Illustration A. One problem with the Shell Game: the cup won't tip over.

Here is a quick note today for those of you who have purchased the book The Little Dogs’ Activity Book: Fun and Frolic for a Fit Four-legged Friend. On pages 22-23, the author, Deborah Wood, describes an activity called the “Shell Game.” In this game, as your small dog watches, you hide a tasty and aromatic treat under one of three cups. Then you shuffle the cups in front of the dog so it is no longer obvious which cup the treat is under. Sound familiar? Your dog should then be encouraged to try and find the treat by sniffing each cup and, hopefully tip over the cup that is hiding the treat. Both of my dogs enjoy this game. Kelsey gets so excited when we play the game that she shakes. Here are two problems I discovered with this game along with two solutions.

First, it will take a while before your dog understands that the treat is under the cup after you cover it up. The book recommends you make a big show out of covering over the treat so your dog understands the treat is being hidden. My experience with both of my dogs is this. The first several times I covered the treat with the cup, they thought the treat had disappeared. Out of sight equals gone. I overcame this problem by letting a corner of the treat stick out from under the cup for the first several attempts. Once they went for the cup repeatedly with the treat sticking out, I was able to cover the treat completely with the cup and they still went for it.

Illustration B. Hiding a treat under a cardboard tube works better because your small dog can tip the tube over.

Second, getting the dog to tip the cup over to get at the treat does not work with cups. Most cups are wide at the lip and tapered toward the base. When you cover a treat with an upside-down cup, the tapered design makes the cup wide at floor level and narrow at the top. This makes the cup very stable on the floor, (i.e. hard to tip over.) A dog will typically try to nudge the cup very close to the floor because this is where the aroma of the treat is escaping. All that happens is the dog scoots the cup along the floor without tipping it over. (See illustration “A.”) My solution is to use a small cardboard tube to cover the treat. A bare toilet paper tube or a cut section of a bare paper towel tube works well. The cardboard tube, with its straight sides is very unstable and easy to tip over. (See illustration “B.”) The author implies you can simply reveal the treat to the dog when he sniffs the correct cup by uncovering the treat yourself. Most dogs will try to sniff all three cups, so lifting the cup for your small dog is not as effective. I think arranging things so your dog finds the treat himself by tipping the cardboard tube over is a better solution.

You may find a full review of The Little Dogs’ Activity Book: Fun and Frolic for a Fit Four-legged Friend. by clicking here. Have fun!

“Do you know a good trainer? We tried this place, and they seemed pretty good, but now Snickerdoodle acts like he’s deaf. He just won’t respond to me.”

“I’ve tried everything. Everything. I think Silvadius is mentally challenged.”

If I earned one Quetzal for every time I heard statements such as these, I could buy a pretty decent meal in Guatemala. (They make a very good pupusa in that country, by the way.)

Otis the Puggle has an 'Aha!' moment.

“In behavioral terms, this scenario subjects you to overt, painful control in return for negligible positive reinforcement. This is exactly what happens in classical conditioning with a choke chain or pinch collar, the mainstream of North American and British dog training.

“Here is a typical example of what is found in many books on dog training for teaching the dog to sit:

‘Put the dog in the heel position. Say, “Sit.” Pull up on the choke chain until the dog sits. When it sits, say “Good dog,” and give it a pet and / or a cookie.’

“Training the dog to sit like this creates a negative association with the word ‘sit’ because the word and the pain [of the choke chain] happen simultaneously. Even worse, it creates a negative association with the human being who inflicted the pain and with training in general.

“Repeat this lesson only a few times and the dog’s response to the word ‘sit’ will forever be associated with pain and the owner. The dog will be reluctant to give the sit and never give it outside the length of the a leash from the owner.”

In Mr. Stavroff’s training system:

“You do not tell the dog what to do and you do not touch the dog except in the early stages of training, because it is essential that the dog decide for itself what to do. The whole notion of giving commands is misguided. A human being can follow a command perfectly without question. A dog can only respond, positively or negatively, to a signal with which it has positive or negative associations.”

He goes on to say, it is likely when learning a brand new behavior, a dog will be unsure of what you want. If you command the dog to sit, for example, the dog is unlikely to sit. He may also be nervous and slightly confused at this stage because he knows you want something from him but he does not innately understand the meaning of “sit.” The command “sit” becomes associated with a stage of training in which the dog, through no fault of his own, is giving his worst performance. That is why there are no verbal commands in the early stages of Stavroff’s training method.

In Dale Stavroff’s training method you let the dog figure for himself what you want him to do. You set up the situation so the dog has an “Aha!” moment. You have probably had your own share of “Aha!” moments. Perhaps you were working on something extremely difficult and puzzling. At first, even though all of the clues were placed in front of you but you could not noodle out the answer. Then, suddenly, everything fell into place and “Aha!” you got it. It was a very powerful learning moment. You basically taught yourself a solution in a way that had a strong emotional component. The discovery of the answer was its own reward. The lesson was learned and it stuck in your brain. The more intense the moment of discovery, the more long lasting the memory of the solution. The same thing can happen with dogs, if we correctly set the circumstances for discovery. This is the crux of Let the Dog Decide.

Mr. Stavroff goes on to say, “There is a schedule for training, but no schedule for results. One dog may take three weeks or even months to learn what another dog learns perfectly in three days. . . A stage of training is complete when it is complete to the dog’s understanding, not a moment before.” How different this attitude is from a formal course of training in which individual dogs are expected to either keep up with the other dogs in the class, or keep up with a scheduled curriculum.

This method of training is particularly effective for shy or fearful dogs. The dog is not forced to do anything. He learns at his own pace and on his own terms. It is a low stress, enjoyable method of teaching not only for the dog, but for you as well. Mr. Stavroff even includes a section on the importance of recognizing your own emotional state before you begin a training session. In the past, we have talked about how your emotional state directly influences your dogs behavior. The author recognizes the importance of this relationship and emphasizes the need to be in a calm and happy state when you approach your dog for training.

The author says, “Another hallmark of my training is the plentiful use of food in the early stages. Some trainers speak dismissively of “bribing” the dog with food. The key is to use the food as a reinforcement for success and then gradually make the food treats less frequent. If this done properly, the dog will give desired behaviors more and more purely on signal, with no more reward than an occasional ‘good dog’ and a kindly look in the eye, because of the positive associations it has formed with those behaviors.”

Finally this: “The trainer who uses my methods becomes the benevolent center of all the dog’s positive experiences.”

I have barely begun to scratch the surface of this book for you. The information presented here is both broad and deep, from how to pick the right dog, to puppy training, both formal and informal, to formal adult dog training. I have never read information of this kind and believe me, I’ve read a lot of dog training books and tried many different training methods. Guess what? This stuff works so well, that we are about to adopt Mr. Stavroff’s methods at Kelsey’s Dog House. We will most likely offer training in the future based on the concepts presented in this book. It is that good.

Even if you are not interested in doing the whole training thing with your small dog by yourself, this book is still worth your while because there is valuable information on building a better relationship with your dog in any circumstance. And, if you are just now considering getting a dog, this book offers solid advice, including some stark warnings about what not to do when selecting a dog. New ideas, new insights, this is the best book I’ve read on training and building a relationship with a dog.

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Here is the talker on the back cover:

“Are you living with a desperate housedog? It’s time to exercise his mind and body! If you have a lap-sized dog, the chances are he’s spending too much time on your lap. He probably doesn’t use his brain as much as he’d like to, either. In short, your portable-sized pooch is bored, bored, bored. That’s where the Little Dog’s Activity Book can help. Filled with dozens of games, tricks and fun things to do, this guide is sure to keep you and your pooch entertained.

There are ideas and activities for every dog, from high-energy to senior, and every human. You’ll find step-by-step instructions for tricks, ideas for mind-challenging games, details on how to throw parties and travel, plus tips for participating in organized sports. And even if you and your dog aren’t athletes, you can still keep him busy without leaving your living room chair!”

“Deborah Wood is the award-winning pet columnist for The Oregonian newspaper and the author of several pet books, including Little Dogs: Training Your Pint-Sized Companion and The Little Dogs’ Beauty Book.”

The book begins with simple, enjoyable activities for you and your small dog, including “nose games” that encourage your dog to find treats and objects by scent. Example: The Shell Game—a variation on the cup and ball street scam in which your dog finds a treat hidden under one of three cups by using his scenting ability. From there, Ms. Wood goes on to explain how you can arrange a “Disneyland” in your home for your dog that will keep him/her occupied and entertained. Example: Living Room Agility in which you use household objects to create an obstacle course for your dog. Next comes how to teach tricks using positive reinforcement; how to create dog parties; playing in organized events; enjoying human and dog sports together; traveling in comfort; training a therapy dog; and how to enjoy activities into your dog’s old age. This is a beautifully and colorfully illustrated book that will excite you with new possibilities. From the first page, you will find ideas you can try immediately with your small dog. It is an absolute must-read for anyone with a small dog. Now, excuse me while I go play the Shell Game, (page 22,) with my Min Pin, Royce. Then I’ll send the thank you letter to the author.

Note: I have included a link to the book at Amazon.com. When you buy this book using the link, I receive a small commission that helps pay for the operation of this website. Even if you do not use my link, get this book. It will change you and your small dog’s life together!