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spiritdogtraining-blog · 6 years ago

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The #1 Question When Your Dog Is Misbehaving

(Note that the following applies to voluntary behaviors such as jumping up on people, not listening to recalls, ignoring cues - for unwanted behaviors rooted in emotional issues such as anxiety, reactivity etc. a different approach is needed) I see many different dogs with many different issues. From the overly exuberant 100lb Bulldog mix who cannot walk on leash without dragging his people to the tiny 5lb Poodle who won't stop begging and barking at the dinner table, the underlying principles of behavior are still the same.

Every time I see a problematic behavior, there is one first question that needs to be explored and answered. If you can become good at finding and understanding the answer to this question, you will probably be able to solve most of your dog's behavior problems by yourself, no trainer needed. Let's talk about a general dog's mindset first. Dogs are experience junkies. They live to explore, be curious, get access to resources and most of all, make themselves happy. They are completely egocentric. Your dog does not care about making you happy, about making other dogs happy, about being a good boy - his main goal in life is to maximize his own happiness. Since making himself happy often coincides with being a good boy, it is easy to think that he must have some inherent wish to behave well - but truly, he doesn't. That becomes clear as soon as the good boy decides to chase the cat, because it is so much more fun than sitting still.

Everything your dog does all day long is geared towards maximizing this happiness and gaining resources and experiences. These can vary: from the obvious ones (food, water, a comfortable place to sleep) to the less obvious ones (sniffing interesting smells, rolling in dead animals). Some dogs will be more intense and relentless than others in pursuing these goals, but they all pursue them in some way.

Any kind of obedience we see in our dogs ultimately stems from us having been able to show the dog that he will get happiest by doing what we ask. That really is all there is to training: Show and explain to the dog that he will gain happiness by cooperating and working together with us. When I meet a dog who misbehaves (in whichever way that is), the first question is:

Where does he find his reinforcement?

Again, the dog's sole goal in life is to have maximum happiness. If he is exhibiting a behavior we don't like, it is likely because he can maximize his happiness by doing so.

Somewhere in his mischief he finds access to hidden reinforcement, and we need to find that reinforcement and limit the access.

One of my favorite examples is leash walking. It is often taught by using treats and rewarding the dog when he is not pulling. That is a good idea, the more important question however is how to react when the dog is pulling?

A dog who pulls at the end of his leash is not sad because he doesn't get a cookie from his owner's treat bag. He doesn't really care about the owner's reinforcement much at all, because there is a way bigger reinforcement in the situation: Getting to walk, sniff, explore.

Moving forward is where the reinforcement lies in leash walking, and this is what needs to be limited in order to explain to the dog how to walk. Leash popping a dog who pulls is often unsuccessful for this exact reason: Even though the dog gets leash popped, he still gets to keep on going - for many dogs that's an acceptable deal. They are still experiencing the reinforcement they are after, and are willing to take some discomfort or pain in exchange for getting to move on.

Have a dog who gets distracted in a group training session? Take the reinforcement away. Don't let him stand and observe the other dogs as long as he wants, hoping that he will eventually redirect to you. If it doesn't happen within 20 seconds, it is probably not going to happen.

Some dogs are so enamored by other dogs that just standing still and watching them is a huge reinforcement to them. In this case, move 10ft away and see if your dog will train with you. He won't? Move another 10ft away. See if he can train yet. He won't? Repeat until you have found a large enough distance to the other dogs that he can focus.

My own dog Kix is a herding bred Border Collie and as a result very motion-sensitive. Staring, barking, running around when there is motion are hugely rewarding activities for her. When she was a little 2 month old puppy I took her to a group training class. She was strangling herself at the end of her leash , barking, foaming spit at her mouth, the motion of the other dogs made her go insane.

I stepped away from the class. I walked down the driveway of the training field. When I had reached my car (300ft from where the class was held), she could finally train with me. So we trained there, and the next time we trained 280ft away, and the next time 260ft away, and eventually we could train next to other moving dogs. I had no chance to compete with the motion of the other dogs at first - my cookies and toys were laughable options when there was the huge reinforcement of herding the other dogs. So I removed that external reinforcement, and suddenly my toys and treats became valuable and interesting. By slowly re-introducing the external reinforcement while not allowing my dog to enjoy it, I could get the behavior I wanted - focus on me with movement around - which would not have been possible without limiting the access to it.

Have a dog who jumps up at people entering the house incessantly? Yes, giving treats for 4 feet on the floor is a good idea. But even more important: Remove the actual reinforcement. Your dog is excited and he wants pets, attention, play. Yelling "no" or showing away a dog who jumps up actually shows him that the reinforcement lies in jumping up: Jump up and you get a (albeit rough) round of games. Instead, introduce a calm demeanor and make it clear that jumping results in no access to the people entering. Recruit some friends who will enter and exit your house a bunch of times in a row and who will ignore (or leave) when the dog jumps up, and calmly pet him when he has all feet on the ground.

Whatever the behavior problem is, look at what your dog gets out of it. He is only doing what he is doing because it appears to him that this is the way to maximize happiness. We need to change that perception by taking away reinforcement when he does what we don't want, and giving him access to reinforcement when he does what we want. Reinforcers are so much more than the cookies in our pocket - to your dog, the whole world is full of them. Examine carefully where he finds what motivates him, and how it drives his behavior.

Happy training!

#dog #dog training

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elizabethcariasa · 4 years ago

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Best Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-2

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I wanted to share with you all of the most used items for Otis at this age. He’s currently 23 months (OMG!!!!!!) but I started writing this at 22. But basically most of this stuff we have been using over the last year till now. Sharing a variety of things from toys, feeding, to home stuff. Hope you enjoy this break down!

INDOOR TOYS

Disney Pixar Cars Mini Racers Mack Transporter: Otis already had these mini cars and one day Blake came home with this truck. It stores the little cars and also makes for a big fun toy to push around.

IKEA 20 piece basic train set: My sister gave us some hand me down IKEA train set pieces and Otis LOVES to put these together himself. It’s been a great toy for independent play and we plan to get more for his birthday.

Magna-Tiles 32-Piece Clear Colors Set: These are epic! They were great for when Otis was closer to 1 because they were easier for him to grab and pick up. Obviously you need to monitor your play because of the magnets but this is something he has loved especially during quarantine. We have a metal coffee table so he uses it to stick the magnets too. Or the fridge. Or the garage door. Basically anything metal he will put them on.

LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train: For his first birthday he actually got this set and he has become OBSESSED with Duplo legos. It’s been a great toy for independent play and I love how creative he gets with them.

toy dyson vacuum: This was another first birthday toy that he still loves to this day. Every time I get out my adult sized dyson, he runs and grabs his and “helps” me clean the house.

Mega Bloks First Builders Classic Big Building Bag 80-Piece Set: This was another first birthday present that keeps on giving. I keep these with the Duplo legos and he plays with both. These are better for smaller kiddos and easier to put together closer to age 1.

Playskool Explore ‘N Grow Busy Gears: We bought this after watching him play with something similar at his Oma and Opa’s house. The gears move when you push the button so this is a good toy to keep them occupied.

Plan Toys Baby Walker: This was actually a first birthday gift from Oompa Toys and I am telling you he still loves it and he is almost 2. It’s pricey but its a 2-in-1 toy. Both a push car and you have all the blocks. Otis moves this from room to room and then plays with the blocks either inside or takes them out. He’s going to be using this for a while. He loves to build.

Tegu 24 Piece Set: These blocks are fun and different take on a magnets toy.

LEGO DUPLO Disney Frozen Toy Featuring Elsa and Olaf’s Tea Party: You know how obsessed Otis is with Frozen so we had to buy him Frozen Duplo lego set.

Magformers 30-pc. Rainbow Set: These magnets have also been a very popular quarantine toy for Otis. He uses them on our metal surfaces but also lines them up on the carpet. Again, we monitor closely because of the magnets but this is a MUST have toy.

Buckle Toys Buster Square: We call this toy, “Mr Buckles” HA! When we were actually going places, we would bring this in our diaper bag or in the car. I sometimes bring it on our walks so he can play with it.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Count & Rumble Piggy Bank: He has recently rediscovered this toy and it’s so cute.

Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet, 8″ HD display: This has been a recent game changer. Since Otis is now into screen time, it’s been fun to let him play on his own kid friendly tablet. What I love is that he can literally click anything in kid mode and he’s all in approved kid content that we load on there. A fun feature of this tablet is you can also use it in adult mode if you want to tap into apps like netflix etc. This one also comes with a great warranty incase you kid chucks this down the stairs and it breaks. I also love this case with it.

OUTDOOR TOYS

Evenflo Versatile Playspace Indoor/Outdoor Gate: This gate has been incredible. We actually bought 2 so it can stretch across our garage and have our garage door open and use our garage as a playroom. We have also used it in the backyard as a barrier for some social distance hang out during quarantine. It’s awesome because it modular so you can always buy more pieces or make it as big as you need it.

HEDGBOBO Music Bubble Lawn Mower Electronic Bubble Blowing Mover: This was a gift from a friend and I am telling you Otis is obsessed with this thing. He walks down the sidewalk with this little lawn mower and love that the bubbles can be turned on or off. You can take the handle off so it’s easy to store.

Fisher-Price® Lil’ Snoopy: We use this toy every day. Since Otis always wants to walk Lola and that is not always very productive… we put a regular dog lease on this toy and let him “walk his puppy” down the street and it allows him to have his own responsibility and gives him something to do so we can also successfully walk Lola to do her business. Love this toy so much.

Step 2 Up & Down Indoor Outdoor Roller Coaster Toy w/ Car: We got this for Otis’ first birthday and now, he’s really enjoying this for independent play time. He pushed the car up, pushes himself down. Slides down on his stomach… you know. The normal ways of using it. HA! SUCH a great bigger gift idea. These are hard to come by in stock.

Mickey Mouse Glowing Bubble Wand: We actually bought our bubble wand at Disney On Ice but this one looks identical. It has both lights and bubbles for when the bubble inevitably run out. Lol. Anything Disney can go no wrong.

Veer Cruiser: I often get asked if this wagon is really worth the hype. My honest answer is that yes it’s VERY expensive but we have gotten incredible use out of it. It has very rugged wheels which allows us to easily bring to the park, on grass, and even in the sand. Yes it’s still hard to pull on sand but the rugged wheels make it easier. A plus is there are so many really unique attachment options. We recently got the additional storage bucket to add on. If you are looking for something splurge worthy, I 100% cosign this. Another thing that is great is you can add adapters to add a car seat. So if you are in a two kid family, that could come in handy. It folds down super flat too so we easily stow it in our trunk. We love it! Also the snack tray is EPIC.

Little Tikes Toy Sports T-Ball Set: This is a newer toy because obviously we love baseball in this house and this is a bigger boy toy. He has been having fun and it doesn’t take up that much storage space.

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Kids Pretend Play Fun Grocery Store Shopping Cart: I bought this at the beginning of quarantine and it’s an epic toy for walking around the neighborhood. It’s nice to give Otis a task when we are walking to keep him focused and moving in the direction I want him too. Toddler problems am I right!??! It’s great because he can throw another toy or two inside and it’s big enough if he abandons it, I can easily just pull it with one hand.

Step2 Whisper Ride II Kids Blue Ride On Push Car: One of daily used toys. Each day we take a walk together. He loves to ride in it and we have used it since he was 1 and will get even more use after 2.

BEDTIME

Halo Sleep sack: We have tried many sleep sacks and this is still our favorite. We have ones in different materials for different seasons but since we have A/C we like to use the fleece one since it’s nice and cool in the house. We put it on him backwards which at least helps a little in terms of him not taking it off. It’s been the best one we have found. They are just hard to find in the larger sizes. He is in the biggest size right now.

Slumberkins Sloth Snuggler: This is Otis’ prized possession. He calls his sloth his “love love” and he sleeps with it everynight. We introduced this when he was an infant for car seat rides etc before he started sleeping with it. I can’t say enough good things because they wash in the washing machine so well and I let them air dry and they are good as new. My recommendation is to buy 3 of any lovey you want to get for your child. So if you lose one you aren’t screwed. HA! Also keep cycling them so you can wear them evenly. I did not do this. Learn from my mistakes

Playskool Sesame Street Cookie Monster 10” Mini Plush: Cookie Monster is one of his loves in bed with him. This one is nice because its small.

Jellycat Bashful Turtle Stuffed Animal, Small: Otis loves his little turtle. The jellycat toys are so soft and I got him the tiny size since it’s easier to carry around and snuggle.

Hatch Rest + Sound Machine: By far one of my must haves from the newborn phase till now. I love this thing so much I have 3 of them in my house. 1 in his room, 1 outside of his room in the hallway to drown out any noise in the house, and 1 in our bedroom on my night stand because I got so used to the sounds when Otis was in his bassinet in our room. This newer version is pricer than the older but what is EPIC about it is that is has some reserve battery in it. So for instance, if the power goes out, the sound machine will stay on. EPIC. I have convinced many people to buy this including my sister. I had forgotten it at her house and her sons borrowed it and loved it so much she bought them. It also has time to wake functionality which we have not used yet but hope to in the future.

EATING

Skiphop Zoo 11 oz. Insulated Food Jar: Love these insulated food jars when toting around lunch or dinner for Otis.

Summer Infant Pop ‘N Sit Portable Infant Booster Seat: This is a must have item! We have gotten so much use out of this portable high chair even just in our own house. We use it for outdoor picnics and the detachable tray makes it great to kind of contain them in one place when you don’t have your highchair etc. It’s easily washable and it also can be attached to another big chair to serve as highchair height at a table. I have a slightly different version but buy this if you like it it’s been sold out.

Skiphop Zoo 7.5 oz. Snack Cup: These snack cups are like gold in our house. I constantly have at least 2 filled with goodies for Otis and love that they have a cap that closes so things are leaking out everywhere.

Inglesina Fast Table Chair: This is our current fav high chair. I LOVED my large high chair from stokke but one day Otis started fighting us to sit in ANYTHING. We were able to eventually get him to sit in this clip on chair so now we have two. One on our kitchen island and one on our dining room table. The best thing is that while the instructions don’t recommend it being machine washable, I was reading a couple blogs of people that put theirs in the washing machine. I tried it and holy crap it looks like new after! I just let it hang and air dry. We also used to take this to restaurants when Otis was too young to sit in their highchairs as well as taken to hotels etc.

Inglesina Fast Table Dining Tray: You NEED to get this tray if you buy the chair. Keeps clean up easier so food doesn’t cake under the handles. It’s easy to loosen and clean under but this helps prevent that as well as being something we can easily remove when mealtime is over. Otis tends to want to rip his plate up when he is saying he is all done so its easy to just remove this tray and get it out of the way.

UNICOO- Bamboo Height Adjustable Kids Learning Stool: I always get asked about this kitchen stool and the white is sold out right now but here is the wood version. What I love about it is that it is pretty compact because we have a pretty small kitchen. It’s been epic for Otis to be at the counter and help prep meals, have a snack, help make my morning coffee etc. It also allows him to be a menace and mess with literally everything but I love this tower so much. No regrets!

OXO Tot Transitions Straw Cup: We tried a bunch of sippy cups and this is the one we have used and loved when we transitioned him off the bottle to a sippy straw cup. It’s relatively easy to clean. But let’s be honest, any straw is annoying to clean. They do leak if there is milk in the straw but it’s the best option we have found so far.

Lollaland® Lollacup 10 oz. Sippy Cup: This is our #1 water cup. With the handles it’s easy for Otis to grab one handed when he is filthy eating dinner. Lollaland makes such great kids feeding stuff and we own quite a few of their products. This is by far my fav and most used water cup.

Bumkins Disney Silicone Grip Dish, Suction Plate: I love all the bumkins suction plates. They REALLY stick. You know we are Disney obsessed so this Mickey plate is in heavy rotation.

Bumkins Baby Fork and Spoon Set: These are the forks and spoons we are using for Otis right now. They are short enough to make it easy for him to eat.

Shop toddler favorites below:

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The post Best Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-2 appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

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kurtwarren54 · 4 years ago

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Best Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-2

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INDOOR TOYS

toy dyson vacuum: This was another first birthday toy that he still loves to this day. Every time I get out my adult sized dyson, he runs and grabs his and “helps” me clean the house.

Tegu 24 Piece Set: These blocks are fun and different take on a magnets toy.

LEGO DUPLO Disney Frozen Toy Featuring Elsa and Olaf’s Tea Party: You know how obsessed Otis is with Frozen so we had to buy him Frozen Duplo lego set.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Count & Rumble Piggy Bank: He has recently rediscovered this toy and it’s so cute.

OUTDOOR TOYS

BEDTIME

Playskool Sesame Street Cookie Monster 10” Mini Plush: Cookie Monster is one of his loves in bed with him. This one is nice because its small.

Jellycat Bashful Turtle Stuffed Animal, Small: Otis loves his little turtle. The jellycat toys are so soft and I got him the tiny size since it’s easier to carry around and snuggle.

EATING

Skiphop Zoo 11 oz. Insulated Food Jar: Love these insulated food jars when toting around lunch or dinner for Otis.

Bumkins Disney Silicone Grip Dish, Suction Plate: I love all the bumkins suction plates. They REALLY stick. You know we are Disney obsessed so this Mickey plate is in heavy rotation.

Bumkins Baby Fork and Spoon Set: These are the forks and spoons we are using for Otis right now. They are short enough to make it easy for him to eat.

Shop toddler favorites below:

Turn on your JavaScript to view content

The post Best Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-2 appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

from Wellness https://www.eatsleepwear.com/2020/07/29/best-toys-for-toddlers-ages-1-2/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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