Why I Don't Teach "Watch Me," How to Use a Dog Treat Pouch, and More Questions Answered #96

If you have ever wondered why I don’t teach my dogs to “watch me”, how I end a training session, or my thoughts on treat bags, today is the day. I’m answering some of your popular dog training questions! We’re also looking at how to avoid puppies chewing up their beds and training dogs who don’t like food or toys.
In the episode you'll hear:
• Why I have attention from my dogs without training “watch me” or “look at me”.
• How “watch me” can be misused and why that reinforces what you don’t want.
• When I wear a bait pouch, why I don’t use one too often, and where I keep treats.
• How to avoid a puppy chewing up a bed and the protocol I use with my puppies.
• About reinforcement and training dogs who don’t like food or toys.
• How to build excitement and value for food for dogs.
• How I end a training session with my dogs.
• Why I think of training as relationship building and deepening the bond with my dogs.
• How dog training relates to conversations we have with people.
Resources:
Podcast Episode 42: Behavior Chains: Are You Teaching Your Dog to be Bad to be Good? - • Behavior Chains: Are Y...
Learn the ItsYerChoice Game - recallers.com/...
Podcast Episode 89: Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed - • Why Dogs Should Not Tu...
Podcast Episode 92: Avoid This Big Mistake When Feeding Your Dog - • Avoid This Big Mistake...
Podcast Episode 59: Why Your Treats Aren’t Working for Your Dog - • Why Your Treats Aren’t...
Podcast Episode 90: Premack, Dog Training and Transfer of Value - • Premack, Dog Training ...
The Trainer's Pouch: Silicone Treat Bag -
thetrainerspou...
P.S. Subscribe to our KZbin Channel so you get notifications of new videos!
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Dogs That is brought to you by Susan Garrett and the Say Yes Dog Training Team.
Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behaviour started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Science. Since then she has developed into a preeminent dog trainer and canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last three decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years.
A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is world renowned as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply science-based learning principles to both competitive and family pet dog training has been pivotal in changing how dogs are trained.
Susan is now helping many thousands of dog owners in 132 countries have the best relationship possible with their dogs. The real joy for her comes from bringing confidence to dogs and their owner through playful interactions and relationship building games that are grounded firmly in the science of how animals learn.
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[@nanettelai1525]

The towel in a crate reminds me of a (now) funny story of a patient. One of the vets had to do foreign body surgery on the dog because he had a history of eating random things. Because the owners were going away, the vets actually made arrangements for him to be boarded at the local 24 hour hospital. When he went over there, he ate 3 towels in the kennel and they had to open him up again there...

[@kathleencollins884]

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting of my 30+ years of having dogs. I trained them with the knowledge I had at the time. I went into the military after high school. I got two dogs when I got my own house. I was militant about how they were trained, when they were train and where they were trained. Everything was very predictable and super scheduled. After ten years in the military I went into the education and psychology field. I taught a self-contained class of students with severe behavior problems. In college I learned about behavior modification and used that with my students and later with my dogs. The dogs that I had in later years were looking to me for guidance while my previous dogs looked to avoid being punished. I had a saying I used while teaching, “Better praised than punished better punished than ignored.” Punishment is reinforcing. I taught the kids to act out to get my attention. I had to come up with better ways for the kids to get their needs met. When I moved to Florida in 1999, I started working for my certification in behavior analysis. Positive reinforcement and behaviors shaping changed the way I trained my dogs. I got much better and quicker results with dogs who were calmer in all places and not just in front of me. I recently got a new puppy. I’m training her with the games I learned from your videos. I can’t get enough of these videos. I’m loving playing the games with my new puppy, Shy, and Shy can’t wait for “DogTime.” Thank you for your insight and humorous teaching style.

[@jodieklum3464]

I’d love to hear more about no excited greetings and separation anxiety. I have a 12 week old puppy who LOVES everyone. The only time she pulls on leash is when she sees people she wants to greet.

[@TeeyaMareeya]

Some great tips here, thanks so much :) I could listen to your podcasts all day, they are my absolute favourite. I love your passion and your way of explaining things, you do it in such a way where you educate, but don't patronize. It feels like having a conversation with a friend :) Thanks for being a friend through lockdown :)

[@pubculture]

All that and a great sense of humor. Thank you again ❤️

[@dogsrgodsspelledbackwards3340]

Awesome Susan. Full stop. Just plain awesome. That’s it. You’re awesome. I love your videos. This Q & A was a nice opportunity for viewers to ask anything,, and get some really good help.

[@suzannehauser5850]

That last question's answer cracked me up. I waited the whole podcast to hear it!! So simple....and here I was worried I was doing something wrong. Love you Susan...you are so helpful!

[@sarahr4538]

About not teaching "watch me" - You mention that you use "target" for competitive dog obedience. Can you elaborate on how you do that please? Watching the video clip, I see your hand across your tummy, where we are supposed to have it. Do you have the dog target that hand while standing? You aren't luring are you, having a treat in that pocket, correct? Your reasons why not to target, or potentials issues that could come up, are brilliant. Thank you!

[@ionicamermaid1141]

Just wanted to say thank you for all the content you are putting out there and that I am amazed how much you motivated me! Got to know you through KZbin this year and started homeschool the dogs because I wasn't sure if recallers was worth spending "so much money" but now that I have it I know it's worth every penny! And I might even renew it next year as there is so much breathtakingly awesome content! I am really grateful to have found you, your content and not to forget your team that is doing a brilliant job! My dogs and I have improved in less than two weeks more than in the last several months! Can't wait to see more progress 😃😃😃

[@AnnainAwe]

Thanks for using my inquiry for #2 🤗

[@heathergallilee6161]

My Q- Do you recommend or use supplements for your dogs that may help them with anxiety or worries? I have to look back to review the podcast you did about what you feed your dogs - that may give me some info.

[@TeeyaMareeya]

Would you be able to touch on moments of communication? I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense, but I've heard you can not reinforce fear by giving affection, however in other circumstances you can reinforce an undesirable behaviour by communicating with your dog at the wrong times. Would you possibly be able to touch on the differences? I hope this made sense lol

[@nancyhooper1742]

Great podcast as always and I always end with Break then do something different and leave room or area❤️❤️❤️❤️⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@azogal53]

Thanks Susan. Lots to think about as I think I need help rewarding more appropriately (way too easy to just chuck cookies). Will watch again!🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

[@amandazayonce5015]

Another great podcast Susan :-) I have a question about dog food. I'm not exactly sure why you're vegan, but if it has anything to do with animal welfare (which I imagine is for sure part of it) what do you feed your dogs and where do you get your raw dog food from? I myself follow a plant based diet for animal welfare reasons (along with many others) and am struggling with feeding my dogs an optimal diet for their health (they are on raw food now) that is also both sustainable and compassionate. Can dogs eat just a vegetarian diet and be healthy? I've seen companies in Vancouver working with vets creating meals and saying yes they can, but I'm not sure. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work and thank you kindly.

[@katherinecollmer1094]

Hi, good podcast. I was wondering, though, about growing the love for toys like you’ve grown the love for food. I’d like to hear more about that aspect. Win will do almost anything for food but toys are “meh” for him. I’d like to transfer some value to them so that I don’t always have to have food on me in order to play with him or have him offer behaviors when we are not at home. Any suggestions? As, always, thank you so much for sharing you expertise with us!

[@DogsThat]

Katherine, revisit the foundations of "Growing the Tug Value". This would be an excellent question to ask in Recallers, so we can help you one on one.

[@dove2021]

How do you keep your dogs from biting your hands when playing tug? My lab gets so excited and tends to re-grip the tug toy and occasionally will get my hand. I can tell she isn’t intentionally because she immediately loosens and moves away from my hand but it’s happening more than I feel it should and occasionally even though she immediately moves off my hand, it still hurts.

[@DogsThat]

Hi Sheela, there are tips to help in this video for puppy biting (applies to pups of all ages) - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp6uhqltpbaMh7c

[@paulanourse5346]

Hey what do you feed if you don’t feed kibble? I feed raw and I have a hard time finding good treats to use for training.

[@DogsThat]

Hi Paula, here's a video to help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpvMkoKvlM6Kr9k

[@sutamaagusdogtrainer]

Good morning ma'am, today I ask, there is a dog that is 1 year old, trained to use food, does not want to use toys, does not want to, what should we do

[@DogsThat]

Hi @sutamaagus_ dogtrainer the episode on "Premack, Dog Training and Transfer of Value" is a good one to watch to help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZa3l4BsfJJqd6M

[@ldavis-henry5065]

I kind of understand your explanation of why you don’t do the “watch me”. I have watched all of your podcasts several times and have been training my dogs for over 10 yrs following some other great trainers on utube, and some classes. So not a newbie. But I still don’t understand something you said on another podcast. That you want the dog to be focused and looking at distraction ie food on floor and not at you. Then you say their name, dog looks at you and then you release. I have played what you refer to as it’s your choice for yrs, every day in many situations. My dog looks at me if I throw food or toys etc on ground, until I release him. I am struggling with now asking him to look at distraction just so I can then say his name to redirect and Release. What am I missing here?

[@JennyYasi]

It took me a while to understand this, but there are two parts I understand. One is, when a dog is working we need the dog to focus on the work (whether that's the next agility obstacle, or the scent trail the dog is tracking). So the dog is learning to be responsive to the handler even when the dog is focused on work. And two is, if the dog is focused on a distraction, he sees a squirrel or chipmunk, we want him to be able to respond to us even when he's looking at something exciting.

[@DogsThat]

Hi @L Davis - Henry the video about "How to Train Your Dog to Leave It with No Command" has some helpful foundations: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXitnJmogs-YaM0

[@ldavis-henry5065]

Thanks. I have watched the video several times but still it doesn’t click for me. I have a dog who will look at distraction of food or cat etc. then he will look at me as if to say “ I am being a good boy and not giving in to this temptation. So what I am hearing Susan say is that this is not good enough. She wants the dog to stare at distraction and only come off it when she says their name, dog looks at her, she rewards. Dog looks back at distraction and she releases. I don’t know how to get my dog to go back and stare at distraction. Maybe I need a cue like say “focus”? I get it that if he was man trailing or other sports you would want the dog to focus ahead. But for food, cat, squirrel etc.? and I do some kind of IYC every day inside and on our walks - for yrs with all my dogs

[@JennyYasi]

@@ldavis-henry5065 So these are games YOU set up, the dog didn't set these games up, to prepare your dog for every day challenges. So, my dog has become accustomed to associating something valuable with me, knowing that I reward self control around valuable things. These games grow, so later in the Recallers' program, there are more advanced levels of its yer choice, where you release the dog to the item you asked him to stare at and then you change your mind, and cue a wait, and sit down stand. This becomes conditioned strongly enough so that if my dog is staring at a chipmunk, or if I throw a ball, I can cue him to go sniff it or get it, and change my mind and cue him to come when called. In your training sessions, the idea is to condition the dog so that he is listening and ready to respond to your cues even if he is staring at a cat. Saying a word (like focus) doesn't influence behavior, it's the placement of the reinforcement that influences behavior, and the cue is simply an association that helps the dog understand when the reinforcement is available. So the IYC game are all scenarios that you set up and practiced so your dog will be conditioned, when he sees something interested, to be expecting a valuable cue from you. It sounds to me like your dog is cueing you, and finding things to look at and then asking you for reinforcement? In that situation, you don't need the dog to stare at the trigger (unless you are teaching the dog to alert you to something), as you are getting exactly the behavior you want.

[@JennyYasi]

You haven't had a hole chewed in your pocket? You think that's the IYC game that teaches that, or the not-leaving-pants-with-food-in-pocket-dumped-on-floor?

[@RaptorsGirl]

Um, you are implying I tidy :) #NotSoMuch #WellTrainedDogs #IYCForTheWin