The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [51]
A Credit Peppy for having the good sense to bypass boring bare floors and seek a comfy sofa for his snooze sessions. However, it’s your house and he needs to play by your rules. First, you need to provide him with a designated spot of his own. Before you begin picking out your new furniture, buy Peppy a comfy bed and put it in a spot where he will still feel like part of the family. When you are home, have him lie on it and reward him for spending time there. The world of canine décor has exploded recently, and you have many choices of functional but fashionable doggy beds and other canine comforts (even a small sofa of his own, if you like!) that will blend with your style of furnishing, be it rustic or elegant or anything in between.
SNIFF IT OUT!
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As you begin your mission to relocate Peppy from the sofa to his own furniture, you need to make your furniture uninviting. Use fitted bed sheets instead of flat sheets so that you can tuck them in snugly. When you leave the house, pile items on your furniture to make naptime anything but pleasant. Take a plastic carpet runner, turn it upside down so that the hard points are facing upward, and lay it across your sofa and recliner. Or put heavy boxes of books on the furniture before you leave the house so there is no space for even a determined beagle.
Sitting Pretty
Q I just adopted my first puppy. What’s the best way to teach Clara to sit when I ask her? I don’t like having to force her into position by pushing down on her rump. She does sit when I do that, but only for a couple of seconds before bouncing right back up to lick my face. She’s adorable and small now, but will probably be 80 pounds when she grows up, so I know it’s important to teach her while I can still physically handle her.
A I consider sit to be one of the essential cues to be learned by all dogs, and you are right to want to teach your pup while she is still small. Sit is your first choice when you want to keep your puppy from doing something you don’t like, such as chasing a fly in the house or happily tackling a visitor at the door. When in doubt, have your dog sit. It stops her undesired action and shifts her attention to you. Also, a dog who sits politely is a pleasure to be around and always wows onlookers in public.
There are two “hands-off” ways to teach your pup to sit. The first is all about timing. Whenever your puppy flops into a sit position on her own, say Sit! Yes! and give her a treat if you can or tell her what a smart girl she is. Try to do this every time you see her sit. During this training time, keep a treat bag on your belt loop or stash a few treats in your pocket so you can immediately reward the desired behavior. Some smart pups quickly learn to rush up to their owners and sit because they have been conditioned to receive treats. Remember, however, to make sure she is still sitting when you hand over the treat.
The second method taps into the power of gravity to get your pup to sit nicely. Place a small treat in one hand. Slowly glide your other hand up and over your dog’s head while she is standing. In a positive tone, say Clara, sit. As you guide your hand up and over your dog’s head, she will arch her head back to follow. The instant her rump hits the floor, tell her Sit! Yes! and hand over the treat. Repeat these steps four or five times per session. In time, your pup should sit whenever you say that magic word or convey it by using that over-her-back hand signal.
Training your puppy that great things happen when she complies and sits nicely will help you in your training sessions for other cues as well. Practice having her sit often