When Pigs Fly_ Training Success With Impossible Dogs - Jane Killion [81]
C. Dog gets clicked and rewarded.
It is almost comical how often a growling dog can be instantly transformed into an eager training subject, reporting for duty, simply by asking the dog to do something. A human approaching the bed can become a cue for your dog to automatically get off the bed. It really is that simple. Just get over the fact that it is hurtful and scary when your dog growls at you, and ask him to do something that is incompatible with sitting on the bed and guarding it. Don’t confront him over this issue, just train an alternate behavior. Ta-da! Your dog will no longer guard the bed and no one gets bitten.
Remember, these scenarios assume that you have trained extremely strong foundation behaviors. If your dog is not yet that well trained, keep your bedroom door closed. If you mess up and your dog gets on the bed, lure him into a safe area with a dish of food and make sure you don’t make the mistake of leaving the bedroom door open again.
Here is another common one:
A. Owner walks into a room where two or more of her dogs are hanging out.
B. Dogs begin to fight.
C. Owner yells at them and breaks it up.
If you know your coming into a room predicts a disagreement between your dogs, how about this, instead?
A. Owner walks into a room where two or more of her dogs are hanging out.
B. Dogs run over to her and sit/stay in front of her.
C. Each dog gets praise, attention, and treats so long as they hold their position.
Can you see how simple it is? Strip away the fact that dog aggression is stunningly scary and offensive, and you see that, voila! Aggression is just a behavior and will respond to training like any other behavior.
11
Just Being With You Makes Me Better
Living and Training in Harmony
When you train with the methods in this book, just being with your dog becomes a dialog. You will find that it is incredibly easy to integrate dog training into your life. Once you have taught the basic foundation behaviors, you never need to have a formal training session with your dog again; just being with your dog will shape him into a model citizen.
Life is a Reinforcer
Finding Time to Train Your Dog
You do have the time to train your dog. Whether you realize it or not, you already are spending a lot of time training your dog. Every minute you are with your dog you are training him. Your everyday interactions with him are the most powerful training tools you have.
Your dog depends entirely on you for all of his needs. If he wants to eat, you feed him. If he wants to go outside, you open the door. If he wants to come out of his crate, you let him out. If he wants his toy, you get it out and throw it for him. Everytime your dog wants something, that something can be a reinforcer for something that you want him to do. If you are going to give your dog something he wants or needs, that is an opportunity for you to ask for something in return. Head scratches, belly rubs, play sessions, treats, and walks, are all things that you dispense to your dog and they all represent training opportunities. Since you do all of those things everyday for your dog anyway, you can train your dog without taking anymore time out of your day than you are already giving your dog.
Remember these two concepts:
If you do things for your dog without asking him to do something for you, you have trained him not to work to get what he wants. You have trained him that he is free to ignore you until you signal that you will be gratifying one of his desires.
If you ask him for a behavior in exchange for doing things for him, you have trained him to work for you to get what he wants. You have trained him that he had better pay attention to you because you never know when a reinforcement opportunity might arise.
Anytime your dog wants to go out or come in the house, you have a golden opportunity to train something. He wants something that only you can give him. Why not get a little something from him in return? Ask your dog for a sit before he rushes through the door. You should work on