SECRETS OF DOG TRAINING

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By Kelly Ryan

Not surprisingly, almost every question I am asked as a dog trainer starts with “How do I get my dog to...?” The specific answers vary as much as the specific problems. But, there are certain components of dog training which are pretty universal.

WORK. The Number One secret is that dog training takes time and commitment. There is no magic collar or harness or piece of equipment that is going to suddenly give you a dog that behaves the way you want her to. You have to put in the time and effort to teach your dog the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Then, just when you think you’re done, there’s more work to do. For some people, this reality is discouraging, for others it is frustrating. Personally, I view it as part of the fun of having a dog. The work that I have put into my dogs has strengthened our relationship, made me appreciate how unique they are from each other and provided me with hours of amusement (and yes, some not so insignificant hours of frustration and embarrassment, as well).

A well-trained dog is the result of time and commitment, not evidence of a dog’s intelligence or worth.

REINFORCEMENT. Dogs do what works for them. They’re not all that different than humans in that regard. If your dog nudges your hand and you pet your dog, your dog will continue nudging your hand every time he wants attention. If your dog barks at you and you throw the ball, your dog will continue to bark at you to get you to throw the ball. In both of these examples, you have reinforced your dog’s behavior by responding just as your dog wanted you to. (And, just who is training who here?)

There are many things that can be reinforcers for your dog. Treats, petting, praise, attention, play, fetch, chasing squirrels, sniffing around on the ground, and so on. One nice thing about the “work” of dog training is that every moment you spend with your dog is a training opportunity. Your dog is constantly learning what you want and don’t want by what you reinforce. If you pay attention, you can much more quickly establish the behaviors you want and extinguish the behaviors you don’t want.

TIMING. Dogs are creatures who live in the moment. That ability to live in the present moment, without holding a grudge or bearing ill-will is one of their most endearing qualities. However, it also means that if you want to reward a good behavior or correct a bad behavior, you have to do it immediately. Two minutes later won’t work, five minutes later won’t work, an hour later won’t work, and certainly eight hours later after you’ve returned from the office won’t work. Some studies have shown you have approximately .5 to 1.5 seconds to associate a particular cause and effect with dogs. Because dogs live in the present moment, they believe that they are being rewarded or corrected for whatever they are doing in the moment that the reward or correction happens, not what they did 60 seconds ago. This means, to effectively train your dog, your timing has to be very very good. If it takes you 10 seconds to dig the treat out of your pocket, it’s likely that you’ve missed the moment to reward your dog.

One way to avoid the “treat in the bottom of the pocket” problem is to use a marker. Once you have established a marker, use it to pinpoint the moment when your dog has done the right thing, and the food reward can come later.

CLARITY. You have to be clear on what you are asking of your dog, and what you will accept as the appropriate response. You also have to clearly communicate what you want to your dog. That sounds so simple, but it really does require you to think for a moment. Before you ask your dog to do something, think about what an acceptable response will be. If you tell your dog to “sit”, does she have to sit quickly and straight, or will a slow, lopsided sit do just as well? If you tell your dog to “down” and he sits, is that good enough?

CONSISTENCY. If you are not consistent with letting your dog know what behavior is acceptable and what is not, your dog is never going to figure it out. If you don’t want your dog to jump on you in your good clothes, she can’t be allowed to jump on you in your jeans. The rules have to stay the rules, whatever you have defined them to be. If you are inconsistent, you will set up a behavior that is almost impossible to extinguish. If you want to create exceptions to the rules, you’re going to teach your dog cues to let him know that, in this circumstance, he can jump on you. For example, you could teach your dog “paws on” or “hug” to mean its okay to jump on me when I give that cue, but not any other time.

Another part of consistency is in the language we use. Let’s say you’ve spent the last few days teaching your dog to lie down, using the word “down.” Then, you come home from work and Fido, ever so happy to see you, jumps on you. You say “down.” What exactly is Fido supposed to do? Get off of you or lay down? Let’s say your dog gets off you and you say “Good Fido.” Now what happens the next time you want your dog to lay down and you say “down.” You’ve been teaching your dog that “down” means get your paws off of me. Your dog thinks, “My paws aren’t on you, so I’m okay.”

FAIRNESS. You have to be fair to your dog. You have to understand his or her natural drives, instincts and limitations. You have to make sure you have made it clear what behavior you expect. You have to be consistent in rewarding or correcting that behavior. You have to have put in the time to make sure your dog understands what you are asking for.