Category: Good Dog Manners

Psyching Out Your Dog

Michael Baugh, CPDT-KA, CDBC

Something funny happens when your dog starts to get good at learning.  She can tell when you are in training mode and when you are not.  Basically she knows when the reinforcement is available compared to when you simply aren’t paying.  How?  Well, you have that treat bag on your hip.  There’s that clicker in your hand.  And you’re standing sort of at attention leaning over your dog saying all those “commands.”  You are so obvious (yeah, I am too).

Stella. Courtesy Brett Chisholm Photography

Maybe your dog loves to work when the treat bar is open.  But the rest of the time it’s “no deal.”  How do you get your dog to respond in real life, all the time, anywhere?  My answer: psych her out.

That bag on your hip, the clicker in your hand and the way you stand and talk are all part of what behavior scientists call your “stimulus package.”  You don’t have to remember the name.  Just remember that it alerts your dog that it’s time to act nice; it predicts  goodies are coming.  In order to psych our dogs out, all we have to do is make that set up a bit less obvious and a whole lot more unpredictable.  Anything can predict goodies.

Try this.  Hide some treats in a candy jar in the living room.  Later ask your dog to do her best trick or maybe just a simple “sit” or “down.”  When she does it – BAM give her one of those secret treats.  Wow, she thinks, I didn’t see that coming.

Slip some morsels of goodness in your pocket one day when your dog isn’t looking.  Put the clicker in your other pocket.  Call your dog to you and surprise her with a click and treat when she gets there.  Whoa, that never happened before.

How about some surprise training on a walk. This is new.  Going to the vet?  Train there.  Cool, you do this everywhere.  Why not train in your p.j.’s?  Hey, those are cute.

This is all about teaching your dog that she should be ready all the time and anywhere.  Training (and the possibility for reinforcement) doesn’t just happen when you wear a certain outfit in a certain place at certain times.  Training can happen wherever you are, often when your dog least expects it.

The result is a dog who is joyfully alert whenever you are around.  This could be another opportunity.  She watches and listens.  What’s he want me to do?  And when you say the word she acts quickly.  Yes, she thinks, I love this game.

Four Things You Need to Teach Your Puppy (Right Away)

 

Photo Courtesy: Ryan Rice

Michael Baugh, CPDT-KA, CDBC

Puppies are great fun.  But there’s work to be done too.  Here are four essential things you need to teach your puppy right away.

  1. Poop and Pee here not there.  Here are the rules of potty training.  Never ask yourself “where’s the puppy.”  The little tike should be right there with you under your watchful eye.  Or the puppy should be safely confined in his crate.  Take him outside every hour or two and lead him to the place you want him to “go.”  Once he’s done, give him three tiny treats right there where you stand.  Give him a chance to go again before you come back inside.
  2. Chew this not that.  The same rules apply.  I you have to ask yourself “where’s the puppy,” chances are he’s chewing your furniture in the next room or peeing on your carpet.  Supervise or safely confine him.  Provide your puppy with some interesting chew toys.  I like stuffed Kong Toys.  But don’t leave them all  out at once.  I recommend rotating toys in and out of service.
  3. Humans are fragile.  Certainly you can and should avoid puppy biting.  However, some trainers believe there’s a developmental reason puppies have those sharp teeth and why they bite us so much.  They are gauging bite strength.  Specifically, they are figuring out the minimum force needed for the maximum effect.  So, we can actually teach them to bite more softly.  Accept a few gentle bites.  When the hard bite comes, yell “OUCH” and leave your puppy alone without a playmate for a minute or two (in his crate if need-be).  Sure enough, you’ll get a puppy who uses his mouth more gently.  Better yet, you’ll have an adult dog who won’t do any harm even if he feels he has to bite someone.
  4. The world is safe.  Dogs who don’t feel safe often don’t behave well.  That’s why it’s so important to show your puppy that the people, other pets, places and events they might encounter in life are safe.  That means introducing them to the world in a joyful and pleasant manner while protecting them from disease.  You have a limited amount of time.  The imprinting period in puppies (often called the socialization period) ends around 18 weeks of age.  After that a lack of experience can develop into fear.

If you’re thinking about getting a puppy I highly recommend the book Life Skills for Puppies by Daniel Mills and Helen Zulch.