Leash & Obedience Training Flashcards

A dog trained using a prong collar walks perfectly but shows avoidance body language (tucked tail, flat ears) when the collar is attached. This suggests:

Answer: The collar has become a conditioned punisher causing fear

Avoidance body language upon sight of the training tool indicates the tool has been classically conditioned as a predictor of aversive events, creating a negative emotional response.

Which cue is MOST important to establish before teaching formal off-leash obedience?

Answer: A reliable recall under high distraction

A reliable recall is the most critical safety behavior for off-leash obedience because it allows the handler to regain control if the dog self-rewards or encounters danger.

A trainer is teaching 'loose leash walking' to a rescue dog that has never worn a leash. Which approach is MOST appropriate initially?

Answer: Condition the dog to the leash in a low-distraction area before adding movement criteria

For a leash-naive dog, the first step is systematic desensitization to the leash and collar in a calm environment before adding any behavioral criteria.

During a 'sit-stay' exercise on leash, the handler returns to the dog and immediately gives a treat. What common error might this inadvertently reinforce?

Answer: The dog may learn to break the stay when the handler approaches

If the dog breaks the stay as the handler returns and still receives the treat, the dog may learn that breaking when the handler approaches is reinforced.

What is 'pressure walking' as used in Natural Horsemanship-influenced dog training?

Answer: Using leash pressure and release to guide the dog's direction and pace

Pressure walking uses light leash pressure applied and released to communicate directional cues, teaching the dog to follow and yield to pressure as a form of communication.

A dog that has mastered 'heel' in class consistently fails at the behavior when the handler changes shoes. This demonstrates:

Answer: Stimulus overselectivity or over-dependence on specific contextual cues

Stimulus overselectivity means the dog has narrowed the stimulus control of the behavior to very specific environmental features, requiring deliberate generalization training.

When teaching 'leave it' as part of obedience on leash, the FINAL goal of the behavior is:

Answer: The dog voluntarily disengages from and remains away from the target item on one cue

A fully trained 'leave it' means the dog disengages from the target on a single cue and maintains that disengagement without repeated cueing or physical prevention.