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Finding someone is not new to dog training. It is used in police work and, search and rescue as a normal part of training. day started I started training a dog to a particular child on command. I have trained many police dogs to find someone this is my first for pet owners. The concepts are still the same the purpose is just different.

We have been working with Nana on the walks in the backyard, not sure how to handle the long walks we give her since it’s not consistent with the treats.  Should we be doing that as well outside of the  house or for training periods only? 

Training in the backyard and walking should be no different. If you do not make them the same she will soon figure out what is going on. The treats are only a tool to teach the correct mechanics of the behavior. They will be used only on the occasion once we reach the intended behavior.We first start training using what is known as the continuous schedule of reinforcement. This means the dog is rewarded each on every correct response. The continuous schedule is only temporary. We may be able to move away from it on our next meeting.The next step is what is known as fixed ratio. This means it is set for a specific number of correct responses. We will start with a FR-2 (fixed ratio second correct response). Once the dog is responding with this level we will move to FR-3, FR-4…. until we reach a high level of responses.

“My 6 year old Lab mix responded almost immeditately to Mr Nicely. I abolutely liked what I saw with the training and handling of my dog. It was obvious Mr. Nicely had a thorough understanding of dogs and their behavior.”  Thanks Steve!

If you intend to allow your dog full run of the house it is important to make sure the dog considers the entire house as part of its den. Dogs are den dwellers and will not eliminate in their den if they other areas.

Without continual training or practice the skills you worked hard to teach your dog will disappear. You and your dog are fully trained when neither of you no longer can think. Learning is ongoing and a life long occurrence.

Before you ever begin to train you must define the task and the response associated with it. Without this you will begin training without a clear picture of the end result. Failure to define the final task or response only leads to confusion in you and your dog.

The hierarchy of reinforcement is also referred to as establishing operations. Hierarchy runs in two directions positive and negative reinforcers. At the top of the list on the positive side is the reward. Punishment is at the top of the list on the negative side. All others are simply reinforcers either positive or negative. For our purposes we will deal with the positive hierarchy.