The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [48]
To Err Is Human
Q I feel like a terrible dog owner. Abby, my young retriever mix, doesn’t always listen to me. She is really a sweet girl, but sometimes she becomes unruly. She chases our cat, jumps up on visitors, destroys the flowers in my garden, and tries to steal food from the counter. Sometimes I get frustrated and yell at her, even though I hate to do it. She cowers and leaves the room, and I feel awful and guilty. I am tired of saying no, no, no all the time. Help!
A Don’t be too rough on yourself. Not even the most esteemed professional dog trainers are perfect each and every time they work with a dog. Mistakes happen. It’s part of being human. One issue in your case is that Abby, like many large breeds, will take a little longer to mature than a smaller dog. Goldens and Labradors are generally considered “grown up” by age two or three, compared with Yorkshire terriers who have formed their adult brains by age one.
The key to successful training is to encourage your young dog to perform desired actions and to reward her when she nails a given command or task, rather than punishing her for bad behavior. It’s also critical to provide suitable outlets for her to unleash her need to leap and chew. Over the years, I’ve identified several ways to avoid common training mistakes.
First, take on the role of leader, not bully. There is no need to raise your voice or berate your dog. Make sure the tenor of your voice is friendly, engaging, and confident. If you are feeling frustrated or impatient during the training lesson, Abby will pick up those anxious emotions and the lesson will be a failure. If you can be an effective teacher who relies on positive reinforcement techniques, however, you will earn her respect, instill her with confidence, and win her love and loyalty.
Second, puppies and young adult dogs are easily distracted. The only way to make your dog comply with your training is if you have her undivided attention. When you begin any training session, pick a place and a time where distractions are kept to a minimum. Start by calling your puppy by name and rewarding her for any eye contact with you. Once you are certain your pup knows her name, you can teach her watch me to sustain longer eye contact. Take a small food treat in your fingers and slowly bring it up to your face as you say watch me. Deliver the treat when she looks at you for at least two seconds. As she learns that she is rewarded for paying attention to you, she will be more motivated to look to you and await your next cue.
Third, you must be consistent, consistent, consistent. Decide which verbal and physical cues you want to use for sit, lie down, stay, and come. Then stick with them. If you use the word stay in one training session and the phrase don’t move in the next, you create confusion. Be consistent with your commands and your dog will eventually catch on.
Fourth, opt for short training sessions. Unless you have an extremely attentive dog, training segments of 10 minutes or less will be the most effective. These mini-training sessions will work better for you, too, since they fit easily into your busy schedule. It’s usually possible to squeeze in a short training lesson before you head off to work or when you get home after a long day.
Fifth, think Las Vegas! Gamblers are attracted to slot machines on the chance of hitting a jackpot. The machines, by design, do not deliver a payoff with each grab of the handle. Psychologists call this intermittent reinforcement. Apply this theory to training your dog. Once you’ve taught the basics, bolster compliance by offering a treat intermittently. Keep Abby guessing about when she’ll be rewarded, and she’ll work harder for that tasty jackpot. You can bet on it!
Finally, take your training routine on the road. Abby may become a picture of perfect obedience inside your living room