Does your dog bark at everything? Are you worried they need to brush up on training but don’t know where to start? Finding the right training for you or figuring out the best trainer can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Which is why we invited certified dog trainer Frankie Banaag for an expert takeover in our What the Pup facebook community to answer questions and share her expertise on positive reinforcement based dog training!
Frankie is a CPDT-KA certified dog trainer, who grew up with a desire to work with animals in some capacity. She pursued an Animal Veterinary Science degree at Clemson University, with the intention of becoming a veterinarian one day. Once Frankie began volunteering at the New York Aquarium in 2013, she knew she belonged in the animal training world. Frankie worked for over five years as a Trainer at the New York Aquarium, specializing in sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions and penguins, before eventually transitioning to working with dogs. She is able to apply the positive reinforcement techniques used when working with marine animals to help dog owners with their young puppies!
We have expert takeovers every three weeks to help make pet parenting easier for more happy days with your dog. We’ve pulled some of the questions from Frankie’s takeover as well as her answers to share for dog training help, if you’ve had similar experiences.
Hi Frankie we have a 1 year old mini goldendoodle, she loves people! The problem is she will jump on them when she sees them. She is about 20 lbs and so cute that most people don’t mind but I do.
First – we want to make sure she isn’t getting rewarded for jumping, by you or your guests! When she jumps, no one should pet her, talk to her, push her down or even make eye contact. All of those are forms of engagement/attention that are telling her she’s on the right track to get what she wants (the love and petting)! When you know guests are coming, scatter some really yummy treats on the floor as they enter, to help her break the habit of jumping and keep all for 4 paws on the floor! Even if she leaves the treats to jump for a few moments, if she’s being ignored, she will give up and go back to the treats! I would also work on teaching a place/go to your bed cue. With jumping, it’s equally important we teach her something she can do when guests arrive, as opposed to just telling her what she cannot do, and laying nicely on a bed or mat is a great alternative! We actually have virtual “place” workshops regularly on The Shelby Semel Dog Training Website.
How do I get my 100 pound Lab mix rescue George to not react when he sees other dogs on our walk? He’s so strong and big that he’s hard to hold back. He’s not aggressive at all, just excited to meet other dogs. However his size can be very scary to other dogs. I long for him to just see a dog and just not even flinch!
I’d recommend finding a really high value treat George will love (think chicken, cheese, deli meat, etc) then mark and reward him each time you see a dog in the distance. Our goal is that when George sees a dog, he starts to think “I’m going to get a treat now” and he will look at you instead! When the focus is on you, he’s less likely to pull and get too excited and you can continue to reward good behavior. At first, we may only be able to do this when the dogs are farther away, and that’s totally okay. Over time, we will close the gap and the distance will get less and less! The other piece is to make sure George isn’t getting to say hi to dogs when he’s pulling and over-excited! If that method works to get him to the dog, he has no reason to change what he’s doing! This might mean you sometimes have to cross the street to avoid another dog, or just turn around and go in a different direction. In general, walking at off-peak times will help too as you start to focus on this training more, so there won’t be as many dogs for him to see and get excited about! If you aren’t already using a harness, I’d recommend a front-clip one, like the Blue 9 Balance Harness!
Hi Frankie Any tips on how to get our 2.5 yr old Westie to stop barking and jumping at our TV whenever animals (most commercials) and/or certain high noises come on. We have to save most of the programs that we watch for late at night due to this. I’ve tried for 2 yrs to distract her with high value treats and toys, but she’s so fixated on the TV that she will turn and growl at me if I try to pull her back. I had a trainer that said to keep her away from the TV for 2 wks, but how do we do that when we’re used to watching it as retired folks? Thank you!!!
We do want to have a management component that allows her to have minimal exposure to the animals on the TV unless we are actively training. Having her in another room or behind a gate with a yummy bone or chew while you watch TV for short periods is a great temporary solution until the training is further along. With barking at the TV, I recommend starting with still images on the TV. Find a commercial with an animal and pause it on that. Have her as far away from the TV as possible but where she can still see it, and reward her for looking at the animal. We want to create a positive association with the animal on the TV by pairing it with treats! When she is able to handle that, then you can move to moving images, and eventually you’ll get closer to the TV over time. This is a slow process and may mean that in the meantime you are not able to watch as much TV when she is in the room. I’d definitely recommend working with a trainer long term to work through the issue fully so you can have success!
Have more training questions? Interested in reading more? You can see the entire thread from Frankie’s Takeover here or you can join us for future expert takeovers! If you have a specific expert you would like us to invite, please email whatthepup@spotandtango.com
