Special for Dogs Who Race. One question I hear a lot is, “What can I do if my dog is racing ahead?” The first step in solving this problem is a simple one: make sure your dog is hungry when you start training. Learning to HEEL is real work, and just like you wouldn’t want to work for free, your dog doesn’t, either. If he’s hungry enough and you have a treat, he’ll figure out he needs to stay right at your side to get it. As you teach this technique, be sure not to wean your dog off the food rewards too quickly. Training is a marathon. If you teach your dog quickly, he’ll be trained. But if you teach him slowly, he’ll be well trained.
You can also get control of a dog who tends to want to lead with a technique that requires a little clever footwork on your part. This technique is not for use on heavy pullers—and if you try to use it for one you could get knocked off-balance. Despite that limitation, it can be very effective for dogs who always seem to be trying to get just a few inches out in front. Here’s how it works: Get your dog walking beside you on the left at a slow, steady pace. When he starts to take the lead, pivot on your left leg, lift your right foot, and place it directly in front of your dog’s chest, giving the HEEL command at the same time. You’re not actually using your foot to physically stop your dog—if he’s going to plow into it, skip this technique and move on to the tips for dogs who pull. Instead, with this method you’re using your foot like the mechanical arm at a guard gate: when you put it in place, your dog will hesitate to push past it, giving you a chance to remind him that HEEL means staying next to you and not in front.
For a dog who races ahead, pivot and place your right foot directly in front of his chest. Your foot should not physically stop your dog but instead act like the mechanical arm at a gate: a barrier that causes him to hesitate to push through.
Special for Dogs Who Pull. For severe pullers, you’ll need to get a little bit creative to teach the HEEL. As in the tip above, starting with a hungry dog is key, but let’s talk about technique. To teach this method, I recommend using a martingale collar and some sort of makeshift alleyway. It can be a hallway or a sidewalk with a wall on one side—anything that forces your dog to at least walk a straight line.
With the dog on your left and the collar high on his neck, say HEEL and begin walking. Chances are your dog will start to pull immediately. When that happens, place the leash on your upper right hip, turn your body clockwise (be sure to turn your head, too!) and walk in the opposite direction. When you do this, your dog will change directions with you—and most likely start pulling in the new direction. Once again, you’re going to say HEEL, put the leash on your upper right hip, turn your entire body and head clockwise, and quickly walk in the other direction. This process gets repeated over and over. You’ll notice after a few minutes that your dog will not only be pulling less but also looking at you more because he’s actually waiting for your next move in the opposite direction. Now it’s very important that you praise and reward your dog for his “Good HEEL” when he’s walking with you correctly for those few seconds while he’s trying to figure out what you’re up to. This lets him know what he’s doing right.
It’s vital to train this technique in a narrow passage of some kind. That way, your dog will have a limited choice of directions of travel. Also remember that timing is everything. Have those treats ready in your bait bag or pocket. When your dog is walking correctly, reward him in that moment. If you wait too long and he’s out of control again, he’ll be under the impression he’s being rewarded for pulling—and you definitely don’t want to reinforce that.
If your dog starts to pull, hold the loop of the leash in a fist behind your back and place the leash against your upper right hip.
Turn your head and entire body clockwise.
Walk in the opposite direction.
Special for Severe Pullers. The method for teaching any dog who pulls is the same one I just described, but some dogs require a little extra help before they’re able to achieve even a small measure of improvement. For these dogs, there are a couple of training products that can be useful tools to help you. To be honest, in my mind, animal training is always about technique. Training is the ultimate problem solver, and I don’t believe that any product is a substitute for truly teaching an animal. However, there are times when the first problem that needs to be solved is how to get a dog under control enough to be able to start training. If that’s how you’re feeling about teaching your dog to HEEL, a head halter or an anti-pull harness may help bridge the gap between the crazy puller at the end of the leash and a dog who can be dialed down enough to learn to HEEL.
The first of these tools is a head halter. These are one of my favorite picks for working with heavy-pulling dogs. One of the most basic tenets of controlling any dog is that where the head goes, the body goes, and the design of this type of collar gives the person at the end of the leash excellent and gentle control over where the dog’s head is. The problem is that this tool takes some getting used to for both dog and owner. If you don’t put the collar on correctly, the dog can back out of it—and the next thing you know you’ve got an even bigger problem than pulling. In addition, it takes time for a dog to get used to having the strap over his snout. This kind of collar can be a great tool, but if you’re going to use one, be sure to take the time to get a demonstration from someone who’s experienced in using it, watch a tutorial video, or both.
A halter-style head collar is one of my favorite tools for severe pullers.
The second tool that may help you get your pulling dog ready for HEEL lessons is an anti-pull harness. These harnesses are simple, effective, and user-friendly. Even though a harness will help you get your dog under control, though, it may ultimately mean you’ll have to spend a little more time training the HEEL. The reason is that the harness controls your dog’s torso but not his head. He’ll learn the command more slowly when his whole body (which naturally follows where his head goes) is not engaged in the training.
Private Sandy Reports for Duty
In over twenty weeks of intensive training, Sandy proved my instincts about his ability to be a working dog were right. He was an obedience champ, first learning all 7 Common Commands, and then moving on to more complex instructions like picking up and retrieving objects when he was asked. Sandy learned the basics of the HEEL command in a few days, then polished it to service dog perfection over the next several weeks. Along the way, he took things one step further by learning to brace himself on command so he could offer support if Tim needed to lean on the harness to maintain his balance or negotiate stairs.
The day I introduce any dog I’ve trained to a new owner is always bittersweet, but the relationship I develop with the service dogs I work with is especially close. We are constant companions for months during their training. Sometimes it can be a little difficult for the dogs, too, because they become closely bonded to me. I took Sandy to meet Tim for the first time with this on my mind. I wanted the two of them to hit it off, but there was a possibility Sandy would cling to me.
It turned out I had nothing to worry about. Sandy went straight to Tim’s side and stayed there. Tim stroked his new dog’s head while we talked. I’m sure anyone who saw the two of them together that first day would have thought Sandy had been Tim’s dog all his life. The next day as Tim learned to work with Sandy, they had the kind of natural partnership that can’t be taught. When I asked Tim to try out a couple of steps using Sandy’s help, the two of them blew me away by climbing not just three or four steps, but the entire thirty-step flight. Tim once again proved himself to be a warrior, and Sandy showed he was equal to any task.
To this day I still talk with Tim all the time, and he tells me Sandy has only gotten better with experience. Sandy assists Tim just about everywhere they go, and people are always impressed by how they work perfectly together. I’d never say any dog is my favorite, but I can admit that having a hand in creating this incredible partnership is some of my proudest work.
PART THREE
; CURES FOR 7 KINDS OF BEHAVIOR ISSUES
11
HOUSEBREAKING AND INDOOR MARKING
Nobody knew how the five-month-old pointer mix ended up flea infested and wandering the mean streets, but there was no doubt this puppy needed a home. He was too young and much too sweet for people to have given up on him so soon. When I met Chance at the shelter, he was exceptionally calm for a puppy, but he’d never had a minute of training. I wondered if he’d ever had a real home. I did a very basic focus exercise to see how long I could hold his attention—and got all of about three seconds before something more interesting caught his eye. At the ranch, he didn’t do much better—his cheerful, curious, slightly dopey demeanor meant that everything new he encountered grabbed his attention. And every single thing was new to this dog. This is completely normal for a young dog with no experience of the world. Think about it like this: When you see the Empire State Building for the first time, you’re in awe. But when you live in NYC and see it every day, the glamour wears off and it becomes just another building. Chance’s young, inexperienced mind was still getting first impressions of a lot of new things when I met him, but I knew he’d settle down over time.
Luckily what Chance lacked in focus, he made up in willingness to learn. He picked up the SIT command quickly, but then took his sweet time learning the DOWN. A slow learning pace is common in pointer breeds because they tend to be both sensitive and strong-willed. In other words, you sometimes have to do a little more convincing with them than with a dog bred for a less independent-minded job. Once he got over the hump with the DOWN, though, Chance picked up STAY and NO in no time.
Chance and I celebrated these first accomplishments by lounging on the couch. But when I stepped into the kitchen to get a bottle of water, I came back to discover this dog’s biggest challenge wasn’t going to be learning any of the 7 Common Commands—it was going to be housebreaking. I’d wrongly assumed that Chance had already learned basic indoor manners. This dog was well past prime housebreaking age, but he didn’t know the difference between the carpet and the grass. The world was his toilet—and that’s a problem that could keep any dog from finding (and keeping) a forever home. It was my mistake to give a new dog too much credit, and it was going to be my responsibility to teach Chance what he needed to know.
Of all the common behavior issues, house-training is one of the simplest to fix because the training for this issue falls right in line with a dog’s instincts. Even though house-training problems don’t have to pose a big, long-term challenge to pet owners, they are still one of the main reasons dogs get taken to or returned to animal shelters. Nobody wants a dog who ruins rugs or couches or requires constant cleanups, so people are quick to give up at even the hint of a housebreaking problem.
The owner I had in mind for Chance had permission to take her new dog to work every day, but this puppy’s anywhere-will-do philosophy could ruin his big opportunity. I put his 7 Common Commands training on hold and turned my attention to housebreaking.
The Problem: Housebreaking
Whether you’re dealing with a puppy or an adult dog, house-training issues are always a serious problem. Data from animal shelters all over the country suggests that as many as 20 percent of dogs who wind up abandoned at shelters are dropped off because of housebreaking troubles. In some cases, these issues may be caused by undiagnosed or untreated health problems, but for most dogs, this is a training issue, pure and simple. It’s a tragedy that so many dogs with the potential to be great pets—sweet, trainable dogs like Chance—end up abandoned, homeless, or even lose their lives because they haven’t yet learned where and when it’s okay to answer nature’s call.
For puppies, this is particularly unfair because one of the main reasons they have so many accidents in the house is that a young puppy’s bladder is not strong enough to retain urine for as long as an adult’s. Those muscles develop over time and with practice. Think about how your own muscles developed. If you squeeze something in your fist, you’ve got a solid, tight grip. But babies and toddlers don’t have that kind of grip strength. Over time, their muscles develop and become trained to hold on. The same theory applies to a puppy’s bladder. The more he learns to hold it, the more his muscles are working and getting stronger, till eventually he can go for several hours without losing control.
Even though house soiling and marking are very serious issues—potential deal breakers for almost any indoor family pet—they are problems that can be solved through careful, consistent training.
The Approach: The House-Training Triangle
I probably get more calls about house-training than any other problem behavior, so I’ve put a lot of energy into figuring out a solution that works. Some of the dogs I deal with are puppies, some are adolescents, and many are adults. Each case has its unique challenges, but the training principle I use, a technique I call the house-training triangle, is the same. The reason I like this system better than any other is because it effectively helps a dog understand what he’s doing right when he does his business outside—instead of just punishing him when he makes a mistake.
Later in this chapter, I’ll share a separate technique to deal with dogs who have a marking habit. Even though that problem is technically also a housebreaking issue, it’s one with different origins. A dog who indiscriminately does his business in the house hasn’t learned where the appropriate place is to go. A dog who marks your furniture or walls with small amounts of urine as a habit knows what he’s doing—though he surely does not know how wrong it is to treat your things that way. Like a small child who writes his name on everything he owns, a marking dog is labeling everything in his personal space as mine, mine, mine by putting his scent on it.
First things first, though. Let’s start with a technique for general house-training.
A Step-by-Step Plan
Of all the methods available to housebreak a dog, I find the most effective ones are those that utilize some version of crate training. Why do they work? The biggest reason is because they take advantage of a dog’s instinct to keep the areas where he eats and sleeps clean. This is a basic rule among dogs with very few exceptions. That said, just crating a dog is not enough. You’ve got to provide him with opportunities to do the right thing to really teach and reinforce reliable house-training. The three-part process of my house-training triangle is easy to follow—and if you do it correctly, it’s very effective. Most dogs will pick it up in a week or less, and even the most stubborn and slowest learners will master it after a couple of weeks of consistent practice. My system gives dogs separate opportunities for free play, for confinement in the crate or pen, and for doing their business outside. It also helps prevent accidents during training, which is a key factor in success. The more accidents a dog has in the house, the more the floor smells, and the more normal it feels to the dog to make another mistake. More accidents mean more reprimands, and who needs all that negativity? Bottom line: the more your dog goes to the bathroom in the house without being caught in the act, the more normal it feels to him and the more he’ll do it. This is one of the main reasons so many dogs end up not house-trained.
To teach this method to your dog, you’ll need:
•A crate or small indoor pen
•A leash
•Some treats
•A healthy supply of patience
The right choice of crate or pen is a big deal for this method. You want one that’s not too big and not too small. Ideally, you want your dog to be able to sit, stand, and lie down comfortably when he’s confined—but that’s it. If he can walk around or, more importantly, do his business in a corner that he can avoid, that’s too much space. If you’re planning to use the crate for different purposes later and want it to be bigger, or if you’ve got a growing puppy and want to buy only one crate, you can easily block off a portion of it with a divider or even a cardboard box to make it the right size—the size your dog is now. Your goal is to create a space just a little larger than your dog’s height,
length, and width. For Chance, I put up a small, open-topped dog pen in my living room. Most dogs quickly adjust and are perfectly happy in a crate, but if you have the rare dog who can’t handle being closely confined, an older dog who’s never been crated, or even if you just prefer the idea of using a wire or plastic playpen, a small pen is an effective alternative.
The ideal age to start this training is around twelve weeks, when a puppy is physically able to hold his bladder overnight. A puppy’s system slows down and can last longer when he’s asleep than during the day when he’s active. If your pup is younger than twelve weeks, you can still use this house-training method, but you may need to take your dog out to relieve himself once during the night for a few more weeks. After twelve weeks, many dogs will still cry in the middle of the night out of loneliness or protest, but most fall back asleep after fifteen minutes. If your dog keeps crying and you’re going to take him out to pee, wait until he’s quiet for a good thirty seconds so you don’t reinforce the idea that crying in the night will get your attention and get him out of the crate.
This crate is the perfect size for Lulu. She can comfortably sit, stand, and lie down—but that’s it.
Step 1. To help ensure your dog doesn’t have a full bladder after bedtime, stop giving him water about two hours before lights-out. At the end of the day, after your dog goes outside for the last time before bed, confine him to the crate or pen. First thing in the morning, take him out of the crate and go directly outside. Do not pass Go or roam around or stop in the kitchen or give any treats along the way—not even for a few seconds. Your dog will have to go at this time, and you want to take advantage of that urgency. Besides, there’s nothing worse than starting your day by scrubbing pee out of the carpet. So either pick up your dog and go straight outdoors or attach a leash to his collar and hustle him out the door. Preventing an accident is your goal.
Lucky Dog Lessons Page 14
