READ SILVIA'S WEEKLY DOG-COLUMNS PUBLISHED BY THE TRURO DAILY.CHECK OUT MORE
DOG COLUMNS
HAVE A QUESTION? A TOPIC SUGGESTION? I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. E-MAIL ME AT:
silvia4dogs@gmail.com
DOG COLUMN DECEMBER 03, 2007. The Canine ABC - and D Gone are the days when dog-human activities consisted of a work relationship, competetive obedience or showring confirmation. Today, there are many ways to have fun with the pooch. Agility, Flyball, Freestyle and Rally O' are increasingly popular. There is an almost endless amount of cool looking tricks and positions a dog can learn and perform these days and many dog owners take advantage of the variety of activities offered. But many others only want a well-behaved pet and family companion and don't care about a precise and sharp looking pivot. Participating in organized dog sports is, for the most part, real quality time spend with your dog. Most pooches are delighted to go places and do fun stuff with their owner. But that doesn't mean that you have to feel guilty because you can't, or don't want to enroll your coonhound in a country music dance class, or your border collie in recreational herding. There are, though, four behaviors that, if solid, will potentially keep you and the furry family member out of trouble. Bite inhibition: means that Rover has learned that his pearly whites are mighty strong and human skin delicate. Ideally, littermates, mom-dog and other older dogs teach the wee pup mouth control. If that was missed, you have to make up for that. Leave it: means exactly that. Leave the jogger; leave the other dog; leave the bunny; leave the Christmas Turkey Dinner. Well taught you can call your dog of anything when he is too focused on something. "You can't always get what you want" is also true for dogs. Down: I am not talking about the precise obedience ring down, but rather a relaxed, shifted on one hip, down. It is an excellent way for an overly aroused dog to chill out and calm. Add duration to the position and Rover learns self-control. Come: a behavior many owners struggle with. The good news is that a dog can be conditioned to come like you can be conditioned to put your foot on the brake when something runs in front of your car. The bad news is that it takes practice, practice and practice. But it is well worth the effort. Just imagine how smooth you look if you call your dog off a squirrel chase and he does a 180 and runs back to you. That is probably the only time when nobody is watching.
Helping Rover deal with stress - People aren't the only ones overloaded on the holidays. The colder days and crackling fireplace remind me that I better write that letter to Santa Paws. Could my pooches swing a quill, I'm sure that Davie would ask for a ball or two to add to her collection of twenty, while food-passionate Will would scrawl liver-flavoured, squirrel-shaped cookies on her wish list. According to a survey conducted by a leading dog magazine, almost 70 percent of owners shop for their pets at Christmas. We belong to that majority. Including the family dog into the festivities is pleasurable, but can also have negative effects. We know that too many of even the most natural treats can cause an upset tummy, and chocolates carelessly left within the dog's reach can be hazardous. Lesser known is the fact that dogs can be emotionally stressed by a change of routine, too much commotion, or feeding of our tension. Some 12.000 years ago dogs had amazing foresight when they chose to hang around humans. They began to thrive like no other species. Being perceptive of our body language and energy, combined with a sensitivity to detail changes, facilitated such evolutionary success. It enabled early dogs to stay clear of humans' wrath or hunger; or being cared for if they came up with behaviors our neolithic ancestors liked. Today's pooch does not have to fear for his life and is well fed, but still genetically programmed to be sensitive to our energy and changes in his environment. Rover can neither intellectually comprehend that we are irritable because there is too much to do in too little time, nor can he opt for the extra large Scotch to mellow. So he releases stress in ways that are dog typical, but rarely desired by his owners. Increased barking, jumping and digging, but also having an accident in the house or growling at the toddler he usually is friendly with, indicate that he's a tad charged up. Even if you can't be your normal, grounded self, there are a few things you can do to help your dog to decompress. Keep his routine as normal as possible; provide a place for him to chill undisturbed; engage him in calm activities. Any kind of nose-work is natural stress relief for a dog. Send yours on a kibble-scavenger hunt or tell the kids to play hide and seek with him, instead of ball and chase-the-dog. Don't become frustrated with the overly aroused pup. Chances are by the time you de-decorate the homestead, he'll be back to normal, and placidly chewing the bone he got from Santa Paws in front of the crackling fire.
REWARD - LURE OR BRIBERY The flavor of the day regarding dog training is using rewards, instead of punishments. Even though that trend has become increasingly popular, both with dog professionals and dog owners, some folks are skeptical. They picture the embarrassed owner holding a cookie high in the air while soft-soaping the pooch with a schmaltzy voice into coming. "Aha", they say, "this dog comes for the treat, not for the owner." And correct they are! Except that scenario has nothing to do with reward based training. It is bribery. And no serious dog professional will ever teach or recommend that. Lures are used to help the dog understand what we want. No dog is born with an inherent knowledge of the English language, so when we say sit, it means blah-blah-blah to Rover, unless he has learned that S-I-T means butt on the ground. In the olden days the association between the word and the action was taught with a collar jerk up in combination with a hand on the behind push down. In positive training classes this is replaced with a lure that gently and hands-off guides the dog into position. A reward is something the dog wants and receives after he has heeded a request. That could be a food treat, but is not exclusive to the offering of a yummy snack. A reward is anything the dog wants at the moment and could be playtime with another dog, going for a walk, or being allowed to sniff the latest pee-mail at the fire hydrant. Those are called life rewards in professional circles. Giving your dog a reward is the same as you receiving a paycheck each month. Your boss is your boss because he controls your time and salary. Likewise, making rewards available to your dog puts you in charge. Psychologically speaking, the giver has the power, not the receiver. So put Buddy on a payroll. A fifteen-year-old teenager will not find a job at a fast food restaurant as long as a well-intended parent greases his wallet with a couple of thousand bucks each month. And rarely will a dog work if everything she desires is free for the taking. Rather, the pooch with a sense of entitlement will find a million things to do that are self-rewarding, like chasing the cat, and will blow you off when you tell her to knock it off. You might end up with a cookie in your hand...
LEARNING LEASH ETIQUETTE My dogs are gifted! They understand English, German and words spelled. Walk and w-a-l-k elicit the same annoyingly happy barks. Our walks are the highlight of the day. My dogs sniff, pee at strategically important places and, if lucky, find poop-sicles deposited by ungulates. I love to watch my dogs, a chat with a neighbour, or let my thoughts wander. Many dog-owner teams don't enjoy the mental, physical and emotional benefits walking offers, because the stroll becomes a drag when 95 pound Brutus acts like a one-dog sled dog team. Pulling dogs are common, because outside people and dogs' interests differ. From the dog's point of view, his person lacks 'sense-itivity' and densely heads in the wrong direction - away from the good whiffs, underground rodent sounds or movements in the distance. Your pooch wants to check it out, so he pulls. If you follow, even just one step, you teach him that pulling works. He'll do it again. There are different methods to curb that behaviour. To fit the dog with a collar or harness that allows the owner to physically control, tug or jerk, is popular. The pitfall is that the equipment becomes a crutch and Rover only responds when he has it on. Some aggravate the dog to a point where there is constant nose pawing; some can cause soft tissue damage and spinal injuries if used incorrectly. A preferable approach is to teach your pooch that being by your side is most desirable. You aim for offered by the dog, rather than prompted by you, leash manners. That ensures that the behaviour is reliable. Initially training takes place in your home and fenced yard. Get your dog's attention. The instant she looks at you, walk away. Change paces and directions, all the while encouragingly entice her to follow. Whenever she is within a three to four foot range, play, fuss her up, or food reward - and walk away again. Your pooch learns that walking close by makes your attention happen, a powerful reward for her. Further training in different areas with the help of a long tracking leash is the next step. Done right, it won't be long before the pooch walks attentively next to you. Especially if you allow her to engage in dog stuff when she keeps a loose leash. To prevent pre-walk arousal in my dogs, the other day I re-phrased, and asked Hubby Mike if he'd like to join us with: "Wanna go for a pleasurable journey on foot to the w-o-o-d-s"? Both dogs' eruption in excited yips reminded me that they comprehend the word 'go', even if spoken as part of a sentence. Gifted they are.
|
