TRAINING
Dogs learn our language best by us changing our tone of
voice. Try to remember that your dog is
learning a foreign language, like if you were to learn Chinese!
- For a
reprimand I lower my voice.
- A
command is matter-of-fact.
- Praise
is happy-go-lucky.
For me, my body language also changes.
1.
For a reprimand, my face shows I am upset.
2.
A command my body language is neither upset of happy.
3.
Praise, I will smile and get excited (jump up and down).
Another important aspect of teaching a dog/puppy is that
every action either gets a reprimand or praise. How many of you have seen owners always reprimand, but never
praise. In the dog’s mind the
interaction with the owner is always negative, never positive. Always make training a fun thing to do! Your dog should be anxiously waiting to be
trained when you get the leash out!
Another key element is consistency! If you teach one way and your partner
teaches another, the dog is confused!
Pretend this is your child, and you have to agree on how upbringing will
occur. If you use the word “off” to
tell the dog to get down off the couch, and your partner uses the word “down”,
you will have a very confused little puppy.
Always show your dog what you want, praise, treat and
repeat. Dogs learn by repetition, but
don’t expect your dog to be a mind reader.
Show them, repeat until you think they understand and then
try it again without showing them. If
they don’t do it, then start over. A word
of caution about repetition - dogs do learn by repetition, but some dogs become
quite bored once they have learned something and will all of sudden act like
they have no idea what you are talking about.
Go on to something new to learn and then try the old exercise at a later
time. You’ll find that the dog hasn’t
forgotten, just got bored! Always keep
training challenging!
Puppies are very easy to teach and I start at 8 weeks, or as
soon as I bring them home. Puppies have
not started any habits yet, so there is no reshaping to do. Adults take longer because they are already
doing things a certain way. Adult dogs
need to be convinced, that your way is better.
Another thing to keep in mind is the amount of reprimand you
need to use. Some dogs need nothing
more than to be told they are wrong. If
you go to more extremes with this type of dog, you will ruin their spirit. All training should be fun! Other dogs might need a firmer way of
reprimanding. Every dog is
different! Remember to have your
reprimands match your dog’s personality.
With this in mind, let’s get started on everyday things we
expect our canine friends to do!
DOMINANT
OR SUBMISSIVE?
When you have multiple dogs or when you get together with
friends and their canine friends, all dogs will immediately try to decide where
their position is in the “pack”. You
will notice dogs putting their front paw over another dog’s back. The first dog is saying I am dominant over
you. Depending on the second dog’s
reaction is where things are decided as to who is bossier than the other. Did the second dog, whip around and get
vocal and tell the first dog “No”? The
second dog is not submitting to the first dog.
Did the second dog, not do anything?
The second dog is submitting to the first dog.
Another trait of a dog displaying their dominance is
“humping”. This is a natural behavior
for dogs and I find it most generally goes away, after pack order is
decided. However, most people do not
want to tolerate the “humping” behavior.
I would recommend teaching the dog the proper behavior that you want, by
rewarding other “play” behavior and telling the dog “No” when it is the wrong
behavior. This will take time,
because you are trying to break a most basic dog behavior.
During this time of the dogs deciding who is bossier, things
can be tense. It is hard at times, to
let the dogs figure it out. Sometimes
there is some serious vocalizing and possible rough housing going on during
this period. I have found (even though
I have to make a point of telling myself to do this) to stay clear and let them
figure it out. If I start interfering,
the situation usually escalates into a full-blown fight and then the dogs still
have not decided who is submitting to whom.
When I don’t interfere everything is settled between them and life is
more enjoyable.
Training a dominant dog
Dominant dogs need to be constantly reminded of their place
in the pack. You need to always be the
alpha dog. Doing certain exercises as
everyday things will reinforce this into your dog. When you are letting the dog outside, make him sit before he may
go outside. If you both are going out,
you go out before he does. Always use a
release word such as “okay” in a positive voice when he may go. Another tip is to make him sit and wait for
the release word before you allow him to eat.
If he is blocking your path, do not step around your dog; make him
move. Don’t let him have any treats without
working for it!
TEACHING
“NO”
When a momma dog is disciplining their puppy, they will pick
the puppy up by the nap of the neck, shake the puppy and growl at the same
time. I try to copy a momma dog when I
teach a puppy the word “No”. To teach a
puppy no, simply shake the puppy by the nap of the neck while saying “No”. Lower your voice and sound mad. Do not shake any harder than you need to get
a small cry out of the puppy. Do not
use this method on an older puppy or adult dog.
To teach an older puppy or adult dog, you will need to be a
little more patient. Whatever the dog
has done wrong, say “No” in a low, mad voice.
Then once the dog is displaying the right behavior, use your praise
voice and treat the dog. For example,
Rufus just tried to take food from my hand.
I would lower my voice, and say “No”.
Once he didn’t pay attention or was in a position appropriate for when
you are eating use your praise voice and say “Yes” and give him a treat.
HOUSEBREAKING
The way I teach housebreaking demands vigilance, patience
and time on your part. When the
puppy/dog first wakes up or just gets done eating, take them outside and go
with them. As soon as they go
potty, praise them. Another sign
of a dog getting ready to go to the bathroom is circling. They will circle in one spot. If your puppy has an accident and you don’t
see them, oh well, clean it up. If you
catch your puppy having an accident, shake them by the nap of the neck and take
them outside, if the puppy continues to go outside, praise them. The idea is that the puppy is reprimanded inside,
but praised outside. If you are not
outside to praise them, how do they know where the proper spot is to go? If you have an 8-week old puppy, plan on
spending a lot of time going inside and outside.
Now, there is the old way of rubbing the puppy/dog’s nose in
what they did. Let’s play this out in
the dog’s mind.
1.
Dog goes poo by the door and goes to play in another room.
2.
Owner finds the mess and calls the dog to rub his/her nose in
it.
3.
Dog comes when called and gets nose rubbed in poo.
4.
How many of you would come again when called? I wouldn’t.
5.
So, you have just taught the dog to not come when
he/she is called.
6.
Because the dog was not caught going poo in the wrong spot,
the lesson has changed.
CRATE TRAINING
Dogs should view their crate as “their house”. They should want to be there and know which
crate is theirs. You should always use
the same crate for the same dog.
Teaching a puppy to like a crate is pretty easy. I always feed my dogs in their crates. They start to associate that the crate is a
safe spot that the other dogs cannot bother them in.
Now I have had people tell me that it is cruel to crate a
dog. I don’t agree at all. Even dogs that seem to hate their crates
have resorted to them in their old age when the younger dogs have too much
energy for them. It is their safe spot to go to, to get some rest or away from
possible pain causing play.
The other reason I like crates is it saves my furniture,
shoes, etc. from being chewed up when I am gone. I know my home items are safe while I am away and there is no
stress for the dog when I come home. It
is a basic expense that saves me hundreds of dollars.
Crate training is also helpful in housebreaking. Most puppies/dogs will not go potty in the
area that they sleep in unless it is absolutely necessary. Take the puppy/dog outside as soon as you
let them out of their crate and your housebreaking is much more
successful. The puppy/dog gets in the routine
of going potty as soon as they are let out of the crate, so be consistent!
To teach your dog to go into their crate, throw a toy or
food reward to the back of the crate as you are saying “crate” or “kennel” or
whatever word you will use. The dog
then associates going into their crate as a good thing!
At first, it is quite possible that the puppy/dog will howl
or bark when crated. To solve this
noisy problem, ignore the dog and their vocalizing (that’s not easy!). Once the dog is quiet, go to them, praise
and release them from the crate. They
will soon associate that when they carry on it gets them left in the crate, but
being quiet will get them out with you.
I find that it usually does not take long. As time goes on, the dog will not mind being in the crate.
If you have a dog that was neglected or abused, please go to
the Training an Abused Dog section.
LEASH
TRAINING
Leash training is not difficult with a puppy. After the puppy has gotten used to their
collar, I let them drag the leash around (supervised) in the house. Do not let them chew on the leash, but let
them get used to having the leash attached to them. The next step is for you to pick up the other end of the leash
and let them lead you around the house.
This allows the puppy to get used to you being on the other end. The next step is starting to guide the
puppy. I always do this in a positive
manner by using food. Lure them to you
with the food. Reward! Don’t reward the puppy if they are forging
ahead of you. This leads to the dog
walking you! Reward only if they are
where you want them to be.
The same method can be used with an adult dog. If the dog has no prior leash training or
negative training, be patient! It will
come. Always reward with food so it is
a positive experience. Never reward the
dog if the dog is pulling you. Stop in
place and let the dog come back to you.
Once the dog is back in place, reward the dog. The dog will soon connect this spot and I get food! As time goes on, use less food and
praise. I realize stopping in place means
you may never get out of the yard, but it is the end result of a dog walking
with you that will be your reward!
RECALLS
(OR COMING WHEN CALLED)
For a puppy, this can be very easy as long as you are
consistent. NEVER call a dog to
do something unpleasant to it, i.e. cutting the toenails or whatever the dog
might consider unpleasant. I teach this
starting at 8 weeks by always giving a treat when I have called the
puppy. After a few months, treats don’t
come every time and I eventually wean them off of treats, but they always get praised
even as an adult.
For an adult dog, this takes longer. I usually teach adults on a
flexi-leash. I will let them get to the
end and call them back. If they do not
come, I reel them in, and give them a treat!
The dog starts associating the “Come” command with a treat. Now each dog is different, but once you feel
comfortable and you are in a safe spot, try without the leash and see
what happens. As soon as the dog comes,
get excited! Praise! Treat!
If the dog doesn’t come, don’t get upset just start from scratch
again. It will come. Always praise your dog when they come to
you after being called.
My dog got loose and doesn’t know the recall – What
do I do?
There are some tricks out there that usually work.
1.
Run the opposite way of your dog (never chase) yelling like a
banshee. The dog will think that
wherever you are going, has got to be better then where they are going. As the dog comes your way, squat down and
stay stationary. The purpose of this is
to not be in a threatening position.
Hopefully, you will have a treat in your pocket to reward the dog. Remember at this point, it is better to get
the dog on a leash, than reprimanding! Always praise your dog when they come to you after being called.
2.
Get in your vehicle, go to where the dog is, and open a door
for them to get in! Ask them if they
want to go “bye-bye” or whatever word you use for getting in the car.
TEACHING “OFF”
Many dogs want to greet people by jumping up on the person
and giving them a big sloppy kiss. Many
people for either personal or physical reasons cannot tolerate this. To teach your dog to stay off people when
greeting them is pretty easy, but consistency is the key. When a person comes over, have your dog on a
leash, and ask the dog to sit. The
visitor is then to reward the dog by petting them and you giving them a
treat. If the dog jumps up, tell the
dog “no, off”, pull down on the leash and tell them to sit again. Again, pet and treat. If training for this is imperative, ask for
help from a friend/family member and have them knock on the door, come in, and
pet the dog after the dog is sitting.
Make the situation as realistic as possible. Maybe have a “teach the dog to stay off” party and invite a bunch
of people over.
“Off” can be used for staying off furniture, countertops,
tables, etc. I recommend using “off”
and not “down”, as “down” is usually used for lying down. Using the same command for two different
motions is confusing to the dog.
TEACHING SIT
Using food as a lure, have your dog in a standing
position. Take the food and move your
hand in a backward motion over their head while using your opposite hand to
tuck their rear underneath them. Most
dogs do not need the tucking action, but use it if the dog is not realizing
what you want. As you are doing this,
say “Sit”. Soon you will not need to
tuck and then you will be able to take away the motion over the head and then
slowly start having the dog do more sits than treats.
TEACHING DOWN
Using food as a lure, have the dog sit. Now making a downward motion and away from
the dog (a backwards L), say down. Try
not to force the dog down. This
exercise can be a submissive position for a dominant dog, so forcing the dog
can be detrimental. Do not give a treat
until the dog is in the correct position.
The dog will connect the position and treat and start repeating the
exercise. As in the Sit instructions,
slowly take away the hand motion and then alternating treats.
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