1. How and Why to Train

How and Why to Train
by Bohnenkamp, Perfect Paws, Inc.

The most important time in your dog's life is right now. Your dog's
behavior is constantly changing. A dog that is well-behaved today
will not necessarily remain that way forever. New problems can
always develop. Existing problems can always get worse.

Dogs are social animals and without proper training, they will
behave like animals. They will soil your house, destroy your
belongings, bark excessively, dig, fight other dogs and even bit
you. Nearly all behavior problems are perfectly normal canine
activities that occur at the wrong time or place or are directed at
the wrong thing. For example, the dog will bark all night long
instead of just when a stranger is prowling around outside; or the
dog will chew furniture instead of his own toys. The key to
preventing or treating behavior problems is learning to teach the
dog to redirect his normal behaviors to outlets that are acceptable
in the domestic setting.

One of the best things you can do for your dog and yourself is to
obedience train her. Obedience training doesn't solve all behavior
problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any
problem. Training opens up a line of communication between you
and your dog. Effective communication is necessary to instruct
your dog about what you want her to do. You can teach her
anything from 'stay' (don't bolt out the door) to 'sit' (don't jump
up on the visitors) to 'off' (don't chew the furniture).

Training is also an easy way to establish the social hierarchy. When
your dog obeys a simple request of 'come her, sit,' she is showing
compliance and respect for you. It is NOT necessary to establish
yourself as top dog or leader of the pack by using extreme
measures such as the so-called alpha roll-over. You CAN teach your
dog her subordinate role by teaching her to show submission to you
in a paw raise (shake hands), roll over or hand lick (give a kiss).
Most dogs love performing these tricks (obedience commands) for
you which also pleasantly acknowledge that you are in charge.

Training should be fun and rewarding for you and your dog. It can
enrich your relationship and make living together more enjoyable.
A well-trained dog is more confident and can more safely be
allowed a greater amount of freedom than an untrained animal.

Some people debate whether or not is is possible to train puppies,
and others ask whether it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks.
The answer to both questions is an unequivocal YES! Whatever the
age of your dog, the right time to begin training is right now!!

Enroll in a local dog training class to learn the basics. Then most
teaching and training can and should be done in your home. It is
best to begin teaching in the area that is familiar to your dog and
with the least amount of distractions as possible. When you feel
both you and your dog are skilled at several commands, then take
these commands to different areas. Introducing distractions may
seem like starting all over again, but it's worth the effort. In reality,
who cares if your dog will sit-stay when no one is around? What
you need is a dog who will sit-stay when company is at the door.
Who cares if your dog heels beautifully in your own back yard?
But you need to start there if you eventually want a dog who will
heel beautifully when walking down Union Street. If you want your
dog to be obedient in your car, guess where you have to practice?
If you suddenly want your dog to down-stay while you are trying
to move over 3 lanes to make an exit, you had better find time to
practice those commands in the car long before you need them.
Don't drive and practice at the same time. Practice while the car is
parked or while someone else is driving.

Keep the training sessions short and sweet. It is dull and boring to
schedule tedious and lengthy training sessions. Instead, integrate
training into your daily routine. Make training interesting and
meaningful to your dog. If Rover insists on following you from
room to room while your are getting ready for the day, then insist
he have something to do too. "Roll over" for your wake-up
greeting. "Heel" from the bedroom to the bathroom. "Down-stay"
while you brush your teeth. "Heel" from the bathroom to the
kitchen. "Sit-stay" while grinding he coffee beans. "Go find the
ball" while you get dressed. Now "go get the leash" so you can go
for a walk. "Sit" when the door is opened, "sit" again when the door
is closed. And so on. Be sure that training infiltrates you dog's
favorite activities and that your dog's favorite activities infiltrates
training. Your dog's favorite activities should become training, so
that training becomes the dog's favorite activity.

REWARDS

The single most important aspect of training is rewarding your dog
for good behavior. The more times the dog is rewarded, the quicker
he will learn. Therefore, it's essential that you set up situations
repeatedly in order for your dog to get plenty of practice at doing
the right thing. It's equally as important that you always praise
you dog for good behavior instead of taking it for granted. It's easy
to forget to praise good behavior because it goes unnoticed. But
the very nature of misbehavior gets our attention. We don't notice
when our dog is lying quietly, but excessive barking gets our
attention. How many of us take notice and praise our dogs when
they chew their own toys? But we all go berserk when we notice
our favorite pair of shoes chewed up! Praise and reward are the
most important part of maintaining good behavior and
preventing problems from arising.

REPRIMANDS

Some dogs feel they are constantly bombarded with, "NO, Stop
that, get off, Bad dog!" They tend to get used to it and so the
reprimands become meaningless and ignored. If most of our
interaction with the dog is praise for good behavior, then
reprimands will take on much more meaning. Whenever you find
the need to reprimand your dog, immediately show him what you
want him to do, then reward him for getting it right. If you catch
him chewing the furniture, tell him, 'Off!' Then immediately direct
him to his own toys, enthusiastically entice him to chew on them
and praise him for doing so.

If done correctly, your voice alone is sufficient for reprimand. A
correct reprimand is short, sharp and immediate. Don't continue
to nag the dog and never reprimand him unless you catch him in
the act. Never hit, kick, slap, or spank your dog. This type of
inappropriate punishment always creates more problems and
usually makes existing problems worse. Not only will you have
a barking, chewing dog, but one that is leery, hand-shy,fearful
or aggressive.

 

Gwen Bohnenkamp
Perfect Paws Dog Training and Behavior
www.perfectpaws.com

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