October 2020 - 2 Minute Trainer

Special dogs need routine even more

Booker in his "place!" Booker is "special."

Have we told you that Fran’s 7-year-old Boston Terrier is a very “special” dog? He has difficulty focusing, he has the attention span of a gnat, he constantly needs attention – he just never seems to completely relax.

High energy is a characteristic of Boston Terriers. So we knew what we were getting into. We’ve had Bostons most of our lives, starting with our childhood pet, Spunky.

Another special dog

Our last Boston before Booker was Ceilidh, who was a very special dog, indeed. She had only two speeds, full or off. She was, possibly, the sweetest girl ever, but her life had to be strictly scheduled, or she was lost.

Since Booker wasn’t as extreme as Ceilidh, we didn’t realize, until Simon joined the family, that Booker, too, was a special dog.

Facing facts makes life easier

Once we understood what was going on with Booker, we made changes to make everyone’s life easier.

All dogs love routine. But special, high-energy, high-anxiety dogs crave it. They can thrive when they know what to expect, when to expect it, and what’s happening.

Thriving with routine

It’s to Fran’s credit that she never gives up with Booker. He’s accomplished amazing things, in light of his personality. He achieved a Companion Dog title – the first level of competition obedience. The hardest thing for Booker was, at the time, sitting for one minute, lying down for three minutes, in a line-up of other dogs and Fran across the room.

Every dog does better with routine. And a routine can be any rehearsed schedule, from what time to get up in the morning, to what you say and do in the few minutes before you leave the house.

Best part of the day

For Booker, the routine he enjoys the most is his morning training session. It’s only a few minutes, but it makes his day. He dashes down to the basement where we train, and waits on the mat in our little training area.

Booker practicing retrieving his dumbbell.

What Fran and Booker practice for those few minutes can be anything – from advanced obedience or rally skills to “put your toys away,” to silly tricks, like crawl or roll over.

And when his session is done, Fran asks him to “hup!” She kneels and he stands on two back feet and puts his front paws on her leg. He gets a reward, and happily goes into his crate while the other dogs each get a “turn.”

If you have a special pup, try adding more structure to his/her life. It can make it easier for everyone.

Accentuate the positive

Ever try to teach your dog not to do something?

“Stop barking at leaves blowing down the street!”

“Don’t counter-surf!”

“Leave the garbage alone!”

Your garbage is tempting to your dog - make a training game out of it!

It’s hard. Much more difficult than training dogs what they should be doing. It’s easy to reward a good decision your dog makes. But communicating the “badness” of a decision requires interrupting the behavior you don’t want. And for that, we have to catch them in the act. All too often we see the aftermath of the naughtiness, not the act itself.

We know it’s frustrating. And we know the temptation is to believe “he knows better!” when your dog dumped over the garbage again.

Your dog doesn’t know better

It’s not true. He/she doesn’t know better. The instinct to go after that smelly, irresistible garbage absolutely overpowered the lesson to “leave it.” Dogs live in the moment and really don’t “know better.” To read more about this, see the 2-Minute Tip: https://2-minute-trainer.com/dogs-live-in-the-moment-and-do-not-know-better

When it’s time to do something about the behavior you don’t want, you have two choices:

Control the situation and, in this example, make the garbage inaccessible to the dog.
Set up a training game and play it often, so your dog truly does understand.

Teach a better solution

In the case of the garbage dumper, it’s easy to get started teaching a better decision. Start by getting your clicker and a bunch of treats and stand by the garbage. When your dog looks at you instead of the garbage, click and reward. Build distance from the garbage can and be sure to watch your dog carefully. Whenever he/she “chooses” you instead of the trash, click and reward. Ultimately, you can increase the “difficulty” of the game by making sure there’s stinky stuff in the garbage that your dog usually can’t ignore.

It may take multiple repetitions for your dog to get the idea that looking away from the trash is “good.” This is one of those situations that yelling at the dog is faster, easier, and lets you vent your frustration. But it’s not better. And negative attention to the behavior is still attention, which most dogs crave.

Correcting “bad” behavior with positive reinforcement does take patience and planning. It’s also a more long-lasting solution and builds understanding for your dog. We’d rather take the time than have a dog that disappears, cowers, or even yells back.

Plan a training game

If your dog consistently does something you hate, plan a training game that turns it around. What would you rather see your dog do in response to the situation? How can you communicate that to your dog? Create your own 2-Minute-Training game around it. You can do it!

Stop lying to your dog

Teasing your dog is lying. Fooling your dog is lying. Stop lying to your dog.

Last year there was a viral video challenge on social media that featured people, with their pets as audience, holding up a blanket in front of themselves (in a doorway), stepping out of sight, and dropping the blanket. Hilarity ensued, as the dogs (or birds, or cats) looked surprised and went to find their “disappeared” people.

It was funny, and not what we’re talking about. It was a momentary “startle” and the dog’s world was right-side-up again within moments. Not a big deal.

Habitual lying is the issue

Also on social media, in a local dog-owners group, we saw a picture of an adorable dog and the owner, introducing herself and her pup, said one of her dog’s favorite games was chasing the laser pointer.

That’s lying to your dog. Big time. If you’re playing that game, stop it.

Your dog chasing a laser is a no-win game. That's lying to your dog. Stop it.

You’re probably wondering why that’s a big deal. The reason is because it’s a no-win game. And while people may understand “no win” scenarios and choose to play as a skill test, dogs don’t. The dog can never, ever catch the light.

A behaviorist friend of ours has witnessed dogs becoming obsessed by the light. What started as a game becomes a frustrated compulsion to chase light – any light. Even sunlight coming through a window, with trees causing shadows, triggered the obsessive/compulsive behavior. Does it happen with every dog? No. But why play a game your dog can’t win?

Never lie to your dog

Dogs are honest beings. Contrary to what some people think, dogs aren’t conniving or guilt-ridden. If your dog peed on your bed when you went to work, it wasn’t because she was being spiteful. It was because she’s suffering from separation anxiety, was looking for you, and was in distress.

Chances are that dog was lied to. Rather than teach her a routine to follow when they were leaving for work, they may have tried to sneak out. Dogs are highly adaptable, bright beings. When they’re given the information they need to cope with a situation, they can do it. If you’re leaving for work, give your dog a special “I’m leaving” treat-filled toy, tell him/her to be good, and go.

Be good to your dog

When dogs know what they’re supposed to do, they’ll do it. Not robotically, and their responses can change with location, distraction, etc. But if your dog knows the word “Sit!” your dog will sit whenever you ask, wherever you are, whoever’s around you.

And if, every time your dog does as you ask, you deliver a reward, your dog will do it more consistently and happily over time. Consistent behavior on our part is mirrored in our dogs. Don’t pretend you have a treat if you don’t. Tell your dog she’s wonderful and show your open hands. She may be disappointed that there’s no cookie, but she’ll know she can always trust you.

Loose leash dog walking – curing the pull

Want to cure your dog of pulling on leash? Would you love to enjoy loose leash dog walking? It’s easier than you think. Stop giving your dog so much information.

Too much information

Think about it. If there is constant pressure on your dog’s collar (or harness), he or she has absolutely no reason to look for you, pay attention to you, or check on your whereabouts. Your dog knows exactly where you are and what you’re doing without a glance. You are, reliably, at the other end of the pressure.

That’s just one of the reasons retractable leashes are a bad idea. There is always, by design, pressure on the dog’s collar or harness. There’s no way to avoid it, unless the retractable’s lock is deployed. And if the lock’s always deployed, you’re just carrying a leash that’s huge, awkward, and heavy. Ditch those retractable leashes!

Keep some things to yourself

If, on the other hand, your dog isn’t getting any feedback from the leash, he or she will “check in” to see where you are and what you’re doing. And, if every check-in is rewarded, chances are your dog will do it more often. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. A simple “good boy,” or tiny treat is just fine.

In this case treats would be better, because your dog has to come to you to get the cookie. We know it’s a natural reaction to meet your dog halfway to deliver the treat, but don’t. Let your dog come all the way back to you for the reward. It teaches your dog so many positive things. You’re the primary source for all good things. Staying closer to you means less distance to cover for treats. It doesn’t take much effort to get a reward.

Breaking the pulling habit

If loose leash dog walking seems beyond your reach, take it in small steps. However long your dog’s been pulling, it may take equally long to break the habit.

All dog walks can’t be training walks. There are lots of different kinds of walks with your dog: exercise walks, potty walks, training walks, gotta get out of the house walks. And training works best if that particular walk is short, focused on training, and no other behavior is allowed (including pee breaks!). To signal a training walk, you may want to have a particular outfit for yourself, and your dog, that lets him/her know what’s going on. Dogs do know the difference when you put on the jacket with all the pockets, or he gets to wear a different collar.

Start right with a loose leash

When you have your dog hooked up on leash, some treats in your pocket, and a training walk on the schedule, have a plan. You’re probably not going to get much of anywhere the first session, if you even manage to get outside.

Loose leash walking has not yet been attained.

Put on the leash. If it stays slack, give a reward. If you take a step and the leash tightens, stop. Don’t say anything. If your dog is behaving like a pulling fool at the end of the leash, ignore it. Stay quiet. At some point, your dog will realize that things aren’t going according to (his) plan. This is the moment that he may look at you. If he does, you’re allowed to say “Good Fido!” (Use your dog’s name, not Fido.) If he comes toward you, let him see you have a yummy treat in your hand. And he has to come all the way to you to get it.

When your dog is close to you and the leash is slack, try taking a step or two. As soon as the leash tightens, stop. Wait for your dog to acknowledge you and come to you.

Remember – we said you wouldn’t be getting very far on this “walk.”

Quick on the uptake

Dogs are pretty smart. As soon as your dog figures out that you really mean it – that pulling isn’t going to be allowed any more, he/she will get on board. Every time you have a training walk, your dog will remember sooner, react faster, and come more quickly. They have to be convinced you’re serious. So be serious about the behavior. It will open up so many more possibilities for having fun on loose-leash walking with your dog. For more fun games to speed you on your way to loose leash walking with your dog, check out Book 3: Let’s Go For a Walk!

Only 2 emotions allowed in dog training

“There are only two emotions that belong in the saddle: a sense of humor and patience.” We saw this meme, pictured with a woman and horse walking away together. We loved it, and the note a friend posted with it: “The same for the end of a leash.”

If we equip ourselves with these two things only: patience and a sense of humor, there’s no limit to what we can do with our dogs.

From the start – when you get your puppy – patience will serve you well, as in Puppy Basics: Calm Down!

Patience teaches us

Just by waiting, we can see how our dogs think and interact with their environment. It’s not always easy, and we don’t always have the time or opportunity to let them figure stuff out. But when we can, it’s worthwhile.

To this day we battle with the temptation to “help” our dogs solve their problems.

Teddy the French Bulldog - Hope needed a lot of patience in training him.

It was especially difficult not to help Teddy, Hope’s French Bulldog. He wasn’t much of a thinker, but he was extremely food motivated and loved chasing away any wildlife that wandered into our yard.

One day he chased a squirrel and found himself “trapped” in a narrow section of the yard between the fence and the garage. It’s an area we keep the pooper scooper and bucket, so tight quarters. The tools were leaning against the fence, as always. The passage was narrow, but he’d gotten himself through there in the heat of the chase.

When the squirrel was gone and Teddy was ready to resume his sniff patrol, he thought he was trapped behind the tools, and started whining.

Hope started going to help, but her dog-trainer brain kicked in and she resisted the temptation. She had nothing pressing on the agenda, and a good supply of patience.

Waiting is hard

So she looked at Teddy and said “You got in there, buddy. Figure it out. You can get out again.” Even though he probably didn’t understand a word of it, Teddy got the message that Hope was there, not angry, and that she wasn’t moving to “rescue” him.

It took a few minutes and the urge to “help” was powerful. Teddy was a whiner when he wanted something. And he’d learned through the years that Hope would go a long way to make it stop – whining makes her crazy. This time, it didn’t work at all.

Success at last

Teddy made a few feints at wrong openings before he finally found the one he’d gotten through in the first place. He gained his “freedom” which he was happy about. He got something else, too. You could absolutely see how proud he was to have figured out the solution. His gait had a strut and his face wore a smile. So did Hope’s.