The Power of Positive Dog Training

by Pat Miller

Overview

Updated with the latest tools and techniques—including the clicker method

Renowned dog trainer Pat Miller gives you the positive training tools you need to ensure that you and your dog share a lifetime of fun, companionship, and respect. Following her step-by-step, six-week basic training program, you'll learn how to develop a relationship with your dog based on friendship and positive reinforcement, not fear and punishment. Plus, you'll get:

• Information on the importance of observing, understanding, and reacting appropriately to your dog's body language
• Instructions on how to phase out the use of a clicker and treats to introduce more advanced training concepts
• A helpful diary to track progress, suggestions for delicious treats your dog will respond to, and a glossary of training terms

Whether you've never trained a dog or are just switching over to positive training, with Pat's proven method you'll discover that training your four-legged friend is easy, fun, and effective. Now that's The Power of Positive Dog Training.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470294093
Publisher:	Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/15/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	382,966
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

PAT MILLER has been a dog trainer for over thirty years. She is the founder of Peaceable Paws Dog & Puppy Training Center and is on the Board of Directors of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She is a leading proponent of positive dog training techniques, and her columns on training are read by thousands in publications such as Whole Dog Journal.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     xi
Foreword     xiii
Pat's Positive Training Principles     xv
Partners in Training: Laying the Relationship Foundation     1
Dogs Just Want to Have Fun     3
Train with Your Brain, Not Pain     7
Operant Conditioning     9
The Pitfalls of Positive Punishment     11
The Benefits of Positive Reinforcement     14
Dogs Just Want to Have Fun, Redux     15
How Can I Answer If I Don't Understand the Question?     17
Soft Feathers on a Duck     18
A Dog's-Eye View of Training     20
Let Me Hear Your Body Talk     23
Cross-Species Communication     24
The Good News     26
A Two-Way Street     27
I Read You Loud and Clear     29
Body Parts     31
Major Misunderstanding     35
Stress and Threat Signals     36
A New Leash on Life     41
Training Equipment     42
Management Tools     47
The Shape of Things to Come     53
Offered Behaviors     54
Elicited Behaviors     55
Management versus Training     56
ShouldYou Ever Punish?     59
The Trick Is in the Training: Basic Exercises     63
It's All Tricks     65
Choosing Your Classroom-Where Should You Train?     67
The Basic Training Recipe     68
Using Your Tools Positively     71
The First Week-Sit Happens     75
Core Exercises     76
Bonus Game     87
The Second Week-On Target     91
Core Exercises     92
Bonus Games     107
The Third Week-Take It to the Limit     111
Core Exercises     112
Bonus Games     117
The Fourth Week-Everyone Needs Her Own Spot     123
Core Exercises     124
Bonus Games     134
The Fifth Week-Up and Over!     139
Core Exercises     140
Bonus Games     146
The Sixth Week-Well, Excuse Me!     153
Core Exercises     154
Bonus Games     158
Click! and Jackpot!     163
Ain't Misbehavin': Addressing Behavior Challenges     169
The Poisoned Cue (And Other Important Training Concepts)     171
Habituation/Learned Irrelevance/The Poisoned Cue     172
Salience      174
Blocking     174
Fading the Lure     175
Extinction     176
Generalization     178
Chaining and Backchaining     178
The Principle of Parsimony     180
Pees on Earth: Happy Housetraining!     181
Housetraining Is Simple     182
When Housetraining Isn't Simple     186
Canine Social Misfits     187
They've Got to Be Carefully Taught     189
Outcomes     194
Don't Worry, Be Happy     195
Choose Your Chews     196
Can You Dig It?     199
A Bark in the Park     201
One Is the Loneliest Number     205
Canine Separation Anxiety     207
Behavior Modification     209
A Biting Commentary     213
Too Much Stress = Possible Biting     214
Classifications of Aggression     216
Classifications of Bites     217
The Green-Eyed Monster     219
Resource Guarding     220
Paws Off My Person!     224
Doggone It!     225
And Baby Makes Three     227
Dogs and Babies     228
Dogs and Kids      232
Epilogue: Choosing Your Animal-Care Professionals     235
How to Choose a Dog-Training Professional     236
Doggy Day Planners     239
Delicious Treats and Delightful Rewards     247
Canine Activity Contact Information     249
Resources     257
Glossary of Training Cues and Terms     261
Index     265