Let the Dog Decide The Revolutionary 15-Minute-a-Day Program to Train Your Dog -- Gently and Reliably

by Stavroff, Dale

• ISBN13: 9781569242759
• ISBN10: 1569242755
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-31
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books

Summary

This is a groundbreaking, completely reliable and gentle training method that both you and your dog will enjoy. Dale Stavroff's revolutionary approach to dog training shows you how to work with your dog's natural attributesits independent will, insatiable curiosity, and strong instinctual drivesnot against them. This unique, easy-to-follow system of informal handling and three fun five-minute training sessions a day makes the dog an active, eager participant in training. Step-by-step, Let the Dog Decide explains how to: Profoundly transform your relationship with your dog by building benevolent eye contact Limit dependence on the leash and abandon choke chains and pinch collars Interrupt unwanted behaviors with a breakthrough technique that strengthens the dog-human bond Make the best use of clicker conditioning Achieve absolute reliability in your dog's behavior by training on a small bench Empower your dog's natural decision-making ability and produce cooperative obedience that is self-directed and both leash- and handler-independent Full of gentle, effective techniques for building your dog's confidence and trust in you and solving common behavioral problems, Let the Dog Decide will teach you how to engage your dog's will in harmony with your own and make you both winners.

Author Biography

Dale Stavroff is a pioneer in positive motivational dog training, his approach empowering dogs as well as their owners. He began training dogs while growing up in Toronto, Canada, using the age-old conventional methods available at the time. As an adult, he spent ten years working with extremely disturbed children obtaining an unprecedented success rate. When he decided to return to working with animals, he brought with him new ideas and philosophies based on his experiences with children. He spent many years developing and testing his training program that evolved into the current Dale Stavroff Method of Canine Education, which also enjoys unprecedented success.

Stavroff trains dogs for search and rescue, explosives detection, cadaver detection, personal protection, and for competition of all kinds, from dog shows to sporting dog field trials and Schutzhund trials (German dog sport). He also trains pet dogs for select private clients, including Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who has praised him on her internationally broadcast radio show. He has made many media appearances as an expert commentator, including CBC Television in Canada and KLCK Radio in Washington State.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Letting the Dog Decide	p. xv
Preparing to Train	p. 1
To the Dog's Understanding: Why Training Succeeds or Fails	p. 3
Dogs in the Wild
Dogs and People
Classical Conditioning
The Difference a Collar Makes
Do You Really Want to Be Alpha?
Operant-Conditioning-Clicking to the Next Stage
A Better Way: Combining Covert Control with Overt Positive Reinforcement
Training with Covert Control and Overt Positive Reinforcement	p. 21
Covert Control and Overt Positive Reinforcement
Teaching Behaviors with Operant-Conditioning
Building Benevolent Eye Contact
Compassionate Compulsion: Using the Bench
Clicker Conditioning and Dominant Dogs
Choosing the Right Dog	p. 39
Dog Groups and Breeds
Who Are You?
Show Lines and Working Lines
A Closer Look at the Groups
The Seven Groups of Dogs
Choosing a Puppy
The Older Dog
The Shelter Dog
Breed Rescue Groups
You've Chosen a Dog, What's Next?
Low-Stress, High-Result Learning	p. 55
Mood and Its Meaning in Training
Manipulating Mood in Training
The Best Mood for Training
Visualize Your Dog: Happy, Confident, and Cooperative
Delighting the Dog, or the Virtue of Reinforcement on a Random Schedule
Releasing the Dog from Training Work
Day-to-Day Handling and Informal Training	p. 67
Making the Dog at Home	p. 69
Dog-Proofing the House and Yard
Training Tools Checklist
Chews and Other Toys
Toilet Training, Meals, and Quiet Time
Crate Training
Entering and Leaving the Crate and the House
Don't Let the Dog Do Anything Now That You Won't Want the Dog to Do Later
General Control and the Use of the Long Lines
Dogs and Furniture
Making Yourself the Focus of the Dog's Positive Associations
The Right Treats for the Right Occasion
Formal and Informal Signals and Control
Hand Signals
The Fetch
A Day in the Life
Children and Dogs
Introducing the Dog to the World	p. 93
Walking the Dog
The Halti Head Collar
Socialization and the Dog Park
Socializing the Dog to People
Socializing the Dog to Other Dogs
Dog Friendships and Rivalries
Recognizing Dominance
Formal Training	p. 105
Building Benevolent Eye Contact	p. 107
The Training Schedule
Establishing and Building Benevolent Eye Contact
Saying Yes to Benevolent Eye Contact
Using the Clicker	p. 117
Teaching without Commands
One Lesson at a Time
Naming Behaviors and Strengthening Benevolent Eye Contact	p. 123
Naming Behaviors
Strengthening Benevolent Eye Contact
Climbing the Bench	p. 129
Bench Work and the Traffic Safe Dog
Training Behaviors on the Bench	p. 137
The Sit on the Bench
The Down on the Bench
The Stand on the Bench
Stays on the Bench in the Named Behaviors
Intermediate Training on the Gronnd	p. 147
Beginning to Train on the Ground
Building Reliability by Delighting the Dog
What to Do If the Dog Balks
Working without the Leash
The Stays
Don't Lean on the Leash
Training Behaviors under Distraction	p. 159
The Recall
Introducing Distractions
The Heel	p. 167
Heeling in a Straight Line
Turning in the Heel Position
The Spinning Game
Special Concerns	p. 173
Having More Than One Dog	p. 175
Acquiring Two Dogs at the Same Time
Introducing a New Dog into an Established Single-Dog Household
Difficult Dogs	p. 181
The Dominant Dog
Characteristics of the Dominant Dog
Assessing Dominance in Puppies
Training the Dominant Dog
The Active Resister
Characteristics of the Active Resister
Training the Active Resister
The Passive Resister
The Trouble with Belly Rubs
Characteristics of the Passive Resister
Training the Passive Resister
The Fear Biter (the Sharp Shy Dog)
Characteristics of the Fear Biting, Sharp-Shy Dog
Behavioral Problems and How to Solve Them	p. 195
How Covert Negative Reinforcers Are Used in Training
Rummaging in the Garbage
Jumping Up
Paws and Praise
Empowering the Dog to Solve Its Own Behavior Problems-Part 1
Pulling on the Leash
Empowering the Dog to Solve Its Own Behavior Problems-Part 2
Aggression to Other Dogs
Aggression at the Door
Mouthing and Nipping
Begging at the Table
Making Sure Baby and Dog Get Along
Conclusion	p. 217
Resources	p. 219
Acknowledgments	p. 221
Index	p. 223
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