Goal
To provide appropriate guidance and
leadership to our dogs so that they learn the rules and customs of
living in human society.
Tools
you will need
Just you and your dog and some yummy
treats and fun toys
Overview
There are many dog training books
that still promote the myth that dogs do things because they want to
"dominate" us. This "domination theory" has probably led to more
abuse of dogs than any other reason. It has led people to believe
that they must use physical force and aversive training techniques to
train their dogs.
This belief comes from two sources. First, studies
of wolves were used to learn more about dog behavior. Although the dominance
theory explains a lot about pack hierarchy in a family of wolves, it does little
to help us when it comes to understanding dogs’ place in the human family.
Second, much of traditional dog training stems from the 1950's and is based
on a militaristic training style that is founded upon teaching the dog "who
the boss is" and compelling the dog to comply "or else."
Contemporary dog training is now
based on learning theory that has been around since the 1940's. Pick
up any college psychology text, gain an understanding of classical
conditioning (also known as Pavlovian conditioning) and operant
conditioning, and you have the foundation of how dogs
learn.
Simply put, dogs do what works. If
jumping on you in greeting gets reinforced, then your dog will jump
on you. If you let your dog in the house when she/he whines or barks
at the back door, your dog will whine and bark at the back door. If
your dog beats you through a doorway, she/he will keep beating you
through doorways. The dog is not trying to dominate you when
she/he is doing these things. The dog does these things because they
work and she/he has not been taught alternative behaviors. The
cardinal rule to remember in training dogs of any age is: Reinforce
the behavior you want and remove reinforcement (voice, touch, eye
contact) for behavior you don’t want. Reinforce, reinforce,
reinforce!
Through our leadership and guidance,
we can teach our dogs to defer to us when going through doorways, not
to jump on visitors, and all the myriad of other behaviors that will
make your dog a welcome member of the family, and the larger
community in which she/he lives.
Step-by-Step
Tips
The following are a few examples of
how you can start teaching your puppy to defer to you and to look to
you for guidance in his/her worldly affairs.
Jumping
When your puppy jumps up on you,
consider this a natural greeting of friendliness. Your 8-week old
puppy is not trying to dominate you. She/he is saying hello and
seeking affection and interaction. From the moment you bring your
puppy home, start teaching him/her that jumping doesn’t work.
Teach your pup that sitting or standing with "four on the floor"
works. To do this simply sidestep the puppy’s jump so the
jump ends up in the air, or pivot away from the puppy
Repeat this until the puppy
doesn’t jump. Then, say "Yes!" and give the puppy a treat or
pet him/her. always reinforce (praise, treats, petting) the
absence of jumping and remove all reinforcement (eye contact,
voice, and touch) for jumping. To help your pup out even more,
teach him a substitute behavior such as sit. (See the section on
"Basic
Manners.") Then, when the
puppy tries to jump, you can sidestep and ask for a sit
instead. Remember, reinforce the behavior you want or you will get
something else you may not want!
Body slamming through
doorways
Many puppies like to run through
doorways ahead of us. In many cases this is not a problem.
However, some times, especially as the puppy gets bigger, this can
pose a safety issue for children and others who can be knocked
down by a boisterous dog. additionally, teaching a pup to defer to
your presence in a doorway will help set the stage for deference
to you in other areas of his life.
Instead of letting your puppy bump
into you getting through doorways, try body-blocking.
Body-blocking is simply asserting your personal space. You can put
a leg in front of the pup, blocking his path.
When he pauses or stops, say
"Yes!" and give him a treat, or praise and pet. You can also put
your puppy on a leash or a houseline and hold the puppy back as
you pass through first, rewarding your pup for deferring. Practice
this throughout the house, and soon your puppy will learn to
respect your personal space needs.
Feeding
Times
Teach your pup to sit quietly
while you prepare his/her meal. If your puppy barks or whines
while you are preparing the meal, simply stop your preparations,
and when the puppy pauses (she/he has to take a breath sometime!),
say "Yes!" and resume preparations. Stop and repeat each time the
puppy fusses.
Next, wait for the puppy to sit
before you place his/her bowl on the floor. When your pup sits,
start lowering the bowl.
If your puppy jumps up, straighten
back up and wait for him/her to sit again. Keep it up until you
get a sustained sit while you lower the bowl. at the beginning,
accept a brief sit, but gradually build up to a sit that lasts
until you say "Okay!" before letting him/her go to the
bowl.
Attention on Demand
Do not reinforce your puppy for
demanding your attention. If your puppy solicits petting, play, or
other interaction, teach him/her to do something first. "Sit" and
"Down" are great places to start for all puppies. (See the section
on "Basic
Manners.") Ignoring your
puppy’s insistent demands for attention and rewarding him/her
for those little jobs (Sit and Down) will go a long way in
establishing yourself as the leader of your pack.
Basic
Manners
Teaching puppies behaviors such as
Sit, Down, Stay, Leave It, and Off, as well as tricks such as
Spin, Wave, and Shake Paws, are great tools in establishing the
puppy’s place in the household. Puppies are little sponges;
they soak up everything around them. They are always learning,
whether we teach them or not. So why not teach them the things we
want? See the section on Basic
Manners for more
information.
Recommended Reading
The Perfect Puppy: How to Raise a
Well-Behaved Dog by Gwen Bailey
Leader of the Pack. . .and have
your dog love you for it! By Patricia B. McConnell,
PhD
Puppy Primer by Brenda K.
Scidmore and Patrical B. McConnell, PhD
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