Dog Training Schools
A caution before you set out to attend your first dog training school … prepare for the worst. Who knows why it happens, but dogs seem to sense when they’re under pressure to behave, even when you’re a loving, positive-reinforcement owner. Once they sense the pressure, it’s almost as if they seem to mess up on purpose. And there certainly are plenty of opportunities are a dog training school.
So what can you do?
First, keep your dog on a short leash. There will be plenty of distractions … strangers, other dogs, new smells. You can never be sure how he’ll react in an environment with so much activity. He may appear to like the dog next to you one minute, and the next minute he’s starting to growl and prepare for combat. Second, and most important, is to relax. Try to enjoy yourself. If you’re tense, your dog will sense it and react in kind. So make it a fun outing for the both of you.
Puppy Proofing
The first step in puppy proofing is deciding if there are areas you prefer to keep off limits. These may include rooms with hardwood floors. Or rooms with your finer furniture where you entertain guests. Or maybe your office, where you have an excess of computer cords or stacks of files on the floor.
If it’s an off-limits area, you need to block it off. Either keep the door shut or put up barriers (something like a baby gate works fine for this).
Next, you’ll want to do a tour of the areas where your puppy is free to roam. You’re looking for exposed electrical wires, stereo cords, curtain cords … things that dangle at puppy-level and are tempting to play with.
Keep cleaners, detergents, antifreeze, any dangerous liquid - whether it’s in the house, the garage, or the backyard - locked up, just like you would for a child.
If it’s breakable and you don’t want it broken, put it out of reach. If it’s out of reach, but it might tumble if the table’s jostled, move it out of the room.
You should be aware that some houseplants are poisonous, while others are toxic to dogs. Even safe plants make tempting targets. So you’ll want to move them to higher ground or to another area of the house.
Look for corners of the carpet or the area rug that have curled up (they make for great chewing). Look for book or DVD shelves that aren’t as stable as they might be (you don’t want them falling on top of your puppy after a playful bump). Look for anything small that your puppy might swallow, things like marbles, or rubber bands, or pencils. Sometimes it helps if you get down on your hands and knees so you can see what your puppy sees.
If you like your shoes, lock ‘em up.
If you keep your kitchen garbage can out, move it under the sink. There’s nothing more tempting to a puppy than the aroma of garbage.
At the same time, you’ll want to provide a variety of chew toys for your puppy. Consider rawhide toys, or pig’s ears, or even a block of wood. These are toys that can be easily shredded, an activity puppies thoroughly enjoy. And as long as he’s busy chewing on his toys, he isn’t chewing on your toys.
Controlling Your Dog’s Leash Pulling
Leash pulling can be found in adult dogs as well as puppies. Sometimes it’s due to excitement. For instance, when your dog first realizes that he’s going to get to go on a walk with you, he may become overly excited and immediately start tugging on the leash. If this is the case, it usually only requires a few minutes to calm your dog down before the leash pulling will subside. Stand with him on leash for a minute or two until he settles down, and then continue on your walk.
If the problem is one of control, however, some retraining may be required. In this instance, settling your dog down won’t do you any good. What’s missing is the sense of hierarchy we spoke about above. You haven’t clearly established yourself as the alpha dog in your dog’s mind. So what you’ll most likely want to do is take a step back and return to training your dog to obey the basic obedience commands. The structure of a formal dog obedience school might help as well. Just be prepared to receive as much training as your dog does.
Crate Training, Part Two
Okay, some crate training ground rules …
A crate should never be used for the purpose of punishment.
Never force your dog into the crate.
The use of a crate begins with its introduction. If possible,you’d like to have a week or so when your dog can become familiar with the crate. During this period, you’ll want to feed him in the crate with the door open. You’ll want to have a bed inside the crate, and chew toys to make the environment as attractive as possible. If your dog enters the crate on his own, praise him and pet, then close the door. The first few times may include some whining. It will pass. Your dog will settle down. Give him time.
When possible, keep the crate near you when you’re home.
Never leave your dog in the crate for long periods of time. The exception to this is overnight, when most dogs will sleep comfortably and be fine. How long is too long? A puppy will need to be given the opportunity to stretch and do his business every 45 minutes or so. An adult dog, once he’s accustomed to the crate, can be kept crated for up to 4 hours, but no longer.
When crate training, you’ll want to make sure your dog has plenty of opportunities to do his business in the area you’ve designated. If you’re away from the house for a time, you’ll need to let him out of the crate immediately upon returning. In the morning, when you first get up, you’ll need to let him out to do his business. Give him every opportunity to do his business in the area designated and the training process will go much faster.
When your dog does use the designated area, always be lasvish with your praise.
When there’s a mishap during the crate training process (for instance, your dog soils his crate or doesn’t make it to the designated area), do not scold or punish him. Accidents are the result of not providing him with enough opportunity to do his business. Simply keep to the basics, and make sure in the future he has plenty of bathroom breaks throughout the day.
Want to make the process go even easier? Keep a daily diary that records when your dog eats and when he does his business. Use the diary to note how often you’re providing him the opportunity to eliminate and how often he takes advantage of the opportunity. You’ll quickly be able to identify a regular routine which can benefit both of you in the housetraining process.
Once your dog has been crate trained, you’ll be able to use the crate throughout his life, providing him with a warm, pleasant, den-like environment that will keep him feeling secure.
Leash And Collar Training, Part One
One of the most popular approaches to dog training is the use of the leash/collar. Of course, the type of training that works in your particular situation can vary from dog to dog, and from breed to breed. Each breed of dog has its own unique qualities, reinforced by hundreds of years of selective breeding. On top of this, the personalities of puppies can vary dramatically, even within established breeds.
With that said, dog leash and collar training is most likely your best approach, particularly in situations where your dog must grow into a reliable, well-behaved dog. For example, dogs with an important job, such as rescue dogs, police dogs and guard dogs can greatly benefit from leash and collar training.
Before you get down to the actual training, you’ll want your dog to become accustomed to wearing a collar without being annoyed or distracted by it. This is a simple process of wearing the collar throughout the day, during all those everyday activities such as eating, playing and sleeping. Next, you’ll want to add a leash. As much as possible, your goal should be to teach your dog to walk with a loose leash. This prevents injury to the throat, which can occur if your dog is constantly tugging on the leash.
More in our next post.
