The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [47]
A First, kudos for enrolling Happy in a puppy class. It is essential for all pups and newly adopted adult dogs to become students in a reward-based obedience class. These classes do more than just teach your dog to come, sit, and stay. They provide an ideal venue for you to bond with your dog, to expose your pup to other dogs and people, and to learn the rules of canine etiquette. Some dogs are visual learners — puppy see, puppy do — so watching appropriate behaviors being rewarded may be good incentive. Having to go to class is usually good incentive for the owner to practice between sessions.
Don’t worry; you and Happy will not become puppy-school dropouts. Remember that, as with all youngsters, a lot is going on both mentally and physically inside your personality-plus pooch. She is easily distracted and has no impulse control, so your job is to provide the limits for her behavior until she begins to understand what her role is. Here are some insider secrets to achieving puppy-school success (and a diploma).
TAKE YOUR PUPPY FOR A WALK lasting 20 to 30 minutes before arriving at your class. That way, she will have unleashed some of her pent-up energy and excitement.
ARRIVE FIVE TO TEN MINUTES EARLY to allow your puppy to satisfy her uncontrollable need to meet and greet other classmates (both people and other puppies) and to relieve herself one last time. Many puppy classes have socializing as part of the lesson plan. For those that do not, this “play preview” can help Happy work through her excitement.
DON’T FEED HER BEFORE CLASS. Depending on the time of the class, wait to serve up dinner until after the class or feed her only a half-portion, saving the rest for later. Hungry puppies are more motivated to perform for treats in class and won’t need to take an urgent bathroom break.
KEEP YOUR HANDS FREE by stashing your belongings in the trunk and clipping your car keys to your belt or tucking them in a pocket. You need your hands free to handle the leash, dole out treats, and give clear hand signals to your puppy.
WEAR CASUAL, COMFORTABLE CLOTHING. If you wear shorts, expect to depart sporting grass-stained or muddy knees, not to mention scrapes and scratches from exuberant puppies. Stick with sneakers or other low-heeled, comfortable shoes with nonskid soles.
DON’T WEAR SUNGLASSES. If the class is during the day, wear a visor or baseball hat to block out the sun. Your puppy needs to see your eyes at all times to grasp your messages.
HAND OUT ITTY-BITTY PORTIONS of a highly palatable treat. You want to give your puppy a taste of a reward, just enough to swallow in few seconds. At first, give treats for every mini-success, because puppies tend to have the attention span of a gnat. Don’t wait until your puppy completes all tasks before rewarding with a tiny treat.
BE BRAVE and ask what you may think is a dumb question. What you perceive to be a strange behavior in your puppy — such as shredding toilet paper or splashing in her water dish — may be shared by someone else in your class who is too shy to ask.
KEEP YOUR PUPPY ON A LEASH unless otherwise instructed by your trainer and give yourself enough space so your nosy puppy can’t reach other classmates.
Tap into vocal tones to help deliver your messages. Bring both your upbeat, happy, good pup voice and your stern, low, knock it off tone to class.
SCHOOL DAYS FOR YOUR DOG
A variety of schools exist to expand your dog’s education. Classes run the gamut from puppy socialization to basic obedience to specialized sessions for dogs with testy temperaments. There are classes that teach dogs to become therapy canines and bring cheer to hospital patients and nursing home residents and classes that teach doggy etiquette, like Canine Good Citizenship.
The key is to look for professional dog trainers who rely on positive training techniques — not the use of physical punishment, chokers,