In This Chapter
The term “training” is used to describe two separate and distinct concepts:
– To teach Buddy to do something that you want him to do, but that he wouldn’t do on his own. For example, Buddy knows how to sit and sits on his own, but you want him to sit on command, something he doesn’t do on his own without training.
This concept is called action training. Action training relies mainly on using pleasant experiences, such as inducing your dog to sit with a treat. Teaching Buddy the commands “Sit,” “Down,” “Stand,” and “Come” are examples of action training.
– To teach Buddy to stop doing something he would do on his own, which you don’t want him to do. For example, Buddy chases bicyclists, something he does on his own that you want him to stop.
This concept is called abstention training. Abstention training typically relies on unpleasant experiences. The dog learns to avoid the unpleasant experience by not chasing the bicyclist. For example, to teach Buddy not to pull on the leash, use a check. A check is a crisp snap on the leash with an immediate release of tension. In order to be effective, the leash must be loose before the check is made. Buddy can avoid the check by not pulling. Another example of an abstention exercise is the “Stay” command — don’t move.
The Quasi training of CeceFor more than 30 years, we’ve had a multidog household and at least one cat, and have witnessed the abstention training phenomenon countless times. Our current menagerie consists of three Standard Wirehaired Dachshunds, ranging in age from 2 to 16, two Labrador Retrievers, 2 and 6, an 8-year old Landseer Newfoundland, and Quasi, an 18-year old male cat who was left on our door step when he was 6 weeks old. Quasi is an expert at abstention training. When we got our youngest Dachshund, Cece, she was 8 weeks old. Naturally, she was quite respectful of the older dogs, but treated Quasi as though he was a stuffed toy. Quasi, who had brought up a number of puppies, was amazingly tolerant of Cece. When Cece got too rough with him, he would growl and hiss, and hit her with his paw. When Cece didn’t get the message, Quasi finally let her have it — he hauled off, all claws extended, and swiped her across the nose. Cece screamed and jumped back in horror, her nose dripping with blood. Was Cece psychologically scarred for life? Did Cece take offense? Did she go away and sulk? Did she hold a grudge against Quasi? Nothing of the kind. Cece didn’t hold any hard feelings; in fact, she gained a little more respect for Quasi. They still play together, and they sleep together. The only difference is that Cece discovered an important lesson — unacceptable behavior results in unpleasant experiences. Incidentally, all the other dogs received the same treatment at one point or another. |
Remember
Dogs already know avoiding unpleasant experiences is to their advantage because that is how they deal with each other. The training begins with the mother dog. When the puppies reach about 6 weeks old, she begins the weaning process. At that point in time, the puppies have sharp little teeth, not very pleasant for the mother when she feeds them. She begins to growl at the puppies to communicate to them not to bite so hard. She snarls and snaps at those who ignore her growls until they stop. An offending puppy may scream to high heaven and roll over on its back, having learned its lesson. The mother dog usually follows the disagreeable experience by an agreeable one — by nuzzling the puppy.
Selecting a Training Model
Remember
Before you embark on your training program, consider what you want your dog to master and compare it to the task for which he was bred. Many people typically select their dogs based on appearance and without regard to breed-specific functions and behaviors. The results are frequently all too predictable — the cute little puppy becomes a grown dog and now no longer fits into the scheme of things.
Remember
An excellent resource for breed-specific behavior and traits is The Roger Caras Dog Book: A Complete Guide to Every AKC Breed, by Roger Caras and Alton Anderson (M. Evans & Co.), now in its third edition. For instance, the book shows how the Labrador is one of 24 breeds in the Sporting Group. For each breed, the book lists a scale from 1 to 10 of three characteristics: the amount of coat care required, the amount of exercise required, and the suitability for urban/apartment life. Thirteen breeds in this group are considered unsuitable for urban/apartment live. The remaining eleven breeds, which include the Labrador, are considered suitable, but only if the dog’s exercise requirements are being met. Another excellent source is Paws to Consider: Choosing the Right Dog for You and Your Family, by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson (Warner Books).
Looking back at a brief history of dogsDogs were originally bred for specific functions, such as guarding, herding, hauling, hunting, and so on. Before 1945, most dogs worked for a living, and many still do. The popularity as a household pet is a relatively recent phenomenon, fueled in part by the heroic exploits of the dogs used in World War II, as well as the fictional Rin Tin Tin and Lassie. The upshot of this popularity has been a demand for the “family” dog — easy to train, good with children, a little bit protective, and relatively quiet. |
Traditional training
Unpleasant experiences are called corrections and can be a check on the leash, a harsh tone of voice, a threatening body posture, or throwing something at the dog. In order to extinguish the undesired behavior, the correction must be sufficiently unpleasant for the dog so that he wants to avoid it and change his behavior. Moreover, you must administer the correction immediately before or during the undesired behavior. What constitutes an unpleasant experience varies from dog to dog and depends on his Personality Profile (see Chapter Understanding Your Dog’s Mind). What is perceived as a sufficiently unpleasant experience to inhibit the unwanted behavior by one dog may be perceived as just an annoyance by another dog.
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Table 2-1 The Four Quadrants to Operant Conditioning | ||
Pleasant | Quadrant 1) Positive reinforcement — following a behavior with something the dog perceives as pleasant will increase the behavior. | Quadrant 2) Negative punishment — following a behavior with removing something the dog perceives as pleasant will decrease the behavior. |
Unpleasant | Quadrant 3) Positive punishment — following a behavior with something the dog perceives as unpleasant will decrease the behavior | Quadrant 4) Negative reinforcement — following a behavior with removal of something the dog perceives as unpleasant will increase the behavior |
Remember
If these four quadrants sound confusing to you, you aren’t alone. And, if you think that “negative punishment” is a redundancy and “positive punishment” is an oxymoron, you’re also not alone. Moreover, we have always considered the word “punishment” singularly inappropriate in the context of dog training. The general understanding of the word is “a penalty for wrongdoing,” but does a dog, untrained or trained, know he has done something wrong? An answer in the affirmative implies that a dog knows, in the moral sense, right from wrong, which is highly unlikely.
– Quadrant 1 — positive reinforcement: When one of our Dachshunds, Diggy, was still quite young, she assumed the begging position by sitting up on her haunches. She did this spontaneously and on her own, without any coaxing on our part. Naturally, we thought it was cute, so we gave her a treat, which increased the behavior. We periodically reinforced the behavior with a treat, and now, 14 years later, she still offers this behavior in hopes of getting a treat.
– Quadrant 2 — negative punishment: You’re watching TV and your dog drops his ball in your lap hoping you’ll throw it. You get up and leave, which will decrease the behavior.
– Quadrant 3 — positive punishment: Your dog jumps on you to greet you and you spritz him with water, which will decrease the behavior.
– Quadrant 4 — negative reinforcement: You lift up on your dog’s collar until he sits, and then you release the collar, which will increase the behavior of sitting.
The bottom line for following the classics
- Acceptable behaviors result in pleasant experiences.
- Unacceptable behaviors result in unpleasant experiences.
- All behaviors have consequences.
Table 2-2 How Dog Training Terminology Fits Together | ||
Vernacular | Traditional Training | Operant Conditioning |
Correction | Anything the dog perceives as unpleasant, such as a yelling “no,” a harsh tone of voice, a threatening body posture, or throwing something at the dog. | An aversive, such as negative punishment or positive punishment. An aversive is anything the dog perceives as unpleasant, such as a check on the training collar, yelling “no,” in a harsh tone of voice, a threatening body posture, or throwing something at the dog. |
Reward | Anything the dog perceives as pleasant, such as anything the dog will actively work for, which can be a treat, a ball, a stick, praise, or physical affection in the form of petting. | Positive reinforcement, such as anything the dog will actively work for, which can be a treat, a ball, a stick, praise, or physical affection in the form of petting. |
Clicker training
– Option 1: The trainer can wait until the dog voluntarily offers the desired behavior on his own, such as sit. When the dog sits, the trainer clicks, marking the end of the behavior, and reinforces the behavior with a treat. This option works well with extroverted dogs that will offer a variety of behaviors in the hope that one of them will get them a treat. An introverted dog, on the other hand, may show little interest in the game. The “wait and see what happens” approach, depending on the dog, can be a lengthy process and extremely stressful for the dog — he may stop offering any behaviors and just lie down.
– Option 2: The trainer doesn’t have the time or patience to wait for the desired behavior to happen, so he induces the behavior. Again, in the case of the Sit, the trainer uses a treat to get the dog to assume the sitting position, and when the dog sits, the trainer clicks, marking the end of the behavior, and gives the treat. Obviously, this approach is much more efficient than waiting for the dog to offer the desired behavior on his own.
Remember
The ultimate object of any training is to have your dog respond reliably to your commands. Ideally, he responds to the first command. Telling your dog to do something and have him ignore you is frustrating. Think of Buddy’s response in terms of choices. Do you want to teach Buddy to think he has a choice of responding to you? We don’t think so. We think you want a dog that understands, after you have trained him, that he has to do what you tell him.
Establishing Trust with Your Dog
Remember
One of the commands you want your dog to master is to come when called. To be successful, remember this principle: Whenever your dog comes to you, be nice to him. Don’t do anything the dog perceives as unpleasant. If you want to give him a bath or a pill, don’t just call him to you. Instead, go get him or call him, and then first give him a cookie before the bath or pill.
Remember
Punishment after the fact is cruel and inhumane. Even if the dog’s behavior changes as a result of being punished, it changes in spite of it and not because of it. The answer lies in prevention and training. Prevention means providing the dog with plenty of outlets for his energies in the form of exercise, play, and training. It also means not putting the dog in a position where he can get at your brand-new pair of shoes. Training means teaching your dog to sit on command so that he doesn’t jump on you (see Chapter The Utility Dog Title for training basics).
Being consistent with commands and tone of voice
Remember
Consistency in training means handling your dog in a predictable and uniform manner. If more than one person is in the household, everyone needs to handle the dog in the same way. Otherwise, the dog becomes confused and unreliable in his responses.
Outlasting your dog — be persistent
Knowing to avoid “no”
Tip
As of right now, eliminate the word “no” from your training vocabulary. All too often, no is the only command a dog hears, and he’s expected to figure out what it means. There is no exercise or command in training called “no.” Avoid negative communications with your dog because they undermine the relationship you’re trying to build. Don’t use your dog’s name as a reprimand. Don’t nag your dog by repeatedly using his name without telling him what you want him to do.
Remember
Begin to focus on the way in which you communicate with Buddy. Does he perceive the interaction as positive or negative, pleasant or unpleasant, friendly or unfriendly? How many times do you use the word “no,” and how many times do you say “Good dog” when interacting with your dog? Our experience during more than 30 years of teaching has been that by the time we see the dogs, most have been no’ed to death. Everything the dog does brings forth a stern “Don’t do this,” “Don’t do that,” or “No, bad dog.” Negative communications from you have a negative effect on your dog’s motivation to work for you.
Repeating commands
Tip
Get into the habit of giving a command once and in a normal tone of voice — a dog’s hearing is 80 times better than yours. Repeating commands teaches your dog that he can ignore you, and changes in inflections from pleas to threats don’t help, either. Our experience has been that most people are unaware of how many times they repeat a command. Give the command and if your dog doesn’t respond, reinforce the command or show him exactly what it is you want him to do.
Taking charge
- To eat first and to eat as much as he wants to
- To stand, sit, or lie down wherever he wants to
- To have access to the prime spots in the household, including the furniture and the beds
- To control entry to or from any room in the house
- To proceed through all narrow openings first
- To demand attention from subordinate pack members any time he wants to
- To ignore or actively discourage unwanted attention
- To restrict the movements of lesser ranking members of the pack
Remember
Few dogs actively seek leadership and most are perfectly content for you to assume the role, so long as you do. But you must do so, or even the meekest of dogs will take over. Remember, it’s not a matter of choice. For his safety and your peace of mind, you have to be the one in charge.
– Does Buddy get on the furniture and then growl at you when you tell him to get off?
– Does Buddy demand attention from you, which you then give?
– Does Buddy ignore you when you want him to move out of the way, when he is in front of a door or cupboard?
– Does Buddy dash through doorways ahead of you?
Being in charge with BuddyDebbie didn’t think much about the “being in charge” theory. She wanted to be pals with Thor, her Labrador Retriever. After all, he had always listened to her before and had never given her any trouble. She changed her mind when one day Thor made the decision, “Now I will chase the cat across the road,” just as a car was coming. She realized that if she wanted Thor to be around for a while, he had to learn that she was in charge and that she made the decisions. |
Assuming Your Role as Pack Leader
Remember
Teaching your dog to stay still at your command is at the top of the list of critical exercises. Not only can you keep Buddy out from underfoot, but you also reinforce in his mind that you are the one in charge — you are the pack leader.
Placing your dog in a Sit and Down
Remember
The purpose of the Long Sit and Down exercise is to teach Buddy in a nonviolent way that you are his pack leader. For this reason, it’s the foundation of all further training. Training your dog is next to impossible unless he accepts you as the one in charge. It takes four weeks of practice to get the Long Sit and Down established as a routine, but as soon as you have it, it can go a long way toward helping you establish your role as pack leader. Here’s what to do:
1. Sit on the floor beside your dog.
2. Without saying anything, place him in the Down position. (See Figure 2-2.)
3. If he gets up, put him back without saying anything.
4. Keep your hands off when he is down.
5. Stay still.
6. After 30 minutes, release him.
As a general rule, the greater a dog’s leadership aspirations, the more frequently he will try to get up and the more important this exercise becomes. Just remain calm and each time he tries to get up, replace him in the Down position.
Tip
If your dog is particularly bouncy, put him on leash and sit on a chair and the leash so your hands are free to put him back.
Some dogs immediately concede that you’re the pack leader, while others need some convincing. If your dog is in the latter group, your, as well as his, first experience with the Long Down will be the hardest. As he catches on to the idea and gradually (if not grudgingly) accepts you as pack leader, each successive repetition will be that much easier.
Practice the Long Down under the following conditions:
- When your dog is tired
- After he has been exercised
- When interruptions are unlikely
- When you aren’t tired
If the situation allows it, you can watch television or read, so long as you don’t move.
– Week 2: On alternate days, practice three 30-minute Downs and 10-minute Sits while you sit in a chair next to your dog.
– Week 3: On alternate days, practice three 30-minute Downs and 10-minute Sits while you sit across the room from your dog.
– Week 4: On alternate days, practice three 30-minute Downs and 10-minute Sits while you move about the room but in sight of your dog.