Bio
Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behavior started at the University of Guelph where she earned a B.Sc. in Animal Science. Since then she as developed into a pre-eminent canine sports instructor and competitor. A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is recognized as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply learning principles to competitive dog training has made her a much sought after speaker throughout North America and as far away as Japan, Australia and Europe. She has been an invited speaker at many dog training and behaviour conferences throughout North American was the keynote speaker at the 2006 APDT conference held in Kansas City, MO.
Susan is one of the most successful dog agility competitors of the last decade. Since winning her first USDAA Grand Prix Final in 1996 with her Border Collie ”Stoni,” Susan has accumulated a total of 20 National and International Championship wins covering 7 different jump heights (8”, 10”, 12”, 16”, 22”, 24” & 26”) and has won two height divisions at a National Agility Championship on three different occasions. In total her dogs have over 50 top ten placements at National Championships including 18 First Place finishes and 6 Second Place finishes. Stoni (1990-2005) was the first dog in history ever to win the USDAA “Triple Crown” (Grand Prix, Steeplechase, and DAM Team National Championship) and held the distinction of being the only dog for almost 10 years. In addition, Susan and her mixed breed dog “DeCaff” won the Gold Medal at the 2005 ESPN Great Outdoor Games and the Individual All Around and Biathlon Gold Medals at the 2006 IFCS World Championships held in Oosterhout (Netherlands). Every dog Susan has ever trialed in agility has won two or more National Championship events.
Susan has also been a member of one of the fastest flyball teams in the world. Her dogs were on a world record-holding flyball team for eight consecutive years. She is also one of Canada’s top obedience competitors; each of four dogs she has trialed has earned multiple High in Trial awards, qualifying more then 95% of the time with an average score of 197. Her dogs perform with a happy attitude and great precision, enjoying their work as much as Susan enjoys working with them.
Susan’s first book “Ruff Love: A Relationship Building Program” is a favorite resource for dog trainers world wide. Her second book “Shaping Success: The Education of an Unlikely Champion” was named the 2005 “Book of the Year” in the category of Training and Behavior by the Dog Writers Association of America. Her 3 very popular training DVD’s “Success with One Jump”, “Crate Games” and “2×2 Weave Training” have been sold into more than 50 countries world wide.
Susan shares her life with fellow dog enthusiast John Blenkey and their four dogs: Buzz, DeCaff, Encore and Feature. Together John and Susan own and operate Say Yes Dog Training Inc., a state of the art dog training facility located in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.
Bio obtained from Susan’s Website
Crate Games
This method is awesome for teaching your puppy or dog self control and motivation. This method works for both puppies and adult dogs. I used this method on my first agility dog Brindle who now loves to go in and is more than content in her crate. It makes her feel both safe and secure. The first 3 steps will take about an hour.
Dog should relieve themselves before playing. Always work with a hungry dog. Best time to play crate games is before mealtime.
Always use high value treats. Beef, liver, chicken, turkey, salmon. Treats need to be easy to chew and quick to swallow.
Crate-Must be wire or plastic. Door needs to open and close quickly and smoothly.
No bedding-cookie crumbs may fall and the dog will be sniffing and searching for them. You want your dog to stay focused on what you are teaching.
1st Criteria-No part of the dogs body can break the plane of the crate door. It is the dogs job to figure that out. Do not control the dog by saying No or Aaah. Let the reinforcement at the back of the crate and the consequence of breaking the plane teach the dog what is acceptable.
*If you see the dog starting to leave the crate close the door. Break the plane-end the game.
2nd criteria-When I touch my hand to the crate door the dog should automatically pop into the sit. My hand touching the crate door is the cue to sit. It means its time to work.
Mechanical Skills–
Door-If the crate door hinges on the right, open with right hand and deliver treat with left hand and vise versa. Doing opposite is awkward and the dog can easily escape. Movements needs to be smooth.
Sit to start-We sit instead of down because when a dog is in the sit position he is farthest away from the door. It gives you the opportunity to close the door if he moves forward. If they are laying down they can get out the door before you can even get it closed. If they are in a down their paws are likely to flop out of the crate. This changes the criteria to grey when part of his body is breaking the plane. Sitting makes it black and white. You are either correct or incorrect. Great way to teach your dog the sit/hold.
Treating-Feed only one treat at a time. Handful of treats dogs nose will follow you out the door. Reach high and to the back.
Stage 1-I love my crate-Many dogs are already conditioned to bolt out the door when opened. To go for a walk, to chase a squirrel, to greet a visitor. We are going to counter condition that response so that when the door is opened the dog is going to want to sit. It really needs to be his choice. Your high value and clever placement is going to make the dog do exactly what we expect of him. We are changing the reinforcement of the dog outside the crate to being inside the door. Allow your dog to choose.
Bend down and feed high and to the back. When offering cookie, slightly raise your hand over the dogs head and move your hand slightly backward, toward the back of the crate, this will cause him to sit. When he sits, feed and latch the door closed. Repeat 5-10 times. Stand up in between and take your hand off the door. Condition the dog with great treats between every repetition.
*Be very aware of your placement of the treat.
*Be sure not to reward the dog in a down position.
*Do not reward if the dog is barking, spinning, scratching.
*Dont put your hand on the crate unless the dog is calm and quiet.
*Be sure to close the door each time so they get used to the sound of the latch closing.
*Be swift in your delivery. Your confidence will give your dog clear criteria.
Stage 2-Be a Gambler
Now try opening the door and delay treating. If the dog stays in position,try moving away several feet and changing body position. Be a gambler, but don’t allow the dog to escape from the crate. Any forward motion, close the door. Occasionally feed right away, other times gamble. Its his choice, does he want to come out or stay in. Its a good gig, they sit there and get treats.
Distractions Add distractions by picking up the leash. If they move forward, close the door and latch. Put leash down. Go back to step one for 1-2 repetitions. We don’t want to fail two times in a row. When they will stay in position, try to put leash on, if they move forward close the door with the leash on. Take leash off. Putting on a leash is very stimulating for a dog, it means they are going for a walk. Hold leash while moving around. We are counter conditioning the stimulus that the leash means that you are coming out. Now the leash means that you are going to get more cookies if you sit there a minute.
Stage 2 Reminders This game is about choice. Are they coming out or staying in. Your high value reinforcement is going to help the dog to want to stay in a sit at the back of the crate.
*Don’t try and help the dog. When you open the door, don’t block the dog.
* Open the door confidently. If you are opening the door carefully the dog is not sure and is more likely to make a mistake.
*Watch for the first sign that the dog is about to break position. Do not wait until she is half way out to close the door.
*The worst thing you can do anywhere along the line is let the dog escape from the crate
*You can feed high and thru bars
Stage 3-Your In Your Out- Clip on leash. Drag it outside the crate and stand on it. Release dog with your release cue-Yes! Once your dog leaves the crate, turn and face towards the crate. Don’t acknowledge the dog at all outside the crate. Don’t praise, pet and definitely don’t feed them. We want them to make the decision to go back into the crate. If after a minute dog does not go into crate, reduce the amount of space. Do not force the dog to go into the crate.
Collar Grab Game-Release the dog. When they come out of the crate, grab the collar and give a low value cookie. Pull back on collar and rev the dog up using their opposition reflex. Face them towards the crate. When they run back into crate, give high value cookie. Begin to work your way around the crate in an arc. Add distance and distractions. Your criteria for Stage 4 is enthusiasm.