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Let Me Save You Some Money...
On Dog Training
By Marilyn Marks
Certified Pet Dog Trainer and owner of The Good Dog Spot! A Community Center for Dogs & Their People, in Bloomfield, offering training, day care, boarding and play groups.
Many of my private lessons are for "nuisance" behaviors: jumping on family, guest or counters, stealing household objects, barking out the window, not settling while you watch television. You know, just general unruliness and unwillingness to listen to known commands. Here’s what I share with all of them. It’s not the total answer to every issue, but it’s always the beginning.
If your dog is doing something you can’t ignore, it’s time to look into step 1. And there you have it, instead of a vicious circle you have a 3-point plan for creating desired behavior that doesn’t require that you impose it forcefully.
Prevent or lessen problem behavior by keeping a leash on your dog in the house. Use it as a mental reminder that you’re supposed to supervise your dog all the times. Hold or step on it to prevent your dog from getting to the people at the door, the counter, etc. Attach it to a doorknob or a piece of furniture near you while you cook, eat, sew, etc. to prevent the dog from wandering off. Use it as a handle to remove the dog from the couch, under the bed, etc. If the dog steals a shoe and runs off, merely step on the leash to prevent the "chase me" game.
Reward the dog while he’s being good. Since you have the dog nearby (on leash, you have plenty of new opportunities. The dog doesn’t have to be perfect to earn your attention, just better than before, for now. Talk to your dog in a friendly tone about your day or the meal you’re making, it doesn’t matter. Keep Tupperware with treats in strategic locations or in your pocket to dole out from time to time. Pick "good dog" behaviors the dog chooses on his own, without your command, such as siting, laying down, 4 paws on the floor, making eye contact, not straining at his leash-tether. Each time you catch your dog doing one of them, say "yes" and toss a treat. Soon he’ll be doing these things more often, by his own choice and paying more attention to you in general.
Ignore attention-seeking behavior. Your dog may request your attention by jumping up, barking, bringing you a ball to toss, pawing at you, moving between you and others. Instead of addressing your dog with the insistence that he stop, some mention of how he should patiently wait for his walk, or petting him to keep him quiet for the moment, continue to read your magazine, talk on the phone etc. or simply leave to "get a drink of water." When your dog doesn’t get what he wants, he will get worse, more intense and persistent, before he stops altogether and it’s very important that you wait this out. Set this up so you can practice when you have time and patience to work it through the first few times. It’s time to reward your dog while he’s being good when your dog has stopped the antics for at least 5 minutes and found something more peaceful to do.
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