K9 Conservationists

Clean Training for High Drive Dogs with Sarah Owings

Listen Later

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Sarah Owings from Cyber Dog Online Training about clean mechanics for training and working with high drive dogs.

Science Highlight: Detecting small and cryptic animals by combining thermography and a wildlife detection dog

Why do mechanics matter?

  • Clarity shapes all learning. The clearer you are with your dog, the more successful they will be.
  • Before you blame the dog, be sure your mechanics are clean and communication is consistent and clear.

    • What problems can poor mechanics cause?

    • Dogs may steal food or toys from you, bark, whine, zoomie, etc.
    • This is all from a lack of communication

      • What are some human-end behaviors that can cause miscommunication?

      • Lumping criteria (ie. jumping too many steps at once)
      • Having no criteria/winging it
      • Sessions that are too long
      • Lack of reinforcement strategies

        • What are some mechanics or exercises to improve handler to dog communication?

        • Make sure the criteria is doable and raise the criteria slowly over time
        • Reinforcement pattern games; can you give a dog a reward and they will know exactly where it’s going to be (in the mouth, tossed, on the ground, etc.)?
        • If your dog is sniffing around a lot for the rewards, treat in a dish on the ground to clean up the loop

          • Are there situations where switching up the type of food or toy is a good idea?

          • Switching to a lower value reward may just be a crutch. It is important to find what was causing the frustration, because chances are it wasn’t that the reward was too high value.
          • If you are having issues, you may be holding out longer than the dog can handle. The dog needs to know how to earn the reward, no matter what.
          • Choice of reinforcement can make your delivery mechanics better or worse.

            • Links Mentioned in the Episode:

            Where to find Sarah Ownings:  Website | Tromplo | Facebook

            You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

            K9 Conservationists Website | Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

            ...more
            View all episodesView all episodes
            Download on the App Store
            K9 ConservationistsBy Kayla Fratt
            • 4.8
            • 4.8
            • 4.8
            • 4.8
            • 4.8

            4.8

            91 ratings

            More shows like K9 Conservationists

            View all
            Radiolab by WNYC Studios

            Radiolab

            43,972 Listeners

            Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network

            Criminal

            37,461 Listeners

            The Moth by The Moth

            The Moth

            27,158 Listeners

            Savage Lovecast by Dan Savage

            Savage Lovecast

            6,166 Listeners

            Cog-Dog Radio by Sarah Stremming, The Cognitive Canine

            Cog-Dog Radio

            316 Listeners

            Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast by Melissa Breau

            Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast

            237 Listeners

            In Defense of Plants Podcast by In Defense of Plants

            In Defense of Plants Podcast

            1,249 Listeners

            Ologies with Alie Ward by Alie Ward

            Ologies with Alie Ward

            24,474 Listeners

            This Podcast Will Kill You by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

            This Podcast Will Kill You

            16,965 Listeners

            K9s Talking Scents by Cameron Ford

            K9s Talking Scents

            115 Listeners

            Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett by Susan Garrett

            Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett

            679 Listeners

            Unexplainable by Vox

            Unexplainable

            2,312 Listeners

            Normal Gossip by Normal Gossip

            Normal Gossip

            5,807 Listeners

            K9 Detection Collaborative by Stacy Barnett, Robin Greubel

            K9 Detection Collaborative

            47 Listeners