Training Toy Breed Dogs by TD Yandt Originally published in Top Notch Toys, September 2003.
Toy breed dogs have special needs when it comes to choosing a training method. Many toy breed owners make the mistake of treating their little ones as toys, rather than dogs. This can lead to biting problems, aggression issues, and can turn a wonderful relationship sour.
Traditional, compulsion and fear-based, training methods are really not appropriate choices, especially when dealing with dogs who have strong dominance and territorial related drives such as Chihuahuas. Small dogs already suffer from size related issues, and tend to over compensate with a bite worse than their bark. Forcing a fearful dog into a down, or attempting an “alpha roll” can only aggravate an already unfortunate, and avoidable, situation. Fortunately there are more modern training methods that can offer a solution to all of the typical “ankle biter” issues that taint the reputation of all toy breed dogs. Operant Conditioning is a gentle option that also provides a very effective line of communication between you and your dog.
We are all familiar with the image of the dolphin trainer, clad in a tight black wetsuit, bucket full of fish close by, blowing a sharp whistle “chirp” at the moment their trainee bumps a ball with his nose. The whistle in this case acts as a marker, letting these incredible animals know the exact moment they’ve given the correct behavior, acting as a snapshot of the instant the desired behavior was offered, marking it indelibly within the mind of the Dolphin. These large mammals can not be trained using aversives or strong corrections so different methods had to be developed. If you have ever been to sea world and have seen the dolphin and whale shows you KNOW how well operant conditioning works.
Clicker training, which is one form of Operant Conditioning, is a wonderful way to teach your toy breed dog. It's a friendlier, more gentle form of training that encourages your furkid to think through problems to come up with a positive solution. By encouraging your little one to really think about what they are doing you end up with a confident happy pet. This is especially important for small dogs who can end up being seriously hurt when using the tools employed with harsher training methods.
The only difference between training a Dolphin or Whale and training your dog is that we are using a clicker in place of a whistle. Poor or unwanted behaviors are ignored and the animal redirected towards a more desirable end. Instead of a dog who is fearful of harsh corrections, or who baulks at the sight of his lead, you end up with an animal who is confident and eager to offer behaviors and who truly loves to train with you. It is a real joy to train with a clicker savvy pet.
It is common to refer to clicker training sessions as “playing the clicker game”, and that description is completely accurate. Your toy breed dog will have so much fun training with you, that learning really does become a game - for both you and your dog.
Clicker training works for pets, rescues, show and working dogs. Any task or behavior you can imagine can be trained using a clicker and an experienced watchful eye. You will get to know your dog more intimately than you ever thought possible, and even the most subtle change in behavior will help to reinforce your commitment to doing the very best for your little one.
When first starting to clicker train your toy breed dog you will need two things, a container with rewards and the clicker itself. Clickers are typically available at any good pet supply store. Small mom and pop dog shops, or the little corner pet store. You can also find them online at several sources. They come in a range of styles and shapes, with the typical rectangle box being the most widely available. They range in price from $1.50 to about $7.50 - price does not always reflect a difference in quality.
Pick a favorite treat, for toy breed dogs a hot-dog sliced into little pieces, 1/4 inch pieces of cheese, small bite-sized apple slices. Whatever your dog loves to munch. Be sure not to pick anything too big. You want tiny nibble sized portions whenever you are training. Something that takes more than two or three chews is too big. Think soft and tiny.
The first thing you’ll need to teach your dog is what the click means. The easiest way to do this is by setting up a really relaxed first training session. You aren’t teaching any tricks or shaping any behaviors, so there is no way you can do this wrong. Relax and just enjoy spending time with your little one. So, with your treats beside you, and your clicker in hand, you are ready to start your first training session.
Click, and give your dog a treat. Do it again. Click and give him another treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Notice a pattern?
By this point your dog should be starting to anticipate that when they hear a click they will get a treat. Keep repeating this. Click, and give her a treat. Click, and give a treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Isn’t this fun? Once you start noticing that with every click your pet is looking to you for a treat, they have learned what the click means. It means a treat is coming. It’s a promise of something good.
Your pet may not understand the concept of conditioning, or that you are teaching them that the click is a marker, and a contract between the two of you. All they know is that they must have done something to please you because when you click you are happy and they know you will give them a treat they really love. And this is what is important. It is building up their confidence and their trust in you.
At this point you should end this first training session. :) So click one more time, and give them a “jackpot” - a small handful of treats, four or five treats is a perfect amount. You always want to end a training session with a success and the occasional jackpot. It’s important that you end each training session on a positive note, so your pet will look forward to training with you next time.
When you first begin clicker training it's best to keep sessions very short, only two or three minutes at a time. This way your dog will be able to stay focused, and it will encourage him/her to feel as if it's a game, and something really exciting and special. Several short sessions a day is ideal. Eventually (with a high drive dog) you can work up to sessions that may be as long as an hour.
Now. This is when the fun really begins. It’s time to start playing the clicker game with a goal in mind. For your first behavior it’s best to pick something really simple, a behavior that your dog already does naturally. Some simple tasks are a sit, down, come, or a kiss. Just keep it easy, you want to pick a behavior your dog offers fairly often, something they already know how to do - but that hasn’t been attached to a cue, command, or hand signal. Something that if you sit quietly, and for long enough, your dog is bound to do.
Have your Clicker in one hand, and have the treats at the ready in your other hand. Watch your furkid. Clicker training is all about being aware of even the slightest movements... a change in where your dog is looking, a flick of their tail, a slight head turn... all are potentially worth a click.
Start by deciding what you want to work towards. Something like a sit or down would be a good place to start as these are both things that your small dog are likely to do naturally without any in between steps. After grabbing your clicker and your bag of treats sit normally and watch your furkid. Eventually, waiting is the hard part, he will do either a sit or a down. Click the instant that butt (or belly) hits the ground. Give him a treat, forcing them to leave the sit (or down) to come get it from you. Now, watch again.
Keep watching your toy breed dog, and waiting for them to repeat the behavior that earned the last click. As soon as they repeat, click and treat again. Their sit (or down) should keep increasing in speed after the last click. You will really begin to see your dog thinking, as they try to figure out exactly what it was that earned them the previous click.
Once your furkid is consistently offering the behavior you are working towards start adding the cue word. In this case, it's sit (or down). Only start using the cue once you are about 80% sure that the dog will do it. Right before the dog is about to sit, say "sit", and as his bottom hits the floor, click and treat.
For more advanced behaviors you may need to slowly work up to the cue point. For example, if you want to teach your small dog to turn in a circle, you may need to start with only the turn of the head.
If your little one is sitting facing you, click for even the slightest movement to the side. This could be her looking over her shoulder, turning her foot to the side, or just her eyes glancing to the side. Watch your dog very carefully to make sure you don't miss these slight movements. Click and treat for even the smallest glance.
Once your little one is reliably looking over their shoulder with every click, withhold the click and wait for them to offer a little more for the next click. This little more may be as small a difference as the degree to which they turn their head. Do not require too big a change, or you may have to step back and start again. The key is very small baby steps. The smaller you can break things down, the better. If you have successfully broken down the steps to the desired behavior your dog will have it figured out within a few training sessions.
Clicker training really is a matter of breaking tasks into small easy to train steps. This is one of the many reasons that this form of training is used for Assistance Dogs. You can take a very complex task like getting the mail by taking it one step at a time. This is, for some people, the most difficult part of clicker training. For some people it comes really naturally, and for others it’s hard to think through a task in such baby steps.
Let’s look at shaping “leave it”. The first time you click in this session should be when your dog stops sniffing or digging at your closed fist full of treats (that you’ve conveniently placed near her). Don’t forget to give her a treat right after that click. Chances are this will start the sniffing and digging again. Wait until the instant she leaves your hand alone, click and treat. Do this a few times until you are sure that she understands that what you want is for her to keep her nose and paws off of your fist of treats.
Upping the stakes refers to increasing your expectations, moving one step closer to the end behavior. In this instance you are going from clicking when your dog leaves your hand alone, to clicking when he moves away from your hand. Some dogs may only lean away from your hand, while others will take a step back. In either case, click and treat. If it takes three steps (a lean, a shuffle, and then a step) or one, that’s fine. Remember to break things into tiny baby steps.
When your dog is reliably taking a step back from the fisted treats, then begin clicking if she remains still when you open your treat hand. Work towards getting her to leave the treats in your open palm. Keep slowly upping the stakes, one small step at a time, until your dog is consistently ignoring the food.
Once your little one is reliably ignoring the food, even when placed on the floor, add the cue. In this case, it would be “leave it”. We only start adding the cue when we are at least 80% sure that your dog will offer the desired behavior. Say “leave it” right after leaving a treat on the ground. Only wait a moment before clicking. Slowly increase the time between having given the cue, and when you click. Eventually you will be able to tell your dog to leave just about anything untouched - which can be a true life saver
The keys to training any behavior are Patience, Consistency, and Repetition.
1. Be patient. It takes time for an animal to really understand what you are asking for. If you find you are starting to get frustrated take a break. It is possible you are trying to take too big of a leap, make sure to break down each behavior into small baby steps. 2. Be consistent. If you let your dog on the sofa once, and push her off the next time you will end up with a very confused canine. Decide on the rules, and stick to them. Do not reward your pet for a behavior on one occasion and punish him for it the next. 3. Be repetitious, it may seem redundant to ask for behaviors you think your pet already knows, but animals don’t generalize. Practice each cue in many environments (kitchen, bathroom, yard, etc.) and from different positions (sitting, standing, kneeling, etc.) to “proof” the behavior.
If you are patient, consistent, and repetitious you will be able to train your toy breed dog to do all sorts of fun and useful tasks. A well trained dog will help you, your family, and your dog enjoy your time together much much more.
The second edition of The Irrepressible Toy Dog, Small Dogs, Big Hearts by fellow DWAA member Darlene Arden is well worth a look for any devotee of a tiny pooch.
Recommended Product
The iClick by Karen Pryor is by far the best clicker on the market. It's ergonomic design makes it comfortable to use, and the raised button means that even those with limited (or no) use of their hands can easily use it to click with their dogs.
Training Toy Breed Dogs by TD Yandt
