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Dog Training terms
Basic obedience: how to train a dog, leash and crate training, training classes and National Train Your Dog Month.
Aversive Anything a dog wants to avoid, from a leash pop or shock to a loud noise, when used to change behavior. Basic obedience The core manners most pet dogs are taught, usually sit, down, stay, come, walking nicely on a leash and leave it. Bite inhibition A dog's learned ability to control the force of its mouth, which puppies normally acquire through play with littermates and people. Canine Good Citizen An American Kennel Club program and ten-item test that rewards well-mannered dogs with a certificate. Capturing Marking and rewarding a behavior the dog offers on its own, such as sitting or lying down, so that it happens more often. Certified applied animal behaviorist A behavior specialist certified by the Animal Behavior Society, normally holding a doctorate and years of experience, who treats behavior problems. Classical conditioning Learning that links two events so that a dog reacts to a signal in the same way it reacts to what the signal predicts. Clicker training A reward-based method in which a small device makes a click at the instant a dog does the right thing, followed by a treat. Counter surfing A dog's habit of putting its feet or nose on kitchen counters or tables to take food, kept going because every success is rewarded. Crate training Teaching a dog to treat a crate as a safe, comfortable place to rest, used for house training, travel and recovery. Cue A word, gesture or situation that tells a dog a particular behavior is available and will be rewarded. Desensitization and counter-conditioning A training plan that exposes a dog to a fear trigger at a level it can handle while pairing it with something good, to change how the dog feels. Dominance A term that properly describes a relationship in which one animal gets priority over a resource, not a personality trait or a reason for a dog's behavior. Drop it A cue that asks a dog to let go of something in its mouth, taught as a trade rather than a struggle. E-collar A remote-controlled collar that delivers a tone, vibration or electric stimulation to a dog, and is a debated training tool. Extinction burst A temporary increase in a behavior, often with more intensity, when a reward that used to follow it is stopped. Force-free A training approach that avoids pain, fear and intimidation and teaches dogs with rewards, patience and good management. Habituation A dog's learned reduction of its reaction to something harmless that is met again and again without consequence. Head halter A strap that fits around a dog's nose and neck so that the leash gently turns its head, used to manage pulling. Heel A formal skill in which a dog walks close at its handler's side, matching the handler's pace and turns. High-value treat A food reward the dog finds especially tempting, such as cooked chicken or cheese, saved for difficult training moments. House training Teaching a dog to relieve itself outdoors or in a chosen spot instead of inside the home. Jumping up A dog's habit of putting its paws on people when greeting them, usually kept going by the attention it gets. Leash reactivity Barking, lunging or growling at other dogs or people when on a leash, often from fear or frustration at being unable to move freely. Leave it A cue that tells a dog to stop paying attention to something, such as food on the ground, and turn away from it. Loose-leash walking Walking with a dog beside or near the handler on a slack leash, without the dog pulling. Luring A teaching method in which a treat held near the dog's nose guides it into a position, such as sit or down, which is then rewarded. Marker word A short word, such as "yes", said at the instant a dog does the right thing to tell it a reward is coming. Mouthing A dog's use of its mouth on hands, clothes or people during play or greeting, without intent to injure. Negative punishment Removing something a dog wants right after an unwanted behavior so that the behavior becomes less likely. Negative reinforcement Removing something unpleasant when a dog performs a behavior so that the behavior becomes more likely. Operant conditioning Learning in which a dog changes its behavior because of the consequences that follow it. Place A cue that sends a dog to a mat or bed and keeps it there, often used when visitors arrive or meals are served. Positive punishment Adding something unpleasant right after a behavior to make that behavior less likely, such as a leash jerk or a startling noise. Positive reinforcement Adding something a dog likes right after a behavior so that the behavior becomes more likely to happen again. Prong collar A collar of metal links with blunt prongs that pinch the neck when pulled, used for leash corrections and widely debated. Puppy kindergarten An early group class where young puppies learn basic manners and meet other puppies and people in a supervised setting. Recall A dog's trained response to turn and come straight to its owner when called, one of the most important safety behaviors. Resource guarding A dog's tendency to protect food, toys, places or people from others by stiffening, growling, snapping or biting. Shaping Building a new behavior in small steps by rewarding each step that gets closer to the final goal. Socialization Exposing a young dog to a wide range of people, animals, places and sounds in a positive way so that new things do not frighten it. Stay A cue that asks a dog to keep its position, such as sitting or lying down, until the owner releases it. Targeting Teaching a dog to touch its nose to a hand or object on cue, a building block for many other skills. Threshold The point at which a dog goes from noticing something to reacting to it, often described as a distance or an intensity. Trainer versus behaviorist A trainer teaches skills and manners, while a behaviorist is trained to assess and treat problems such as fear and aggression.