11/04/2026
Nox is practicing her crate games for her upcoming AKC Titles! We've got some work to do, but she is so much fun! She's an eager little learner. Sometimes a bit too quick to act, gotta make it easy & fun to keep her engaged but throw her some curve balls to keep her THINKING instead of just reacting to what she thinks I want (as in the first thought that pops into her head "AND, GO!!") 🤣🤣🤣 She is such a little character! Her bed is squished back in the crate from her launching, landing, and sliding on it lol. She LOVES the hop in & out game. The faster, the better!
People ask all the time "how do you teach them to ______?". It's very simple! It takes time and repetition, but I just tell them what I want and then talk to them. I give a LOT of feedback and take babysteps when they are learning something new. It doesn't take long and then they're forever a champ at that particular thing. Knowledge is power and their learning had no limits! Give.them a reason to listen, an aim to please, and you'll have endless games of fun and bonding.
I'm not a professional trainer, but I do enjoy working with my dogs, communicating, and listening. Here, I'm teaching Nox basic foundation skills to "go to" her crate from 10 ft + distance and eventually to stay in the crate for a full minute in a "down, stay" without trying to leave. I'm teaching her the cue / command to go into her crate. I'm teaching her that going into the crate is fun and nothing to fear. I'm asking her to listen to me on what to do next - when to stay, when to come, when to down. I'm teaching her to look to me for guidance, to listen to my voice and also watch my body language and hand signals. I am teaching her to learn through repetition, but keep listening, because it might be something she doesn't expect! Eyes and ears open! I want Nox to be able to read me and I want to be able to read her. I want to understand her on a deeper level, and give her that same chance with me. I'm teaching her that playing my games is fun and comes with yummy perks - even if the command or ask is boring or if she doesn't understand the purpose - she will STILL do it simply because I asked. This comes in REAL HANDY with grooming ect. This is SO MUCH MORE than teaching a dog to sit in a cage.
If Nox misses a cue or doesn't do what I ask, I simply ask again, and give more clear instructions if I think she needs it. No biggie. We can practice.
If she is actively doing something wrong, and I think she will understand, then I give a "wrong answer buzzer" in whatever gentle words or sounds come out of my mouth. Eh-eh. At-at. Oops. Eh! To interrupt her, and then give her the correct cue when her attention is on me.
Once she completes the task I asked, she gets verbal praise, treats, and usually physical praise as in petting or loving on her. With the phone, my hands are full so I use my voice and treats more.
This constant feedback gives her all the info she needs to adjust and EARN MORE TREATS. It reminds me of a childhood game "hotter or colder" where you take feedback as a clue to guide your direction. She's a little whizz and she is extremely motivated!!! She's tons of fun to train! She will even show some Shih Tzu sass when she decides she got something wrong too many times, not enough successful treats, that it's not worth it, or even just bored and doesn't want to keep doing that same thing - and she will pick something else that she thinks she's good at, to earn a treat! Ha!! That's awesome!! That is her giving me the "wrong answer buzzer" feedback. She isn't being defiant, stubborn, or stupid. She is saying I'm not enjoying that because I'm not earning and learning. It gives me a chance to see what frustrated her, where her tolerance ends, and switch up my training method, speed, simplify steps, or make it more challenging and exciting. I LOVE THAT!! I love that she can see when something isn't working for her and she finds a way to tell me!
Ie: she was tired of spinning with no treat so she took off running to the crate because she KNOWS that earns a treat LOL. That was boredom or maybe confusion on why does that not give me food but this does? She will also get too "automatic" if we do too much repetition of the same thing where she doesn't actually pay attention or progress in challenge, she will just expect to keep doing the same thing, such as popping back out of the crate immediately, or after a few seconds when she thinks she's finished that part. Then I have to figure out how to make the stay both CLEAR COMMUNICATION and also REWARDING. It's great brain work for both of us!!
Super fun, quite valuable in the long term relationship, and excellent for safety measures out in the world when you need them to listen quick.
