Dog Training

Advice to help you understand and mold your dog into a life-long family friend, establish pack order and shape good behavior.

TRAINING DOGS AND CHILDREN

Barbara "BJ" Andrews, Publisher, SAAB Member

Got a new puppy? Other than a new baby to love and snuggle, nothing beats puppy breath but a new dog, whether puppy or adult, needs early training and discipline.

Whether a puppy is for yourself or your children, you need to know how to properly train a dog. It is a bit like raising a child, guidance, correction and lots of love.

Feeding and potty trips need to be on your schedule because puppy or adult, the new dog must learn good manners, just like children. Dogs do not come pre-programmed although a puppy will learn quicker than a child of the same age. It’s not that a puppy is as intelligent as toddler but a dog’s shorter life-span equates to quicker early learning. The fact is…

A 3-month old baby only knows how to eat, sleep, and smile. A puppy that age has learned human language and he can talk back!

By 12 weeks a puppy knows when you scold him and even if he laughs and barks back at you (because you didn’t really mean it and he knows that) a properly socialized puppy easily processes your reaction. Soooo, if you want to be taken seriously when you scold him do not laugh at him or her. Even a very young puppy reads that as a “good reaction” to what he just did and is likely to do it again… Are you thinking about that?

By the way, puppies, like children, have a short attention span so corrections must be instant so that he associates it with what he did. As your puppy gets older you can take him back to the puddle or feces and scold him and he might associate your correction with his mistake but prompt correction is always best.

As smart as your dog is, you will likely have to repeat the “BAAAD DOG” thing again. Do not terrorize him! If he is frightened, he can’t pay attention!!!

To effectively correct him, hold him by the scruff of his neck and “growl” at him. Trust me, that works better than words. Your spouse or children may laugh but the point is a correction done quickly and properly associated with what he did is behavior less likely to be repeated.

Keep in mind that children and animals live in the moment. Your dog doesn’t associate punishment with having chewed your best slipper an hour ago. The exception seems to be his excrement, whether solid or liquid. He seems to get that it is best done outside or on the potty pad.

Joining a dog training class has wonderful advantages over learning online. You can read a dozen books on ‘How To Train Your Dog’ but even a video can’t respond to your questions or the problem you’re having at the moment. And there’s this - a good trainer will often spot a problem BEFORE you realize it happened. He or she can then demonstrate a proper correction.

The dog trainer can also observe how you delivered the command, the way in which you did a correction, how your dog reacted and immediately advise you how to do that action or command more effectively.

No book or video can do that.

Every good trainer will tell you that one properly executed ‘correction’ delivered instantaneously, is more effective (and humane) than repeatedly berating your dog or constantly tugging on the leash. Think of it this way, a quick proper correction is TEACHING (through consequences) whereas scolding is PUNISHMENT which actually distracts from the goal of learning.

Child, puppy, kitten or colt, all youngsters learn from observation and results.

Puppies and kittens don’t need words or books because when they venture out of the “nest” (properly called a lair) by 6 weeks of life, they begin to learn through examples. So do children and we humans should pay attention to what our offspring are currently learning in school and from their friends.

Think of it this way… a calf or colt just follows the herd but somehow a cow or mare “knows” whether or not her offspring can make it across a river. Ditto a wolf mom knows her cub would drown and she never leads it into a strong stream.

So why do some human parents not seem to know or care what dangers their children may face?

Are we losing one of the three most basic instincts? Survival, mating and protecting our young, in that order. The fact is, in many parts of the world, we humans have reason to worry about the future of our children!

So it is okay to practice being a good parent by teaching your new puppy how to behave, how to not steal the cat’s toys and where and what his limits are. There is an old saying that “actions have consequences” and to that we might add that inaction, failure to teach and guide our youngsters has dire consequences.

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