Another answer might be that because we have, by an act of our will, made the decision to have dogs in our lives (and homes), we are responsible for their well-being. Our far greater understanding of the dangers of the world in which we live dictates that we have a moral responsibility to look out for their well-being. A dog doesn’t know and cannot have it explained to him what happens when a car traveling at 40 mph encounters soft tissue, but we know, therefore it is incumbent upon us to keep them out of that situation (and many others) either by means of training or at least restraint.

I first became seriously interested in dog training when I read Vicki Hearne’s book entitled Adam’s Task: Calling Animals by Name. The title is a reference to the account in the book of Genesis (2:19-20) in the Bible where God brings each animal to Adam to see what name he will call it. According to the story, this is how God gave dominion over the animals to man. Subsequent to The Fall, when Adam and Eve doubted God’s goodness and consequently disobeyed Him, that dominion was severely diminished, but I believe we still enjoy the remnant of it in our relationships with domestic animals. Although I wasn’t a Christian at the time and was only vaguely aware of the biblical reference, even then, it did seem to be an explanation of the reality that I had experienced.

Consistency is often mentioned as an important element in child rearing and it is no less crucial in dog training. Consistency is the means by which dogs see patterns develop in our responses to them, and it is by these patterns that they come to understand what we are trying to communicate. Dogs learn by experience. If that experience is random, the result is a failure to learn. Being consistent can be difficult because it requires us to be disciplined— that is to be always aware that the way we interact with our dogs carries meaning for them whether we intend it or not.

Coherence and timing are closely related so let’s look at them together. Coherence simply means that our responses to our dogs need to be appropriate to what we are intending to teach them. Calling your dog to you and then punishing him for being slow about it is incoherent (and cruel) because it cannot produce the desired result. Timing is an important component of coherence because dogs live so much in the moment. When a dog is first learning to heel, he may only be in good heel position momentarily as he prances past you. If you’re a second and a half late with your praise you will be praising your dog for being out of position, thus making it harder for him to understand.

Last but not least is incrementalism. It can be a life saver with difficult or not so smart dogs because almost any exercise can be learned if broken into smaller bites (pun intended). Recently I had two different dogs that gave their owners some difficulty on the down exercise. They allowed themselves to be placed, but when we tried to get them to go down with just collar pressure, they stiffened their front legs and refused. Using incrementalism, both dogs learned to lie down reliably on command.

In my next post we will explore where our authority comes from. Bye ‘til then.

Let’s start with association. When teaching a dog a new exercise, our first objective (and obligation) is to make sure that the dog understands exactly what a command means. To accomplish this we start with what I call the show-and-tell phase of the training. This entails placing the dog on the exercise while simultaneously giving the command. When you think about it, this is also how we teach most nouns and adjectives to babies; we point to something as we say the name for that object: mama, daddy, bird, tree, hot, cold, wet, etc.

The second element is repetition. Repetition gets a bad rap because it can be tedious, but it is also effective. Repetition is the reason soldiers can take apart and reassemble their rifles in the dark, some figure skaters can make that triple Lutz look easy, and the reason you and I can remember the words to many popular songs from our youth.

Placing Shelby on an Accurate Sit

Accuracy is the third element. When we teach a dog the automatic sit for instance, (sitting in heel position when the handler stops walking) the more accurately we can place the dog, the better he will understand what we want. Sure, accuracy makes your dog handling look sharp, but the primary reason is to help your dog’s understanding.

We’ll look at the last four tools in the dog trainer’s tool belt in my next post. Until then, have a Merry Christmas or a Happy Chanukah, and Doggy New Year.

More seriously though, let me answer the question of what I mean by “reason”. I would say that reason, in its most basic form, is the if/then proposition. “If I ring the bells on the back door, then someone will let me out.” “If my owner looks in the mirror and then grabs her pocketbook and keys, then maybe she’ll take me with her in the car.” This is by no means evidence of high intelligence in dogs but it is evidence that they make clear associations between one event and another. In training this often is all you need. How many times have I heard a client who has recently begun training say, “So he really isn’t as stupid as we thought?”

What is really neat is when dogs show evidence of more complex reasoning. Some years ago we had a middle-aged Airedale name Zach and a Rottweiler puppy named Molly. They loved to roughhouse, and as Molly grew she could occasionally get the advantage. One afternoon in our back yard Molly had the upper hand and suddenly Zach froze and looked intently at something in the distance. Molly stopped mouthing the back of his neck in order to see what was so interesting.  Immediately Zach twisted out from under her and pounced. There was nothing there at all. Zach had simply made it up (lied, in effect) in order to regain the advantage.

Another instance was when I was working a retrieving exercise with Vicki, our American Staffordshire Terrier. I threw the dumbbell into the woodpile and as she started to climb the pile, the dumbbell dropped down between the pieces of firewood. I thought, “oh no, I’ve asked her to do something she won’t be able to do.” Vicki didn’t hesitate though, she started heaving firewood out of the way until she got to the dumbbell and then proudly finished a beautiful retrieve.

And how many times have clients told me that their dogs know their toys by name? Yes indeed, dogs do reason. I’d love to hear from you with your own examples.

One of the wonderful things about teaching is that it requires you to clarify concepts in your own mind so that you can articulate them in a clear and helpful way to others. Our day at Avon High School helped me to do that vis-à-vis the training process and the underlying assumptions we make about dog nature. The number one assumption is that dogs can reason. That’s important because if they can reason, then once they learn something, it’s fair for us to expect them to take responsibility for following through on what they know.

So in addition to the dog’s innate intelligence, here are the main tools in my dog trainer’s tool belt: his trust in his owner or handler (this develops further as the process unfolds), association (particularly associating words with action), timing, consistency, accuracy, repetition, incrementalism, and accountability. Over the next several blogs we will look at these characteristics and techniques in more detail. In the mean time, enjoy the pictures.

Vicki - One of Our Rescued Dogs

Our last three dogs have been “rescues.” Zach was a five year old Airedale. He was available because of a divorce, and when I first got him he thought that running away was the highest form of recreation known to dog. Vicki was a 14 week old American Staffordshire terrier who was available because of nervousness about her breed. Our present Airedale Dazz, we got as a four-year old. He was unhappy that his owner’s lives had gotten so busy with jobs and a new child that there was little time for him. He had taken to expressing his displeasure by pooping in the baby’s room, among other things. None of these dogs had been abused; they just needed some consistent, coherent training to become really wonderful companions.

Dogs that have been badly neglected or abused can present more of a challenge. I remember one German shepherd whose novice breeder had not interacted with the pups other than to feed and clean up after them. As a result they became feral, and this poor dog was terrified of everyone. Fortunately, her owner was determined (dogged you might say) and patient.  And then there was the beagle who had been a laboratory animal. She had no expectation that humans could interact with her in any sort of coherent way at all. Again, a patient and persistent handler along with some thoughtful training made the difference.

A dog that has been abused will often exhibit fear aggression or severe timidity. Not surprisingly, a dog that has been used for fighting will often be dog aggressive. A neglected dog might simply be socially retarded or might have more serious issues like distrust, separation anxiety, or claustrophobia. Although such dogs often require more time and patience, the recipe for success is the same; we must convince the dog that their world really is a safe, sane, and predictable place where he or she has certain reasonable and clearly defined responsibilities. Dogs thus rehabilitated often reward their masters with lasting loyalty and affection, but it’s important to be realistic going in and to expect that you’ll probably need to do some serious training with the help of someone who’s been there before.

1991

My wife Linda and I started Teacher’s Pet in the summer of 1991 and soon rented a space in Newington, CT. Dog training was harder than I thought. Although I had a gift for it, I soon realized that teaching it to others was far more challenging than just doing it myself. But I enjoyed it so much that it didn’t seem like work at all. In fact for a while I had a recurring dream that I hadn’t gone to work at my old job for months and wondered nervously what would be my boss’s reaction when I walked in the door after so much time away.

In twenty years I have met many wonderful, interesting people and their dogs. I’ve learned a lot from them and made lasting friendships too. Once I struck out on my own, my formal learning was over and the rest I mostly had to figure out on the job. But no two dogs (or people) are alike, so it never gets boring and there is always something more to learn. Every so often for no reason at all, a client from years ago will come to mind, and I’ll wonder how they’re doing. With a few clients, I’ve had the privilege of training a succession of dogs over the years and have watched their kids grow up. One friend/client commented the other day that we were going to grow old together. That’s a good thing. It is truly a blessing from Almighty God to be able to make a living doing what you love. I’m looking forward to the next twenty years and hope to have the privilege of meeting you and your dog too.

As a dog trainer, I enjoy leading someone through the training process so that they can better enjoy their dog or evaluating a specific situation in order to solve a problem. Young puppies (eight to twenty weeks old) present slightly different challenges. Because they develop so rapidly (and are emotionally immature), our goals are shorter range and simpler than for the adolescent or adult dog. The first priority is housebreaking, and the second is surviving a very oral stage of their development with most of your stuff intact. Third in importance would be to begin to establish some basic manners.

People sometimes ask me what they need to acquire to be prepared for the arrival of their new pup. The list is short and simple:

1). A crate small enough (or one that can be partitioned) so that the pup can’t use one end for a bathroom and use the other end for a bedroom. In general, dogs do not like to pee and poop where they are confined, so this is just a way of using their natural instinct for cleanliness to begin to teach them to relieve themselves in the appropriate place—usually outdoors.

2). A flat collar and a lightweight leash to facilitate taking them in and out. Leashes are our primary training tool later on, so it’s good to get them accustomed to one sooner rather than later.

3). Three toys. Puppies, like babies, tend to be quite oral and like to have something to put in their mouth. I recommend three toys because it allows for some variety, without being so many that the dog is encouraged to think he can put everything in his mouth.

4). Separate bowls for water and food.

5). Hydrogen peroxide or Syrup of Ipecac to induce vomiting if your puppy eats something toxic.

6). Time: Puppies need to go out often and should not be expected to last an eight-hour workday in a crate. If a family member can’t be home with the dog a good deal of the day, hire a dog walker to come in mid day to play with the dog and give him a chance to relieve himself.

Also puppies are fun. You need some time to just enjoy watching them discover the world and grow up. Puppyhood doesn’t last long, so you don’t want to miss out.

Recently there was a cartoon on the cover of The New Yorker magazine that made me smile. It was a drawing of a man in a bathing suit sitting in his beach chair a few feet from the water’s edge pointing his remote control at the sun. Similarly the movie “Click” depicts a man who can control the people around him with his hand held remote. At one point when his dog is barking he simply turns down the volume to a less obtrusive level. There’s no question that on some level the idea of easily controlling all aspects of our lives electronically is appealing. In reality, things aren’t so simple.

E-collars for dog training are widely available these days, and people sometimes think that they can avoid the time and expense of training a dog by purchasing one. Not so fast. Unless you know exactly what you are doing with a remote collar, you can make a dog confused, anxious, and mistrustful.

Not long ago, I started working with a client who has a young, exuberant, and somewhat opportunistic German Shepherd. Jumping and mouthing were two of their problems, so they borrowed a remote collar from a friend. At our first meeting the woman remorsefully confessed that they quickly realized that the dog had no clue what he was being zapped for, so they stopped using it. Good for them!

A friend of mine who owns a grooming salon told me of a situation with one of her clients that didn’t turn out as well. For some time she had been advising this client to get some training for their out of control Golden Retriever but to no avail. One day these folks showed up at the salon with an e-collar on the dog. My friend did notice a change in the dog’s behavior but not for the better. This dog, who in spite of his rowdiness, had always been amiable, started growling at her. Not good!

E-collars are not bad in and of themselves, but like any tool you need to know what you’re doing before using one. Dog training is about much more than control. It’s about building trust, responsibility, and a rewarding relationship.

Dog training can be frustrating sometimes for similar reasons, and a common response is to yell louder. Since we are tying to communicate with an animal who’s native language isn’t spoken language at all and who’s hearing is 16 times as good as yours or mine, this is not likely to succeed. Many times when I ask my clients what they want to accomplish with the dog training, I get the reply, “I just want my dog to listen!” When I delve a little deeper, I often find out that they want their dog to listen when they tell him to stop doing something like jumping on the counter or chewing something he shouldn’t. At that point I ask, “Wouldn’t it be better to just teach him the rule and be done with it?” For some, this possibility is a revelation. You see, the dog doesn’t have a hearing problem; the dog has an understanding problem.*

The technique for teaching dogs simple rules like not chewing, mouthing, or jumping is simple and it’s usually the first order of business with a new client. Many are amazed at how much more they enjoy life with their dog when repeatedly yelling at him becomes unnecessary because they’ve learned a clear way of communicating called the “Out” Correction. And that was just their first session!

*(some Dalmatians excepted)