Tag: dog training games

The best trainers have bad dogs

It’s easy to train a “good” dog. But bad dogs make us better trainers.

One of the best dog trainers in the world has gotten even better over the last couple of years. Why? In addition to a Border Collie, which most of her dogs have been, she acquired a Boxer mix. 

We follow her pretty regularly online where she has multiple dog training venues, mostly about agility training. And we’ve seen how her training has changed with the addition of a non-traditional performance breed.

Not, by any means, stupid

Border Collies are known for being the “smartest” breed of dog. They are certainly smart, eager to learn, and team with their humans. But that’s what Border Collies were bred to do. The breed was developed for a job that requires human interaction and direction. Border Collies are great at herding sheep. You can watch them in some great online drone videos. They’re tremendous workers. And there’s always a person telling them what to do with the sheep.

Tango, our "bad dog" has made us better trainers.
Brussels Griffons like Tango were bred for pest control. Training him has made us better.

Other breeds, maybe including yours, were developed for other purposes. Terrier breeds are almost all independent workers. Most were bred for pest control. They know their job and they don’t need anybody to tell them how to do it. Partnering with a Terrier requires more effort.

Worth the challenge

Finding ways to partner with a dog not known for being obedient, or a “good worker,” requires us, as trainers, to be more creative. To engage our dogs, we have to create and present games in ways they find intriguing.

That may mean your Terrier needs more motion in the games than a Bulldog. If you’re playing “Put Your Toys Away,” that may mean tossing the toys instead of dumping them in a pile.

That dog may respond better to loose-leash walking games if you have a rope toy and play “tug” as a reward for paying attention. 

Adjust to the dog you have

Training bad dogs, like our own Brussels Griffon, Boston Terrier, and French Bulldog crew, has made us better trainers. The one we learned the most from was the worst dog – Fran’s “Hellhound” Tango. Turning him from an aggressive, nasty little dog into a sweetheart has been a journey. (You can read about our journey with him in Tango: Transforming My Hellhound.) 

Each of your dogs makes you a better trainer. Because each one will have a different way of learning. They’ll catch on to commands and behaviors in their own ways, and lead you to explore all kinds of ways of training.

If you’re ever stumped trying to connect with your dog about a particular game, stop and think. Consider the games where your dog caught on quickly and still loves. How can you use pieces of that success in what you’re working on? (See the 2-Minute Tip: “Build on what your dog knows.”)

Alien species

There really aren’t any bad dogs in terms of training. Every dog can learn. When you consider all the obstacles to communicating with a different species, you’ll appreciate how extraordinary it is that our dogs partner with us at all. 

That communication goes both ways. While you’re seeking ways to explain things to your dog, pay attention to what your dog is telling you. It may not be in words, but you can tell. Eager participation, but wrong choices, mean he’s confused. Turning away may mean fear of being wrong. Offering all kinds of behavior, but not the one you want could be lack of focus.

You don’t have a bad dog. You have the opportunity to be an outstanding dog trainer.

Put Your Toys Away Dog Training Game

In last week’s tip we mentioned that Tango’s favorite training game is “Put Your Toys Away.” We were planning to provide a link to the game instructions – but then realized we’d never written about it. We’ve done videos of the game, but never explained how to teach it – until now.

Put Your Toys Away has lots of parts

Put Your Toys Away is a lot of different dog training games all strung together. And, as with all 2-Minute-Dog-Training games, each part is a different game. It’s only when your dog is getting parts “right” a majority of the time that you string them together.

“Toys” don’t have to be toys

Tango and the Put Your Toys Away dog training game
Tango, putting his toys away

You also have to think about the objects you use for the game. It has to be a lower-value (to the dog) object that the dog is willing to give up. If you have a tennis-ball obsessed dog, don’t use tennis balls. If your dog adores plush toys, use vinyl, etc.

Tango is the only one of our dogs who uses actual dog toys for the game. For one reason – he doesn’t care about dog toys. Never has. And the long-neglected toys we got for him before we knew that are too small for the other dogs to play with. They wouldn’t last a minute.

All four of our dogs play “Put your toys away,” but use different objects instead of toys. Booker comes closest with foam building blocks. Torque uses cardboard tubes and toy tambourines from the dollar store. Simon (a.k.a. The Destroyer) has tuna fish cans (with tape around the edge), ring molds, and plastic food containers.

Here’s Booker putting his blocks away.

Breaking it down

Dissect “Put Your Toys Away” into its component parts and treat each one like a separate game:

  • Pick up a toy (object).
  • Hold the toy.
  • Carry the toy someplace.
  • Go to the bin, (box, washtub).
  • Drop the toy in the bin.
  • Leave it.
  • Return to the toy pile.
  • Repeat.

If you try to string together the entire list, your dog may get confused about what you’re actually asking for. You don’t have to play the games in this order. Each part can be a separate game, played in any order.

Never assume

Even if your dog knows how to “take” something from you, it’s a good idea to start from the beginning. Taking an object from your hand is different from picking it up off the floor. If you want to hand your dog individual objects and build the behavior that way – that’s perfectly fine. It’s a game for you and your dog to play together and you can make up the rules. Keep the rules of the game consistent for your dog, but play however you want!

One variation we’ve tried in the last couple of weeks, just to refresh the game, is to actually toss the object and have the dog chase it, then put it away. It’s a variation on the theme that lends more energy than picking up toys from a static pile.

Let us know!

When you’re familiar with the 2-Minute-Trainer method, turning each step into a game should be fairly simple. If there are bits you’re not sure of, be sure to let us know! If we hear that a particular segment is proving more difficult for dogs and/or people, we’ll provide step-by-step guidance. 

This is a game that every dog/person team can play to suit themselves. Whatever objects, receptacles, distances, motions you use, it’s fine. And we’d love to see video of you and your dogs in action! Please post anytime on our Facebook page!

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Training Games help dog fitness

It’s always great when you have proof. This week we got expert confirmation that training games help dog fitness. 

Tango's training games help his fitness.
Tango’s training games help his fitness.

Fran’s almost-13-year-old Brussels Griffon Tango was sick. Really sick. Spewing out both ends sick. He’s recovering now, so the worry part is over. But while at the veterinarian’s office, the vet said she wasn’t worried about Tango not eating for two days, or a health crisis. Because he’s so fit, his body could cope and recover quickly.

That made an impact. Two sleepless nights and 36 hours of gastrointestinal distress may leave no long-lasting effects because this senior dog is in good shape. Fitness matters, for dogs, too.

Dog fitness plan

It makes sense. Both the body and mind for both dogs and people are “use it or lose it.” Dogs’ bodies are subject to many similar age-related problems as people are. Arthritis, loss of vision, loss of hearing, lessening of balance, etc. But staying active and asking our dogs to do the same can delay or prevent some issues.

Tango’s fitness routine is simple. It takes less than 10 minutes a day. He has a good time, gets treats (when he’s not sick), and even runs over to play his dog training games. If you didn’t know he was almost a teenager, you’d never guess it.

The balance disc “workout” is first every day. You’ll find the details and video in this post: Wellbeing of Dogs. Some days it goes better than others. We didn’t ask Tango to do it when he was sick. And he was a bit wobbly when he got back to it. But he did it happily. He missed the attention, if not the exercise.

Favorite training game

Tango’s favorite dog-training game is “Put your toys away.” 

You dump a bunch of dog toys in a pile. The dog’s task is to get each one, pick it up, carry it across the room, and place it in a box. 

Tango’s never played with toys, but he loves putting them away. And, because Fran puts the box as far away as the space allows, he gets lots of back-and-forth steps in. The first day he was feeling better, he actually trotted back and forth, so happy to be playing his game again.

Mind and body dog fitness

All dog training games work to help your dog’s fitness. Working your brain is just as important as working your body. Tango may not be able to see very well, but he can think just fine. And, while “Put your toys away” may be an old favorite, it’s also important to introduce new games. Challenging your dog’s mind can help keep it sharp.

It’s easy to take old dogs for granted, assuming they’ll be happy just napping away in the sunshine. But to keep them in the best shape, let them nap after they’ve played their training games.

Dog training collars are just another myth

Dog training collars don’t exist. There is no object that can train your dog. You’re the only training gear you and your dog really need. 

Traditionally, choke-chain and prong collars were considered training collars. Then came the invention of electronic collars. All of these are threats of punishment, not trainers. You don’t need one to control your dog.

Real training gear

What your dog wears for your training games doesn’t matter. It can be a regular buckle collar, a harness, or nothing at all. Dog training isn’t ever about the “stuff” – although heaven knows we’ve managed to accumulate tons of stuff. It’s about your relationship with your dog. Having fun. Playing games. Building understanding. And growing your bond.

The gear you need is intangible: patience, adaptability, observation, a sense of humor. It’s being willing to pay attention to your dog and the signals he/she gives you. And the ability to try something else when what you’re doing isn’t working.

Collars have their uses

Puppy Booker wears a flat buckle collar with a leash on to begin training. It was not a "dog training collar."
Puppy Booker starting training wearing a flat buckle collar and leash.

When you begin playing training games with your dog, a collar or harness may be useful. You may need to attach a leash to keep your dog in the vicinity at first. We recommend at least a six-foot leash. And all you do is attach it and step on the end to keep the dog relatively close.

Until your dog understands that training games are a fun zone, he/she may attempt to disengage. Remember, depending on what kind of training you’ve experienced in the past, your dog may expect to be corrected or punished for “wrong” answers. To avoid that, your dog may attempt to disengage and leave the area.

In 2-Minute Training games there’s no such thing as punishment. Reward what you like, ignore what you don’t. It will take a while for your dog to understand they can try all kinds of stuff. (We talked about one of Simon’s long-awaited breakthroughs in our article “Stay positive in dog training – results come in time.”) It may not be exactly right, but that’s okay. We just try again.

Naked games

Our dogs, who wear nothing in the house, adore playing training games. When we open the door to the basement where we have our little training area, they all barrel down as fast as they can go. They sometimes try to sneak down if we’ve left the door ajar accidentally. 

We love and encourage that enthusiasm. Our morning training games are the best way to start the day – having fun with our dogs. And if a particular game doesn’t go the way we wanted it to, there’s always another opportunity.

Recently, Hope decided to start teaching Torque the Utility Obedience glove retrieve. That exercise has three evenly-spaced work gloves at one end of the room. The judge decides which glove (left, center, or right) the dog must fetch and bring back to the owner. If your dog has a fetch behavior, it seems simple enough.

We learned quickly that it’s more complex than that. Torque was stumped. He had no idea what to do with the gloves – he’d never seen them before. With 2-Minute Training games, we easily adapted and took it back to basics. 

Torque’s next game was just getting familiar with work gloves. Hope put them on the floor and sat close by. Torque got a click and reward for any interaction with the gloves. Looking at them. Pawing at them. Moving them. After three clicks at each stage, Hope waited for Torque to do something else. Within just a couple of minutes, when putting a paw on the glove no longer got him a click, he moved on to mouthing them, picking them up, even carrying them a step or two.

Clothes don’t make the dog

Even though he didn’t get it “right” – Torque stayed right with the game because he’s not afraid to try new things. That’s because he’s never been punished with a dog training collar, or anything else.He plays naked, as do all our dogs. He stays and plays because he loves it, not because he’s compelled.

Don’t diminish your dog’s spirit with the constant fear of being wrong. You want your dog engaged, happy, learning new things, and eager to participate in training games. It’s such a joy to see dogs fulfilling their potential, making good choices, engaging with their families. Being the family member you dreamed of when you got your dog.

Teach your dog a release word

Every “stop” in dog training needs to have a paired “go.” Otherwise, how does your dog know to stop doing what you’ve asked? Teaching your dog a release word makes it easy. It’s your dog’s “green light” to stand down from a behavior.

Do what I say

The current trend in dog training is not to actually teach a “stay.” The theory is that if you’ve asked your dog to “Sit!,” they should keep doing that until you tell them to do something else. It’s an interesting idea, but there’s no way it will work unless you also teach your dog a release word.

As long as you’re consistent, it doesn’t matter what word you use: Free, Okay, Go, Cabbage. Remember what it is, and teach your dog to recognize it, your release cue can be any word in any language. Like Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass: “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”

Use it all the time

Roc is staying in his crate until he hears his release word.
We taught Roc his release word, so he’s staying in his crate until he hears it.

Start by letting your dog hear his/her release cue for transitions. When you release him/her from the crate, use your release word. If your dog doesn’t move when hearing it, close the crate door and step back. Come back to the crate, open the door and say the release word again. This time your dog should understand that it means “move your butt!”

When you open the door to let your dog out in the yard, use the release word. If you’re practicing a “stay” use it to let your dog know it’s time to move. When you finish a training game, use the release word to tell your dog it’s time to “stand down.” When you’re done practicing polite walking, give the release cue to let your dog know it’s time to sniff and be a dog. (Here’s an article about loose leash walking.)

Perfecting the release

To evaluate your dog’s understanding of his release word, play this stop/go stay game: Set your dog up in a sit, and say “Stay.” Remain with your dog. With a single treat in the hand closest to the dog, raise the treat high over the dog’s head and slowly lower it to him/her. If your dog remains in place, without any movement other than the head, put the treat in your dog’s mouth. If your dog moves, raise the treat up and start over.

After three or four successes, stop lowering the treat at about the halfway point and say your dog’s release word. He/she should jump up and get the treat. Celebrate! Good Dog! 

Start the game again, until your 2-Minute session expires. You can vary the position for your dog’s stay – sit, down, or stand are all fine. As a matter of fact, you should practice each of the positions for the stay. Your groomer and veterinarian are always appreciative of dogs who know how to stand still!

Don’t make them think

If you teach your dog a release word, it really helps him. It clarifies behaviors. It sets the boundaries and limits – things dogs really love. If you leave a fuzzy boundary for any behavior, your dog won’t know what you want him/her to do and performance will suffer. Sit really does mean sit. Until you’re released to go about your business. 

Many people worry about being “mean” to their dogs by setting strict limits. But dogs appreciate knowing the rules. Remember that dogs are binary creatures: yes or no, black or white, stop or go. They like knowing the right thing to do. Make it easy on your dog. Teach them a release word and let them know.

A new spin on dog games

Torque failing the ring stacking - time for a new spin on dog training games
Torque playing the ring stacking game

It’s easy to get into a rut. We noticed we were falling into one – always playing the Ring Stacking Game on Mondays, Tuesday it’s Put your Toys Away, etc. It’s time to give a new spin on dog games.

You don’t have to look very far, or vary too much from what you were doing. For example: Simon’s Ring Stacking fell apart this week. He knows the game very well – he’s the only one of our dogs that was absolutely meticulous about getting the rings on the pole exactly right. And persisted until it happened. 

Time to shake things up

This week he seemed to either not care, or lost interest. He was grabbing rings randomly, taking them off the pole, not paying attention to what he was doing at all. It could be a case of revisiting the basics to remind him what’s going on. With Simon, though, it’s more likely that he was bored with the status quo. 

To shake things up a bit, Fran kept the rings on her arm, rather than laying them on the floor in a pile. She tossed them, one by one, for Simon to retrieve and take to the pole for stacking. And just like that, Simon’s interest in the game reignited. A simple change made all the difference.

Keep the plates spinning

There was an old circus/variety show act about keeping plates spinning. The performer would set dinner plates up on narrow sticks and start them spinning, one after another. By the time he got to about the dozenth, he would have to run back and re-spin the first set. We don’t remember how many were ultimately going around, but it was impressive. 

Every skill you and your dog know is one of those plates. If you don’t revisit it, it’s going to lose its momentum and fall off the stick. (We used this analogy before.) Unlike those plates, skills don’t shatter. Your dog can quickly recover proficiency by revisiting the basics.

If you’re competing in dog sports, the skills needed for obedience and rally are specific and don’t allow for much improvisation. But if you’re playing dog games for fun, enrichment, and engagement, be creative!

Freshen up

Once your dog masters a trick or behavior, it’s tempting to stay with it and enjoy the success. But that’s also a way to fall into that proverbial rut. 

Seeing how much fun Simon and Fran were having with their variation on the Ring Stacking game, Hope tried a new version with Torque, as well. We’re big on using “stuff” we find around the house and repurposing it in our games. Hope dug out the unused metal ring molds to use for ring stacking.

Instead of having Torque pick them up, she rolled them on their side to let Torque chase them. Instantly, more action and enthusiasm for a game that was getting stale.

Torque loves to chase the rings.

Try a new spin on dog games

If you, or your dog, are getting tired of a game, try a minor change. Add motion. Play in a different room. Use a different object. Your dog will find it familiar, with enough of a twist to energize your training. Dogs thrive when the rules of the game are familiar, but there’s a new slant that makes it interesting. And you know how happy dogs get when they succeed. With just some minor tweaking, your dog will have a whole new attitude – and new skills to show off!

News flash: Nobody’s perfect. No dog is perfect, either

Nobody’s perfect. No dog is perfect. Perfection isn’t possible for people or dogs. So stop worrying about it!

The other day we were watching the finals of the U.S. Men’s Figure Skating Championships on tv. Nathan Chen, who is the top-rated competitor in the world, fell on his ass during a (relatively) simple step sequence. Did he become enraged? Did he stomp off in a huff? No. He shrugged, smiled, and laughed it off. 

Everybody messes up sometimes. And while we all wish that our public performances were perfect, playing with dogs in any public space has taught us that anything can happen. And far from being derisive or humiliating, the vast majority are sympathetic and understanding. The dog world is full of “been there, done that” stories. And since we all love to talk dogs, you’ll get to hear lots of people’s “Life’s Most Embarassing Moment” stories in dog venues. 

No dog is perfect, but here Teddy showed good form jumping.
Teddy showing good form.

Like the time Hope was competing with Teddy in Agility and she tripped over the first jump. On the positive side, it removes all pressure when you mess up before you even start. You still get to go home with the best dog. And, unless you tell him/her – your dog will never know anything’s wrong at all.

Pure souls

We do encourage everyone to train their dogs and find an outlet for that training. It all adds up to living the biggest life possible with your dog. It could be you’d love to do therapy work, or frisbee (disc dog), or Scent Work, or one of our favorites: Rally, Obedience, or Agility. There’s tons of “stuff” to do with dogs, all surrounded by communities full of worth-knowing people.

We’ve mentioned many times that Fran’s Boston Terrier Booker is very special – not in a good way. But he comes close to normal, and thrives, in Rally Obedience class. It’s a happy place for him, where all he has to do is pay attention to his mom and show off “stuff” she’s taught him how to do. He positively prances through the courses – ears up, a bounce in his step. 

It’s not about the ribbons, or the competition. It’s about creating an inter-species understanding that’s based on commitment and love. Dogs are really honest creatures. If they don’t know what you want them to do, they’ll either try everything they know to please you, or shut down. If they get it right, they’re thrilled with themselves. If they mess up – they don’t know unless you tell them. Don’t tell them.

“My Bad” Morsels

For every time we mess up in training, our dogs get “My Bad” morsels. We never want our dogs to know that something’s not right. When our attention wanders, we say the wrong thing, we turn the wrong direction, anytime we get it wrong, our dog gets a reward. Why? Because everybody, when they realize they made an error, tends to say something like “Darn!” or worse. And your dog has no way of knowing that disappointment isn’t aimed at them. 

To deflect that worry, and let your dog know everything’s okay, deliver a “My Bad” morsel. You can certainly say “My Bad” as you give the treat. That teaches your dog that saying “My Bad” actually means “Good Dog!” You’ll avoid the shut down that can happen if your dog thinks they screwed up.

Be like Nathan

The sooner you learn to shrug, smile, and laugh off the mistakes, the happier you and your dog will be with your training. The more you laugh in training, the more your dog will repeat what made it happen.

This can have unintended consequences. Fran laughs every time Simon “rolls over.” It just makes her giggle. So Simon started rolling over every time she told him to “Down!” It was adorable, but she had to stop giggling if she ever wanted to compete in Rally or Obedience with him. It was a delightfully funny “problem” to solve. 

Don’t worry, be happy

2-Minute Training sessions with your dog should be the times every day when you can relax, play with your dog, and forget about anything else that’s causing stress in your life. Each session doesn’t have to be productive, or even particularly purposeful. At least once a week we try for a “Freestyle” session and just let our dog interact with some “stuff” however they want. Everything they try, from nudging a box to batting at a drum, gets a click and a cookie. If there’s some particularly good and creative stuff, it may show up in a training game later. If not, the dog got to have some fun, knock stuff over, get clicks and treats. 

No dog is perfect

There’s a saying among dog trainers that every dog is trained to his owner’s level of comfort. The gist is that if it doesn’t bother you, you won’t train your dog not to do it, whatever “it” may be. Dogs require clear explanations of what’s “allowed” vs. not. They learn through the timing and placement of rewards. But we don’t have to be perfect. We just have to get it right most of the time. And our dogs will, too.

Dog Training Game: Looky-Loo (Part 1)

Dogs are nosy creatures. Some are almost obsessive in their curiosity about what’s “over there.” You can indulge your dog and still maintain focus with the dog training game Looky-Loo!

Torque can play "Looky-Loo" and look at things he hears, then turn his focus back to Hope.
Torque can look around at things he hears, then turn his focus back to Hope.

Realistically, none of us lives on a solitary island. Our dogs, whether they’re just walking around the neighborhood or competing in dog sports, need to be familiar with their surroundings. That means being able to look around, take in the sights and smells around them, be calm, and get on with what they were doing. (We talked about this earlier, in our article, “Be Better Than Squirrel!“)

That’s the crucial part. The dog has to take in his/her surroundings without reacting negatively. Seeing, recognizing, and bringing attention back to “business.”

Looky-Loo set up

Like all 2-Minute-Training games, it starts in a quiet space with no distractions. Dogs have to learn how to play this new game before introducing distractions.

What you’ll need: 

Training timer 
Your dog on leash and collar
Treats
An object / toy your dog likes, small enough for you to hold easily
Clicker (Optional, but recommended

Playing Looky-Loo:

Session 1 – Set your timer for 2 Minutes. Turn it on. Stand with your dog close in front of you. If your dog doesn’t have a decent “stay,” step on the leash. (Note: the leash should be long enough so your dog can stand up, sit, lie down, or move around, but not leave the area). Facing your dog, hold the toy in one hand behind your back. Swing the toy out so your dog can see it, say “Look!” and hide the toy behind you again. If your dog looks at your face, click and reward. 

That’s it for the first session. You’re teaching your dog to look, then return focus to you. Looking at you is the goal of the game. Imagine how much better life would be if your dog looked at that squirrel, then back at you? And then calmly continued on your walk?

Keep in mind:

Some dogs will understand and start immediately looking at you after glancing at the object. Other dogs may take a while to get it. That’s okay. Stay at the first step as long as you need to for reliable understanding. When your dog gets it right about 75 percent of the time, then it’s time to move on. 

Your dog glancing at the “look” object is good. We want our dogs to see what’s around them. But it’s not the point of the game. Dogs look at stuff, especially moving stuff. We expect the dog to look at the toy when we show it. 

The objective of the game is bringing the dog’s attention back to you after the toy disappears again. That’s when the click and reward come – when your dog’s eyes meet yours. 

Next week: Looky-Loo Part II

Show off your dog tricks

There are lots of reasons to train your dog to do tricks (see last week’s tip and our earlier article: Dog trick training – how to & why!), but once your dog knows them – what do you do with dog tricks?

Saved for posterity

Booker knows a lot of dog tricks. He and Fran have earned titles showing them off.
Booker knows a lot of dog tricks. He and Fran have earned titles showing them off.

These days, there are lots of options. Impress your friends, family, and the all those eyes on social media with your videos. Entertain everyone at any in-person gatherings. And maybe best of all – have your partnership with your dog permanently part of history by achieving a title for your dog.

What’s a “title” anyway?

Most people have heard of the American Kennel Club (AKC), maybe having seen a dog show on television. What many don’t realize is that the AKC is a registry – it keeps track of everything dog for all AKC events. And while your dog may not have a fancy pedigree – “all-American” dogs (mixed breeds) are welcome in all the dog events except the “beauty pageants” (conformation).

Those events include something for every dog person – Obedience, Rally, Agility, Tracking, Therapy, Lure Coursing, and more. Most relevant to this column? “Trick Dog.”

Yes, your dog can earn a title for performing tricks on video. And you don’t have to go anywhere! The AKC accepts video submissions. All the details are available on the website: https://www.akc.org/sports/trick-dog/about-trick-dog/

Dog tricks galore

The 10 tricks your dog needs to perform for the Novice Title are probably things they already do – or can easily learn in just a few 2-Minute sessions. Things like spin, or hold something for three seconds, jump through a hoop, kiss, shake hands, etc. Your dog can do any of that!

And aside from the certificate you’ll get to acknowledge your dog’s achievement, there’s an intangible extra that matters.

As long as the AKC exists, your partnership with your dog will be part of history. Anyone ever looking at the history of your breed, or Trick Dogs, will know that you and your dog were part of a team. 

It matters

Forever after, there is a record of what a good dog you have. How you had fun together and respected each other. You learned together and became a team that was able to accomplish more than 99 percent of dog owners. Because you cared about each other, played together, learned to adapt to each other. 

And you had fun doing it. 

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.