2 Minute Trainer

Forbidden fruit is sweetest

There’s a streak in all of us that’s a bit rebellious. The thing you’re absolutely not supposed to do is the most appealing option. It’s true for dogs, too. Forbidden fruit is sweetest.

As an example: There’s a narrow little walkway next to the unattached garage that goes back to the alley. We’ve gated it off at the edge of the garage – there’s no reason the dogs have to line up at that back portion to watch/bark at the people walking their dogs down the alley.

It’s just a little path, no more than a couple of feet wide. There’s nothing interesting back there – just the pooper scooper and bucket, the walk, and some edging stones. Absolutely nothing to fascinate dogs.

But it’s the best thing/place/activity

Naturally, the dogs became obsessed with getting behind that gate. Our normally gate-respecting dogs got it into their heads that the citadel must be breached! So they did. Battered right through the gate to go sniffing around.

The first, and totally natural reaction, is to yell for them to get out of there, get a bit angry, grab their collars and haul them back to the “safe” zone. That would have worked – for the moment.

But it also would have emphasized the space as important – something that got them all kinds of attention. Remember – dogs don’t distinguish between “good” attention and “bad” attention. They have your focus, and that’s their favorite thing.

Still the hardest thing

Simon and Booker, far away from the forbidden but attractive gate

Instead, we worked to make the area as uninteresting as possible. We opened the gate wide and went to the other side of the yard where we proceeded to reward any dog who decided to come with us to the “good” side. By ignoring the naughty behavior, we changed it from “attractive” to “boring.”

It still goes against natural instinct. When we see a miscreant doing something they shouldn’t, we absolutely want to call them on it. But again – that’s drawing attention to the thing. A while back we wrote about the hardest part of dog training: patience! Patience pays in all aspects of training!

It took a few tries, but that gate and area have lost the dogs’ interest and they’re on to new and different ways to push our buttons.

People love forbidden fruit, too

It’s a reminder of how similarly human and canine minds work. Back in the day, many of our friends’ parents kept their liquor cabinets locked. And our friends plotted ways to get into those cabinets and into trouble. It was a “thing.”

Our house worked a little differently. The liquor was always accessible on a shelf. It was no big deal. On the rare occasion that the adults in the house had a cocktail, we asked for a taste and were given one. For the most part, we found the taste nasty and would happily go back to our own “special” drinks. It was a rare treat to have a soda and we thoroughly enjoyed our Canfield’s 50/50 for cocktail hour.

Dogs’ minds work very much like ours. If you make something “off limits” it can become more attractive. You’ll find that bright, inquiring little mind obsessing over things they oughtn’t. A better alternative is to minimize the importance so it loses its attraction.

It’s an example of how doing nothing is so important, and so difficult. Our attitude, attention, posture, and focus all communicate to our dogs. If we focus on the “bad” stuff, our dogs will, too. Instead, communicate clearly with your dog by rewarding them with good timing and good placement. If you want your dog away from that gate – go away from that gate and reward when they come with you.

Doggie see, doggie do – dogs learn from other dogs

Dogs are sponges. They watch, and absorb. And dogs learn from other dogs, as well as from people.

One of the great things about having multiple dogs is that they do learn from each other. It’s easier to housebreak a puppy when you have an older, housebroken dog. The puppy copies what the older dog does. Same thing with the household routine. If the already-trained dog waits to go out the door until it’s allowed, the puppy will figure out the rules, too.

Idol worship

Dogs learn from dogs - baby Booker is with his idol Tango in a small dog bed. — Baby Booker emulates his idol Tango – dogs learn from dogs.

It helps if the older dog is puppy-friendly and likes having the little one around. They will be more tolerant of puppy shenanigans, and actively teach the puppy what’s okay and what’s not. When the play gets too rough, you may see the older dog holding the puppy down. It’s entirely appropriate and teaches the pup when enough is enough.

Puppies tend to be single-mindedly selfish little creatures. They want what they want when they want it. If they see another dog waiting patiently for food or other desirable thing, they’ll learn to emulate that behavior. However, for everyone’s safety, we do recommend separating, even crating the puppy for feeding time. This has the dual benefit of teaching the puppy that crates are good, and making sure the older dog won’t feel they have to guard a valuable resource like food. The older dog will probably also appreciate a chance to relax and enjoy his meal without worry.

Flip side of the coin

Dogs learn all kinds of wonderful things by watching other dogs. Ours seem to absorb the training games we play just by watching. When it’s their turn, they jump right in, seeming to know stuff we don’t remember teaching.

The downside is that puppies also absorb all the things you’d rather they wouldn’t, too. And they tend to learn the “bad” stuff even more quickly than the good stuff.

If you have one dog that barks at any movement on your street, the puppy will probably develop the same habit, too. To avoid perpetuating the cycle, you have to take an active role. Because it’s almost impossible to train two dogs at the same time, you must set your priority.

Barking up a storm

In the barking example – if the dog has been doing it for any length of time, it’s going to take a concerted, consistent effort to change the habit. Rather than trying to “fix” the older dog’s behavior, it’s simpler to avoid the situation with the puppy. By nature, some dogs are “better” watchdogs than others, but all can become barkers.

When the older dog barks, the puppy will probably run to see what’s going on. To show they’re being a good student, they may even join the barking, without even knowing why.

Instead of yelling at everyone to “be quiet!” – call the puppy and run the other way. Find a toy and start playing. Turn the other dog’s bark into a reason to come to you! If you’re a lot of fun and your game plan is exciting, you may even get the older dog to join the fun, rather than persist in barking. (We discussed another way of “breaking the feedback loop” a little while ago.

Timing is never good

There’s never really a “good” time to get another dog. Life has a way of interrupting plans. If you’re considering adding another dog to your family, it’s best to be ready when the opportunity presents.

To get ready – take an honest look at the dog you already have. Are there any behaviors or habits that you’d hate for a puppy to develop? If so, now is the time to teach your present dog to be better. Develop a plan, setting the goal you want to achieve. Then back-chain the steps you need to take to get there. Turn each step into a training game.

With a plan in place and a goal in mind, even if the puppy doesn’t show up at your doorstep, the dog you have will benefit from training games. You’ll both be happier.

Dogs don’t grow out of bad habits

If your puppy or dog has developed a bad habit, we have some bad news for you. He’s not going to grow out of bad habits or give them up.

Dogs always do what’s most rewarding for them. If they’re getting their jollies from doing something naughty they’re going to keep doing it. Unless you provide a more rewarding option. It’s as simple as that.

Stealing socks

This labrador puppy will not grow out of bad habits. — Yes, he’s cute, but dogs don’t grow out of bad habits.

One of the puppies in our Beginner Obedience class steals socks. It started when he was little and grabbing socks off the floor. Now he’s a 60-lb., eight-month-old, powerful Lab and he’s grabbing socks from the drawer when his mom opens it.

Unless something changes, we expect his next move will be learning to open the drawer by himself.

Mom, a first-time dog owner, asked in class “But isn’t he going to grow out of it?”

No. No, he’s not. He thinks that the whole process, sneaking up beside Mom when she opens the drawer, grabbing the sock, taking off with his prize, and being chased all over, is a fantastic game. Why would he change it?

Better alternative

Because this is an established routine, Mom is going to have to work a bit harder to get it to stop. The first step is to find another game that’s even more fun. It can be as simple as finding an actual toy to play tug with while you get your socks.

Or you can take the opportunity to play “Whatcha Gonna Do?” and teach the dog to leave the sock drawer (food on the counter, garbage can, etc.) alone.

Be prepared

Have treats handy – either in a bowl out of reach, a pouch or fanny pack, (hardware store nail aprons are good dog-training-treat holders). When you’re near the sock drawer, just stand there and wait for the dog to do something good. If he sits, click and treat.

Reach for the drawer. Wait for a good decision. Click and treat.

Open the drawer slightly. Be ready to either close the drawer or click and treat good choices.

Step by step, wait for your dog to make good decisions. It will teach him how to behave in almost any circumstance. Your dog will learn that it’s more rewarding to ask for permission than forgiveness.

It may take longer than imposing your will, but it will work better for everyone in the long run. Teaching your dog to make good decisions translates to every aspect of life. From stealing socks to counter-surfing, as we wrote about a few months back.

Habit persists

Habit is one of the more powerful forces in the universe. And changing a bad habit requires determination. Dogs don’t grow out of bad habits, but they can change.

Until the new, good behavior takes the place of the naughty one, it’s up to us to manage the environment so the dog can’t practice bad behavior. A mistake or two isn’t the end of the world, but it will take progress back a notch or two.

Be patient, go step-by-step, and schedule a few extra minutes to get dressed in the morning. It’s worth it.

Sign Language of Dogs

Do you realize that dogs can understand motions as commands? That’s their “sign language.” At the upper tier of obedience competition, there’s even a behavior, called the “signal exercise” where all the owner can do is motion to their dog. They can’t talk, they can’t move, other than one hand/arm. It’s amazing to watch and even more fun to teach!

Part of the package

Hope is signalling Simon "Touch" with her palm toward him at face level. — Every time Simon sees a palm at face level, he bashes his nose into it: “Touch!”

Most people don’t even realize that they’re signaling their dogs through their motions and their words. Just about every dog owner on the planet will point at the floor when teaching their dog to “down!” It doesn’t mean anything to the dog, but everyone does it. It’s our instinct at play – if we want the dog down on the floor, we point at the floor.

Eventually, if people practice and are consistent, most dogs eventually understand that we mean “down” when we point at the floor. Interestingly, the obedience signal that most people use for “down” is the arm going straight up from the shoulder, not towards the floor at all. We’d guess that’s because we want to make sure the dog can see the motion from 30 (or more) feet away in competition.

There’s nothing wrong with pairing words and motions when communicating with your dog. The point is to realize that you’re doing it. And that, if you do the same thing the same way all the time, your dog will inevitably associate the two – word and motion.

Conscious uncoupling

It’s always a bit of a shock to our beginner students when we ask them to stand up straight, not move, and tell their dogs to “Sit.” Rarely do any of the dogs get it right. Because every single person came into class absolutely convinced their dogs knew the word “Sit.” You can see people almost twitching to point at their dogs’ butts, or dangle a treat over their heads. That sign language of dogs, along with the words, combined to form “Sit!”

It’s a good idea to “uncouple” the sign language and the words. Having your dog understand either one, or both together, means that there’s no situation in which you can’t communicate with your dog. If you’re in a very loud space, or far away, your dog may not hear you, but can see. Or you may be someplace where it’s just not feasible to point at the ground to get a “Down.”

Another kitchen game

Try playing “Puppy Pushups” with your dog (we talked about “Puppy Pushups” a few weeks ago). Start by using both your “sign language” and your words. After just a couple of repetitions, try leaving out the motion. Or the words. See how your dog does. In a familiar game context, your dog will probably catch on quickly. When your dog gets it right about 80 percent of the time, increase the distance between you and your dog. Will she do it from five feet away? 10? How about across the street? With just your words? Only on the signs?

It doesn’t really matter which words, or signals, you use. Pick something you’re comfortable with, that you’ll easily remember. If you want to use the same motions that are most common in Obedience Competition, check out the exercises from the 2019 AKC Obedience Classic. (The Signal Exercise is right after the heeling.) Most “handlers” use the same signals and it will give you a chance to see them and their amazing dogs in action.

Dog training shouldn’t hurt

Decades ago, it was commonly thought punishment was necessary to dog training. That dogs wouldn’t understand, or obey, unless they were forced. When you know better, you do better. We now know that dog training shouldn’t hurt.

Positive reinforcement dog training isn’t permissive – dogs aren’t allowed to do whatever they want whenever they want to do it. But it also isn’t punishing. If you ever enlist the help of a dog trainer who advocates the use of either “corrections” or “punishment,” run away.

But the old ways worked

Maybe so. But punishment is never a long-term solution to any problem. In studying human psychology, also applicable to dogs, the problems with punishment include:

It only tells you what not to do. There’s no guidance.
It creates fear, which may lead to
Increased aggression.
The behavior which triggered the punishment is not forgotten. It’s suppressed and can return when the punishment is absent.

In force-based training, when a puppy had an “accident” in the house, the advice was to “rub the dog’s nose in it,” while yelling “No!” This didn’t teach the puppy not to mess in the house. It taught them not to let you find the mess. So they got sneaky about it, instead of learning not to do it. There was a major interrupt between what was being taught, and what was learned.

Not spiteful creatures

Dogs are really honest beings. They’re not spiteful, or vengeful, or “mad.” They simply don’t understand the “right” thing to do because they don’t know what it is. A classic example is the dog who might urinate on the owner’s bed when left alone. That dog isn’t angry at being left alone. He’s anxious and stressed because he hasn’t been taught how to cope with separation.

Positive reinforcement training, as 2-Minute-Trainers teach, is building the dog’s understanding so she can make good decisions when faced with unfamiliar situations. If your dog has been taught to rely on you for guidance and feedback, she’s less likely to make poor choices on her own.

Purely positive is a myth

Realistically, it’s impossible to never use “aversives” in dog training. Since the definition of “aversive” includes anything the dog doesn’t like, even the mildest could qualify. Something as simple as walking away from a dog that’s barking at you can be viewed as aversive, since the dog doesn’t like it.

Getting technical, it’s called “Negative Punishment” – removing something the dog wants (you) in order to decrease behavior. In the four quadrants of Operant Conditioning, “negative punishment” is the pair to “positive reinforcement”- like giving a treat for a prompt response to “Sit!”

For the most humane, and effective dog training, we use only these. Reward what you like, ignore what you don’t.

Not the fastest method

We know that in today’s world we all want what we want when we want it. But dogs learn at their own pace. If we’re patient and consistent, our dogs can learn whatever we choose to teach them. Step by step, teaching then testing their comprehension. Some things your dog will get almost instantly. Others take a while. Some things will require that you find a different way of explaining things. It’s worth it.

Simon's "Stand" required a new way of explaining what was required. But force was never involved. Dog training shouldn't hurt. — Simon, not standing.

Fran’s 3-year-old Boston Terrier Simon was always crouching when asked to “Stand!” He’s almost ready for competition obedience, but the “Stand for Exam” was holding them back. He associated “Stand” with a weird little half-sit, instead of the proper position.

He just wasn’t getting it. So Fran found a different word, and a different way of explaining it to him. After only a couple of sessions, his “Station!” looks like a proud show dog stance, instead of a wobbly squat.

Dog training shouldn’t hurt

We do know some old-school trainers who pretend to be positive, and are anything but. They’ll give their dog a collar “pop” correction while saying sweetly “Good dog!” The dog rarely hears “Good dog!” when it gets things right the first time. This dog’s tail is never wagging happily. Instead, you see the slow, steady sweep of fearful appeasement.

Your dog shouldn’t be afraid to get things wrong. They should know that as long as they try, the worst that can happen is there’s no reward. Which is a signal to try again, try something else. Positively-trained dogs keep going. Because it doesn’t hurt to be wrong.

What to do when your dog plays keep away

Puppies are notorious for playing keep away. They grab stuff off the ground and run off with it. Lots of dogs retain the habit. When your dog plays keep away it’s a bad thing – for everyone.

The puppy could have something toxic, or that he could choke on. And everyone’s first instinct is to grab whatever it is. Which can get you bitten, or cause the puppy to shy away from you when you chase him to retrieve the thing.

What’s the alternative?

The puppy we’ve been fostering since the beginning of July is notorious for hoarding sticks and rocks. It’s the first thing he does when he gets out the door. He checks out his stash and picks something to carry around and chew on.

All of his beloved “outside toys” are carefully inspected. He’s only allowed to keep rocks too large to swallow, and sticks that are thick and flexible. And none of them are allowed inside.

He knows this. Sometimes he’s reluctant to drop it, even when he wants to come back in the house. He’ll dash away from the door, an initial bout of keep away.

Avoiding the “keep away” game

Charging after a puppy who’s run off with contraband is never a good idea. The best way to catch a pup is to have them chase you. So the first game to try is “Catch Me If You Can” – run away calling the dog’s name.

Most can’t resist the chase, especially if you make it exciting. Yell, clap, run heavy so your shoes slap down. If you’re interesting enough, the puppy will even drop the contraband. They forget about the “thing” in the excitement of a new game. (Our 2-Minute Trainer Book 2: Come! includes detailed instructions for the “Catch Me If You Can” game.)

Distract them with play

Any game your dog loves to play should work as a good distraction. “Catch Me” is the most exciting, but it’s not the only arrow in the quiver. Our foster puppy’s favorite game is “Touch.”

A hand touch is a great behavior that can help when your dog plays keep away. — Simon is demonstrating the “Touch” game – great for when your dog plays keep away

We play “Touch” a lot with our dogs because it’s the easiest to use in any situation. All you need is you and some treats. It can be quiet and calm, or it can be active and exciting. That’s determined by you – how vigorously are you moving? How is your voice pitched? You don’t have to be loud – even a whisper can be exciting.

Practical application

When we want Mister foster puppy to drop the “thing” and come to us, we show him the palm of our hand and say “Touch!” He knows that every single touch earns him a treat. When he gets going he looks like a chicken bobbing for seed, shoving that muzzle into our hand.

It works. He forgets about that day’s rock, or stick, and comes running over to play his favorite game. Puppy loves playing, so he gets what he wants – a chance to play and treats. And we get what we want – the puppy comes to us.

Building the basis

You can start playing “Touch” today. Two minutes a day and it will become a valued part of your dog’s repertoire pretty quickly. How much your dog loves the game depends on you. Decide you love it. What could possibly be cuter than your dog sticking his face in your hand? Reward promptly, for every touch, with incredibly yummy treats. Make sure that your dog is really planting that muzzle in your palm. No waving the nose at your fingers! And the reward should be as close to your palm, and your dog’s muzzle, as possible. Your reward will be having a “go-to” game you can play anywhere.

We pull out the “Touch” game whenever our dogs are nervous. If we’re at the veterinarian’s office and they’re not sure, it’s a perfect time. Or anywhere they’ve never been before and they’re unsure.

It’s also a great game to distract your dog when they see something on a walk that’s completely caught their attention. It could be a squirrel, skunk, or even another dog that’s staring at them. When you need your dog to focus on you, it’s time to pull out your palm and get them facing a different direction.

Don’t grab and go

If you have a dog or puppy who’s a “snatch and run” criminal, whether it’s shoes in the house, or icky stuff outside, it is important to act quickly. Dogs seem to chew and swallow incredibly quickly when it’s something they know they shouldn’t have.

And it’s fighting your every instinct to not dash over, grab the dog, and do a finger sweep of their mouth. If you succumb to that temptation, your dog will learn to run away, hide the contraband, and avoid you at all costs.

Having a go-to game, like “Touch” will take the stress out of the situation. It’s a win/win. Your dog gets to play a game they love. And you get your dog to drop the thing.

Dog training nuggets are easy to digest

Dog training nuggets work best. Not chunks. Not whole banquets. Little bittie morsels of fun that let you enjoy moments with your dog. It’s playing structured demi-games that have the side benefit of bettering your bond and building their understanding.

Too big a chunk of anything will choke you. Even if it’s your most favorite food in the universe (chocolate!), you won’t enjoy too big a bite. And chances are, it’ll color your future impression of that food if you couldn’t digest it last time.

Components are key

Most people don’t realize how complex even simple behaviors are until they’re asked to break them apart. Take a simple dog game like “Fetch.” Lots of dogs, especially Retrievers, seem born knowing how to play. It goes with the whole “retrieve” part of the breed.

Other dogs, like French Bulldogs or Boston Terriers, don’t have a clue. That doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t play. It just means we have to teach them.

As part of Obedience competition, one of the exercises in the second level is fetching a dumbbell. Whether you want to play fetch in the backyard with a tennis ball, or step into the competition venue, the basics are the same:

Dog has to:

Wait while you throw.
Pay attention to the flight of the object.
Run to get the object.
Find the object on the ground.
Pick up the object.
Hold the object.
Run back to you while holding it.
Drop the object when asked.

Booker practicing retrieving his dumbbell. He was fed tiny dog training nuggets so understands every part of the behavior. — Booker the Boston Terrier understands the dumbbell retrieve – he was fed tiny dog training nuggets for this behavior!

Who would have believed there are that many steps to such a simple game? The Retriever may jump ahead to the end of the story. But the French Bulldog may have to play each step as a separate game, learning and being rewarded at each step. Breaking a behavior down into its tiniest steps is one of the building blocks of the 2-Minute Training Method, as introduced in Your 2-Minute Training Journey.

Does it take long? No. The first step, waiting while you throw, builds on your “stay” command and probably won’t take more than one or two 2-Minute games. None of the steps takes long by itself. Because you have a clear focus for the game and you know when your dog achieves the goal.

Keep the goal in mind

The success of your 2-Minute Dog Training depends on keeping all the training game nuggets easy to digest. It’s fun to play “Take it!” with a dumbbell for two minutes. It’s horrendously dull and demotivating to do it for an hour.

And just because the eventual game of “Fetch” is played in this order, you don’t have to play the game’s steps in that order. If your dog understands each little nugget, it doesn’t matter what order you play them. If your dog is confident in all bits of the game, he’ll always be happy to come to the training feast.

Repeating dog commands is wasting your breath

If you’re constantly repeating commands to your dog, you’re wasting your breath.

Repeating dog commands is wasting your breath

Stop it. Repeating a word or phrase isn’t enhancing your dog’s understanding. We know someone who trained their dog in Klingon. The dog was perfectly trained – as long as you spoke to it in Klingon. You could say “Sit” all day long and the dog would only do it if and when it got tired of standing up. Say Ba! and the dog’s butt would hit the floor fast as lightning.

Stop wasting your breath

Dogs learn by the timing and placement of rewards. They learn words by you pairing the word with the action and reward. When your dog sits, you say “Sit!” as you hand over the reward. Because we humans tend to say more than we have to, we also say things like “That’s Sit!” “Good Sit” “I like that Sit!”

If you just say “Good Dog!” you’re not helping. Use the word that names the command – in this case “Sit!” Use it often. Use it whenever you see your dog doing whatever it is. Name everything in your dog’s environment, just like you would a human child. One of the reasons adults are constantly babbling to babies is to get them to recognize words before they’re able to use them. Babies can name things as soon as they understand language. Babies have heard words paired with actions or objects their whole lives.

Everybody does it

Every time we start a new beginner class we have to give the same lecture – say it once! If your dog is distracted, maybe a second time. That’s it! Dogs don’t deliberately ignore a command they understand. Either they don’t understand, or they didn’t hear it. And using your dog’s name doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll pay attention either.

If you think your dog has a clear understanding of the word “Sit” try this experiment. Next time you’re out with your dog, hand a dog treat to a complete stranger and ask them to tell your dog to sit. They don’t have to touch the dog, and they have to be far enough away so the dog can’t jump on them. You hold the leash. And be quiet.

Did your dog do it? Most won’t. They don’t understand the word unless it’s in the “normal” context. Chances are, even if you’re a single-command convert, there’s a gesture you use, a position you’re in, or a motion you make that is part of the whole “Sit” routine.

Weekly vocabulary words

We only needed to tell Daemon once to get his "yellow ball." Repeating dog commands is wasting your breath. — Daemon understood that yellow balls were different than blue balls.

We once had a dog who preferred yellow balls to balls of any other color. They weren’t tennis balls, so we’re not sure why. But it was that dog (a Boston Terrier named Daemon) who showed us that dogs could thoroughly understand words. We could be anywhere in the house and say to Daemon “Go get your yellow ball.” He wouldn’t come back until he found that particular ball – even if there were blue and red balls all over the place.

A fun game to test the theory

If you’re skeptical, we understand. Most people don’t really think dogs can truly understand actual words. Here’s another experiment for you to try. Pick any toy that is “medium” interest level for your dog. Give it a unique name. Spend a minute playing with your dog with that toy, saying the toy’s unique name many times as you play. We’ll call it “Monkey.” “What a sturdy monkey toy!” “Do you love your monkey?” “Go get your monkey!” “Cute monkey!”

Do this once a day. Then, at the end of a week, leave that toy in another room and tell your dog to find Monkey. You’ll be amazed.

Teach your dog “Sit to say hello!”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your dog would sit to say hello?

If you don’t think it’s possible, you’re probably not going to believe you can get there just by playing a little two-minute game with your dog. You may have to play it a couple of times a day for about a week. But it works and you can do it!

Easier to start fresh

Normal certainly looks different today than it did a couple of years ago. When life was “normal,” most dogs were exposed to at least a few different people on a regular basis. Friends and family would stop by, and dogs learned to take their presence in stride.

Since we’ve had pandemic restrictions on travel and visiting, many people’s and dogs’ lives are less social. If this applies to your situation, this is a great game to play with your dog. Be prepared for times when your circle expands.

Luckily, you can play the game without anybody else around. All you need is you and your dog. And treats. Lots of yummy treats. Mainly for the dog, but you probably deserve some, too!

Get your dog excited

The first step is to get your dog all excited. It may seem counter-intuitive. To teach your dog how to be controlled and calm, you would think you start there – controlled and calm. Logical, except for one thing. It doesn’t work. Starting calm doesn’t teach calm. (Now, this is different than teaching your dog to be calm when it’s just her and the family. That’s usually a more subdued starting point.”

When the doorbell rings, or someone comes in, chances are your dog will be excited. One of the charming things about dogs is how happy they are to see us – even if all we did was take out the trash. Your normal dog is going to be wildly happy to see whoever walks in the door. The objective is to get your dog to wiggle delightedly from a sitting position.

In our house, it doesn’t take much for chaos and mayhem to break out. For unknown reasons, knocking on the counter sets Booker off, barking and jumping around, ready for zoomies. If your dog has a similar trigger, use it. Celebrate it! Say silly things like “Yes, get crazy!” “That’s my nutsy puppy!” “Dog, you are one happy puppy!”

Okay, it’s loud. Now what?

Fran taught the dogs to sit and say hello. — The dogs are rewarded for sitting and saying “Hello!”

Once your dog is happy, excited, and you’re starting to think the neighbors will complain, reward your dog. Then be still. Don’t say anything. Don’t move. It’s like you’re playing “Red Light, Green Light” and the light turned red. Become a statue.

If your dog is like most, she won’t know what the heck happened. She will stop, look around, try to see what’s changed. And then, if she’s like most dogs, she’ll sit in front of you, puzzled. Reward! Good puppy! Nice “hello!”

Then do it again. If she didn’t sit, you can whisper the word, without moving. If she does, reward and start again!

Teaching “Hello!”

Achieving impulse control is one of the most difficult things for dogs to learn. By playing this reversed, doggy version of “Green Light, Red Light” you’re pairing the excitement of movement with its opposite. Using the word “Hello!” will associate it to the stillness of the sit.

A good portion of dog training is vocabulary building for our dogs. Once they understand what a word means, most dogs are happy to do it. If we teach them that “Hello!” means sit still, we automatically pair greetings with good behavior.

Making a game of dog manners

Dog manners are like classic books. Everyone wants to have read them, but nobody wants to actually read them. Every dog needs to know household manners, but teaching them can be tedious. How many times can you say “Leave it!” or “Off!”

We get it. Teaching your dog to “gimme paw,” “roll over,” or “spin” is fun. It’s not only light-hearted, it’s usually pretty quick. Whereas teaching your dog not to jump on visitors takes time and effort. You’re also starting at a disadvantage – “taking away” something is harder than “adding on.”

Change your mindset

But it’s all a matter of perception. You know “manners” aren’t as much fun as “tricks.” But that’s an entirely human construct. We naturally are more resistant to things we “have” to do, as opposed to the things we “want” to do. Nobody likes to do their chores!

Your dog doesn’t know the difference. Your dog only knows that you’re paying attention to her. And she likes it! That, however, can change. If your tone and body language change when you approach the “Not Fun” training sessions, your dog will pick up on it and reflect your mood. If you don’t like it, your dog won’t either.

Don’t lie to your dog

You don’t have to pretend you love the Get it! / Leave it! dog training game. You should, however, approach it with the same enthusiasm you show toward the fun stuff. It’s not the game that matters. It’s carving out the time to focus on your partnership with your dog. Every single 2-Minute session adds to the relationship.

And when your dog shows that he understands “Leave it!” as thoroughly as “High Five!,” celebrate with the same reaction. Have a little party with treats, toys, and tugging! The things that are hard, like dog manners, should be celebrated even harder when they’re conquered. It’s easy to overlook good behavior because it’s what we expect. But your dog will be “good” more if it looks, sounds, and feels better than being “naughty.”

Everybody does it

As competitors in dogs performance sports, there are all kinds of precise positions/behaviors that we practice with our dogs. The vast majority of obedience performance scores are all about “Heeling,” so we do it a lot.

How do you make a game of walking around with your dog? Especially when he’s supposed to be watching you the whole time, exactly aligned with you?

Easily! You start by meeting your dog’s eyes and smiling. This is the best dog in the whole wide world and he’s yours! Then you ask your dog “Do you wanna play with me?” And the tail-wag or wiggling butt lets you know that your dog is ready for any game. Even boring old “heeling.”

Not a marathon

The next step is setting up in absolutely perfect heel position, and telling your dog how wonderful that is. You set off, (leading with your left foot!) telling your dog “Heel!” as you’re about to take your first step. He responds matching you perfectly, tail wagging happily. And after three perfect steps, you break off and celebrate. “Yay, dog!” Here’s a treat! Or a tummy rub. Or a quick fetch your toy!

Three perfect, happy steps are a great foundation. We don’t have to heel a mile. Not even a block. We’d rather do a few steps perfectly than lose the enthusiasm for the game. It also keeps it fresh for us. Perfect heeling is, in all honesty, a pleasure to watch. And a pain in the butt to achieve. It’s also one of the dog classics.