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DECEMBER 2008
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THIS ISSUE:
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Living Room Champions
Marilyn Marks
Owner of The Good Dog Spot! in Bloomfield
If you take beginner tennis lessons and spend 6 weeks practicing serves, do you KNOW how to serve?
If you understand the words "Do not panic. Walk calmly to the nearest exit." Can you do what they say in a real emergency?
In the tennis example, it’s obvious to us that, even allowing for different levels of "talent," you couldn’t put the beginner in a tournament with the tennis club, let alone Wimbeldon, and expect a great performance. In the emergency example, comprehension is one thing, decision making and behavior are quite another.
When training dogs we often make conclusions about what our dogs know and can be expected to do. People take a 6 week basic course and effectively finish with a sit, down, stay, heel and come performed at home, in class and in a few other daily life situations. We assume that because the dog seems to comprehend those words they should do then whenever asked and do them as well as a guide dog (first command, without complaint, every single time). But they don’t! Is it the dog or is it our expectations?
Dogs learn in context (so do we), so the sights, sounds and smells as well as your own body language, tone of voice and proximity all become part of the "command." Dogs also learn through consequences (as do we). If your practice sessions involve consequences (think of it as "feedback" on behavioral decisions)but your daily commands (come, don’t run amok around the neighborhood, sit, don’t jump at the door, etc.) don’t, then the dog will choose what they want to do. Different consequences mean the commands to not have the same meaning in different circumstances.
Another aspect of "listening" is mental state. The Green Berets practice under conditions that induce extreme stress, fear, panic and pain. They already know how to breath, walk, talk, fire guns, swim or whatever. What they need to learn is how to overcome the "panic first, think later" issue that is a normal response. Your dog needs similar repetitive practice for when the doorbell rings, when they see a squirrel or a "stranger," when they hear a dog barking.
To avoid having a "living room champion" that won’t listen in other conditions, it’s important to apply careful practice in a variety of situations and places and to practice, and practice a lot, before you actually need the result (greeting fragile aunt Bessie at the door, staying while you change the new baby’s diaper, etc.). Here are a few ways to practice commands in your daily life:
- sit to have the leash clipped on
- wait for release to pass through door
- stay while you put your coat on (start with duration of one arm in perhaps)
- drop an item "by mistake" and practice "leave it"
- emptying the dishwasher? Practice stay for each item you put away, then two items, etc. Have the dog situated in varying parts of the room, varying distances from you.
- getting the mail? – put the dog in a stay and see how far towards the mail box you can get today, tomorrow, etc.
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