Rowdy Hound Motorcycle Dog Kennels Instruction Manual
- June 13, 2024
- Rowdy Hound
Table of Contents
Motorcycle Dog Kennels
Instruction Manual
Motorcycle Dog Kennels
Howdy and welcome to the adventure that is the Rowdy Hound lifestyle.
This packet is a carefully cra>ed manual intend to keep you and your dog safe
as you ride lifes highways together It will include foundational dog training
and motorcycle specific in knowledge and skills to give you the greatest
success with your dog
Every dog is different, and not every dog will enjoy the ride, however in my
Professional experience dogs naturally take to motorcycle riding as myself and
thousands of other have found. It is truly a joy I hope to share with you. –
Humbly
George the Dog Trainer Founder & Rowdy Hound CEO
The Founda1on of a Balanced Dog
Leadership: Be someone worth following.
Provide the good stuff Lifestyle :Physical, mental, social, energy &
fulfillment
Training : Language (+1, 0, -1) (Yes, 0, No)
Socializa1on : Dogs, People, Motorcycles, Gear
Leadership Program
Leadership is about controlling +1
Nothing In Life Is Free
Most important are
- Food / Water
- Affection
- Freedom (Space)
Building A Language: +1, 0, -1
(+1) POSITIVE MOTIVATION CONTROL
How to train
- Place the dogs daily ration into a treat pouch that you keep handy any time you are home with the dog. Specifically around your motorcycle
- As you go about your Lesson look for opportunities to reward your dog for good, desired, trained, or pleasant behaviors. This will reinforce the behaviors and put you in a position of leadership as the resource provider.
- If your dog does not want to work for food, do not force them. Let them be hungry.
- If at the end of the Lesson the dog has food le>over, put it in a treat, toy, or bowl or. *HUNGER VS Motivation graph
(0) Failure/Non-effect
This is most easily done with the LEASH. This is how we stop the dog from
doing what we don’t like. Just interrupt and give them something batter to do.
90% of Problem behaviors in dogs under 9 months could be resolved by
consistently using a crate or leash to make undesired behaviors ineffective.
– “Uh-uh” is the command most commonly used. Use it after your dog is starting
to stray from the correct command and do not move, praise or treat until the
dog is on the correct behavior again. This, along with +1, will take up 80% of
your training.
Verbal - > Spa,al -> Contact
(-1) Nega1ve One
Principles of Training
Marking
There are several key approaches to teaching your dog to ride a motorcycle.
They consist of:
Marking: Identifying to the dog that a reward has been earned. A clicker
or word such as “yes” or “good” woks best
Habitua1on: Training a dog to be comfortable with a stimulus before they
have a negative association
Desensi1za1on: Overcoming a dogs sensitivity, fear, or anxiety around a
sensitivity
Counter condi1oning: Associating negative or neutral stimulus wit
something positive such as a doctor with the lollipop
3 prime factors when working: 3D’s
- Duration: length of time exposed to stress
- Distance: how near the stressor
- Distraction: the intensity of the stressor
Reward Levels
- Easy – Kibble
- Medium– Training Treats
- Hard– String cheese or hot dogs
We do this to keep our dog’s attention and reinforce the more crazy and
difficult areas alongside proper techniques. DO NOT GIVE THE HIGHER VALUE TREATS
IN THE LOWER VALUE AREAS. Once you leave the public area or event, no more
string cheese. This makes sure you do not devalue those high value treats.
3 D’s
Finally, whenever learning or practicing new tricks, increase one of the
D’s of dog training.
Distance, Dura1on, and Distrac1on
Though your dog may know the trick, your expanding the trick by making sure
your dog can sit for 10 seconds, can sit from 3 feet away or can sit in the
middle of a shopping center. Increase one at a time and go slowly. By focusing
on one, you can make a more well-rounded dog
A Basic Training Understanding
Our goal is to make the dog have a positive association with the sounds,
sensations, and processes of riding in the Rowdy Hound To do so we reward the
dog in and around the stressors (motorcycle engine firing up, loading into the
Rowdy Hound, sensations of riding, etc). Rewards can include food, affection,
freedom, and fun. For our purposes freedom and food are your best rewards. For
the greatest training effect take two weeks to hand feed your dog its meals
exclusively through Rowdy Hound training. This will teach your dog to
associate motorcycle riding with its mealtimes, which is the most inherently
powerful motivator for dogs.
High value rewards can also be used throughout the training process. I
recommend string cheese as it is practical and very rewarding for the dog. If
at any point in the training process your dog is refusing food it is an
indicator your dog is stressed beyond their ability to accept and positively
associate the stressors of motorcycle riding.
Training Program:
-
Desensitization
1. Gear -
Stimuli
-
Sensations
A harness, ear muffs, and goggles are the primary gear for your riding dog.
- Present the gear on the floor 1-3 feet from the dog. Begin mark and rewarding the dog for even looking in the direction of the piece of gear your working with
- Progressively raise criteria for the reward as your dog becomes more confident or accepting of the gear. Provide frequent breaks for your dog to get the mos out of training. Leave them wanting more.
- In the beginning have training sessions be no more than 5 minutes at a time and work your way up to 20 minutes at a time over 2 weeks, then up to an hourt+ after 6-8 weeks.
- Multiple small sessions on a daily basis is the best training approach
Sample progressions:
-
GEAR OO
Harness: Lesson 1 Session 1:
– Lay harness on floor. Mark and reward dog 5-10 times for engagement
: Pick up harness and reward dog for engagement at distance intervals of 2 feet down to 2inches
Lesson 1 Session 2:
– – Lay harness on floor. Mark and reward dog 5-10 times for engagement
– Pick up harness and reward dog for engagement at distance intervals of 2 feet down to 2inches
– Briefly touch dog with harness and mark/reward several times
: Put harness on dog for 1-3 seconds, mark/reward and remove. Repeat 3-5 times
Lesson 2 Session 1 & 2:
– Pick up harness and reward dog for engagement at distance intervals of 2 feet down to 2inches
– Briefly touch dog with harness and mark/reward several times
– Put harness on dog for 1-3 seconds, mark/reward and remove. Repeat 3-5 times
– Introduce. Longer periods of wearing the harness up to 30 seconds at a time. Practice this any time throughout the Lesson working up to intervals of 5-30 minutes as your dog gains comfort
Lessons 3-7:
– Put harness on dog for longer periods up to 30 seconds at a time. Practice this any time throughout the Lesson working up to intervals of 5-30 minutes as your dog gains comfort
Lessons 8-14
– Have dog wear harness for 5-60 minutes at a time while rewarding frequently.
– Begin to apply pressure to the harness while rewarding the dog.
– Begin to use the harness to lift hoist or assist the dog onto objects including motorcycle while continuing to reward for effort and success.
Same procedure for Ear Muffs and Doggles with considerations : This gear is more distressing to the dog so the training process may go slower. Recommended high value rewards, shorter sessions, easier criteria, and more patience.
– Giving the dog a cue for gear going on such as “lets get dressed” is a great way to give your dog agency and the ability to express enthusiasm or hesitation which you can interpret and train accordingly
⁃ Training your dog on a place cot or happy place can assist the process tremendously.
⁃ Order of operations should be:
⁃ Harness
– Ear Muffs
⁃ Doglegs
⁃ Harness > Varmus
⁃ Harness > Doglegs
⁃ Harness > Varmus Doglegs -
SOUND
– Remember the 3Ds and start with the lowest D’S possible. Ease the process by practice outside, at a distance, or with the earmuffs on to aide your dog.
– With your dog at a distance of 10-25 feet briefly start your motorcycle and shut off after 1-3 seconds. Mark and reward your dog. Repeat several times. A second handler can be very helpful at this stage.
– Begin to leave engine running for longer intervals of 5-30 seconds repeating short sessions of 5-10 minutes 2-3 times per Lesson for as long as needed for your dog to show no signs of distress.
– Once your dog is comfortable with duration, begin to introduce distance. Walk your towards and away from the motorcycle only going just past the point where your dog is comfortable and working with them there briefly before allowing them to retreat.
– Progressively work the dog closer and closer to the motorcycle until they are comfortable with the noises of the bike, marking and rewarding for effort and success.
– If your dog is struggling you can repeat this process with the motorcycle off
– Dogs thrive on predictability. Make a big show of indicating to your dogs that you are in control of the loud noise and that the motorcycle is predictable.
3. SENSATIONS
– The first sensation is loading onto the motorcycle. Whether you have received your Rowdy Hound unit or not you can practice this.
– The key is stability and to not let your dog have a bad experience in the first place.
– Set your dog up for success assisting them as much as necessary to load onto the seat or into the kennel. For athletic dogs this may be just holding the dog open, for other dogs you might fully lift and place them where you want them.
– Regardless, give them a cue. | use “One, Two, Three, Hup” and give Piglet a little lift using the back strap of her harness to guide her into the kennel, where she can turn around and settle herself before i clip her in
– Practice loading until you and your dog are confident with this step. This can take anywhere between 2 Lessons to 2 weeks. Remember to get little wins and practice short sessions frequently.
– Once loading is going smoothly i will introduce swaying.
– Leave the kickstand down and straighten the bike out. Return bike to stand and mark and reward your dog
– Repeat this while introducing progressively more swaying and minor motions such as turning of the wheel.
– As your dog gains confidence you can do longer sessions
– At this time We introduce putting on the goggles and/or earmuffs while the dog is in the Rowdy
Hound
– Combine the sound desensitization protocol while the dog is in the kennel to get the used to the feeling of the engine firing underneath them.
– Some dogs do better at this stage without goggles on, which also alllows you to read their expression better.
– Begin to combine all stimuli as your dog is comfortable. When your dog will sit in its Rowdy Hound happily accepting food with the engine running and all its gear on, you know it’s time to move.
RIDING WITH YOUR DOG
START SMALL. The first ride might literally be a 10 foot stretch. Lots oof
little rides to start with. Up and own the driveway or street is a fine ride
to start. Reward frequently.
Recommend progression: First week keep it under 20mph and add 10 mph/week as
your dog gets comfortable.
Taking 2 months to get up to highway speeds is worth a dog that is stable,
confident, and secure. Carry a treat pouch or rewards when you ride.
Additional weight on the rear tire increases traction, Turning should be slow
and progressive , The physics are similar to that of passenger riding The more
comfortable your dog is the less they will shuffle around and the more safe
and table your ride Make sure your dog enjoys the process. The work you do
today, you will see tomorrow
Dog Body Language
Although puppies may not be able to express what they want through written
language, they do speak a language that we can understand! Body Language! When
communicating with your puppy or watching your puppy it is important to watch
your puppy’s body language to understand how your puppy feels in any given
situation. When looking at a puppy, don’t focus so much on the tail. Focus on
the Mouth, Ears, Eyes and
Body Posture.
DOGGIE LANGUAGE
starring Boogie the Boston Terrier
Layered Stress and Preven1ng Aggression
Layered Stress Model
Stress is like a volcano. Although all you see is the eruption, there are so
many underlying factors and reasons that cause the volcano to erupt. The
Layered stress model explains this by showing the various layers in a dog’s
mind that can cause an eruption within your dog.
The layers are (in order of most important to least important):
- Health — How a dog feels physically such as physical pain or discomfort (e.g. a hurt paw)
- Lifestyle — How a dog lives Lesson to Lesson such as access to exercise and amount of sleep
- Clarity — How clear you are in communicating your feelings with and to your dog
- Leash — How the different leash tensions affect your dog’s frustration and understanding
- Triggers — The various stimuli can set off your dog’s underlying stress and anxiety
Preven1ng Aggression/Anxiety
Most of the canine aggression can be blamed on poor breeding, medical issues,
or a lack of socialization.
But aggression is a normal response to stress even in well-adjusted dogs,
which is why avoiding stressful situations is crucial in the first few weeks
and months. Some pointers:
- Don’t overwhelm your dog. Give him time to settle in.
- Provide enough downtime. Give your dog plenty of quiet time.
- Monitor interactions.
- Use treats liberally.
The Pyramid of Dog Traing Above is the pyramid that is used during training, and understanding it will help you to keep the dog going strong.
- Conditioning — The phase where you teach the dog the command or behaviors by con- stant repetition, treating and routine. During this phase, the dog has no idea what the command means so during this phase we use the marking, luring and shaping listed be- fore to make the command understood and have the dog learn the behavior in a quiet and 0 distraction environment.
- Intermittent — This phase is when the dog is doing the behavior consistently so the training will take place during increasing distractions or with increasing freedom to make sure the dog fully understands the command. For instance, the command will be done with- out treating every time or in an outdoor environment that the dog is not familiar with. The commands will still be the same but the surroundings around the dog or the motivation to do the command may change. This will be the phase you are beginning to practice once you have a confident grasp of the command and have been practicing for a while. Do not jump into this phase unless you see the command being done 10 out of 10 times it is asked.
- Maintenance — This phase is marked by practicing every so often to make sure that the commands still stay fresh in the dogs mind and still behaves as expected. This phase is only when the dog is doing well in public settings and you have complete confidence in the command. If need be, you can return to the intermittent phase if you feel the com- mand is losing it’s effectiveness. This phase will only be accomplished when your dog is older or you have been practicing for a long stretch of time. This will not be a phase that you will reach within a week.
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