As humans we send out very confusing signals to our dogs. The following is a real life example of what most NON DOG SPEAKING people do:  you see “fluffy” digging in the trash can, you call Fluffy come here!!! X**#@*##.....Stop that!!!! No come here!!! I said stop digging in the trash!!! COME!!! By default and confusion Fluffy comes to you or he grabs some of the goods and runs! You are furious! You scold him even more for the unwanted behavior that he is not aware of and that you are so upset about. He has NO IDEA why you are angry. He asks himself; should’ve I stayed in the trash? Should’ve I  run away? What? please tell me what I did he says! He concludes the only logical explanation of your unruly behavior is that you really did not want him to come or to stop digging in the trash. So guess what, the next time you say “Fluffy come” he says NO WAY I remember what happened last time.

Now to correct this scenario above you would do this:

 You see Fluffy digging in the trash can. (shame on you for leaving access to it, but we will get to that little issue laterJ)  you should walk calmly and quietly over to him, once you can get your hand on his collar tighten it a little, very little, and say “ Fluffy this is bad, no sir, bad dog” then let go and leave the trash right where it is, and you walk off. If he turns to you and says with those sweet loving eyes I am so sorry and he walks away with you then you give him a great big hug and a nice treat right that very second! And Say good boy Fluff you are so smart! ( or whatever happy words you choose) Then go put the trash out of his reach please.   If he does not follow you but he proceeds to get into the trash repeat the same steps above until he follows you or stops digging in the trash! You may have to do this often. No big deal, just do it and he will get it. Once he does get it, he may still try to sneak a peek into the can but then you can yell from across the room  “Fluffy get out of the trash right now” and he knows what you’re talking about.  You will need to set up practice trash digging sessions for Fluff. Sit the trash out where he sees it, but don’t entice him to it, then just watch so you are ready to take action the moment he gets a glimpse of that irresistible can of goods!  The secret to success is PRACTICE often. Don’t wait until it’s the real thing, set up situations so you can be prepared to teach Fluff how to behave.

It is so important that you learn to speak dog. Without this knowledge it is almost impossible to have a well behaved K9.  Dogs learn only in the moment and they learn conditionally.. You cannot instruct your dog how to behave in the future just as you cannot scold him for things he has done in the past. In the “moment” is when all learning takes place for your canine. Conditional learning means that he may learn all his commands and perform nicely at home, but outside the home he is a different dog! That is why it is so important to take your dog to a lot of places, he needs to meet a lot of people, hear a lot of sounds, and have many experiences outside the home.

I am here to help you train your dog, but it is up to you to work with your dog every day until he is a well rounded, well behaved, and a welcome member of your family.

 Print and cut the following advice out so you can have it accessible at all times. These tips are some of the greatest advice I can give to a person that wants a dog that is well behaved.

The TO DO list:

1. 1) spend time with your dog
2. 2) reward him for his successes
3. 3) Give him plenty of exercise
4. 4) Make training fun
5. 5) Be consistent
6. 6) Be generous with your treats- sometimes for an outstanding behavior he needs an outstanding treat!
7. 7) Socialize your dog
8. 8) Play games with him
9. 9) Use the correct training collar for your dog. Not all collars are acceptable for every dog. Some need the pinch and some need the gentle leader. And then some need only a buckle collar. Find out which one is right for you and your dog.

The  NOT TO DO list:

1. 1) Do not trick your dog- he will learn to not trust you
2. 2) Do not chase your dog- he will learn to run from you
3. 3) Do not play tug a war- he will learn to grab things from you
4. 4) Do not scold your dog for anything you did not catch him in the act of- he will not understand the punishment
5. 5) Do not call your dog to come so you can scold him- he will learn NOT to come to you
6. 6) Do not encourage your dog to jump up on you
7. 7) Do not force your dog into a ‘scary” situation, give him time to become less afraid and approach the situation himself- when forced he will become more fearful

This list  is crucial to the success of the training.  After you have a well trained dog you can add back in number 2 and 3 as games that you play together, but never before he is trained.    The first year of life is a dedication to raising him and molding him into the dog you want him to be. He will fall short at times and you will become frustrated, but keep at it because a well trained dog is worth every single minute dedicated to his training.  

Please let me know how I can serve you and your k9!

Cindy Baker This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

or call 678-447-5254