One of the reasons I think its fun to be a dog trainer, is that, there is never just one way to accomplish your goal.  If the dog your training is having problems understanding what you are trying to teach him, you just have to find a different way to teach. Its just like problem solving, if this does not work, then we will try this method and if that does not work we can try something else.

I have a particular process of training.  First A, then B, then C and so on.  Now if my usual method of getting A does not work, I cant just move on to B.  I’m building a foundation with the dog so A must work before we move on to B.  So back to if A does not work, using my standard method, well then I have to problem solve and find another method to make A work.

This is one of the things that I like about dog training, its not one size fits all and therefore you need to be able to step back, rack your brain and ponder for a little bit.

This is one major reason why I continue my educational quest of dog training.  I go to various seminars taught by people with way more experience than myself and every seminar or workshop I go to gives me a new way or a new idea on how to problems solve.  I take notes and video and then when I get stuck with a dog, well I have notebooks full of different methodologies!

Yesterday I tried out a new method with my own dogs.  My dogs like to bark and charge the door when the bell rings or someone knocks.  Of course, this is very unprofessional.  The remote collar works fairly well with my Pit Bull but not so much with my Lab.  And fairly well is still not professional.

So I decided to try the shaping method, by using treats!   I have a little hand held remote doorbell that I can ring.  So with my dogs in place command, I sat in front of them, and behind my back pushed the doorbell button.  They barked as expected, then looked at me.  Pushed the button again and they just looked at me (no barking) so I gave them a treat.  I repeated this a bunch of times.  Over and over the bell rang and my dogs got a treat.  Then I stepped it up and walked outside rang the front door bell and banged on the door a whole lot.  I did not hear a single bark and when I walked back into the house, my dogs were still in place.  They got a high reward treat for that one, peanut butter!!

We continue to practice this two or three times a day, soon I will wean them off the treats and the end result should be that anytime the door bell rings, my dogs will go to place and not bark.

I made a video of my initial work and success.  You can find it on YouTube at my, Confidentk9training channel.

I hope you like it!