having the dog sit to regain focus). I”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“As owners, it is our responsibility to take the time to socialize our dogs—with people, as well as with other animals—from the very beginning. That’s why you should spend at least one session this week (as well as throughout the five-week program) training in the presence of other people, and, if your dog is fully vaccinated, with other dogs. If you know people with dogs, set up an indoor or”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“I recommend that you use a six-foot leash and come prepared with lots of treats.”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

“If you walk your dog on your left side, hold the leash handle in your right hand and grip the middle of the leash in your left, so that the leash crosses in front of your body. If you prefer to walk him on the right side, do the opposite. Even”
― Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement