ASSISTED LIVING  DISEASE   NUTRITION   REPRODUCTION  STUDIES  TOXINS  TRAINING

BEHAVIOR & TRAINING TOPICS

DOGS:
Bark Collars
shock collars
Coprophagia in the Canine
Parmacologic Treatment of Separation Anxiety
Behavior Modification: Departures
Behavior Modification: Relaxation
Behavior Modificaition: Uncouple Departures and Departure Cues
Leash training an adult dog
Is my dog senile?

CATS:
Kitten behavior and training
Toilet Training your Cat
Feline Agression
Inappropriate Elimination

GENERAL:
Fears and Phobias
Destructive Behavior
Compulsive Behavior

OUTSIDE LINKS

www.greatpets.com
www.gentleleader.com
Pet Partners Program
Canines Unlimited
Capital Kennel Club

APPENDIX A (continued)

Is it necessary to push on the puppy’s bottom to make it sit? No, and given how big people are and how small puppies can be, it might be unwise to do this. This is especially true for dogs that might be predisposed to later hip problems. There are three other choices:

1. Owners can gently put a hand behind the puppy’s bottom so that as the dog backs up, it bumps into the hand.

2. Owners can have another person stand behind the pup with is or her feet near the pup’s haunches; as the pup backs up the person’s feet and legs will shape the puppy’s body in the sit position.

3. A Gentle Leader/Halti head collar can be used to help you quickly teach the pup to sit.

Teaching Stay

“Stay” can be more difficult to teach than “it” because the tendency is to rush the dog and proceed at a pace more suitable for the person than for the dog. This response is rooted partly in the owner’s feelings that if the dog does not comply instantly, the dog is stupid and the owner is in error. This is not true, so everyone can stop feeling guilty. There is much variation in dogs’ abilities to relax and stay, and pet owners often unwittingly give inconsistent signals with their body language. Among the most common of the inconsistent signals is talking to the dog over one’s shoulder and telling it to stay while going away from the dog. Dogs that do not know “stay” will not learn it by this approach and will be distressed.

Before the dog can learn to stay, it first must know how to sit. If the d dog is physically more comfortable lying down, that is fine. This is not an obedience class, no points will be awarded, and no trophies will be given. The point is to start the animal in a posture of deferential behavior. Sitting is a less reactive posture than is standing, and lying down is less reactive than sitting. Some dogs are calmer lying down, so it is preferable for them.

Next, tell the dog to sit, verbally praise it, say “stay,” and take a microscopic step backward. Repeat “stay,” go back to the dog, repeat “stay,” and reward. A sample sequence proceeds as follows:

“Bonnie -- sit -- good girl! (treat) -- stay -- good girl -- stay (take a step backward while saying stay, then stop) stay Bonnie -- good girl -- stay (return while saying stay -- then stop) -- Bonnie -- good girl (treat) -- okay!” (the releaser and Bonnie can get up).

Note the Following

1. Use the dog’s name -- this will get it to attend to you. You can use it frequently, unlike in obedience, provided it attends to you. In fact, the name should be the cue to orient toward you. If the dog does not look at you immediately, put the treat near your eye. The dog needs to focus (You can couple the t treat next to your eye with the vocal signal “look.”)

2. Repeat the commands. This is not obedience -- the dog needs your reassurance. As the dog improves or learns more, repeat the commands less frequently and at greater intervals. This is what psychologists call “shaping” a behavior.

3. Reward the dog appropriately. Eventually the food treats will appear less predictably. At the outset the dog needs everything possible to help it.

4. Remember to use one or two words consistently as a releaser -- and remember that if you use those words while talking to the dog, the dog will get up. If the dog gets up before released, make it stay and stay again, and wait 3 to 5 seconds before you release the dog. This prevents jack-in-the-box behavior.

As the dog becomes more experienced and masters staying at a short distance, gradually increase the distance between you and the dog. Do not go from getting the dog to stay within 1 meter of you to walking across the room. The temptation will be great and you will have only provoked conflict and anxiety in the dog, which defeats you goal. A more detailed approach to reinforce stay is found in the Protocol for Relaxation.

This protocol can be done with the dog on lead with a head collar. Head collars, when coupled with long-distance leads, allow you to reinforce sitting and to correct the dog if it gets up.