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The Good Dog Game
By Marilyn Marks
The first night of dog training class is always the hairiest (pun intended!). Everyone is stressed. Owners know they’re there to learn, but are embarrassed by their dog’s behavior. Dogs are keen on doing just about anything, which results in that worry or embarrassment! Might as well get to work…….
I ask owners to describe what a GOOD DOG would be doing. Sitting and lying down they come up with very easily. I have to push for the rest: loose leash, eye contact, body oriented towards owner, paws within one foot of owner, quiet. Now that we have described what we DO want, how do we get the dog to be doing that stuff? We have to bring these behaviors to their attention, make them more important to them than the zillion other things on their minds.
One key to doing that is to have the dogs well-managed. That means we control the dog so they are more likely to display the desired behavior. In class, that means they are on leash. We are much more likely to be able to reward the dog for being within one foot of us if he’s on leash rather than roaming about. That seems obvious (like duh) but it is important. The distance between dogs, which decreases their ability to reward themselves by sniffing, is also a management tool.
Now that the dogs are captive, all we have to do is start rewarding them when they are doing any one of the behaviors we want. We use a sound right at the moment the dog is doing it, then deliver a "payment" for a job well done. Our sound is a click and the payment is usually tidbits of meaty or cheesy food. The students are instructed to click and treat every time the dog offers any one of the desired behaviors. Those clicks and treats are the only information the dog has about how important those behaviors are!
We had a room full of noisy dogs pulling on their leash to sniff the dog next to them. But now, each dog is a captive audience! All are oriented to their owner. All are quiet. All are sitting, standing or lying down within one foot of their owner.
This idea of deciding what good dogs do and rewarding it is called The Good Dog Game. You can apply it to all situations. First you describe what you DO want the dog to do. Next you plan how to manage the situation so that you are most likely to be able to catch the dog doing it. Third, you catch the dog offering those behaviors and reward them (clicker or other marker helps).
What does a good dog do when a guest is at the door? Keeps four paws on the floor. How to control for this? Step on the leash. Throw tidbits on the floor. Throw tidbits away from the door and click/treat as the dog re-approaches you and your door guest (before he can jump).
What does a good dog do while the family eats dinner? Lays a desirable distance away. How to manage this? Tie the dog’s leash to a doorknob in a convenient, nearby spot. Click and treat while he is calm.
These are just a few ideas out of hundreds. Find the good dog in your dog!
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