Can I Train My Dog? Expert Answers for New Pet Parents

Can I Train My Dog? Expert Answers for New Pet Parents

By: Taylor Heid

Google Search bar image with commonly asked questions about training a dog listed below. 

Whether you are bringing home a new pup or looking to train a current pet, these are some of the most frequently asked questions that might be running through your mind (and Google’s search bar!). While you may find some answers you are looking for on the internet, they may not always be the most accurate. There is no perfect answer AI can generate in 30 seconds for you, and the experts’ answer might not be the one you are expecting… 

Let’s take a look at the most general question: “Can I train my dog?” You might have different variations of this question such as “How hard is it to train a dog?” or “How long will it take to train my dog?” and so on.

Well, it depends! Each training plan, session, and progress is going to depend on the dog themselves. Factors like the dog’s personality, their genetic breed, and their environment are all going to play a part in what their training looks like. 

Your silly and goofy teenage dog might be eager to learn, happy to eat treats, and could thrive with a more structured training plan. Whereas a shy or nervous pup might need some time to open up and gain confidence to start building a stronger bond with their human first. 

A border collie who was bred for herding and lives on the farm is going to need a significantly different training approach than your family’s toy poodle lap dog. Each of their humans are also going to have different goals for these pups. 

Some dogs might do great in a group class and enjoy the socialization aspect of it, while others might need to utilize private lessons for more one-on-one time with less stimulation and distractions. 

Not all humans learn the same and neither do dogs! While this isn’t the quickest and easiest answer to grasp, once you take the time to understand your dog’s needs I promise you will have more success in the long run. 

All this to say - there is no one size fits all answer when it comes to training your dog. That’s why turning to the experts is a no brainer. At Summit® Dog Training, we always take a customized approach when creating our training programs. While the group class curriculum might be decided ahead of time, our trainers are always modifying the material and methods to best suit the needs of students in the class. In our private lessons program, we consider each owner’s input and goals, and our trainers bring their expertise in dog knowledge to find the best route to achieve the desired results. 

It might not be the most satisfying answer, but when asking the right questions to get started on your dog training journey, it truly does depend! 

Summit® Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog! If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Dream Walks With Your Puppy

Dream Walks With Your Puppy!

By Shay Cline

Oftentimes when we bring home a new puppy we have a lot of dreams about taking them for long strolls on our favorite trails or around the neighborhood. Some folks may already have a great walking routine down with adult dogs in the family and are eager for the new addition to dive right in. This may not always go as smoothly as we hope for a few reasons. Puppies run out of gas quickly and still have a lot of development to do physically and mentally. This often leads to one of several common behavior struggles on a walk. 

• Puppy stops walking and refuses to move

• Puppy begins frantically biting their leash, your legs, ect.

• Zoomies!

• Inability to pass distractions calmly and/or confidently

It is important for puppies of all sizes to learn good leash skills! This includes the basic concept of how to follow along with a human while on leash. We also want to start teaching your puppy that the leash is associated with lots of fun adventures and shouldn’t be scary or frustrating. Learning these vital leash skills often looks very different from just going for a walk, like we may do with an older dog. 

Here is a guide of how to keep expectations accurate based on your puppy’s age:

8-16 Weeks:

• Keep sustained leash walking practice to very short busts. Puppies in this age range should have lots of opportunities to just explore the environment at their own pace. You’re there with your handy leash to keep them safe and out of trouble. Think of it more as a safety net than a steering wheel!

• Stop if your puppy stops, and try to end sessions before or as soon as you notice any signs of fatigue.

• Roughly 10 minutes of exploring at puppies pace in addition to maybe 2-3 minutes of any formal training.

4-6 Months:

• We can begin to gradually increase the duration of adventures as the puppy’s stamina increases, but sustained walking (especially on sidewalks or other hard surfaces) should still be kept to short sessions.

6-12 Months: 

• Puppies begin to enter adolescence. With this comes a big increase in stamina, but it is also common for puppies in this age range to struggle a lot with self control and focus. Your puppy may become more sensitive to exciting distractions such as wildlife, people, or other dogs. 

• Emotional shifts are big and can happen quickly! Adolescent dogs are sensitive and can quickly become overstimulated or stressed, leading to pulling, lunging, excessive hunting behaviors, and more!

• Place a big emphasis at this phase on sniffing, enrichment, and low-arousal play for exercise. Adjust training sessions as needed to keep them fun and successful. 

Starting a puppy leash walking routine is crucial for setting them up to be successful for those strolls in the neighborhood or hiking on your favorite trails that you dream of long-term. If you need some guidance or help along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out to Summit or sign up for our puppy and adolescent classes to create solid foundational skills on the leash!

Owner walks a black puppy on a leash in Old Town Fort Collins

Summit Has a New Home!

Summit Has a New Home!

By Taylor Heid

Have you heard the news? Summit Dog Training has a new home! We are ready to grow and continue to serve our community even better. 

We have been a bit sentimental looking back at where we’ve been and where we’re going. Take a look with us!

Summit Dog Training’s history timeline from 2015 to 2024.

Summit’s new facility is located at 2906 E. Mulberry Street, Fort Collins, CO 80254

You can find more information and directions on our website to our new Adventure Base Camp!

Thank you to those who have followed us every step of the way. Whether you have been here since the beginning or are new to our community, we couldn’t have done this without your support!

Cheers to a new adventure!

Puzzle Me, Please! - Part 4

Puzzle Me, Please! - Part 4

By Taylor Heid

We get asked all the time what toys we would recommend to keep dogs busy at home! Our last blog post about different enrichment toys for pups was back in 2019 on DIY projects at home. Previously, we also posted Part 1 and Part 2 blogs on our store-bought suggestions. However, store-bought enrichment toys have taken off in the last 5 years with more creativity and a focus on dog behavior. Did you know sniffing and licking is a calming behavior for our dogs? So not only can we keep them busy, but now we can help them in facilitating self-regulation through encouraging these natural behaviors. 

There are so many options that it can be overwhelming to know how to choose which type of toy will be best for your dog! We recommend first looking at what your dog seems to enjoy, both with their current toys and in their natural self-soothing behaviors.  If your dog had their choice of activities, do you think they would most like licking, working at an interesting food puzzle, sniffing, or chewing? 

For example, I observed that my dog, Riley, had been licking frequently in the evenings. She was displacing this need onto inappropriate items (her fur/paws or furniture!). Once I realized licking can be a self-soothing behavior I jumped on the internet to find some licking toys to help transfer this behavior to more appropriate items that would serve the self-soothing purpose even better!

It can take a little trial and error to discover what toys serve your dog’s needs best and which they enjoy the most. Don’t get discouraged! The most important thing to consider is what gives your dog the most benefit on top of some fun.

Here is our updated list of enrichment toys that get the thumbs up:

These are affiliate links. Summit does receive a small “kickback” if you purchase via the links below, at no additional cost to you.

Lickables

Licking is a natural calming behavior. Toys that encourage licking can be great to cure boredom and simultaneously help your dog regulate their many emotions! Here are two different toys that promote calming licking behaviors.

LickiMats - There are so many to choose from! They can serve many different purposes, such as adding a suction cup for baths. Collect them all! Here are one and two examples.

Pupsicles -  These can be more of an upfront investment, but I think worth it for the long run. I am enjoying how easy it is to make the pupsicle treats at home. You can buy pre-made ones for ease, but you can also create your own with the treat tray to accommodate allergies and make low calorie treats for everyday use. Here is the most popular pupsicle on the market by Woof. 

Feeders

New designs of feeder bowls are coming out constantly. I think it is fun to have different designs so when your dog has mastered one, you can switch it up to keep them stimulated. Here is one from Outward Hound I am excited about. It is definitely on my wish list for Riley, as she could use a new challenge. 

We have always been a big fan of SodaPup’s durable treat dispensing toys (we even keep them in stock in our training room)! Recently, SodaPup has come out with a whole new collection of feeder bowls. They have created many new intricate designs, but the cool thing is these bowls can also be used for other activities, similar to the lick mats. Make sure to check out their instagram for so many ideas! And a bonus: they are from Boulder, Colorado! Here are some of my favorite new designs: Honeycomb & Great Outdoors 

Tip: If you aren’t sure what to fill your food-based enrichment toys with, there are many store bought options. Check out your local pet store for squeeze pouches or other pre-made dog treats made specifically for filling enrichment toys. You can also look for dog-friendly recipes online, or keep it simple with just some kibble in a layer of water and freeze it! Freezing all your treats is a great way to up the difficulty of a toy and make it last longer!

Sniffing Toys:

You may remember when snuffle mats started taking off around the pandemic. These were crafty DIY options for stuck at home play. If you aren’t familiar, a snuffle mat is anything that encourages sniffing behaviors (another naturally calming behavior). At first, this was commonly done through fabric in fun designs to hide the treats in. They were such a big hit that they have become more commonly manufactured. Here are a few examples of how snuffle mats are being taken to the next level: Themed Mat & Roll-Up Snuffle

Chewing toys:

Lastly, we have the classic chewing toys. Benebone has taken the lead for me when it comes to chewing toy brands. Just when you thought there couldn’t be any more designs, they consistently come out with new shapes and flavors to keep it interesting for dogs. I personally really appreciate that Benebone provides unique flavors, which helps my allergy dog who can’t have the typical dog flavors; like chicken, beef, and pork. Here is Riley’s current favorite from Benebone, but make sure to browse all their new bones: Fishbone

It is important to evaluate the difficulty of toys your dog needs. Some toys come with varying difficulty levels, like puzzles. Start with level 1 and work your way up to prevent frustration. Even if your dog masters level 1 immediately, it will still give them the confidence to keep at it when the difficulty is raised. Always observe your dog with a new toy to ensure they are playing with it appropriately and safely. 

The point of all these toys is to enrich your dog in different ways (encourage being calm or using brain power as a form of exercise), and it is a bonus that your dog stays occupied and distracted. We also recommend sitting with your dog while they are playing and having fun for a great bonding opportunity too! 

Did we miss any of your favorites on the list? Tell us in the comments! 

Happy puzzling!

Expanded Safety Routines at Summit Dog Training

Expanded Safety Routines at Summit Dog Training

At Summit Dog Training, we care about you and your dog’s health and wellness. Whether we’re supporting your dog with behavior modification or giving your puppy a positive start, health and wellness is very important to us! This awareness extends to your dog or puppy’s physical wellness. As you may have heard, there have been some increased cases of a severe canine upper respiratory virus reported along the Front Range. In light of this news, we are expanding our cleaning and sanitizing steps to ensure safety and wellbeing. In this piece, we’re going to specifically discuss the additional steps we are taking to keep our facility clean and safe. To learn more about our baseline cleaning routine, click here to read Our Facility Cleaning Routines for Puppy Wellness. 

In response to the virus in the Front Range community, we are implementing the additional steps below in an effort to do everything we can to mitigate the risks to your dogs when they visit our facility.  

• More Frequent Disinfection: We have increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting all common areas, training equipment, and high-touch surfaces from daily to multiple times per day between classes. This includes door handles, training props, classroom dividers, and other items that come into contact with multiple dogs.

• Individual Training Equipment: Whenever possible, we will provide individual training props for each dog, minimizing the sharing of items between different animals. This includes toys, training props like targets and platforms, and any other materials used during training sessions. We have eliminated the beloved sniff-boxes and soft toys from our class routines, as these cannot be easily disinfected between uses. We are encouraging our students to BYO sniff box or snuffle mat to your class or lesson for the time being.

• Health Screenings: As always, we kindly ask that if your dog is exhibiting any signs of illness, such as coughing, sneezing, or nasal discharge, please refrain from attending any classes or lessons until they have fully recovered. We will work with you to find suitable makeup options for you!  If your dog is approaching or past their due date for their Bordetella vaccination booster, we recommend scheduling this with your veterinarian.

• Increased Staff Awareness: Our staff members are trained to recognize signs of illness in dogs and will be vigilant in monitoring all participants in our services for any potential symptoms. If any concerns arise, appropriate action will be taken to safeguard the health of all dogs in attendance.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time. These measures are intended to create a safe and secure environment for your dogs to the best of our ability. We encourage you to seek advice from your veterinary team as well!  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Summit team.

Thank you for your continued trust in Summit Dog Training. Together, we can work towards maintaining a healthy and happy community for our beloved four-legged friends.

Camping With Your Dog

Camping With Your Dog

Now that the leaves have turned, the bugs are gone, and the temperature is cooling, we’re all itching to get the dog, grab the tent and head up to the mountains! Camping with your dog is tons of fun and full of adventure. Many of the same skills that our dogs need to be successful while living in our homes also apply to camping, with the added difficulty of being out in an exciting environment with extra distractions and fewer management options than we have at our disposal in our homes. Below you will find tips to set your dog up for success as you enjoy all that nature has to offer this fall. 

Teach a stationary “Settle” behavior! This behavior is useful in many different contexts, but especially in a camping setting. Having a reliable “Settle” cue helps to keep your dog out of the way of the camp stove while you’re cooking dinner, settle next to the fire, and gives them a clear spot to be in the tent while you get ready for bed at the end of the night. Check out this video playlist for instructions on how to get started on this skill with your dog! Remember to start in an easy environment and build up the difficulty from there.

Practice sleeping outside ahead of your first full camping trip. For dogs that are used to sleeping inside quiet houses, we have to remember that transitioning to sleeping outdoors in a tent or camper can come with a lot of extra little noises and smells. If you have the option to do so, try a test run close to home for your dog’s first outdoor sleeping experience. Make sure your dog has had plenty of exercise and is ready for bed before getting into the tent. When it’s time to get into the tent together, provide a designated sleeping space that is similar to where they might sleep inside your home (this is where you settle training comes in!). You may not always need to bring their big cushy dog bed along for your camping adventures, but especially for their first tent experience, we want to help them clearly understand that sleeping is the primary activity when inside the tent.

Teach your dog that people appearing suddenly is a cue to check in with you. Whether you are camping in a dispersed area or a busy campground, it’s important for your dog to calmly accept people and other dogs walking past your campsite. A barking dog can be an unpleasant surprise to anyone walking past, as well as yourself! With a little bit of proactive practice, you can help your dog be prepared for sudden visitors by teaching them that these are good experiences for them! Start by teaching your dog that when something happens in their environment, it is an opportunity to come and get a treat from you. Start this in an environment like the far end of a grocery store parking lot with your dog on-leash. When your dog sees someone walk into their field of view, give them a treat. Repeat this until your dog assumes that someone appearing suddenly is usually an opportunity to get something good from you! Then you can take this on the road and practice on hikes, at campsites, or any other environment you might find yourself in. Gradually build up the difficulty so that even if your dog is startled by a surprise hiker on an otherwise deserted backcountry campsite, they’re ready to reconnect with you quickly!

Ready to continue learning about camping with your dog? Click here for our Camping with Dogs Webinar! This webinar is taught by dog behavior and training experts who regularly camp with their dogs, and have coached many other teams to camping success. If you want additional support for you and your dog, we offer in-person Group Classes and Private Lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, and virtual coaching right in the comfort of your home. 

Separation Anxiety

Separation Anxiety

By Benah Stiewing

Separation Anxiety is a brutal behavior to experience for both you and your dog. Separation anxiety refers to a group of behaviors a dog will exhibit when left alone, from panting and pacing to ripping holes in the walls. For some dogs, their stress is relatively mild and you may not even realize your dog has anxiety around you leaving. But for others, separation anxiety can make everyday practices extremely difficult, like grocery shopping and going to work. 

From the mildest case to the most severe, separation anxiety as a disorder has one underlying commonality: Panic. Your dog isn’t acting out of spite, they aren’t annoyed about your absence, and they aren't trying to punish you for going shopping without them. They are so panicked about being left alone that they can't control themself.

Imagine this scenario. You are driving through a green light, as casually as you like, minding your own business. Suddenly a car comes flying through the opposing red light, right at you. You slam on your brakes. The car swerves, misses you by a hair's breadth, and then proceeds to speed away. Sitting there, gasping, you notice your heart racing; your hands shake a little. Now ask yourself this: In the moment the car hurled toward you, could you have willed yourself to relax? Could you have ordered your heart not to pound? Of course not. You don’t have control over the panic that overtakes your body in a situation like that, nobody does. The brain floods the body with adrenaline to trigger its emergency response. 

If you have a dog with separation anxiety, this is what they go through each and every time they are left alone. However illogical, excessive and disconnected from the reality of the situation that response is. Like us, dogs form strong social bonds, which is why the typical symptoms displayed with separation anxiety are those a dog would use to avoid being separated from their family: vocalizing, pacing, scratching, and Houdini-type escape attempts. These symptoms can bring about numerous problems, like complaints from neighbors, costly bills for destroyed property and frightening phone calls about your dog being loose in the neighborhood.

Your dog can’t just “get a grip” on their separation anxiety, but they can get better. How? In time, through a type of training called desensitization, your dog will learn that absences need not be a reason to panic. Desensitization refers to the act of changing a learner’s emotional response to one stimulus by pairing it with the emotional response of a different stimulus. In order to do this, we need to break down the behavior of your dog being alone into much smaller steps. We call these steps the Pre-Departure Routine. We systematically change your dog’s emotional response to these behaviors and then slowly build them together to create the entire behavior chain of leaving your dog alone. This process takes lots of time and dedication, but most dogs are able to make a full recovery from their separation anxiety. 

While we’ve provided a light introduction into separation anxiety training, there is so much more to learn! If you have a dog who doesn’t have separation anxiety but you want to be proactive, consider watching Separation Anxiety Prevention Training Starts Now! This pre-recorded webinar follows our CEO, Amber, as she raises her puppy with separation anxiety prevention in mind. If you want additional support for you and your dog, consider working with a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT). Trainers with the CSAT credential are highly trained to support your dog recover from separation anxiety. This training generally occurs virtually, since there is no added benefit to in-person work when focusing on separation anxiety. Our top CSAT referrals are Beth Friedman with Canine Companion Consulting & Jackie Johnston with Believe in Your Dog.  If your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, we strongly recommend reaching out to one of these excellent professionals for private training. We don’t currently have a CSAT trainer on our training team, but if you’d like to meet with us first to get our perspective on your dog’s case before seeing a specialist, we’d be happy to support you in a virtual consultation - just email us at admin@summitdogtraining.com to set up! 

Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!  If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Cooperative Care

Cooperative Care

By Benah Stiewing

Just like us, there are certain activities your dog has to do even though they may be difficult, or sometimes painful. For humans, we may not enjoy going to the doctor but we can rationalize why it’s worth getting poked and prodded. For our dogs, going to the vet can be terribly confusing at best and traumatizing at worst. It’s not uncommon for your normally friendly and easy-going dog to develop fear or reactivity when they visit the veterinarian. As positive-reinforcement trainers, a trip to the vet can be especially destabilizing to our dogs who are used to feeling heard and advocated for. Enter, cooperative care! 

Originally started in zoos and animal parks as a way to care for and treat large, often dangerous animals, cooperative care is the method of training an animal to not only tolerate physical actions and manipulations, but to actively consent to such behaviors. This method is rooted in autonomy and the positive effects of choice. We teach our dog that they have full control over what happens to their physical body in a certain context. There are times, like an emergency medical scenario, where your dog may need to be fully restrained and sedated for a medical procedure and does not experience any autonomy, but this is entirely separate from the context of cooperative care training. You can use cooperative care training for:

• Blood draws

• Vaccines

• Physical inspections

• Nail trims

• Teeth brushing

• And more!

Sounds great, right? Let’s get started! First, you need to build your context of choice. You need to teach your dog how they can opt in and opt out of training by teaching your dog a stationary behavior! If you aren’t familiar with teaching that behavior, click here for an instructional video. Once you have trained your stationary behavior, we are going to use being on the mat as a way to opt-in to the training goal at hand. If your dog is on the mat, they are consenting to the behavior you are practicing. When they leave the mat, they are saying no. If at any point your dog leaves the mat during a training session, you must respect that choice and not encourage them to come back on. Remember that cooperative care is about autonomy, so it’s imperative that you honor your dog’s choices and allow them autonomy. 

After building an environment of choice, cooperative care breaks down a behavior (like nail trims) into many much smaller steps. Let’s explore nail trims as an example of how cooperative care works! Below we have broken down the act of trimming a dog’s nails. Please keep in mind that this is just an example and you may need to modify the steps/progression for your own dog. 

1. Hand moves towards dog’s head

2. Hand touches dog’s foot

3. Hand grasps dog’s foot

4. Hand grasps dog’s foot for 3 seconds

5. Hand grasps dog’s foot for 5 seconds

6. Hand grasps dog’s foot for 10 seconds

7. Go back to step 1, with the clippers present in the space (at a distance where your dog notices them but isn’t in a state of fear). 

1. Repeat steps 1-6 with the clippers in the space.

2. Continue repeating steps 1-6 at each stage of the clippers moving closer to you and your dog. Once the clippers are within reach of your body, move on to step 8.

8. While one hand is grasping foot, the other hand picks up clippers

9. Hand holding clippers moves dog’s foot

10. Clippers touch dog’s foot

11. Nail is placed in the clipper

12. Clipper is closed around the nail

13. This cycle continues for each toe. 

That’s a fairly complex set of behaviors, and we need to desensitize our dog to each step in that process. The general rule is 15-20 successful repetitions per step before moving on to the next. Remember, this is a general outline and you may need more or less steps depending on your dog’s overall comfortability with nail trims. 

While we’ve provided a deep dive into using cooperative care for nail trims, there are so many more possibilities for this training method, like baths and haircuts! If you want to start cooperative care with your dog but aren’t sure where to begin, consider enrolling in Cooperative Care for Better Veterinary & Grooming Visits! This 3-week virtual class is bursting with information, presented through recorded lectures, written instructions, and demonstration videos. If you want additional support for you and your dog, we offer in-person Private Lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado and Chatham, New York, and virtual coaching right in the comfort of your home.

Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!  If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Counter Surfing

Counter Surfing

By Benah Stiewing

Counter surfing is so much fun... for your dog! Dogs typically counter-surf for two simple reasons - it's interesting, which enriches their daily life, AND it often pays off with some high value rewards! However fun this behavior is for our dogs, it's typically not something we want them to practice in our homes. Not only is this hazardous for your food and other objects on your counter-tops, it can also be dangerous for your dog if they were to find & consume something unsafe. Below you will find enrichment, management, and training tips to prevent counter surfing and provide your dog with alternative behaviors that are safe and simple. 

Because dogs often choose counter-surfing as a fun activity when they are bored and don't have other, more positive outlets, we have to consider enrichment as a key part of our behavior modification plan for counter-surfing. When considering your dog's enrichment needs, you have to take into account your dog's age, breed, & preferred activity level. A dog with a high drive for hunting and working will be getting a lot of mental benefits from their counter-surfing routine, and we need to be ready to replace that with appropriate outlets instead!

Easy Enrichment Activities:

• Do training games or food puzzles for many of your dog's regular meals.

• Keep a freezer full of frozen Kongs & other stuffable toys for a regular mental exercise when your dog needs it!

• Teach your dog sniffing games on the ground, like find the treat or the toy.

• Add in some extra walks, runs, hikes, or other physical activities to your dog's weekly routine.

• Click here to view our recommended enrichment items & food puzzles!

Management is an essential piece of resolving counter-surfing behavior. If your dog is able to regularly practice getting up on the counters, and subsequently receives reinforcement (even in the form of a tiny little crumb of food), then they are likely going to continue to exhibit this very functional behavior. While we are working on replacing counter-surfing with better behaviors, we need to restrict our dogs' access to areas that have counters when we aren't around to supervise and redirect.

Even when we are around to supervise, sometimes our attention can be divided (i.e. cooking

dinner) and our counter-surfers can use that opportunity to sneak a tasty snack. Having a good management plan in place can help prevent that from happening! In practice, this could look like: 

• Use baby gates or exercise pens to keep your dog out of the kitchen when unsupervised.

• Keep food away in the pantry, cabinets, and/or refrigerator. 

• Avoid leaving food on the counter as much as possible. 

• When in the kitchen cooking, use tethering to keep your dog restricted to certain areas. 

• You can either tether your dog to your waist so you can supervise closely, or pick a nearby doorknob. 

The training game below is as simple as it sounds! We want to teach your dog that it’s more reinforcing to have all four feet on the floor. Through the enrichment and management techniques we discuss above, we’ve already made sure that your dog won’t ever be reinforcing for jumping on the counter. Now, we want them to learn what is reinforcing!

Four Paws on the Floor: 

• In your kitchen or other counter-surfing area, watch your dog and look for times when they have four paws on the floor. Mark and reward, then keep watching. Do they raise their nose up towards the counter surface, but keep their paws on the floor? Mark and reward! 

• If your dog struggles to even keep all four feet on the floor, you can ask your dog for a sit when they approach the counter. 

• Remember, we want to prevent the behavior, so ask them for a sit before they have begun to jump on the counter.

• You can add in mild distractions on the counter-top (think baby carrots or something else dog-safe) as your dog is ready!

Do you need extra support with your dog’s counter-surfing behavior? We’re here for you! If you want additional support for you and your dog, we offer in-person Group Classes and Private Lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado and Chatham, New York, and virtual coaching right in the comfort of your home. As you work through your dog’s counter-surfing, it’s vital to remember that your dog is simply being a dog and working to access what is reinforcing - the more we can understand this and pay our dogs well for desired behavior, the better we may serve our dogs.

Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!  If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Consent Petting

Consent Petting

By Benah Stiewing

There are few things better than cuddling up with your dog - simply petting a dog is scientifically proven to increase our oxytocin (a chemical that increases happiness) and decrease cortisol (a chemical that produces stress). However, it’s easy for us to forget that the fluffy, adorable dog in front of you also has needs and desires, and may prefer to be touched in certain ways at certain times, or not touched at all. Consent petting is the practice of reading your dog's body language to determine if, when, and how they want to receive physical affection. This practice is about promoting autonomy and choice in your dog, and can be extremely helpful for more shy or nervous dogs. When we give an animal the ability to choose something, rather than use force, we are showing the animal that we listen to them and will respect their needs.

As a general rule, if you touch your dog in a certain way and they move away from you, it’s safe to assume they didn’t want to be touched like that at that moment. However, just because your dog moves away once doesn’t mean they never want to be touched that way! You may love hugs from certain people at specific times, and other times want nothing of the sort. If your dog reliably moves away from you when you touch them in a certain way, you can assume that sort of touch is unwelcome, but if it only happens at certain times it’s possible they don’t like any touch under those circumstances. 

There are a few key forms of communication you can look for! These behaviors are often described as calming signals or cut-off signals, as they generally communicate a dog’s desire to pacify some form of perceived/felt stress or conflict. If you notice your dog practicing these behaviors during an interaction, consider pausing your action and giving your dog a moment to themself. These behaviors include:

• Lip licking: dog licks their lips or flick their tongue out from their mouth.

• Yawn: dog yawns, sometimes with their lips more curled back.

• Turning away: dog turns their head away from the person/dog that is making them nervous.

• Raised paw: dog slightly raises a front paw.

• Stiff body: dog’s muscles tense and movement slows.

• Tail raised: dog’s tail goes half-mast or slightly higher, maybe with a slow wag.

• Shake off: dog shakes off entire body.

Now that you’re familiar with some basic communication signals, it’s time to get started with consent petting! Obviously, your dog cannot say “Yes” or “No,” but they can use their proximity to a stimulus to let us know how they’re feeling. 

• When your dog places themself within an arm's distance from you, use your hand to scratch their neck, under their chin or behind their ears.

• It's always better to go under, than over! Reaching over your dog's head can be uncomfortable for them.

• Scratch them 2-3 times, and then stop and move your hand back onto your lap.

• If they stay where they are or move away from your hand, don't pet again.

• If they lean in, nudge you, or paw towards your hand, repeat the above steps for another few scratches.

• Repeat!

• As you get to know your new dog, you can learn if they like to be touched, how they like to be touched, and how they cmmunicate wanting or not wanting physical affection.

• In general, if a dog is moving away from you, that's a good indication to stop, and if a dog is moving towards you, that's a good indication to keep going.

Want to dive deeper into canine body language and communication? Consider watching our webinar, Learning Your Dog’s Body Language! This webinar provides a detailed, holistic approach to understanding your canine best friend.

Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!  If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.