Train Your Dog With Me - Week 2 | Pupford

How is life going with your new dog? We hope our resources are able to give you clarity when it comes to training your dog. For new dog owners, also remember that our 30 Day Perfect Pup Course and New Dog Starter Course are great resources and are 100% FREE!

In week 1 of Train Your Dog with Me we covered many topics like puppy biting and jumping as well as teaching your dog to focus and puppy socialization.

In this week's training session (Week 2), Traci and Lindsey will be discussing and demonstrating topics like dealing with a fear of other dogs, teaching your dog to lay down, and desensitizing your dog to new objects and sounds!

Winnie is making great progress so far but has started to develop some fear of other dogs. Traci breaks down how to slowly desensitize your dog to new dogs.

Related Reading: Puppy Fear Periods

Also in this episode, Traci starts to teach Winnie how to lay down. Winnie found this behavior more difficult than most other behaviors she's been taught. In this case, Traci starts to break "down" into step-by-step micro-behaviors (shaping) and eventually uses a "leg bridge" to help guide Winnie's down.

This episode also dives into how to desensitize your dog to new sounds (like dogs barking, thunder, etc.) as well as new objects (like a vacuum). The key with desensitization and counterconditioning is to take it very slowly and only go at your dog's pace!

Related Reading: How to Get Your Dog Used to a Vacuum

This week's session finishes off with Lindsey discussing Winnie's progress with being left alone in her crate!

Related Reading: How Long Can You Leave a Puppy Alone?

TRAIN YOUR DOG WITH ME WEEK 2

OVERVIEW OF WEEK 2

Check out this PDF for a detailed list of all topics covered in Week 2, and for homework assignments you can do with your dog.

When training your dog, make sure to use a clicker, or praise, and high-value training treats.

Related Reading: How to Use a Dog Clicker for Training

FEAR OF OTHER DOGS

• Let your dog meet other dogs on their comfort level.
• Put your dog in a sit or a down, let them smell them, but then let them back away if they want to.
• When first introducing your dog to others, either introduce them to other puppies of their size, or a really good adult dog that is calm.
• Also, to get your dog to associate other dogs with good things, you can praise and reward them when they see other dogs!

TEACHING LAY DOWN

• First, you can try to lure your dog with a treat into a lay down position. If that works, great! You can start there.
• If it’s not working, like it wasn’t for Winnie, you can shape the behavior. Which means you try it in segments.
• First, take nose to ground then click and treat. Do that several times.
• Slowly move it out (you just want one paw to move or if they reach out more).
• You can also try capturing, which is when you wait for them to go into a down then get ready to mark and treat.
• If they start to get frustrated, wrap up the training and work on it later. Make sure to end on a positive note!

INTRODUCING NEW OBJECTS (like nail clippers)

• To start, show your dog the nail clippers and then give them a treat.
• Let your dog smell the clippers and give them a treat
• Touch your dogs paws and treat
• If your dog doesn’t like it and pulls away, don’t force them to do it more!
• Continue with this by introducing more aspects slowly. Touch their paw, make the clipping sound, touch a nail with the clippers, etc.

SOUND DESENSITIZATION

• Start by playing different dog sounds at a low volume and clicking and treating (check out dog desensitization sounds here)
• Slowly increase the volume and click and treat
• If your dog is startled by an increase in volume, back off! Do it at a threshold they can handle!
• Do this a little every day!

For more in-depth breakdowns of the topics covered in this course, check out the Train Your Dog With Me course here, 100% FREE!