When Pigs Fly_ Training Success With Impossible Dogs - Jane Killion [11]
This little dog is eager to try attempt a new behavior because she trusts that her owner will not correct her.
Dressing for the Occasion
A Note on Equipment
It is very important that you use only collars and harnesses that control your dog without delivering a punishment. I recommend a flat-buckle collar for most dogs. The only other collar I will ever use or permit in my classes is a martingale collar. Sometimes called Greyhound collars, these collars have a limited ability to tighten, but will never close so much as to choke or hurt the dog. My Bull Terriers have big necks and they can easily slip out of a buckle collar, so I use martingale-style collars. If you are afraid your dog might slip out of his collar, the martingale is the way to go. If you are put in the position of having to walk a heavy puller before the dog has been trained not to pull, there are great harnesses on the market, such as the Sense-ation™ harness. These clever harnesses hook up to a ring in the front of the harness, in the middle of the dog’s chest. If the dog pulls, the energy of his pulling actually turns him around in the opposite direction from that in which he was pulling. Be aware that squirmy dogs can get out of them, so I recommend clipping the leash to both the harness and the collar.
I do not use or recommend head halters. Head halters tend to suppress behavior rather than helping you re-train it. It appears to me that many dogs find having their heads trussed up and manipulated in this way punishing. They may appear to be “good” but really they are too just miserable to do much of anything—which is what people sometimes mistakenly read as “well behaved.”
Martingale collars.
This clever harness uses a dog’s own strength to keep him from pulling. Because the leash is hooked to the front of the harness, a pulling dog will get turned around instead of going forward.
A determined dog can squirm his way out of a front-hook harness. Clip your leash to both the harness and the collar as insurance against an escape.
You will need a long lead ranging from ten feet to thirty feet long. Nylon leads are more durable and safe than leather or cotton web leads. This will give your dog a sense of freedom and the opportunity to make choices about behavior, while at the same time limiting his ability to run away from you.
You will also need something to hold your treats and toys while you train. You can use a fanny pack or you can buy a bait bag to clip to your waistband. Better yet, you can go to your local hardware store and get a free or inexpensive fabric nail apron. I like the nail aprons because you can store a selection of toys and different kinds of treats in the pockets.
Now that you are dressed up and ready to go, let’s move on to learning how to learn!
3
Unlocking the Secrets of the Magic
Plastic Box
What are Clickers and Markers?
The clicker is a little plastic box with a metal tongue it that makes a clicking sound when pushed and released. The clicker is used to let the dog know when he has done something right. The clicking sound is of no significance to an untrained dog. We must invest the click with a pleasurable meaning by associating it with food rewards. In order to make the click mean something to the dog, we start by clicking and then delivering a treat right after the click, again and again. After a short while, our dogs figure out that the clicking sound always means food, and that makes dogs love the sound of the clicker.
Once the relationship of click and treat is imbedded in our dog’s minds, we can use the click to mark any behavior we like. When I say “mark,” what I mean is that when the dog does something that we want him to do, we click the clicker to mark the behavior so the dog knows that he got it right and will be getting a treat for it—it is just a highly efficient way of saying “That’s right!” Dogs