Recall = Dog Trainer’s Term for “Coming When Called”

Use a long line to ensure success and safety when you first start practicing in big open spaces. This is a beautiful recall. "Good Girl!"

Ouch! How do I get my puppy to stop biting me?

One great method for teaching puppies not to bite is to use a hand block when you are playing games with toys.  This is a way for your puppy to learn about self-control and bite inhibition.  The goal is for the pup to learn that teeth on toys is acceptable and fun, whereas teeth on skin is NOT allowed and will end all fun immediately.

Select a toy that is small or “scrunchy” so that you can easily hide it behind your two hands when the time comes.  A tennis ball, small rope bone, small stuffed animal, or small squeaker – all will work great.  Once you have a dog who loves to play with a toy, you are ready to go!  Get the dog excited about the toy by letting him chase it and pounce at it.  Then, suddenly pick up the toy and hide it behind your two hands with the back of your hands facing the dog.  Watch the video to see what I mean.

When you hand block the toy, it is critical that you keep your hands out right in front of the dog to give him a choice.  He can either bite your hands, or stand back for a second and wait.  If he bites your hands you will NOT continue the game.  You can completely ignore him and keep your hands still, right where they are, or you can stand up and turn away for a few seconds.  I like to completely ignore, but some people find their pups bite too hard for that.  If you did ignore the biting, you will notice that at some point the pup stops and stands back.  Watch for that split second when the pup stops biting and moves back.  NOW, praise and immediately start moving the toy around on the floor again as a play reward!  You are rewarding the instant the pup decides to stand back and wait rather than jump at your hands and bite them.

Repeat this over and over, making it NO fun if the dog bites or jumps at you (no play), and LOTS of fun when the dog shows self control by waiting for you each time you do a hand block (the reward for the pup standing back is another chance to chase the toy, tug, or fetch).  Notice how the Westie in the video never touches his teeth to my skin.  Watch him carefully when I hand block.  See how he turns his mouth away  right when I do it?  He didn’t start out that way.  He learned it!

If you want to be the leader of your pack, you must have great TIMING when you communicate with your dog.

If your timing is not good, dogs can’t understand you.
Know this: dogs that can’t understand you will TUNE YOU OUT.  Follow this simple logic:

1. The only way your dog can do what you want is if he understands what you want.

2. For your dog to understand what you want, your message must make PERFECT sense to him.

3. And in order for your message to make sense, your timing when communicating praise or disappointment must be perfectly in sync with your dog’s actions.

One of the best sum-up phrases I’ve heard to describe this concept is: Dog Training is letting a dog know whether you like or dislike a behavior WHILE it is happening.

Most dog owners botch this simple concept.  In many ways.  The good news is it’s easy to get better at this and you will see your leadership status rise. Let’s look at a few examples that will help you sharpen your canine communication.

Example 1: Praise and reward on time. Let’s say you want to teach your dog to walk politely on leash. You’d like to see him keep the leash loose and pay attention to where you are (as opposed to just launching down the street as if you don’t exist on the other end).  Most owners miss opportunities to let the dog know which behaviors they like on leash.  Here’s what you do: during the exact instant when your dog is: 1) keeping the leash loose, or 2) looking at you – PRAISE!  Reward!

Rewards can be chest or belly scratches, playing with a toy, food treats, chase games – whatever works.  The more varied the rewards the better.  This works especially well with young pups who haven’t yet learned to pull on leash.

Example 2: If you don’t like a behavior, interrupt or correct on time.  Your dog is about to take food from your coffee table. The best time to say “No” or “Leave It” is RIGHT BEFORE SHE STEALS the FOOD – when she’s in the “stalking” act.  How do you know your dog is about to steal the food?  Look at her!  She’s sniffing it from 1 foot away, now 6 inches, now…  What are you waiting for?  Tell her now – when you know she’s beginning the sequence of the unwanted behavior.

If you wait until she has eaten some food – you’re WAY too late.  The payoff for the stealing is extremely rewarding.  Yum, lips are being licked.  Your dog will repeat this behavior – guaranteed.

Another bad side effect of this:  if you’ve tried some kind of correction after she’s eaten the stolen goods – you’ve now rendered your communication meaningless.  She’s learning that what you say means nothing because it is AFTER the BEHAVIOR already happened.  Late corrections are not only confusing and damaging to your relationship, you’re actually teaching your dog NOT to listen to you because you make no sense.

Want another common example under the same category?  This one is brutal and it still shocks me that there are people out there who think this works.  If you scold your dog for a pee or poop accident that you found AFTER it happened – you are playing the fool. Your late correction make absolutely no sense to your dog.  Don’t believe me?

Here’s what you sound like to yourself when you do this: “Dog, don’t you ever urinate or poop in this spot again!”

Here’s what you sound like to your dog: “Dog, I am so angry but how would you know why!? Sometimes when I stand near a puddle of pee or a poop I just act like an angry idiot!  Isn’t this confusing and weird! Isn’t it! There’s no reason for you to think of me as a clear communicator!  NO REASON!!!  I just get ANGRY sometimes around pee or poop.  If you see me near the stuff, look submissive (guilty in human terms).  That might keep me from getting really mad.”

Do you see the point?  Your dog can learn that you get angry when there’s pee or poop around but that doesn’t teach her anything about the ACTION of peeing or pooping or WHERE to do it. TIMING!

Example 3: You reward your dog for behaviors that aren’t good, rather than for specific behaviors that you like. First of all,  remember that rewarding your dog all the time renders rewards meaningless.

Second of all, rewarding your dog after an undesirable behavior will make that behavior stronger. Yikes.  This one is common.  I see it all the time with puppy parents.  They continue to play with their puppy, even when the puppy is biting their hands and arms hard, and in out-of-control fashion.  If you keep having fun with a pup who is playing rudely, you are rewarding this style of play.  Timing!  Teach your pup that he must take all of his feisty energy out on the toy you are playing with, NOT on your skin or clothing.  If your pup insists on biting YOU – don’t continue the game.

Here’s a great tip: for very mouthy pups, get long toys that keep your hands and arms out of the picture while you stand up!  For a homemade version, tie together a bunch of old socks or a t-shirt. If you use socks, you can drop a ball in the bottom sock for added effect.  Let your pup chase and grab that toy while you stand up or sit in a chair, well out of range of those needle teeth.

The Wrap: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into someone’s home and within five minutes the dog will listen to me more readily than they have ever listened to their owner.  People remark on it all the time.  Is it because I use some kind of mystical dog telepathy?  Nope.  There’s no such thing.  It’s because I am a CLEAR COMMUNICATOR.  Dogs love it!  They can see right away that they’ll be able to understand which behaviors I like and which behaviors I don’t.  It’s timing. It makes you a leader.  Focus on your timing, and you’ll suddenly see your dog start to understand you.

The leader is the one in control of the resources.  Some dogs need to be in control of everything.  Others are totally passive.  Most are somewhere in between.  Either way, you can be sure your dog knows exactly who controls the resources.

Two Dogs Playfully Decide Who Will Control the Coveted Stick. Dog-to-Dog Behavior in Relation to Resource Control is Similar to Dog-Human.

What do I mean by resources?  I mean the things that matter most to your dog.  And every dog is different.

I took a survey of 1 million dogs, asking them which resources were most important to them, here’s what they said:

• Food
• Toys
• Resting Areas
• Water
• Territory
• Entrances/Exits
• Access to other dogs
• People (and their attention)
• Whatever all the other dogs want

(No, I did not really survey dogs.  They can’t talk or write.  But this is pretty close to what they would have said.)

Ok, so here’s the deal: If your dog doesn’t appreciate that you control the resources, he won’t see you as a leader.  How does this happen?

Example 1 – The lowest level of leadership: You give everything away for free. Your dog gets so much attention, food, access to preferred resting areas, etc that he has absolutely no appreciation for any of it.  He doesn’t believe you control anything.  In fact, he thinks you are his slave.  You have no expectation of good behavior from him before you give him anything, and therefore he doesn’t bother listening to a word you say.

(Unless the words are “Here shmoopy, have a marrow bone.”)

Example 2 – The Illusion of Leadership. You are eating a sandwich.  You think you’re in control of it.  But you’re not.  Why?  Because all your dog has to do is come over and perform a certain behavior that works every time.  You’ll give up a piece of your meal, she’s certain.  This could be begging, barking, nudging, jumping – whatever – your dog knows it works.  If somehow it doesn’t work the first time, she escalates to a more obnoxious behavior (bark louder, nudge harder).  Then you give in.  She doesn’t dream for one moment that the item is yours.  You’re just holding it for her.

Example 3 – Actual Leadership. You don’t share everything.  Sometimes you keep certain things all to yourself.  Like your bed.  Or your meals.  Sometimes you share, but sometimes you say NO.  And when you say no, you stick with your decision.  This gains you respect, teaches your dog patience.  This builds frustration tolerance (don’t own a dog without it).  Teaching your dog to accept limits and boundaries makes you a leader.

This doesn’t mean you can’t share your bed with your dog, of course you can.  But if you ask your dog to get off, does he get off?  If so – wonderful, he respects your control over this resting area.  That’s a sign of your leadership.  It’s tough to be a leader without control over your own bed. (!)

The Wrap: Please DO share generously with your dogs, but not everything, not all the time.  And when you share, make it clear that it’s YOUR choice.  Remember leaders initiate, followers react.  Only share with a dog who is being polite.  A great example is to have your dog lie down quietly while you prepare their food, then YOU release them to eat it once you place it on the floor.  This shows that you control the resources and you initiate the decisions.

Hi! Please read this letter, I worked hard on it. (Have you ever tried writing without thumbs?!)

Dear Human Parent,

I love you and I’m so happy to be here with you.  This is going to be a great time, but can we please get on the same page with one thing right away?  It will be so much more fun for both of us if you teach me EXACTLY where you want me to potty.

Please follow these SIX SIMPLE RULES and then I’ll know where to pee and poop! Just be consistent and give me some time to figure it all out.

Today, we’ll start with…

RULE 1:

When you’re not watching me, please keep me in an area where I can’t make any mistakes. I don’t want to screw up, but if you let me walk around anywhere in the house I just know I’ll pee and poop all over.  I can’t think of a single reason not to.

~

By the way, I don’t mind hanging out in my own special den.  A crate, a pen, or a small room is cool by me as long as you show me that it’s a safe, relaxing place.  It wouldn’t hurt if you made the space extra fun, especially in the beginning while I’m getting used to it.  If it’s somewhere that treats and chewies are regularly found, I’m sure to like it!  And please give me plenty of exercise in between my time relaxing.  Do that, and  let me experience separation from you very gradually at first.  Then I’m totally cool with it all, promise.

If you want me to use a wee pad, make my special den space JUST big enough to have a wee pad and a small separate area for me to hang out in.  Make sure the separate floor space has a VERY different surface texture than the pad!  I’ve heard those exercise pens you get in pet stores are perfect for creating a den with a wee pad.  They can even be set up so you surround the pad on all three sides with the walls.  This makes it much easier for me to hit the target.  Believe me, that’s great!  Any help you give to make this as easy as possible for me is appreciated.  The idea of knowing EXACTLY where to pee and poop takes some time for me to get used to and I just can’t figure it out on my own.

If you prefer to skip the wee pads, that’s just fine by me. But, if you want me to hold it in until you take me out of the den, then please make my den space smaller.  Naturally, I prefer to keep a small space clean.  If you give me a lot of space, believe me, I’ll just go poop over there and nap over here.  I can’t help it.  That just seems to work fine for me.  Oh, and don’t forget not to leave me in there too long – I can’t hold it forever you know!  And I do like to balance my alone time with fun time!

Thanks so much for listening.  You seem like a great owner.  I’m excited about this relationship!

The Myth:  In order to housetrain a puppy, you must show him repeatedly and with authority that peeing or pooping in the WRONG spot will lead to being scolded. (INCORRECT!)

The Real Deal: Housetraining a puppy is setting him up to go in the RIGHT spot, over and over.  For every time you catch and interrupt your dog while he is soiling the wrong place, you should have at least 25 instances of him going in the RIGHT place.  In other words, accidents should be RARE.

Whose job is it to get your pup to go in the right place? Yours.  You must set your dog up for success.  That’s why scolding doesn’t work – because it doesn’t lead to rewarding experiences.  Remember, rewards drive behavior.  If it works for the dog, he’ll repeat it.

Very soon I’ll post a complete set of can’t-miss housetraining instructions.  In the meantime, read The Real Deal above again, and again.  The Myth regarding scolding could not be more wrong. Embrace this concept or not only will your dog fail to learn housetraining, he will also lose trust in you.  Pups who are trying to learn the rules will not connect with an owner who gives corrections more than giving direction.  Excess corrections are confusing and stressful.  That’s no way to build a bond.

The Wrap: Puppy raising is all about setting the dog up for success. Manage the environment and the schedule.  Create the behavior patterns you want to see in the adult dog.  Works every time!