Featured | Home 

Tips for teaching your dog to ‘stay’

Question: Our terrier mix rescue is 7 months old. I’d give him a “B” on leash walking, and he waits well at the door. So what’s the next step to teach him to actually “stay”?

Answer: If your puppy understands basic boundaries and walks fairly well on the leash, this often means he’s mature enough for the other basic obedience commands of “come,” “sit,” “down,”and “stay,” although most people teach their puppy to sit first thing.

Start by teaching your dog to wait at the door when you enter and exit. It communicates that you’re the leader. But it’s also the precursor to “stay” because if you can get him to hold his position briefly, you can teach him to stay for incrementally longer periods. In my world, the “wait” cue is essentially a temporary “stay” for a minute or less. We start teaching it at the door, but once Fluffy knows this cue, it can be used any time you want her to hold position. Remember, though, when you teach wait or stay, there must be a release cue, as well. The leader makes the call on when the release happens. Do not let her decide for herself. The release cue is a simple “Ok!”

As you teach your dog to stay, make sure you time each period of compliance down to the second. The hand signal for “stay” is to show your dog the palm of your hand, like a halt sign. Keep it nice and perpendicular to the ground, not angled.

Start in the kitchen or other familiar area in your house. Your dog knows “wait,” but she’s never heard “stay.” Since she understands the basic precept, use both cues along with the hand signal at first. Soon, you’ll drop “wait.”

Put Fluffy in a specific spot, and tell her “wait … STAY” as you step back a few feet, showing her the hand signal. Keep your hand up, and repeat “wait…STAY” several times. You’re getting the new word and the signal into her head. Keep moving a little, don’t stand in one spot.

See if she’ll hold it for 30 seconds, but in the beginning don’t keep her there for more than a minute. You want to get back to her and reward her before she breaks. If it’s 10 seconds, start there. After she’s held her position for the allotted time, quickly step back to her with a small treat in hand, pop it into her mouth and give her over-the-top praise. Then release her with “Ok!” as you step away from her and continue the praise.

It doesn’t matter if she sits or lies down. The down position is the most advantageous, though, and what I usually use, because it takes more effort for her to break from a lying down position.

There is much more to teaching this cue, and I’ll elaborate in next week’s column.

Featured | Home | Uncategorized 

Before ‘Stay,’ teach your dog to ‘Wait’

Question: My three-month old puppy is pretty smart, but I’m having a hard time teaching him to stay.  What’s the trick?

Answer: When it comes to such instruction, it’s a good idea to wait until your puppy is about six months old. Some trainers hold fast to this rule, but I have learned that some puppies need to be older, while others are ready to train before six months. What is important is for the puppy to burn off his “puppiness.” The little guys often are just not ready to focus, so don’t rush things.

The “stay” cue is more advanced than many people realize. As such, it’s one of the last things I teach, because I want a dog to understand other protocols first. “Stay”  is challenging because of the focus required by your dog, and also the sheer discipline of holding his position.

Long before I ever teach “stay,” I condition a dog to know the cue “wait.”

‘Wait” is aversatile command, and an important cue for going in and out of the door, because in your dog’s head, whoever goes through the door first is the leader, and you want the messages about the pack hierarchy to be consistent across the board.  This commands respect, and when you have true respect as your dog’s leader, he is inherently more obedient and actually wants  to follow your commands.

“Wait” is essentially a temporary “stay” for one minute or less, and your puppy can easily learn this simple cue. To teach “wait,”execute the command in stages. Later it will be more fluid, but at first you want two definite pieces. Go to the door with your dog on the leash. Don’t let him crowd you at the door. Claim your space by making him scoot back with your foot or shin. As you put your hand on the doorknob, tell your dog  “Wait!” No need to use a corrective tone. Save that for a correction if you need one. Don’t hold your dog in place. Instead, correct him with an upwards tug and a simultaneous “No!” if he jumps the gun. The idea is for you to be on one side of the threshold, your dog on the  other.

Timing is everything because he has the choice to hold his position or jump offsides. If he chooses wrong, he gets corrected, but until that instant, the leash is slack. As soon as you get two seconds of compliance, release him with a bright “Ok!” But make sure you get that two seconds, and that he’s not already in motion, because, trust me, he knows if he made the decision or you did. If you practice this door protocol every time the two of you go in to or out of the house, it’s only a matter of time before he just knows what to do at the door and automatically stands by.

In my next column, I’ll show you how to graduate your training from “Wait” to “Stay.”


Featured | Home | Uncategorized 

Be an effective communicator with your pooch

Question: What are the most important things to remember when I communicate with my dog?

Answer: Dogs are such amazingly adaptable animals, not only can they easily learn what’s essentially a totally foreign language, they can learn what our inflections and tone mean, too.

Fluffy can learn language about as well as a toddler. It’s important to not use superfluous verbiage when we’re communicating with our dog. The only time I use extra, unnecessary words, are when I’m showing affection or otherwise using baby talk. But when I want to really communicate something in particular, I use the same set of words I always have, since my dog was little.

The most effective way to teach your dog our language, is to use the exact same phraseology for the same situations, every time. For example, when I teach a puppy about what’s appropriate to chew on, and what’s not, I teach “That’s not yours” or “not yours.” The meaning becomes ingrained in my dog’s vocabulary. The definition and interpretation of this corrective cue, can actually expand as my dog gets older.

When Fluffy is a year old, as we’re walking down the street, if her attention is piqued by the cat she sees 300 feet in front of us, I can use these same prohibitive words “That’s not yours,” to mean “you have no choice but to disregard that kitty,” and because I have used the cue consistently for like situations for a year, I facilitate concise, effective communication between me and my dog.

I have heard many times, the theory that you “should only use one word cues.” My personal method is to implement a more conversational style that fits the way I actually talk, and use a multiple word cue if it fits the situation, like the one above. Again, if you use the same words, every time for the same thing, you’ll be fine. It’s when we go off on a tangent, with a lot of extra words Fluffy’s never really heard in that situation, that we lose our effectiveness as a communicator.

Make sure you mind your tone of voice. All cues and commands should be given in an upbeat, encouraging tone, not a corrective “I mean business” one. That works on kids, but when you use a stern tone for a command with Fluffy, she automatically gets the idea she’s in trouble.

Save the corrective tone for corrections. Don’t repeat a cue over and over. When you say “sit.”..“sit.”..“sit” ad infinitum, you teach your dog he doesn’t have to comply the first time you say it. If your dog knows the command, say it once. If he doesn’t do the thing, the next word out of your mouth should be “no!”

Finally, do NOT use your dog’s name as a correction. If she gets into something for example, don’t say “Fluffy!…FLUFFY!” . Simply say “hey, get outta there!” or something like that. (She knows you’re talking to her.)

Using her name as a correction, will make her come to dislike her own name. And you want her to love her name. The best time to use her name is just before a cue, i.e.: “Fluffy, sit!”, “Fluffy, come!”, etc., or when you’re praising her.

— Gregg Flowers is a professional dog trainer who writes a weekly column for the Herald-Tribune. Direct questions and comments to floridadogtraining.net, dogteacher7@aol.com. or at P.O. Box 25461, Sarasota, 34277.

Featured | Home | Uncategorized 

Sharing a bed with your dog

Question: I have heard conflicting opinions about letting your dog sleep in the bed with you. What do you recommend?

Answer: Some people would never let their dog sleep in the bed with them. I am not in that group, however.

DoginbedDoes your dog feel neglected or “unloved” if he can’t crash with you? No, so don’t worry about the “implications about your relationship” you imagine he is pondering. Because he isn’t. Sharing the bed is your call.

Allowing your new puppy to sleep in bed is not a good idea, though. The best place for him is in his crate in your bedroom. Why in your bedroom? Well, for one thing, he’s in a new, foreign environment, but he will be bonding with you as his leader. It’s more comforting for a puppy for the first few weeks to be able to hear you and smell you as you sleep. Additionally, you want to be able to hear him when he stirs, so you can hop up and run him outside to pee.

If you want him to sleep with you in the bed, wait until he’s about six months. By then, your “pack” should be balanced and healthy, with your dog understanding basic rules and boundaries.

If your dog is fuzzy on who is the pack leader, or just clearly doesn’t respect you, that issue will come up in the bedroom. Having rights and domain over your personal space is the privilege of a leader. That’s one of the boundaries your puppy or your older, adopted dog must learn: That you have the right to any space you want to occupy. Teach your dog to “move” when he’s under your feet or is in the chair you want to sit in.

The same applies at the door before exiting or entering. Don’t let him crowd you to try to get through first. Claim your physical position, and make him wait for you to cross the threshold. Just gently make him scoot out of your way. Again don’t worry about the injustice of it. His mother wouldn’t say “excuse me please,” and Max doesn’t interpret you commandeering his spot as a personal affront. He understands on a deeper level exactly what it means.

The message you actually communicate, is that you are the pack leader, and if you convey this same consistent messages to him about the dynamics of the pack hierarchy, he comes to know he’s at the bottom of the pack order, and this actually will make him a more secure dog. One of the main things Max needs is leadership and we communicate this with body language and energy.

If your dog respects you, minds you on the leash and understands some basic rules and boundaries, including the whole personal space thing, having him in the sack should be no problem. If he already understands the “move” cue, it will translate to the bed.

Conversely, I have known of disrespected dog owners to get bitten in their sleep because their dog outranked them.

Featured | Home | Uncategorized 

Teaching your pet to ‘Be still’

Question: How can I teach my dog to cooperate during bath time and when I clip his nails and so on?

Answer: One of the first things I teach my new dog, besides the phrase “That’s not yours,” is the cue “Be still.” A more dominant dog, besides having a somewhat more intense energy thus having a psychological edge, also maintains a physical edge.

1004728149 Fl_Sar_Coldogs29For example, a higher ranking dog would never move out of the way or walk around a subordinate. He’d make the subordinate move. This is why, when your dog gets under your feet, you should make him be the one to skedaddle, and why you have the right to personal, unmolested space on the couch, why your dog should only get into your lap by invitation, and why you’re the one who leads on the leash. These scenarios all communicate in your dog’s language, that you are the leader.

As a higher ranking dog in your pack, you should have domain over your dog’s body. Please do not worry about the human-like appearance of impropriety. Max doesn’t see it that way. Having physical domain over his body is part and parcel of your rank. Getting this message across is easier with a puppy, of course, but you need to communicate this level of leadership  even with a new, older dog that may come into your midst, say, via adoption.

Start by simply and gently handling your dog’s tootsies on a at a time. Be gentle and be patient. Praise him for letting you lightly manipulate each toe. Cover him up with light praise. Often its just a soft praising tone. Max knows what this means. You could also offer a periodic treat every 30 seconds or so, to sweeten the pot. If he’s accustomed to having his feet and toes handled in an informal way, it will be much easier to remove stickers and to clip his nails. If he pulls his foot away, calmly get it back and praise him.

Do the same thing with his mouth. Gently hold his face and slide your finger under his lip to lightly massage his teeth and gums. This, of course, is the precursor of teeth brushing and having the right to get something out of his mouth.

Few dogs dig a bath, but this is part of life with humans, and teaching a dog to take a bath in an orderly way is a necessary process. This is where the prodigious use of treats at first just to get the idea will serve you well. I generally have them sitting out within reach, so I can periodically pop one into his mouth as I praise him for being cooperative. If your dog tries to jump out of the tub, you must anticipate this and prevent it. Praise him for begrudgingly accepting it.

Be advised, it’s not a lifetime of giving treats for cooperation, but it is a lifetime of rewarding with praise for every time your dog follows your directive for anything. During all these exercises, you must be calmly determined and persistent, but above all, be gentle and patient.


Featured | Home | Uncategorized 

How to stop that annoying barking

Question: My one-year-old poodle is a horrible barker at the front window. How can I fix this annoying problem?

Answer: The formula to stop any objectionable behavior, is to get your dog to stop the behavior, briefly praise for the break, then redirect him to come and get affection.

BarkingdogFluffy understands an ascending scale of correction, so you want to start out with a lower level of verbal correction, and then continue up the scale to progressively harder and harder corrections, all the while observantly waiting for him to stop so you can redirect him.

When your dog starts to bark, say, “OK, that’s enough.” If he ignores you, get a little louder (maybe clap your hands or bang on the coffee table) and say, “HEY!” or “Stop it!”

Look for a break in the barking. That’s what you’re trying to achieve. If he stops for just one second, praise him with “Good boy!”and redirect him to come to you for more praise.

If he ignores this second level of correction, stand up and go to him. Being in your dog’s personal space communicates a message of dominance and is somewhat of a threat. As you approach, continue verbally correcting. If at any time he stops the barking, switch to praising and redirect him to come to you. If you’re standing over him and he hasn’t stopped, put your hand on his neck, as you say something like. “That’s enough.”

If he stops, say, “That’s good!” Then lead him away from the area with a bright “C’mon!” to give him more affection.

Only the most dominant dog won’t stop barking when you put your hand on his neck. If your boy is this dog, the next level of correction is for that hand to turn into a “grabbing hand,” as you say “No!” In Fluffy’s mind, grabbing is biting.

The most important aspect of this exercise is to be keenly observant of your dog, and catch the break in the barking. Do what you need to to get the break, but when you get it, “flip the switch” and praise him, then redirect him away from the area for more affection. If he wants to go back to the behavior, you have to go after him and disallow it. This whole training exercise requires timing and finesse.

If you think about it, you’re essentially hassling your dog to make him stop, but the other side of it is that you’re rewarding him with affection when he does. The rewarding is what will build the new behavior.

Featured | Home | Uncategorized 

‘Calm persistence’ the key to puppy training

Question: We have a little Shiatsu puppy that we adore, but she is over the top rambunctious and it’s almost too much for us. She’s constantly jumping on us and mouthing our hands. How do we get through this phase?

Answer: All dogs fall somewhere on the dominance/submissiveness scale. A more dominant puppy carries a subconscious desire be your leader. A pup on the more submissive end of the scale doesn’t care about that, and is usually easier to train because of it.

It's important to calmly set boundaries to prevent puppies from jumping on you.

It’s important to calmly set boundaries to prevent puppies from jumping on you.

“Dominance” translates to “intensity of energy.” When you look at a litter of puppies, you can usually spot the would-be leader. More vocal than the others, he takes and protects toys, and he’s probably plump, because he’s going to get in there and get fed. He’s more persistent, tenacious and determined.

This may or may not be your puppy, but this is essentially the “dog” you must be in your pack.

We must always meet and exceed our dog’s energy. A dominant, high energy dog requires more intensity on your part. Which doesn’t mean anger. Dogs don’t get angry and can’t relate to it. You must win every so called battle in a calm, resolute manner. Remaining calm yet determined is what communicates leadership to your puppy. It’s just business, which is how your puppy’s four-legged mother would look at it.

To exceed your puppy’s energy means you have to anticipate your puppy jumping and mouthing, and make a swift boundary to block it. Every time she tries to jump on you, be ready to fend her off. Block her in mid-jump as you say “No!” Praise her when she takes the toy you then offer her.

Use the same strategy to stop mouthing. Pull your hand away the moment you feel a tooth, saying “No!” Then re-direct her to a toy. Again, praise her for taking it. She has a short attention span, and is easily re-directed to the next thing. When you make a stop for jumping or mouthing, immediately re-direct her to a toy or something to chew on such as a hoof or a bone.

If she won’t stop jumping or mouthing, gently but firmly push her onto her side and hold her there until she is still. Wait as long as it takes. When she’s motionless, let her up and offer her a toy or a bone. If she goes back to it, repeat the process. This is what her mother would do.

If you are calmly persistent, she will get the message and give up. The good news is that this phase is temporary. Her mother would hang in there as long as it took. You’ll have to, too.

Featured | Home 

Getting your puppy housebroken

Question: Our puppy is about three months old, and we’re still having potty training issues. How do we stop these lapses?

Answer: One of my dog training gurus from the late 1970s, Barbara Woodhouse, understood that dogs being first cousins to wolves, were den animals. So long before someone got the idea to manufacture dog crates, Barbara was using wooden orange crates with hay to create dens for her dogs.

A crate is basically a “must” for house breaking.

The mother wolf keeps her pups in the den as she goes about the business of getting food. As they get older and more aware of the rules that will keep them alive, they get more freedom. So, on a primal, wolf level, your puppy understands the notion of a den.

Select a crate that’s just big enough for Fluffy to turn around in and lay down on her side. No bigger. Dogs have an aversion to defecating in their crate, but a pup with too much room, might pee on one end, and sleep on the other. For your puppy’s first day, leave the gate open to the crate, and put her food, toys and a piece of your recently worn clothing in there. Let her come and go as she pleases until night time. At night, put her in her crate, give her a treat and some praise, then close the gate.

If she fusses, it should be short lived. Obviously, you cannot let her out for fussing.

By the “book” a puppy can hold it an hour for each month of age, but most dogs can hold it a little longer. The worst thing that could happen, though, is if she defecated in her crate, because she couldn’t hold it.

Your pup should be taken outside after eating, after playing after napping and probably at least every two hours at first. Feed her on a schedule by putting her food down and then picking it up in 10 minutes. This teaches her to eat expeditiously. A feeding schedule facilitates a pooping schedule, as well. If she’s out of her crate and playing, etc., keep an eye on her. If you cannot watch her, she must be crated.

The idea is to set her up for success through keen observation, scheduling and crating. You want to do your best to not give her an opportunity to have an accident in the house.

The very most important piece in the potty training process, however, is the reward when she potties outside. Within three seconds of her finishing, you must praise, pet and perhaps offer a treat. And although you will always praise her for this, at first, it should be a big “over the top” affair. You want her excited that you’re excited.

Finally, Do NOT ever rub a dog’s nose in their accident. And for a puppy, there should be no negative reinforcement at all, since her transgression is essentially your fault.

More puppy stuff next week.

Featured | Home 

Getting started right with your puppy

Question: We just adopted a shepherd mix puppy. What are some of the important things we need to do right now?

Answer: There must always be a “dog like” aspect to our relationship with our dog. Because all dogs are precious as puppies, it’s easy not to recognize and embrace that they are essentially wolves; instead, we have a tendency to see them as children. Keeping their wolf heritage in mind, though, will help you as you raise your little guy.

1004476151 Fl_Sar_Coldogs01In Sparky’s world, you’re either a leader or a follower. He inherently understands the concept of a hierarchy. But dogs don’t talk about this detail. They demonstrate through their body language and their energy, who’s who in the pack. We communicate that we’re the leader in a non-verbal fashion, as well. There are many small things we do that send a message that our pup subconsciously interprets as either leader or follower behavior. Regard yourself as a higher ranking dog in your pack, be consistent with these messages starting right now and it will make all the difference in the world.

You cannot let your puppy put his paws or his teeth on you. Wrong message. Stop him as soon as he goes to jump on you, by blocking him or fending him off. Give him a verbal“no” at the same time. He will come to learn what that means. You can also use “ahh, ahh” or “uh uh.”

Even a single paw is a no-no. He has a short attention span, so when you get a stop, re-direct him to a toy of some sort, and get him interested in that. Deflect physically, use a verbal correction at the same time, then re-direct. Let him hear some soft praising as he goes for the toy. This acquaints him with what your tone means.

Since a big part of his desire to nibble on your hands has to do with teething, offering him a bone, hoof or antler from the pet store, will give him something healthy and natural to chew on. You can even hold him in your lap and hold the bone for him while he chews on it, sort of like a pacifier.

Even though he is a darling little baby, try to remember that although love and affection is a wonderful component of our relationship with him, technically, as a little wolf, what he truly needs more than love and affection is leadership and exercise. This doesn’t mean we don’t adore him. Of course we do! It simply means we have our priorities straight in a dog-like way. Demonstrating in a consistent and determined fashion that you have rules and boundaries connotes your position at the top of the pack order as the leader, will give him security, safety and fulfillment. Having a pack leader is a primal underlying need for him. More on this next week.

Featured | Home 

A jumper can be rehabbed

Question: Our dog jumps on us constantly, and has since he was little puppy. He’s 18 months now. Is there any way to stop this behavior or do we just have to live with it?

Answer: It’s a little harder to teach an 18 month old dog than a puppy, but it’s not too late at all.

Even a much older dog can be remediated of basically any behavior. It requires more time and effort simply because the habit is older and more ingrained, but it’s still totally doable. Patience is always our best tool here.

Your dog learns to not jump on others, by first learning not to jump on you, and he here’s why that’s important: No higher ranking dog would ever let a subordinate put their paws on him. It’s the principle of the thing.

Starting right now, change the rule on your dog and keep him from jumping on you at all costs. This starts with being aware, and anticipating his attempt. You have to stop him every single time. That means one way or another, as soon as you see those front paws leave the ground, you must block or otherwise deter him.

There are a few ways to do this. For a little guy, quickly raise your shin and block him as you say “no.” (Note: Don’t bother with saying “down.” “Down” is a basic obedience command meaning “lay down nice and straight”) “No” will do just fine. If you execute a well timed “no!” with your block, in the future you’ll be able to correct verbally without the block, and ultimately he’ll give up on the behavior.

For a bigger pooch, there are two effective avenues. The first is to briskly bring your knee up as soon as he jumps. If you do this quickly enough, (in other words, get it up and down in a hurry), he will essentially run into your knee with his chest, and not know exactly what happened. He’ll start to get the idea that jumping on people, culminates in an unpleasant result, that may include getting knocked totally off balance. You can also catch his paws and hold them momentarily, as you say “no!” and pull him toward you, then release.

Allow your dog to choose correctly. If he chooses to jump, halt him and say “No!” If you have to do it twenty times, so be it. (He’ll get the message, ultimately.) But as soon as you get a pause, as soon as he chooses correctly, in that very instant, you must praise him. No big fanfare, just a simple “good boy” will suffice — and that’s the most important piece. The praising part.

When we get good at praising or otherwise rewarding within three seconds of compliance, our dog will come to understand what we want. He’ll learn the new protocol by virtue of consistently and patiently sticking to our guns.