Dog Training - Training the Human

October 4, 2019

For Speedy Training, Observation is Key!

One of the biggest tools we have as dog trainers and as parents is our powers of observation. Observation helps us learn about our pet or child, and allows us to stop unwanted behavior as soon as it begins, and often before it even starts. When we have a puppy in the house, or a child at the potty-training age, this is especially important as we are trying to teach proper bathroom habits. Of course, the most important bathroom habit is being in the proper place to potty! For humans, that’s the bathroom, and for puppies, that’s outside the house (or in some cases, an inside litter box).

Most toddlers will stop what they are doing just before they urinate. Nearly all will stop what they are doing to defecate, and some will even try to go somewhere private. A puppy will start anxiously sniffing around, and if you know there is no food anywhere nearby, that is a good indication that they may need to go. At those times, if you are not watching, you may end up with a mess to clean up! Observation will also uncover certain patterns in your dog. Some puppies will need to go out about ten minutes after they eat, while some may be able to wait up to thirty minutes before feeling the urge. A friend discovered that her puppy would pee all over the floor when she got excited. She dealt with this by taking her pup outside just before she knew a guest was coming over. If I came over unexpectedly, it was understood that I would immediately grab the leash as soon as I walked in the door and take the puppy out. Of course, this understanding wouldn’t work with people you don’t know, but you might be able to convince your family and friends that regularly visit to call ahead if they don’t want to be standing in a puddle when they come in.

If you are able to be observant, you can watch for these cues, and rush the child to the bathroom, or rush the puppy outside. Even if the toddler doesn’t make it all the way to the toilet, just being in the bathroom can reinforce the association. And eventually, if you keep bringing the puppy outside (even if she’s dribbling all the way), she will get the idea that you want her to go outside before she GOES. If you get to know your animal’s habits and specific quirks, house training will go more smoothly and more successfully for you and your pet.

March 7, 2019March 7, 2019

Will it be cute when they’re bigger?

Puppies and babies are adorable, to most people. They do some super cute, super funny things. But some of those things won’t be so cute, and definitely not funny, when that tiny Collie puppy is now an 80-pound adult, or that silly two-year-old is now twelve years old.

Take the Collie puppy, for example. It is fuzzy, soft, and super cuddly right now, and you want to snuggle with it as much as you can. So you pick it up and put it in your recliner next to you while you watch TV. Sounds fantastic, right? I would certainly enjoy it. Fast forward a year. That Collie puppy is now 70-90 pounds, and she thinks she should still be allowed to snuggle with you in your recliner. However, given her size and weight now, you disagree. It is a battle every time you sit down, because she runs over and tries to climb into your lap.

Now think about that two-year-old. You’re watching a video on your phone that your friend sent of her son, and he takes the phone from your hand. “I see, I see!” he says. It’s cute that he wants to watch his buddy running around in his Superman cape pretending to thwart some imaginary villain. Fast forward ten years. You’re watching a funny video on Facebook of someone in a Pokemon costume running away from a guy in an Ash Ketchum getup. Your twelve year old son grabs your phone away, saying “Oh, let me see that!” Not so cute anymore, right?

I have found that the best way to keep situations like this from happening is to remember this phrase: If you don’t want them to do it at ten, don’t let them do it at two. While it may be cute now, it won’t be cute later. Here are some other situations that might be cute when the kid is a toddler, or the dog is a puppy:

The two year old girl who says, “Here, puppy!” and feeds half her dinner to the dog.

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The ten week old German Shepherd that sits at your feet at the table, staring up at you while you eat lunch.

The toddler who runs away from you in the store, and makes silly faces at you when you tell him to come back to your side.

The puppy that takes your shoe and runs away with it just before you reach to put it on.

While you won’t be able to keep that in mind for every little thing your child or puppy does, it’s definitely a good thing to try to think about before you let them do certain things. If you have a larger breed puppy, such as a Labrador, German Shepherd, English Mastiff, or maybe even Irish Wolfhound, this rule definitely needs to be followed as much as possible.

The hardest part about remembering this rule when it comes to puppies is looking in that sweet face and having to tell the little love that he can’t jump on the couch and snuggle with you. But, you will be happy you did when that fluffy puppy is full grown and not draped across your chest, blocking your view of Family Feud!

If you don’t want them to do it at ten, don’t let them do it at two.

September 16, 2018

When saying “Good Dog” is NOT good.

We know, as parents and animal owners, that we don’t reward bad behavior, right? You don’t give a child a lollipop when she’s in the middle of throwing a giant temper tantrum. You don’t reward a dog when you find him chewing up your brand new shoes. But all too often, we reward bad behavior in our pets without even realizing it. What we may see as reassuring behavior, our dogs may see as positive reinforcement, as an indication that he needs to keep doing something that he likely shouldn’t. Here’s an example:

A lady is sitting on a park bench with a Maltese in her lap. A man with a Labrador on a leash comes down the sidewalk. The Lab, being a friendly type dog, wants to investigate this new dog and human, so he heads in the general direction of the bench. The Maltese wants none of this. She starts growling at the Labrador. The lady, thinking her Maltese is scared or nervous, starts petting the Maltese, crooning reassurances at her. The Maltese has just been rewarded for growling.

Here’s another example from my own life:

My Jack Russell Terrier (I guess they’re called Parsons Terriers now) is afraid of thunderstorms. He wasn’t really afraid of them as a puppy. Over the years, he has become more and more nervous and anxious as he feels the barometer dropping before a storm. The first few times he displayed this anxiety, I did what I should not have done: I cuddled and petted him. I didn’t make him work for the affection by making him sit or lie down. When he curled up by my leg, shaking and panting, I petted him, crooning reassurances at him (sound familiar?). I ultimately made that behavior worse.

In the example of the lady at the park, a firm “NO” when her Maltese growled should be given. At that point, the Lab was not threatening the Maltese or the lady, and the Maltese was not displaying polite dog behavior. If the Maltese ceases the growling, then a short pet and “Good dog” would be appropriate. And of course, if the Lab begins displaying threatening behavior, then the growling would be warranted, as a manner of canine communication. It should not be rewarded, as we do not want to reward dogs for aggressive behavior of any kind, but defensive behavior in the face of an actual threat is not something to punish either.

In my case, the correct response would have been to distract him. Tell him to go get a favorite toy and play with him, or work on obedience training exercises. Do something positive to get his mind off of what was making him nervous. As long as you don’t do these kinds of things only when there are storms, the dog should start to realize that storms are not all that bad. If you have a dog that has had a terrible experience with a storm, such as a rescue from an area recently hit by tornado, then this kind of distraction technique may take a very long time to work, or may not work at all. If the anxiety is really bad, your veterinarian may be able to give you some sedatives for your dog to take before a storm hits. But in many cases, after a few sessions of distraction during storms, the dog may become a little more agitated during storms, but not be so fearful and anxious.

In most cases, observation is key to understanding what our dogs are feeling, so we can make sure that we are not reinforcing negative feelings that would lead to negative behavior. A dog that is reinforced for growling will begin to growl at every dog that comes near it or its human. A dog that is reinforced for anxious behavior believes that there is something to be anxious about, and so the anxiety gets worse with each new stimulant. Eventually, the anxiety leads to destructive behavior as an outlet. It is difficult to always know when it’s not a good idea to give a dog affection rewards or tell it, “Good dog”, but I hope this has given you some pointers on what to look for and try to remember. Until next time!