Tuesday Training Byte: Helping your dog be the best dog

While some people want a dog for a specific job, say hunting or herding, most people want a dog for a companion. Understanding your dog and his needs will go a long way toward making him a great companion. Here are a few tips.

1. Dogs have doggy needs for mental and physical stimulation. While this can vary some by breed, it generally includes lots of sniffing, pawing, licking, digging, rolling, and yes, peeing. Today I met a new dog for training and for the first good bit he had a sniff-a-thon with my shoes. If you make sure your dog gets time to have these needs met, he will be much easier to train and focus on behaving.

2. Dogs communicate mostly with body language. If we take time to learn to "read" our dog, we will have better insight into his feelings, whether that be fear, anxiety, relaxed or happy. When I start a training session with a new dog I do not force myself upon the dog or ask it to do something until it has had time to sniff and check me out and then only once I see the dog is no longer tense.

3. Dogs generally do not like being petted on the head or hugged or bending down over them to pet them. Dogs may tolerate it, but could turn and snap one day when they really do not want that kind of touch and interaction. Once the dog is clearly seeking my attention and is relaxed, I give him a little scratch on the chest or behind/below his ears. This is not intimidating to the dog and usually pleasurable.

4. Dogs tend to seek our attention and will do naughty things to get it. There are a few ways I handle this. First I do not engage my dog if he is seeking attention in a naughty way. Even if I look at him, yell at him or push him away that is giving him attention so just walk away. As soon as you see your dog doing good behavior voluntarily, be sure to praise him or toss a few treats and he will learn that calmly sitting or laying down will earn him your attention. Because I do not permit my dogs to jump on me or be on the furniture, I train my dogs if they want attention when I come home to stand with their front feet on the bench by the door, and I will go pet them there. In the morning when I let them out of their crates, they often will put their front feet on the top edge of the kennel to get their pats before going outside. Praising and rewarding your dog rather that scolding will soon get your dog to voluntarily choose good behaviors.

5. Have a schedule or routine for your dog. Dogs have an amazing inner time clock. If we do things in a particular order at a particular time, the dog will catch on quickly, making it so much easier to manage your dog.

6. Dogs are den animals. If we provide that place for them, they will go to it on their own as it makes them feel safe. That might be a plastic crate or a wire crate with a cover and the doors left open Even a little bed in the quiet corner will work. Do not force them to interact and allow them their down time. We currently have a litter of 8 puppies. We have a couple of cinder blocks in their pens to help secure things. Right away the puppies used the holes in the cinder blocks to hind their heads and take a naps. We call it the puppy charging station. Happy training!

   

   This dog is enjoying his own little den.