When Pigs Fly_ Training Success With Impossible Dogs - Jane Killion [64]
For instance, if you want to have your dog come when called if you are in the kitchen and your dog is sleeping on his bed, you might only have to call him into the kitchen and give him his dinner one time for him to come promptly every time you call him in that situation. Sleeping on a bed is mundane and getting dinner is about the most exciting thing that happens in many dogs’ lives. OK, so you have that covered. What about your back yard? Well, there are squirrels and smells and fences to bark over—you had better have reinforced that dog dozens of times with really good stuff for coming when called before attempting that particular recall. If you are going to take your dog to a park or on a trail and let him off leash, you may need literally years of substantial reinforcement history of coming when called. In the meantime you may need to make sure your dog is safely on a long leash before you can try that stunt.
A note about Pigs Fly dogs and recalls. I have no doubt that some breeds of dogs can be trained to reliably stay with you off leash. I harbor a “cheater” dog, an Australian Cattle Dog who I can take anywhere off leash. He can be chasing something down at top speed and will stop and turn so quickly when I call him that it looks like an optical illusion. In twenty-four years of having Bull Terriers, I have never owned or seen one that I would trust indefinitely off leash. I know lots of people that do let their Bull Terriers go off leash all the time, but they do not have the kind of recall that I consider acceptable for that and they are taking a big risk. Thirty foot leashes are cheap and easy to find—most places in the United States have leash laws anyway, so you are better off to observe them.
Yield on your requirements when you change something. Keep in mind that a recall in your back yard is not a recall in a crowded park with lots of dogs and people around. Be realistic in your expectations, and manage your dog by keeping him on leash if you don’t think he will come when called. If you do take him off leash away from home, make sure that you don’t let him get too far away. Recall him early and often, and reinforce him generously for coming!
It is so important that you painstakingly build a solid recall that I could devote an entire chapter, or even a small book, to that alone. I have given you what you need to know in order to teach a great recall. As a visual study aid for this behavior, I highly recommend that you view Leslie Nelson’s Really Reliable Recall DVD. Leslie has done a beautiful job laying out a step by step program for teaching a reliable recall under any circumstances, and the DVD is very helpful in showing just how to set up and proof a perfect recall.
A Couple More Handy Behaviors
Before we move on to dealing with problem behaviors, you will need to shape two more simple behaviors. By now you should understand SAFETY training, so I am only going to give you some tips on how to shape them:
Back Up
“Back up” is a highly underrated behavior with many uses. It is surprising that most basic dog training books do not include back up as part of their canon of basic pet obedience. Any time you want your dog out of the way, you can ask him to back up. If he is crowding the door, you can ask him to back up. If you are coming into the yard and he is pushing to escape through the gate when you open it, you can ask him to back up. If your dog is a show dog you can ask him to back up instead of turning in a circle to re-stack. As you will see in the following section, back up is also an indispensable behavior for dealing with pushy or aggressive dogs.
Here is a way to shape it. First, you can try to catch your dog in the act of taking a step back and then click it. Most dogs, when thinking or slightly frustrated, will take a step back. Also, most dogs will take a step back just before barking