Bennie Copeland, Author at FamilyDogFusion

Dec 02 2014

Dog Training Definitions and Commands

To make the most out of the dog training programs available on this website, here is a list of definitions for you to reference and understand. I use these terms constantly in my training and the various guides on this site.

Definitions of Dog Training Terms

Obedience: The willingness to obey.

Praise: Attention for a behavior when your dog has made a choice. In order to teach your dog, you must give positive attention when she has made the choice you want her to make. This is the only way you are teaching and training your dog to be obedient.

Motivation: Anything, positive, you use to create that your dog pays attention to you then makes a choice. Anything that is overused as a motivation creates an expectation from your dog.

Correction: Anything negative that you use to make your dog stop doing what she is doing and pay attention to you. If you overuse a correction, it creates fear in your dog.

Control: Control is all about confidence. It is understanding you are confident on how to handle most situations. Most times people (and dogs) do not realize that they are in control. Control can be a conscious or unconscious decision.

Dominance: Dominance is about creating trust, loyalty, and love. In order for a dog to be fully obedient, she must trust you in every situation.

Body Language: This is the number one way a dog learns from us. Your dog will pick-up on your body language before they pick-up on any other type of communication you use. This is also why it is a good idea to use hand signals when training.

Voice Tone: This is the second most important way a dog learns. A dog can pick-up the most subtle changes in your voice that will let her know if you are serious or not.

Specific Dog-Training Commands

Heel: Walk at my left side and sit when I stop.
The sign is a swipe of your left hand at your side as you start walking.

Come: Come to me and sit.
The sign is bringing your hand from in front of you to your chest.

Sit: Put your butt to the ground.
The sign is a flat palm facing up and bringing it from your waist level up.

Down: Lie down all the way on the ground.
The sign is a flat palm facing your dog.

Place: Go to a mat and lie down, touching the mat.
The sign is a point to the mat.

No: “Stop doing what you are doing and pay attention to me.”

All-Done: Your dog is finished with the last command you gave.

Come-On, Let’s Go, Let’s Walk (Or any derivation you may be using): “I’m Moving.” Remember, this command has nothing to do with your dog.

Nov 29 2014

Dog Training Rules

Basic dog training rules are critical for you to follow to get the most out your training program. Review the rules below. Repeat them aloud and work to understand each of them. These could make or break your training efforts.

The only time you are teaching your dog is when she is making a choice. You must use the correct tool at the time of the choice to get the results you want. Praise is the only way to truly teach your dog what you want in a way she is willing to do that thing.

–Bennie Copeland

RULE #1) The only time you are truly teaching your dog is when she is making a choice and you praise for that choice.

This means: First you have to know that your dog is making and choice and second, you have to know what you want your dog to do.

RULE #2) Three Correction Rule:

Part 1: Frustration and anger change expectation. When working with your dog on a command she knows, once you give three corrections for a particular command it is time to move on to something else.

Either release your dog from that command (by saying “All done”) or physically put your dog into the desired position.

Part 2: A correction is when your dog to stops doing what she is doing and pays attention. This means you need to correct to a level that she pays attention.

If you correct out of anger, then you probably are correcting too hard and chances are you will not praise once she responds to you.

If you correct too softly, then you are not making your dog stop doing what she is doing and pay attention. This would not be considered a correction.

Part 3: When you are using distraction as a part of the training, if you have had to correct your dog back to the command three times, then that level of distraction is too high.

Part 4: If you find you are correcting more than three times for a command your dog knows, then you must do something to reinforce your dog’s willingness to do that command for you. You have to look at the following:

Are you over-motivating for that command?
Are you under-correcting for that command?
Are you using praise at the appropriate moment?
Are you using praise enough in other aspects of training?

RULE #3) Praise always has to be at a much higher level than correction.

RULE #4) Always use motivation before correction when there is a choice.

When you are using motivation as a tool, your dog is more likely to remember the command and more like to want to do that command.

RULE #5) Correcting for something you never want vs. correcting for something you want her to stop doing when told:

Unwanted behavior: If you are correcting for a behavior you never want your dog to do, make the correction a verbal “NO.” Once the correction has been given, you ignore your dog for at least one-minute. Never praise your dog after a “no” correction.
A behavior to stop when told: If your dog is doing something you are okay with and you just want them to stop on command, the correction is a word or phrase (such as “Hush”). If they then stop the behavior (go quiet), you immediately praise them. If they don’t stop the behavior, you then correct with a “no” and follow the first part of this rule.

RULE #6) The Rule of “No”: Whenever you pull on the leash you must say “No” and whenever you say “No,” you must pull the leash.

RULE #7) Always end a command on a positive note, no matter how you feel or what happened during that command.

RULE #8) 10:1 Ratio: For every one time you correct your dog for anything you have to praise her ten times for making the decision you want in that situation.

Lifetime 10:1: You know you have reached the level of praising your dog ten times more than you ever have corrected her for doing a behavior in her lifetime when she chooses to do that behavior even when she is on her own.

RULE #9) Your dog must do any one thing ten times in a row before moving up to the next level of training.

RULE #10) Stay is incorporated in all commands and does not need to be said. Your dog is released when you say “All Done”.

RULE #11) ALL DONE means your dog is finished with the last command you gave. Use this command throughout your workout. Usually the novice trainer will only use this command at the end of the entire workout or only while praising for completing a command. This creates that your dog thinks she is done with the workout entirely and/or that praise is also a release.

RULE #12) Enjoy your dog and enjoy your workout so your dog can enjoy you!

RULE #13) Post training routines:

Once you have completed training, you should still continue to work on the commands for the next month or so at least two to three times a week. Each session should include three to five of each command you have learned up to this point.
You should continue to work on the place command (two to three times a week) until you can build-up that your dog will hold the command for 30 minutes.

Rule #14) There are three stages to training off-leash. (This process takes over a year)

On-leash (2-3 months)
On-leash without touching the leash (add another 4-5 months)
Totally off-leash (add another 6-7 months)

When starting the off-leash process there are 3 rules to follow for consistency in training.

The following is just basic premise of each rule with a brief description.

Without having gone through my training program, these rules may not have the same impact or mean much to you. They are here as a follow-up for past clients as well as a peek inside my basic theories for training.

These rules are only to be used when your dog is off-leash and these rules are only for you, the owner, they have nothing to do with your dog.

The 3 Rules for Consistency

Whenever you give a command, no matter what happens, you must always end that command in a positive way.
Once you have given a command, you cannot touch your dog or the leash, and you must do everything in your power to get your dog to do the command.
If the command it unsuccessful, before you ever do that command again you have to pick up the leash and do that command 10 times before trying it off-leash again.

Nov 11 2014

17 Truths About Human-Dog Interactions

A learned dog with ideas! You can listen to Bennie directly by clicking the play button in the player , or read the notes below.

The only time you are teaching your dog is when she is making a choice. You must use the correct tool at the time of the choice to truly get the results you want. Praise is the only way to truly teach your dog what you want in a way she is willing to do that thing.

-Bennie Copeland

Easy to understand — tough to put into practice

1. Frustration and anger change expectation. When working on a command or lesson, if you give-up on your dog or change the way you are teaching, you have changed your expectation.

e.g. You call your dog to come to you from across the yard. She does not come to you on the first call so you raise your voice and call again. Again, she does not come to you, so you go to her, scold her, grab her by the collar, and walk her into the house.

From the moment you called her the second time, your expectation changed. By going to get her instead of getting her to make the choice to come to you, you have changed your expectation to going to her instead of her coming to you.

2. Structure is rules. Just like there are rules in games there should be rules for your dog. The more consistent you are with the rules, the less your dog will test the boundaries. Create structure and be consistent. It is your dog’s job to test the boundaries. If you find yourself being frustrated because your dog keeps doing the same thing you do not want, over and over; then you have to look at how consistent you are with that behavior.

3. Praise must always be at a much higher level than correction.

4. Have a phrase, or word, that means your dog is finished with the last command you gave. Use this phrase throughout your workout. Usually, the novice trainer will only use this phrase at the end of the entire workout. Sometimes, the novice trainer will only praise their dog once a command is completed. This will create that your dog thinks she is done with the workout entirely and/or that praise is also a release from that command.

5. For every one-time you correct your dog for anything, you must praise her ten times for doing the thing you want in that situation.

6. A dog has truly not learned a command until she has done that command, with no prompting, 1,000 times.

7. Always end a command on a positive note.

8. Always use motivation before correction when there is a choice. When you are using motivation as a tool, your dog is more likely to remember the command and more like to want to do that command.

9. Enjoy the workouts so your dog will enjoy you.

Dog Training Definitions

10. Obedience: The willingness to obey.

11. Praise: Attention for a behavior when your dog has made a choice. In order to teach your dog you must give positive attention when she has made the choice you want her to make. This is the only way you are teaching and training your dog to be obedient.

12. Motivation: Anything positive you use to create that your dog pays attention to you then makes a choice. Anything that is overused as a motivation creates an expectation from your dog.

13. Correction: Anything negative you use to make your dog stop doing what she is doing and pay attention to you. Anything that is overused as a correction creates fear in your dog.

Miscellaneous Dog Training Teachings

14. Control: Control is a funny thing. When I ask people what this means, most times I get answers like ‘making things happen,’ ‘being aware and in power,’ or ‘being the dominant.’ Control is really about confidence. It is about understanding that in any given situation you are confident you can handle that situation. Because when you look at the definitions of control it seems like it means to ‘be over’ or ‘to dominate’. By this definition you are seeing another person as the person in control. You are not looking at yourself. Control is only about you. A dog sees control only about herself. When a dog is continuing to do behaviors you, as an owner, do not want, it is because that dog feels it is in control and can still test the boundaries.

15. Dominance: This is about creating trust. In order for a dog to fully be obedient, it must trust you no matter what. This trust is created by structure and consistency. The more structure you create and the better you are with being consistent, the better your dog will behave. The reason is because if your dog questions your sincerity, she will continue to test you. If she totally trusts that you will behave the same in every situation then there is no reason to test your sincerity. The less structure and consistency you have, the more your dog is willing to test the boundaries. This even applies to the choices your dog will make when you are not around.

16. Body Language: This is the number one way a dog learns from us. Your body language can change the mood, direction, or choice from your dog without you even knowing it. It is also why we use hand signals. Dogs pick up on your body language before they pick up on any other type of communication you use.

17. Voice Tone: This is the second way a dog learns. A dog can pick up on the most subtle changes in your voice that will let her know if you are serious or not.

Sep 28 2014

Dog Training Self-Analysis Tool

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Sep 25 2014

A Letter from the Dog Trainer

You can listen to Bennie directly by clicking the play button in the player below, or read the transcript.

Transcript: “Why Train, Revisited”

Hello, my name is Bennie Copeland.

Back in 2007 I wrote an article titled, “Why Train?” It was a short article that broached a subject that is very close to my heart, because training is how I make my living. Over 7 years ago I felt strongly enough about training that I wrote an article to state my opinion. I feel stronger now than I ever have.

I feel that the relationship between people and the domesticated dog has changed immensely in the last 20 years and much of that change has taken place within the last decade.

People are going to court over their dogs, people are taking their dogs, more and more, to family functions and events, restaurants and retail businesses alike are much more dog friendly than in the past, and corporations, not just small businesses, are allowing employees to bring their dogs to work with them.

Dogs are becoming an integral part of our lives whether we want them to or not. Oh, and doggie daycares…I know almost as many people that bring their dogs to daycare as I know parents that take their kids to daycare.

In my article I wrote about people that leave their dogs in the back yard as if it was still commonplace. This is no longer the case. Not only are dogs being viewed as companions, they are being viewed as a part of the family. They are part of the family. They are our constant companions through the ups and downs, and the joys and sorrows.

WHY TRAIN?

Why is it important to train our dogs? In the past I wrote about developing a personal relationship. I also talk about ‘Love and Fear’ in a way that I want my dog to love doing things with me and never fear what is going to happen if she acts a certain way. All-in-all this is still a basic truth and yet I do not feel I answered the question…Why Train?

What I understand now is how much people view dogs as a natural part of the family.

How do we take this animal, as domesticated as it is, and communicate our expectations? If I am to set boundaries for my spouse, my children, my roommate, my friends, or anyone that would cohabitate with me, how do I communicate those boundaries?

With people it is a little different only because they analyze. People can decide if those boundaries are within their willingness and continue a course accordingly.

Dogs can’t analyze! Dogs are only reactive. Plus, dogs don’t have much of a choice nor do they have a voice. In other words, they have a language and understanding of their own, what gets them attention is what they think they should be doing.

Clients often tell me that their dog plays favorites in their household. Over the past 13 years training dogs I have learned it is not that the dog loves one person over the other. The dog wants to be around the person they understand the best.

In other words, it comes down to two simple things: Structure & Consistency.

The person that creates rules and is the most consistent with those rules is the one the dog wants to be with because they understand them better. In the member area of this website I go into much more detail about what structure is and how we, without even knowing it, are very inconsistent with that structure.

Or, on the other hand, we are very consistent at sending the wrong message.

Structure & Consistency

Structure is rules; Consistency is how well we abide by these rules and continue to follow the rules no matter what the situation. These are the two very basic things we have to communicate clearly with our dog and the more consistent you are the less likely your dog is going to test the boundaries.

If you have a behavior that is going on and you just can’t seem to ‘fix’ it, ultimately it is on you. What are you doing that the dog does not understand? Even worse, what are you doing that reinforces the behavior? The latter is the case over 90% of the time.

These are the core reasons to train: Structure & Consistency. When we learn to communicate appropriately we learn that dogs love rules (really no different than children) and when we are consistent with those rules, the boundaries are tested less and less.

Obedience is defined as the willingness to obey. When a dog knows and understands the rules (structure) they are much more willing to obey. When a dog knows and understands that the rules will always be the same (consistency), they are less likely to test the boundaries.

If you are here, reading this letter, scanning this website, then you are a part of this ever-changing dog-loving, family fusion. With all of these changes going on, we need to change how we communicate now. If your dog is to be a happy, integrated family member, then you have to take the time, and take the responsibility, to create a wonderful member of the family.

This website is designed to work at your level of communication. For the beginner we have many free avenues for you to learn basic lessons to start the process for basic structure and consistency. We build on that in every aspect of making your dog a great part of your family, thus fusing your dog and your family together to create one great entity.

As you gain knowledge and want to further improve on the basics you have learned we have much more in-depth training, in the member’s area. Through video, audio, and all the way to personal consultations from a professional trainer and behavior expert (in the training section of the website) you can learn as much as you are willing.

Building blocks! With my clients, the more they understand about communicating with their dog, the tougher I get. I can get down to the nitty-gritty details and I love to do that when a client really takes off and wants to have a fabulous dog. And yet, I can just stick to the basics, and the client can still have a wonderful relationship and create a strong bond with their dog, as well. It is up to you and it is my goal to have a website that reaches every level training and understanding.

Good Luck & Enjoy,

Bennie Copeland

Founder Club Canine of Nashville
Co-Founder CK9 Media, LLC