How To Train Your Dog With Love + Science - Dog Training with Annie Grossman + Anamarie Johnson PhD

Our trainer Maddie Messina, who started out with us as a walker two years ago, is getting a master's at Hunter's Animal Behavior and Conservation, where she is studying canine cognition. She and Annie discuss her early interest in veterinary medicine, the opportunity she had to work with primates as an undergraduate at Bucknell University, her current focus on working with puppies, and doing it all... while being severely allergic to dogs.

Book a session with Maddie at http://schoolforthedogs.com/maddie

Follow Maddie at Instagram at @onlyfurendswithdogs

Join our new community app, accessible in the iTunes App store, the Play store, or in any web browser at http://schoolforthedogs.com/community. Use hashtag #podcastlistener and we'll grant you a moth of Premium app access.

Find Annie on Clubhouse @anniegrossman. Want a Clubhouse invite? Text a request to 917-414-2625
Like this podcast? Leave a review on iTunes! Need help? See our guide to leaving a review here. https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/subscribe/

---
Partial Transcript:

Annie:

So thanks for being here, everybody. I am here with Maddie Messina who's been at School for the Dogs, working with us in various capacities for, gosh, could it be two years now? Is that right?

Maddie:

It's definitely coming up on that, for sure.

Annie:

So why don't you talk a little bit about what you're doing right now with us, and then we can talk about what else you've done and what you're doing when you're not wearing your training pouch.

Maddie:

Okay. Absolutely. So I started at School for the Dogs as a walker, and I came from a training background. So that was my step into the School for the Dogs world. And since then, I've transitioned to working at Day School, which is our adult basic manners drop-off program. And I also mainly focus now on puppy training.

I do a lot of first sessions. So people who come to the school, they see me for the first time as their trainer. And then from there, we kind of build out a program for them or lead them into our group classes, which I just started teaching as well. So last week was my first week of teaching puppy kindergarten.

Annie:

Oh yeah, congratulations. How did it go? I think I was, I was there right when you were starting to set up, I think.

Maddie:

Yeah, it was definitely a big change because I’m used to kind of handling one-on-one clients. But the one thing I will say is that I also think that I’m skilled in handling chaos. That was definitely just kind of practice in handling more chaos, but it went really well. I think the nice thing about our puppy kindergarten setup is that all the puppies who come, by the time they’re here for their first week, they’ve already kind of met with a private trainer and they know the gist, so I think it’s a little bit less chaotic than it would be if you had a group of puppies and parents who were stepping into the training world for the very first time

Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast

If two dogs are playing, and you're unsure if your dog is into it, there is a simple "test" you can perform. The Bully Test, which was coined by Dr. Ian Dunbar, is a great way to tell how your dog feels about his or her playmate. Annie looks at how she herself behaved when faced with childhood mean girls, and how voters reacted when bullied by the Bully-In-Chief. Also: Is "bully" an inherent quality in a dog? Or a kid? Is there a term that we could come up with that doesn't vilify one of two puppies when performing this "test?" And: Why you shouldn't expect dogs to just "working it out" during play. Lastly: Annie explains how to use FOMO to train dogs to love going in crates.

Master Class: http://anniegrossman.com/masterclass Community App Early Invite Signup: http://schoolforthedogs.com/podcastcommunity

---

Partial Transcript:

[Intro and music]

Annie:

Here is a pretty simple thing that any dog owner can do if their dog is playing with another dog and they're not sure if both the dogs are enjoying themselves. What you do is you gently restrain whichever dog is the more outgoing, the more aggressive one. I think a lot of the time, in play with dogs, just like with kids, one person is the chaser. Hold back, restrain in whatever gentle way you can, the more aggressive of the two dogs and see what the other dog does.

If the dog comes right back and goes up to the dog, who's being restrained and is like, come on, I thought we were doing this. Then that dog probably was into it. Right? That dog was probably feeling good about that place session. If the dog goes to the other side of the room that tells you that that dog was most likely happy that he has the chance to take a break and that perhaps he was feeling bullied.

This is called the bully test. I believe it was named, if maybe not also developed, by a Dr. Ian Dunbar, a trainer of great renown and also a veterinarian. It's such a simple thing. It makes so much sense. And if it can help you make sure that two dogs aren't enjoying playing with each other, there's really no downside. And by the way, the dog who is the possible bully -- if the dog who wasn't being restrained does take the chance to go to the other side of the room -- that does not mean that one dog is a bad dog. It just means that in that situation, maybe the intensity was too much.

Maybe there’s a size difference between the two dogs that is making one of them uncomfortable. Maybe it has nothing — one dog might just be extra fearful for any reason, or no reason. Could be mix-matched play styles. So this isn’t, you know, see which dog is the good dog and which is the bad dog. It’s just a way to diagnose the healthiness and the happiness of play that is happening.

So I wanted to mention this because I think it’s a really easy tool to have in your dog training dog-owning toolbox to use with dogs who are off-leash. And I think off-leash play is very important for most dogs, much better than on leash play. But I also think one-on-one play is often the best kind of play. However, this technique could be used in a dog park situation too, or with more dogs.

Another reason why I was thinking about the bully test recently and wanted to mention it was because I was going through some stuff in my mom’s basement recently. And I found a letter. I wrote it to my mom from summer camp when I was nine. And it was about this girl who I was in grade school with at that time.

Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast

In this episode, you'll learn about two products, each invented by a woman. The first is something you've probably encountered: the retractable leash. The second is a new brand of treats called Shameless Pets, which makes yummy stuff for dogs from pre-consumer food waste. The former can be quite dangerous, but Annie suggests a way to make it safer; the latter is a successful version of a Seinfeld-esque business plan that Annie's neighbor came up with in the 1990s. In between tips about using a retractable leash and the story of Shameless Pets, you'll hear a hilarious piece of standup by comedian Drew Lynch.

Drew Lynch on retractable leashes - Mary Delaney's patent - Shameless Pet Treats - Free guide to house training

---
Partial Transcription:

Annie:

Do you need some help teaching your dog where you want him to pee or poop, and when? If so, I hope you’ll check out our brand new totally free house training guide. You can find it at schoolforthedogs.com/house. It’s filled with lots of really good tips on how to train a dog to potty in the right spot. But it also is going to explain to you how to teach your dog to do it on cue. So go check it out. Schoolforthedogs.com/house.

[Intro music]

Hi, thanks for being here, humans. There are two parts to this episode. One part is about retractable leashes and the other part is a conversation I had with Alex Waite, who is one of the founders of Shameless, which is a really cool brand of treats that you’re going to learn a lot about. They’re doing things differently in a very interesting way.

Just a reminder that if you liked this podcast, please go to iTunes and leave a review and support us by shopping in our online store storeforthedogs.com. I think we have the greatest stuff in the world there, for people who love their dogs. Enjoy.

So here’s something you might not know if you’ve never worked with a dog trainer or you don’t hang out with dog trainers. Most dog trainers, at least the ones that I know, don’t like retractable leashes. And there are a bunch of reasons for this. For one, we want our dogs to ideally be walking on a loose leash. I always say a leash should be there the same way a seatbelt is in a car. You don’t wear the seatbelt and then feel like, okay, now I can drive like a madman. It’s there in case of an emergency.

Ideally your dog should be able to walk in a vicinity that is acceptable, but the leash should be there in case of an emergency. And if you have a leash that is always taut, your dog can get used to feeling that the leash has to have some kind of pull on him at all times. So often dogs on retractable leashes are dogs who have learned to pull.

Another reason is that the cord that attaches the class to the plastic chunky part of the retractable leash is very thin. And if you, if you get it wound around a finger or your leg or a dog, it can really do some damage. Actually, if you go to Google and you start typing in retractable leash, at least on my computer, the first suggested thing that comes up for you to be Googling is retractable leash injuries. Thanks to the magic of Google images, you can see what retractable leash injuries look like, and they’re pretty awful.

Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast

On April 1 we are starting the Dog Training in 21 Days Challenge (#DT21DAYS). We’re using the hashtag on Instagram but if you don’t have IG, you can still participate! Each day there will be a simple challenge for you to complete. They are outlined below and we will be posting about them each day on Instagram as well as sharing what we are doing for it on Instagram Stories. Please join, get your dog excited about learning and flex those dog training muscles!

To participate: Post a video or image everyday for 21 days showing your participation. Tag us and use #DT21DAYS so we can see. For anyone who wants to participate outside of social media, you can visit the link in bio, click Dog Training in 21 Days (http://schoolforthedogs.com/dt21days) and checkout with code DT21DAYS. The code will make it completely free.

Note: It’s okay to miss a day(s), just jump back in when you can.

Today's episode is an interview with Leeyah Wiseman, who will be demonstrating each day on our Instagram. You can also follow Leeyah on Instagram at @georgeandleeyah

The Daily Challenges:

1. WHAT’S YOUR DOGS $100 BILL?
   


2. TEACH YOUR DOG TO DRAW
   


3. CAPTURE 50 AWESOME THINGS
   


4. TEACH A NOSE LICK
   


5. TEACH LOOK (PART 1 OF 2)
   


6. TEACH LOOK (PART 2 OF 2)
   


7. TEACH SIT WITH A SNAP
   


8. BOUNCE YOUR DOG BETWEEN 2 SPOTS
   


9. TEACH A HAND TOUCH
   


10. TEACH DOWN
    


11. TRAIN FIND IT
    


12. THE ELEVATOR GAME
    


13. THE STAY GAME
    


14. TEACH “DROP IT”
    


15. MUZZLE TRAINING
    


16. RELAXATION PROTOCOL
    


17. TEACH STAND
    


18. TEACH YOUR DOG WHERE TO WALK
    


19. TOUCHING AN OBJECT
    


20. THE PAW TOUCH
    


21. SHAPING TO PAPER
    

If you are sharing on Instagram, be sure to tag us and use the hashtag: #DT21DAYS

If you’d like access to all 21 lessons, detailed steps and additional resources visit our on-demand portal - head to the link in our IG bio, click Dog Training in 21 Days and checkout with code DT21. The code will make it completely free.

Good luck!

---
Partial Transcript:

[Intro and music]

Annie:

Hello listeners. Thank you for being here. I am interviewing today, Leah Wiseman, who is, we’re trying to figure out exactly what to call her, but for the moment I’m going to call her our student leader of our upcoming 21 day challenge. Leah, Hey, thanks for being here.

Leah Wiseman:

Hey, thanks so much for having me today. I’m so excited to chat about our challenge.

Annie:

I know, me too. So I wanted to have Leah on both to talk about the challenge and we can go through some of the specifics, but also just wanting to kind of hear about Leah’s journey into dog training. She has been a podcast listener, I know, since she got her puppy. Since you got your puppy, I don’t know if I should be, am I speaking to you or like the greater people?

Leah:

Right? It’s kind of surreal to be talking to you live when it’s I’m so used to like hearing your voice.

Full transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast

Before Annie became a dog trainer, she assumed all dogs were trained using "commands" and cues were for... pool games and stage actors. In this episode, she talks about the difference between cues and commands, describes the process of adding a cue, noticing cues, changing cues, and more.

Enjoy School For The Dogs Podcast? Please leave a 5-star rating on iTunes and a review!

Notes:

Find Annie's new MasterClass at http://anniegrossman.com/masterclass

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court https://amzn.to/2Yectpg

Episode 19: How To Train A Dog To Sit From Scratch

https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/podcasts/episode-19-how-to-train-a-dog-to-sit-from-scratch/

Episode 40: Teaching A Stellar Down With A Verbal Or Visual Cue

https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/podcasts/13927/

---

Partial Transcript:

Annie:

Mark Twain, satirist of the 19th century, one of my favorite writers, wrote the book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. And it’s a story about–it’s a time travel story about a guy who gets bonked on the head and wakes up and thinks at first that he’s in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but actually he’s gone back in time from the 1800s to King Arthur’s court and he’s in Camelot. He gets himself into trouble there, he’s going to be burned at the stake. And then he realizes that he had learned in school that in the year 528, the year that he’s found himself in, there was a solar eclipse. So he predicts this natural event, and he makes everyone believe that he caused it.

I think about this book sometimes when I’m thinking about the process of adding a cue to a behavior that we want our dogs to know. Now, before I first went to dog trainer school, I referred to commands. You gave your dog a command and the dog followed the command or not. It would have never occurred to me to call it anything other than a command. Instead, I was encouraged to think about how we can cue a dog to do the thing we want. Now, at first I understood the reason as, like we don’t want to be coercing dogs and it is coercive if you’re commanding something, because it’s like, you’re saying do this, or else. There’s an implied or else. And you know, that made sense to me, but I also thought that, you know, it would be possible to command and then reward. So maybe it was just too narrow a reading of the word command.

But then I started to understand that the notion that we are commanding a dog to do something really gives us way too much credit. We are sometimes cueing a dog to do something perhaps on purpose, but perhaps not on purpose. And it would be funny to call that a command. Dogs do things all the time because of things that we do that we might not have actually wanted our dog to do. You wouldn’t call that command, but it might be some kind of cue to your dog, if your dog is perceiving it. What’s more, there are lots of cues that your dog is perceiving that have nothing to do with you. They are learning cues from the environment, all around them, from each other, from things we might not even be perceiving.

Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcasts