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1.Give your Dog's
Training Program LEGS
On the first night of training classes, I offer my
clients an acronym to keep in mind. I ask them to give their dog training
program LEGS.
Let's Earn Great
Stuff
If Muffin comes to poke me in the elbow for a pat, I will ask her to first
sit or lie down. She must earn that pat. When Frisky wants to go out of
doors, he must first sit. The door won't open unless he does. He thereby
earns great stuff -- exploring the back yard.
Regardless of what it is the dog might want at any given moment (whatever
he might consider great stuff), he must earn access to it. Rex wants me to
throw the tennis ball? Sit first, Rex. Sassy wants to greet the visitor?
The only way anyone will pay any attention to her is if she first sits.
This, by the way, is a great way to teach puppies not to jump up on people
for attention. They only receive our attention when they sit.
Giving your training program LEGS is just another way of saying that
nothing in life is free. Our actions have consequences. Things our dogs do
will also have consequences. A behavior that is rewarded tends to be
repeated. A behavior that is repeated tends to become a habit. A good
habit is as hard to break as a bad one. It's up to us to create good
habits in our dogs by rewarding those behaviors we want to keep.
If you are thinking about getting a puppy, one of the best single
resources available is the inexpensive booklet, Taking Care of Puppy
Business by Leslie Nelson. This offers excellent advice for dealing
with the deadly sins of puppy hood from house soiling to property
destruction. Order from dogwise.com or telephone 800-776-2665.
If you enjoy getting into the details of behavior modification or feel you
might have a problem pooch, try reading Dr Ian Dunbar's books, Dog
Behavior and How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks. Consider also:
How Dogs Learn by Mary Burch, PhD., Don't Shoot the Dog! by
Karen Pryor, The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson, Your Ideal Dog
by David and Ruth Weston. These are also available from dogwise.com or
800-776-2665.
A friend recently shared with me an article she'd run across from a fellow
who absolutely insisted that the way he trained dogs was the only
way to train dogs. I'm often surprised by the number of listeners who
swallow statements like that in their entirety.
While folks just like you and me might be convinced to actually accept
that there is one and only one way to teach Fluffy to sit, we would laugh
out loud if someone told us there was one and only one recipe for
chocolate cake. One and only one way to drive from here to the nearest
shopping center.
The whole thing seems a little bit ridiculous and not worth mentioning
here until we realize that some of the "one and only one way"
folks insist that quite a bit of coercion, pain and punishment absolutely
must be used to teach Fluffy to sit. Their route to the mall requires you
to run barefoot most of the way. Their cake recipe uses two cups of
detergent.
The advice I generally give folks is to become truly familiar with
behavior modification by reading some of the aforementioned titles.
Whether your dog is your pride or your problem, please speak with your vet
about a microchip for Muffin. It's the best form of positive ID now
available in the event a dog is lost or stolen.
©Maggie Blutreich
BRAVO! Force-Free Training
Maggie Blutreich is a charter member of the Association of Pet Dog
Trainers and an AKC Public Education Coordinator & AKC Canine
Ambassador. |
