Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (35 page)

Inadequate human leadership can make the family dog more vulnerable to “separation anxiety.” This is a discomfort some dogs
experience when left alone, and they show it by whining, barking, chewing, digging, pacing, escaping, and urinating or defecating in inappropriate places. The dog is not “getting even” for being left alone. He’s just trying to relieve his internal anxiety about being left with the only activities available to him. They give him a temporary respite from tension, but, unfortunately, they can easily become habits. Lack of exercise and stimulation, bad diet, poor health, breed characteristics, and emotional changes in the family can all contribute to this type of anxiety as well, but a key factor often overlooked is that the dog is confused about leadership roles in the family.

BECOME A POSITIVE LEADER FOR YOUR DOG

So how do you become the reliable leader your dog needs? Wolf packs succeed when their members are happy, healthy, and in relative harmony with each other. If they were constantly squabbling over their ranks, they’d be at a disadvantage for rounding up food. So, to maintain social stability, wolves use ongoing nonviolent signals to remind each other of their standing in the pack.

The need to train your dog provides a perfect context to mimic this repeated posturing and to make your leadership clear to your dog again and again. The idea is to convey to your dog that
he gets what he wants in life when
he listens to you first
. You make this work by applying it dozens of times daily, in little ways.

First, make it fun for your dog to watch you for signals. Whenever he sustains eye contact with you, constantly reinforce him with treats, affection, and whatever he loves to do (playing ball, going for a walk, and so on). Associate it with a command like, “Rover, watch!” Make it fun, and soon the command itself will be enough to get your pet’s attention. Once you can get his attention in this way, you’re ready to proceed to other lessons.

Next, show the dog in lots of little ways that he must look to you first to get what he wants. If your pet wants to go outdoors, you tell him to wait. You walk out first. Then he gets to go out. If the dog wants to eat, first tell him to sit. When he sits, you feed him. If the animal wants affection, first tell him to lie down and have him stay for 30 seconds. Then release him with a code word like “okay” and play together. Once the routine gets established and your pet knows a few simple commands and learns that getting it right earns him lots of praise
plus
the thing he wants, he’ll love it.

Every time you tell your dog what to do and he listens, it gently reinforces the idea that you’re in charge, so he doesn’t need to be concerned. It constantly signals to the dog that you’re the leader, and it provides an ongoing supply of the attention he loves. Some dogs will accept this at once; others will put up a struggle about who’s top dog. But consistent, daily, enjoyable reminders of your roles will lead to a more relaxed and confident pet.

Make praise and reward the cornerstone of your relationship. A basic command is “watch,” meaning for him or her to pay attention to you—and wait for the next direction. Once this is accomplished, by simply applying the central command to be attentive, you will soon be past the struggling stage in teaching your dog the basics. Learning itself will become an enjoyable game for him. Your pet will eagerly try to figure out what you want so he can do it.

MAKE LEARNING FUN

When you need to correct a misbehavior, always praise your dog as soon as he does the right thing. Show him, if necessary. For example, suppose your puppy jumps up on you when you come home. The limited approach is that you put your knee in his chest or pull down on his collar, saying “Off.” With repetition, he’ll learn to stop jumping up on you. But if you also praise the animal enthusiastically as soon as his front feet hit the ground, then give a treat, he will be even more interested in playing the learning game. He may jump up on you again, just to get the treat once more. Again, quickly correct the dog and praise him the instant he’s back on the floor. After a few times, praise him even when he is “off,” but hold back the treat. Tell him to “Sit.” Show him how to do it if he doesn’t know or is too excited, then give him the treat as soon as he even comes close to getting it right.

Now your dog is really eager to figure this thing out. As he keeps trying, you keep showing him which action has bad consequences and which action has good consequences. If your pet starts to think he’s supposed to run up, jump on you, and then sit, you’ll have to modify the correction to get the “jump up” part out. Eventually the concept will click: “Maximum pleasure comes if I run up and sit.” By the time the situation arises again, he may have forgotten how it works, but it will soon come back to him.

It takes many repetitions to teach a dog certain behaviors. That’s why showing him what to do and rewarding him when he does it works so much better than merely correcting the pup for misbehavior. When a dog just gets a correction, he usually tries to figure it out for just a short while, and then he goes elsewhere. If he’s forced to stay, he’ll stop paying attention. Your dog will stick with you in learning if you make the instruction fun, so that every misbehavior becomes an enjoyable opportunity to learn what is expected. Not only will the pup get it right, but it will be ingrained.

Responses to certain commands are fairly easy to teach once you get into the right mode: Watch, Sit, Stay, Down, Off (no jumping), Wait, Let’s Go (walking on a loose leash), Gentle (no biting), and simple tricks like Roll Over.

For example, to teach a dog how to walk on a leash without pulling you, first teach him to place his primary attention on you (the “Watch” game described above—that puts the focus of attention on you). Put him
on a leash. Using a pleasant tone, tell the dog, “Rover, watch!” Then say, “Let’s go” or “Close” and start walking. Whenever he steps in front of you, focuses his attention elsewhere, or pulls away on the leash, repeat the command “Stay close” or “Let’s go.” As soon as he moves toward you and slacks up on the leash, offer profuse praise and/or a treat. Head off again promptly. If he doesn’t respond to the command, give a quick correction with the leash and change the direction you’re walking to get his attention. Repeat these steps each time he pulls on the leash. He’ll soon learn that a loose leash when walking is a great idea. It can take some high energy and quick reactions on your part to promote this response at first, but future years of relaxed walks with your dog are well worth it.

Similarly, you can use a reward to train your dog to come when called. Holding a treat that he loves in your hand, tell him, “Look, here’s a treat!” While the pup is running to get it, tell him, “Come!” Reward him with the treat and plenty of praise. After several weeks of repetition, he’ll associate the word “come” with good things, and you’ll need to use the reward only occasionally to keep his interest up. Don’t, however, be too eager to test out his understanding of “come” in challenging situations. It may take months of practice before he knows “come” well enough to come when there are strong temptations close by (like another dog to investigate).

There are many resources available to help you with additional specifics of training certain behaviors. Visit www.drpitcairn.com for several resources I recommend.

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR TRAINING

Bearing in mind what I have already said, here are some related tips to help you get started or to get a fresh start with the pet you already have. Most of these apply to cats as well as to dogs.

Remember that all animals learn by association.
In attempting to understand the world around them, dogs build associations. Jumping on the couch is followed closely by a feeling of soft comfort, so an association is built between jumping on the couch and feeling good.

Your animal is constantly learning. The couch consistently rewards his jumping on it with softness and comfort, which encourages more jumping (unless you give another message even more consistently). If your dog runs toward an open door and gets bumped on the nose as it closes, he’ll be less likely to try that again.

Be careful about what you teach your animal
unintentionally.
Our pets learn from all their interactions with us, not just the ones we think of as training. When your nervous dog barks fearfully at something and you pet him to calm him down, you have just unintentionally told him, “Good dog, that was a good response to that situation.” Do you want your dog to respond that way all the time? If not, you must tell him so in some other way.

B
E
THE
T
EACHER

Teach your pet that you’re worth learning from. At first your dog will listen to you because your voice is new and interesting. But if you don’t capitalize on that initial interest and consistently reinforce his paying attention to you, don’t be surprised if your dog starts to tune you out unless you raise your voice or take strong action.

Make it real.
Take pleasure in your dog and your role as his teacher and leader. You can’t fake it for long. Your dog provides an excellent excuse for you to be enthusiastic, silly, playful, and creative. Using treats helps to pique a dog’s interest in new things, but unless you link your praise and enthusiasm with this initial motivation, he’ll end up responding to food but not to you.

Be clear about what you want and show
him exactly what it takes to be a “good dog”
in your eyes.
You don’t want your dog to rush up to visitors and bark at them, but what do you want him to do? A dog will find it much easier to learn “When the doorbell rings, I go and sit quietly on my bed” than the vague concept “I can do anything but rush up at people and bark too many times.” The simpler and more consistent the association, the more likely it is to build. Doorbell-bed-sit is much easier than “Anything but …”

Put a beginning and an end on your requests.
Called a “release,” this important dog training idea is often neglected in practice. When you teach your dog to stay, watch, or heel, teach him that your command continues till you say it’s over by using a releasing word like “okay.” This signals that he now may get up or look away or stop heeling. If you let a command end without a release, he learns that you’re in charge of when things start, but he can decide when they end.

Have high expectations of your dog, but
be sure they’re reasonable ones.
Do expect your pet to listen to you the first time you make a request that he has learned thoroughly. Correct, don’t punish, if he doesn’t. But don’t expect him to make judgment calls. If he’s allowed on the couch at home, don’t get mad at him if he jumps on the couch at your in-laws’.

Use gentle training aids.
There are new halters for dogs that can be especially helpful for gently gaining control. Individualize your training to suit your dog’s temperament. Breeds and individual dogs differ widely in their interest in and responses to training and handling. Is your dog a timid Sheltie or a gregarious Lab? Adapt the intensity and timing of your corrections and praise accordingly. Terriers require lightening-quick responses. Hounds welcome extra enthusiasm. Notice what kind of activity your dog especially loves, such as playing ball or going for a walk, and use that as a reward.

Use repeated cues to help get your point
across.
To praise your dog, speak in a varied and interesting voice, petting him and showing your affection. To discourage undesired behavior, give timely corrections with a
leash and use a no-nonsense tone of voice.

Use proper timing.
Always correct your dog
while
he is misbehaving, never after the fact, while he is partially behaving well. He will associate your correction or your praise with what he did a half-second ago, not with what he did or thought before that. For instance, if you scold him as he’s taking his sweet time ambling over to you after you’ve called him, he won’t know that you’re unhappy about his slowness, he’ll just think it’s a bad idea to come at all.

Think of training your pet as an exercise
in cross-cultural communication.
We are a highly verbal species, but dogs are not. You are helping your pet understand the language of the dominant culture (human). To do so, you must try to become at least a little bilingual, taking the time to learn dog (or cat) culture. You may sometimes feel more comfortable interpreting your pet’s behavior in human terms than in trying to grasp the perspective of another species. But it will be easier to get past that obstacle if you embrace the challenge of showing your pet how to fit into this world successfully.

Be patient with yourself.
You’re learning something new, too. Building a solid relationship with your pet is a great investment, and it does take plenty of time and energy. You may feel awkward as you ease into the task. It can be emotionally challenging at times to be firm, patient, and clear, or to keep from venting your anger at your pet’s mistakes.

Hold on to the deeper parts of your connection
with your pet.
Don’t let your leader role be an obstacle to your companionship. You’re not dominating or taking advantage of your dog; you’re showing you care enough about him to learn a way to interact that makes his life happier and more successful.

PROBLEM BEHAVIORS IN DOGS: BARKING

Many canine problem behaviors—such as excessive barking, biting, destructiveness, chasing, and other aggressive actions—are beyond simple training techniques. Here’s where the whole-relationship, whole-environment approach outlined earlier in this chapter is really crucial. Sometimes a simple change will solve a problem. Bringing your dog inside at night may stop his barking. But often, undesirable behaviors are a normal canine response to a confusing environment. Are you giving mixed or unintended messages? Are your pet’s important emotional needs being met? Deal with the problem head on as soon as you can. Otherwise, it can become a time bomb that explodes into serious consequences.