Wendy Volhard

Article / Updated 04-14-2022

Yes, dog training is based on common sense. However, you do need to keep in mind a few specific guidelines — the dos and don’ts — to make sure that you’re successful and fostering a healthy relationship with your dog. The following sections are here to help get you started. Dos Do be nice to your dog every time he comes to you (even if he’s just coming back from an unexpected romp around the neighborhood). Do get into the habit of giving a command only once. If your dog doesn’t respond to a command you have taught her, reinforce the command. Do use your dog’s name to get her attention, and then tell her what you want her to do. Do eliminate the word “no” from your training vocabulary. Do use a normal tone of voice when you give a command. Your dog’s hearing is quite acute. Do be consistent in your actions and expectations. Do provide an outlet for your dog’s energies. Do keep your dog mentally stimulated by training him. Do understand that your dog is a social animal. Train him so he can be a part of the family. Do socialize your dog with people and other dogs. Do become your dog’s teacher. Do make learning fun for your dog. Do consistently reward with praise the correct behaviors. Do spend plenty of time with your dog and give her lots of exercise. Do keep trying, and your dog will reward you by getting the message. Do get outside help when you get stuck. Don’ts Don’t do anything your dog perceives as unpleasant when she comes to you. Don’t nag your dog by repeating commands — nagging teaches him to ignore you. Don’t use your dog’s name and then expect him to read your mind as to what you want. Don’t expect your dog to know what the word “no” means. Don’t yell at your dog. She’s not deaf. Raising your voice doesn’t improve understanding. Don’t confuse your dog with unrealistic expectations. Don’t try to suppress behaviors that need an outlet. Don’t let your dog stagnate. Don’t lock up your dog or put her out because you haven’t trained her to behave. Don’t isolate your dog — he’s a social animal. Don’t expect your dog to obey a command you haven’t taught him. Don’t get too serious in your training. Don’t reward undesired behaviors. Don’t make your dog neurotic by neglecting her. Don’t give up when the going gets tough; keep trying. Don’t blame the dog; you are her teacher.

Article / Updated 03-22-2020

With this trick, you teach your dog to get in a big box and eventually hide in it by laying down. The tricks you teach your dog can be simple or complex, depending on your dog’s drives and your interest. You can teach some tricks in an afternoon whereas you’ll need more time for others. With your help, each trick can be a showstopper with your dog’s personality shining through. Needed: A cardboard box and treats Make sure the box is big enough for your dog to get into and lay down. Save one from a delivery or visit a store that lets you take one. Close in the flaps to add stability and so the box doesn’t have a top or flaps to deter your dog. Make sure the box isn’t too high that your dog can’t leap into it later. Use treats easy to toss, such as cheese-flavored corn puffs, popcorn, or something special and fun. Be careful about overdoing the snacks. If you feed a kibble, you can use your dog’s kibble too at meal times. Command: Get In Command: Down Sequence 1: Introducing the box on its side The steps in this sequence help your dog get acquainted with the box: Set up your box and lay it on its side, so the opening isn’t on top but rather an easy walk in. Toss a treat into the box and say “Get it” and then release with “Okay” as Buddy eats the treat. Repeat over and over until Buddy willingly goes in the box for the treat. Turn the box if it isn’t a square box, so he’ll go into the box to get the treat on any side. You can move the box around the room too, so the box changing location isn’t a concern for Buddy. Step behind Buddy as he goes in the box, so he doesn’t just back out. You want him to wait until you say “Okay.” Sequence 2: Standing the box correctly with opening on top This sequence may take a bit of help, especially if Buddy isn’t a leaper. We find helping him into the box and having him leap out helpful. Just follow these steps: Without fear or frustration, gently put Buddy into the box, lifting him up and placing him inside. Immediately give him a treat and then say “Okay” to release him and give him another treat for leaping out. The leaping out will only get a treat when you put him in the box by lifting him in. After he gets in the box himself, you’ll only treat him while he’s inside the box, not after he comes out. You want him to go in the box, so only reward him for going in, not for coming out. Drop a treat or two into the box and say “Get in your box.” If he doesn’t try, lift him in so he can eat the treats inside of the box. Then say “Okay” to release him and play with him outside the box. Dogs know when you’re pleased if you let him know you’re pleased. We often hear people say their dogs always repeat a behavior if they laughed at their dog for doing something because your dog reads your laughter as being pleased. Laughter is praise to a dog. Have fun with trick training. Keep practicing until Buddy gets into the box on his own. Toss treats inside and encourage him to leap inside as in the following figure. If you’re tossing treats and he won’t go and you’ve lifted him in a few times and he still won’t do it, tilt the box over with the treats inside and have him go in for them. This shows him that the treats are there waiting for him. Get In Your Box is the command. Add it as your dog leaps inside. “Okay” is the release for your Get Out Of The Box command. Sequence 3: Adding the Hide command You can wait for another day to work on this sequence. Make sure your dog is willingly getting in and out of the box on your commands before moving on to this sequence: Review your Down command outside of the box. When he goes down, he’ll look like he’s hiding in the box. Say “Get in your box” and toss a treat inside. Say “Down, Hide” and raise your arm as your signal. Praise and give another treat for laying down. Say “Okay” to release him from the box. Praise, praise, praise. Repeat the Down, Hide combined command until Buddy starts responding to just the Hide command alone. Sequence 4: Putting it all together Now that you have a dog who will get in, wait for you to release him with “Okay” to come out, and will lay down in the box when asked, it’s time to make it a performance: Have Buddy get in the box and raise your arm as you say “Hide.” After he hides, say “Okay” to release him to get out. You can use your imagination to make this into a bit of a celebration and show by leaving your box out and playing this trick anytime you want. Trick training and training in general makes for a dog who is always listening and watching you.

Article / Updated 03-22-2020

Every well-trained dog knows a trick or two that can impress friends and family alike. With this trick, your dog finds the right cup with the treat pea under it out of three cups. This trick is fun for both you and your dog. Needed: Three cups: You can use plastic or paper cups from your picnic basket or small disposable flower pots that new plants come in to repot later. Kids’ handbells, instead of cups, work wonders too; Just cut out the clangor because you don’t need the noise from the bell. With the bells, the handles help your dog to tip the bells over during the trick. Treats: Dry treats that scoot along the floor without leaving crumbs or residue behind, such as Os cereal or oyster crackers–type treats work best. The treat is called the pea in the final step. Command: Leave It Command: Stay Sequence 1: Establish a pattern for the game These steps in the first sequence help Buddy understand the pattern: Kneel in front of your dog on a Stay command with an ample supply of treats and your cups handy. Put a treat on the floor and say “Leave it” and then release Buddy to the treat with “Okay.” If he goes before the release, simply cover the treat with your hand before he gets to the treat. This is a practice review for the “Leave It” command Repeat the whole sequence. By repeating several times you’re teaching Buddy this is a game he’ll want to play; he needs to get focused to play several times. Sequence 2: Introduce the covered treat The next steps focus on making the introduction. Buddy, meet the treat. Kneel in front of your dog on a Stay command, show him the cup, and put a treat on the edge of the upside-down cup half under the cup and half showing. Pause and then say “Leave it.” Release him to the cup and treat and praise again and again while you pet and party with him for finding the hidden treat. Repeat until Buddy knocks over or pushes aside the cup with ease to get at the half-exposed treat. Now completely cover the treat so Buddy can’t see it. Remember to enforce the Stay and Leave It commands. Release to the cup with “Okay.” Sequence 3: Add a second cup with no treat You can now introduce an empty cup next to the loaded cup. Simply have two cups upside down in front of the dog on a stay as in the following figure. Lift one at a time, and then make a big deal about putting a treat under one of them. Pause and then release and let your dog find the treat. If he goes right for the correct one, or even if he doesn’t, make a huge fuss of praise when he finds the treat. Sequence 4: Move the cups and changing their position To keep building on this trick, follow these steps: Repeat Sequence 3, but after you’ve loaded one of the cups, slowly switch the cups’ location by sliding them around on the floor, not lifting the cup to expose the treat. Usually the dog is fascinated by this while on the Stay. Pause before releasing Buddy to the cups. Repeat this step, but slide the cups back and forth a few extra times. Try to determine if your dog is simply crashing the cups over or using his nose or eyes to go to the right cup. Help him if needed by tipping over the cup. If your cups aren’t tipping over, do this on a bit of carpet to allow for some traction. The handbells help with this because they knock over more easily because of the handles. Sequence 5: Finish the trick During this sequence you add the third cup, which is when this trick really gets fun: With Buddy on a Sit-Stay, place the three cups in front of him. Load one with a treat and allow him to watch you. Slide the cups around in front of him and talk up the mystery of which one has the treat. Sit back on your heels, say “Okay,” and watch Buddy sniff out the correct cup. One cup only has the treat. Your dog may tip them all over, but eventually most dogs get it right, going directly to the correct cup. If you want to make this trick a show piece, add some drama to your voice and act as if you have a crowd in front of you. Announce and show off the Famous Buddy of the World —Buddy who can follow the cup to find the “pea” every time. “As if magic, Buddy will watch and concentrate and find the famous pea under the cups as they switch and move before his eyes. It’s your show, so play it up.

Article / Updated 03-22-2020

Teach your dog how to shake hands and high five. The trick to teaching successful tricks is sequencing. Sequencing means breaking down what you want to teach your dog into components small enough for the dog to master, which leads up to the final product. For example, if you want to teach your dog to shake hands, start by first taking Buddy’s paw in your hand with the command you want to use and then praise and reward him. The next sequence is offering your palm first instead of taking his paw, and so on to the next sequence. This trick shows you how to teach Buddy to Shake and then add a High Five for extra flair. This exercise has four sequences. Sequences 1 through 3 teach Shake and Sequence 4 adds the High Five. For the High Five, the object is to teach Buddy to raise one front paw as high as he can on command. Needed: Treats Command: Sit Command: Yes, to mark the moment of success and compliance from your dog Sequence 1: Introduce the concept of shaking hands Follow these steps to accustom your dog to shaking hands: Sit your dog in front of you. Reduce your body posture by kneeling or squatting in front of your dog so you’re not leaning or hovering over him. Offer him your palm at mid-chest level and say “Shake” or whatever command you want to use. Take the elbow of his dominant front leg and lift it off the ground about 2 inches. If you don’t know your dog’s dominant side, he’ll quickly show you. Slide your hand down to the paw and gently shake as in the figure. Say “Yes” and praise enthusiastically as you’re shaking his paw. Reward with a treat and say “Okay” to release him. Sequence 2: Lift his paw Keep following these steps for Buddy to lift his paw: Sit your dog in front of you and reduce your body posture. Offer your palm at mid-chest level and say “Shake.” Pause. You’re looking for some sort of response. If nothing happens, touch his elbow and offer your palm again. Give him the chance to lift his paw. After he lifts the paw on his own, take the paw, enthusiastically praise, reward, and release. If nothing happens after offering your palm and saying “Shake,” take hold of his collar on the opposite side from the hand you want him to lift and tilt him slightly away from that side by pulling gently on the collar sideways. Doing so takes the weight off the leg you want to come up, and it will come off of the ground. Say “Yes,” take his paw, praise, reward, and release. Stay with Sequence 2 until your dog is lifting his paw off the ground on command so you can shake it. Move on to Sequence 3 when your dog is ready. Sequence 3: Put his paw on your palm When you’re ready for Buddy to put his paw in your palm, keep following these steps: Sit your dog in front of you and reduce your body posture. Offer your palm at mid-chest level and say “Shake.” At this point, he should put his paw on your palm. When he does, say “Yes,” praise enthusiastically, reward, and release. If nothing happens, go back to Sequence 2. Stay with Sequence 3 until your dog readily and without hesitation puts his paw on your palm. Then, if you want to teach your dog to add an impressive high five to his shake, you can move on to the last sequence. Sequence 4: Add the High Five With this trick you want your dog to raise his paw as high as he can and touch your hand rather than you shaking his paw. These steps can help: Sit your dog in front of you. Offer your palm at his chin level and say “Shake.” By now your dog should readily and without hesitation put his paw on your palm with the command “Shake.” When he does, say “Yes,” praise, and rotate your palm to be fingers up as in a high five. Reward and release. If not, go back to Sequence 3. Raise your palm, in 2-inch increments, until you have reached your dog’s limit. At this point you can change the trick command to “High Five” and say “High Five” after you’ve said, “Shake,” and gotten Buddy to lift his paw. Your hand is less like a shake-hand position and more of a high-five position with your fingers pointing up. Say “Yes” as your dog touches your palm with his paw. Praise and reward with your release. After several repetitions, your dog will stretch his paw as high as he can. Praise, reward, and release.

Article / Updated 03-22-2020

If you find you need outside help, we recommend an obedience training class where you’re instructed how to train your dog. Having taught obedience training classes for more than 40 years, we’re naturally biased in favor of this choice. A basic class usually addresses your most immediate concerns, such as not pulling on the leash, teaching the Sit and Down-Stay commands, and mastering Come. You also can find classes devoted to puppy training and advanced training for performance events when you and Buddy are ready. When you go to an obedience training class, don’t expect the instructor to train your dog. That isn’t her job. The purpose of the class is to show you what to do, have you try it a few times to make sure you’ve got it right, and then send you home to practice. Be prepared to attend class at least once a week and practice at home at least five times a week. We think taking Buddy to school is perhaps one of the best things you can do for the both of you. Here’s why: Classes get you out of the house into an atmosphere where you can spend quality time together and strengthen the bond between you and your dog. Both of you have fun while learning useful things that make living together that much easier. Classes are excellent way for you to meet similar people and for Buddy to socialize with other dogs. Classes usually are economical and keep your training on track with weekly sessions. A knowledgeable individual tells you what you may be doing wrong and can help you succeed. Classes automatically provide a distracted environment for you to work on communicating with your dog while he’s distracted. Here are a few drawbacks to consider: Most classes are sequential in nature. So, if you miss a class, you’ll fall behind and may have a difficult time catching up. Falling behind is discouraging and may cause you to drop out. The schedule and location may be inconvenient. The instructor dictates how, what, and when. The training method may not be right for you or your dog. A group class is full of distractions, which can be frustrating at first. The following sections help you find the right training class for you and your dog. Good obedience training class criteria Obedience training classes are offered in almost every community. Until fairly recently, obedience and kennel clubs conducted the majority of classes. Today, however, schools or private individuals also teach classes. The difference has nothing to do with the quality of the training; it relates solely to profit motive. Clubs are nonprofit organizations, and the instructors — usually members who have trained and shown their own dogs — generally volunteer their services. Training schools and individuals who hang out their shingles are for-profit organizations. Some of the large pet chain stores also offer obedience training classes. To locate a class, ask people you know for referrals, such as your veterinary office, groomer, and friends who own well-mannered dogs. You also can use your favorite Internet browser to search for local dog obedience training classes. You’ll likely have several choices. Call one of the organizations listed to find out where and when the class meets. Ask whether you can observe a beginner class. Most organizations will allow you to observe a class, but if you aren’t allowed to observe a class, forget that organization. When you do go to observe, leave Buddy at home so he doesn’t interfere with the class and you aren’t distracted. When you’re at the session, ask yourself a few questions about the class you’re observing: What is your first impression of the class? You’re looking for a friendly, pleasant, quiet, and positive atmosphere. The training area should be clean. Do the dogs seem to have a good time? You can quickly tell whether the dogs are enjoying themselves or whether they’d rather not be there. How does the instructor deal with the class participants? You want the instructor to be encouraging and helpful, especially to anyone who seems to be struggling. How does the instructor deal with the dogs? You want the instructor to be nice to the dogs, not to yell at them or create anxiety or fear. Does the instructor appear knowledgeable? As a student, you aren’t likely to be able to tell whether the instructor actually is knowledgeable, but at least he needs to give the appearance of being so. What is the ratio of instructors to students? We always aim for a one-to-five ratio, with a limit of 15 students for one instructor with two assistants. Is the space adequate for the number of dogs? Insufficient space can cause aggression and frustration in a class situation. If you don’t like what you see and hear, find another organization. If you feel satisfied with what you’re seeing, it may be the right class for you and Buddy. But while you’re visiting, you need to find out a few more bits of information: The cost of the class and what is included: For example, our basic training courses — or Level 1, as we call it — consist of six hour-long sessions and include a training collar and leash and weekly homework sheets. What a particular organization includes in its fee varies. At the very least, you should get a homework sheet as a reminder of what was covered in class and what you need to work on during the upcoming week. The goal of the program: What can you expect from your dog after completing the class? What do they teach in the class? Does it match what you’re hoping to learn? Often the instructor teaches more in class than what you realized you needed, which can be a good thing. Your main goal after all should be to discover how to train your dog. Puppy classes Taking Buddy to a puppy obedience training class is the best investment you can make in his future. The benefit of taking a puppy to class is that he can socialize with other young dogs and have fun, yet learn manners and the proper way to interact with his own kind. Buddy’s brain at this point in his young life is like a sponge, and he’ll remember nearly everything you teach him now for the rest of his life. He’ll learn all those lessons that will make him an ideal pet. Look for an organization that offers puppy classes, preferably one that teaches basic control instead of just socialization and games. Nothing is wrong with socialization and games; both are necessary, but at the right time and in the right context. Look for a class where the people are having fun with their dogs and where the instructor is pleasant and professional to the students. Above all, you want to see happy dogs. You want Buddy to view meeting other dogs as a pleasant but controlled experience, not one of playing and being rowdy. As he grows older, playing and being rowdy is no longer cute and will make him difficult to manage around other dogs. The ideal puppy class allows the puppies to interact with each other for up to three minutes before the class starts for the first two classes only. After the second week, the puppies should be allowed to play for three minutes after class. By delaying playtime, Buddy learns that he must be obedient to you first and that the reward of playing comes after he has worked. This practice will help develop a lifetime habit that you want to instill while he’s young. Stay away from classes where you’re told that Buddy is too young to learn obedience exercises. This type of organization shows a lack of knowledge of dog behavior. You can expect your puppy to learn Sit, Down, Stand, Come, and Stay, all on command; he’ll also learn to walk on a loose leash. An excellent program, with well-trained instructors, also will train Buddy to do the same exercises off leash as well as on signal. For Buddy, these exercises are easy stuff. Advanced classes Most people who go on to advanced training start training their dogs in a beginner class. They then discover that the organization offers more advanced training as well as different activities. For example, you may find that in addition to obedience training the organization offers other types of training such as Rally or Agility (which we discuss more in Chapter 25). Or you may discover that some of the members have therapy dogs and so on. You may enjoy training and wish to broaden Buddy’s horizons. If you and Buddy enjoy what you’re doing, go for it. To train for participation in performance events, join an organization that offers training at that level. The organization’s instructors can coach you and your dog in the intricacies of the various requirements.

Article / Updated 03-22-2020

You have many ways to train a dog, ranging from rather primitive to fairly sophisticated. Even technology has had its impact on dog training. For example, rather than fenced yards, people often now have invisible fences, which contain dogs within their confines by means of an electrical shock. Our approach to training is for people who like their dogs and have them first and foremost as pets and companions or for people who want to like their dogs. Someone pointed this out us when she arrived for class. At that point she didn’t like her dog but wanted to make her child happy by having a dog. Either way, we like your dog and want him to be the best possible dog and you to be the best possible trainer for him. The training involves three phases: The teaching phase: In the teaching phase, the dog is taught specific commands in an area free of distractions so he can focus on his owner and can be successful. The practicing phase: When the dog reliably responds to the commands he has learned, distractions are introduced. As the dog progresses in this practice phase, the distractions become increasingly more difficult in order to simulate real-life situations. The testing phase: In the testing phase, the dog is expected to demonstrate that he’s a well-mannered pet around other dogs and people. The ultimate object of any training is to have your dog respond reliably to your commands. Ideally, he responds to your first command. Telling your dog to do something only to have him ignore you is frustrating. Think of Buddy’s response in terms of choices. Do you want to teach Buddy to think he has a choice of responding to you? You want a dog that understands — after you have taught him — that he must do what you tell him, no matter what is happening around him. A truly trained dog listens for your voice above all distractions. Distractions do cause Buddy to struggle to hear your voice above other things as does the genetic influence of those things that Buddy was bred to do instinctively, that which is in harmony with his basic nature. Are all dogs the same to train or does the breed or mixture of breeds make a difference? Like people, dogs are individuals and have individual needs. Understanding breed characteristics and different teaching models helps to make the job of training that much easier. First things first: Consider your dog’s breed Before you embark on your training program, consider what you want your dog to master, and then compare your answer to the task for which his breed was originally bred to do. Many people typically select their dogs based on appearance and without regard to breed-specific functions and behaviors. Whatever trait is in harmony with the breed of your dog is easier to teach or harder to break. For example, a Beagle uses his nose everywhere he goes. Teaching a Beagle to track or follow a scent is much easier than teaching a Greyhound to track. Greyhounds are bred to visualize movement rather than to sniff out prey. Although most dogs can be trained to obey basic obedience commands, breed-specific traits determine the ease or difficulty with which they can be trained. You also need to consider other traits, such as energy levels and grooming needs. High-energy dogs must have outlets for all of that energy. Chapter 20 discusses problems that occur if your dog doesn’t get the exercise he needs. After all, a tired dog is a happy dog, and a tired dog has a happy owner. As for grooming, brushing, bathing, and clipping of hair coats is time consuming and expensive if you hire a professional. For a dog to be healthy, the coat and skin needs to be cared for regularly. An excellent resource for breed-specific behavior and traits is The Roger Caras Dog Book: A Complete Guide to Every AKC Breed, by Roger Caras and Alton Anderson (M. Evans & Company). For each breed, the book lists on a scale from 1 to 10 the three characteristics you should pay attention to: the amount of coat care required, the amount of exercise required, and the suitability for urban/apartment life. Training a dog: What are you really doing? When training a dog you’re either teaching him to do something (build a behavior) or not to do something (abstain from a behavior). For example, consider the Stay command. Are you teaching your dog to remain where he is or not to move from where he is? You can look at any command and ask this question. When training a dog, you’re usually building a behavior. Look at the following table to help understand. Training to Do Something vs. Training to Stop an Unwanted Behavior Action Abstention Build Behavior Eliminate Behavior + Positive Reinforcement (add good) Positive Punishment (add bad) – Negative Reinforcement (avoid bad) Negative Punishment (remove good In the table, the first column lists how to build a behavior. The second column lists how to abstain from a behavior. When talking about behavior in proper training terminology, positive means adding something, indicated with the plus sign (+), and negative means removing something, indicated with the minus sign (–). These two terms don’t mean good and bad which is so often associated with positive and negative. We need to define two other words in terms of behavior: Reinforcement is used the building of a behavior Punishment is used in the abstaining of a behavior. An easy way to remember this distinction is that reinforcement of something makes it stronger or builds it, and punishment tends to stop something or abstains from something. These two sections examine reinforcement and punishment in more detail. Reinforcement: Building a behavior When training a dog, you want the dog to do something new and different. To do that, you need to motivate him by either giving him something he wants for doing the new task or getting him to avoid something he doesn’t want for not doing it. Consider the following: Positive reinforcement (+) is adding something the dog wants in order to encourage him to do something he wouldn’t do on his own. For example, you want the dog to go upstairs, so you put a tiny treat on each step to induce the dog to go upstairs. Negative reinforcement (–) is eliciting a behavior the dog wouldn’t do on his own by making him avoid discomfort. The dog will do what is wanted because he wants to avoid the reinforcement from happening to him. For example, you want the dog to go upstairs, so someone gooses the dog’s behind to get him to go upstairs to avoid the discomfort of the pinch. At the top of the stairs, you praise him because he went upstairs. Which approach works best? It may depend on how hungry the dog is, how much he likes the treat being used, and something more interesting isn’t going on around the corner, such as a BBQ. In the negative reinforcement approach, it may depend on how hard of a pinch is and if he doesn’t mind the pinch versus the effort it takes to climb the stairs. Training comes with so many variables. The BBQ next door is a distraction, which is why it’s best to do early training when no distractions are around. The ability to climb the stairs or the difficulty of the task you’re teaching plays a big part on how willing your dog is. Buddy may suffer the consequences instead of climbing the stairs or jumping into a pool if water is too scary. Make sure you break the task you’re teaching into small parts to make it more easily understood and achievable. You later can add distractions to the training after Buddy has learned the command. Distractions make the task more difficult for Buddy. When working with distractions, your dog needs to choose doing the task over being distracted. The object of distraction training is to train until your dog does the task no matter what is going on around him simply because you asked him to do so. Punishment: Eliminating an unwanted behavior When training a dog to stop doing an unwanted behavior, there should be a consequence. The consequence can be either adding something the dog doesn’t want or removing something he does want. Consider the following: Positive punishment: Positive punishment adds an unwanted consequence (+) at the start of the bad behavior just as it begins. For example, as soon as a counter-surfing dog sniffs the edge of the counter, you can shake a bottle half-filled with pennies at the dog as an unpleasant consequence. (Oops: If the dog is already on the counter or eating off the counter, using the bottle with pennies is too late. The dog has been rewarded by getting the food off the counter. Because the Oops happened, the dog has learned to counter surf which is why it’s an Oops.) To eliminate the bad behavior, you must add something that the dog doesn’t want so he’ll avoid the penny shaker and not counter-surf. When the bad behavior stops, you don’t offer praise; you never want him to counter-surf, so don’t praise him for his wishing he could still get up on the counter to eat. Negative punishment: Negative punishment removes something (–) that the dog wanted because the dog behaved badly. For example, if a dog is jumping up on you when you come into the house, turn your back to the dog for a moment, removing your attention that he wants because he jumped up. Turn back toward him once more, and if he jumps again, spin around, removing your front, your facial expression, and your attention.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

When you think of dog training or obedience, the first two commands that probably pop into your head are the Sit and the Down commands. These commands are essential to making a well-behaved dog out of Buddy. Practice a 30-minute Down and a 10-minute Sit, on alternate days, for four weeks. See the following sections for details. When giving commands to your dog during training, be sure to give them in a firm, yet upbeat tone of voice. Don’t pose them as questions; otherwise, Buddy won’t obey. And be sure to use only one command at a time and say it only once. If he doesn’t respond, show him exactly what you expect from him by reinforcing the command. Sit on command The following steps show you how to teach your dog to sit on command. You start off teaching him to do so using a treat, and then you add the command. Here’s how to do it: Hold the treat slightly in front of your dog’s head, say “Sit,” and bring your hand slightly above his eyes. Give him the treat when he sits. For the next attempt, use a treat in one hand, and apply some upward pressure on the collar with the other as you say “Sit.” Give lots of praise when the dog sits. When he gets the hang of sitting, you can work on commanding him to sit. Without touching your dog or showing him a treat, say “Sit.” When he responds correctly, reward him with a treat. If he doesn’t respond correctly, review Step 2. Down on command When you’re ready to teach your dog the Down command, you first must teach him to lie down with a treat, and then you introduce pressure on his collar and the command. Here’s what to do: With your dog sitting at your left side, show him a treat, held in the right hand, and say “Down.” Lower the treat to the ground between his feet and slide it forward so he has to lie down to get it. When he’s in the Down position, give him the treat. For the next attempt, put the treat in your right hand, and then put your left hand through his collar under his chin and say “Down.” Lower the treat and apply slight downward pressure on the collar. Give your dog the treat and lots of praise when he lies down. When he’s familiar with the Down position, you’re ready to work on commanding him to lay down. Without touching your dog or showing him a treat, say “Down.” When he responds correctly, reward him with a treat. If he doesn’t respond correctly, review Step 2.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The Sit-Stay command is one of the most useful commands you can train your dog to obey. You can use it to teach your dog not to jump on people and to wait before he can go in or out of a door, up or down stairs, or in and out of the car. In general, this command is essential for when you want your dog to remain quietly in one spot. Here are the steps to follow when teaching your dog the Sit-Stay command on leash: Start with your dog sitting at your left side, both of you facing in the same direction. Put the ring of his collar on top of his neck and attach the leash to the collar. Put the loop of the leash over the thumb of your left hand and fold the leash accordion-style into your hand, with the part of the leash going toward the dog coming out at the bottom of your hand. Hold the leash as close to the dog’s collar as you comfortably can. The farther away from the dog’s collar you hold your hand, the less control you have. Apply a little upward tension on the collar — just enough to let him know the tension is there, but not enough to make him uncomfortable. Say “Stay” and step directly in front of your dog, turn to face him, keeping the tension on the collar. Count to ten, step back to his side, release tension, praise, and release your dog with “Okay” (or whatever word you choose) as you take several steps forward. Over the course of several sessions gradually increase the distance in front of the dog and the length of time he has to stay. After your dog is comfortable with the Sit-Stay, increase the distance to 3 feet in front, while introducing distractions. Practice until your dog will stay on and off leash around distractions. Reinforce the Sit-Stay every time your dog greets you.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you’re interested in training your dog to come to you when he’s called, one way to teach him is to play the Recall Game. This training game is played with two people, one hungry dog, one 6-foot leash, and plenty of small treats. Practice the Recall Game on and off leash inside, on leash outside, off leash outside in a confined area, and then ultimately on and off leash with distractions when your dog is ready. Be sure you can touch your dog’s collar every time he comes to you, and before you give him a treat. Here are the steps to follow when playing the Recall Game: Find a partner and sit on the floor 6 feet apart, facing each other. Have your partner gently restrain the dog while you hold the end of the leash. Call your dog by saying “Buddy, Come,” and use the leash to guide him to you. When Buddy comes to you, put your hand through his collar, give him a treat, and praise him enthusiastically. Hold onto Buddy’s collar and pass the leash to your partner, who says, “Buddy, Come,” guides the dog in, puts his hand through the collar, gives him a treat, and praises the dog. Work through these steps until your dog responds on his own to being called and no longer needs to be guided to you with the leash. At that point, you can start increasing the distance between you and your partner (up to 12 feet). You also can begin playing the game from room to room in your house.