Summer Skills for Dogs

Does your dog have “summer skills”?  Sure, you’re busy.  Dog classes take time.  And, anyway, Fido might not be welcome at your cousin’s wedding or your nephew’s graduation anyhow.

But, why should your dog miss out on the fun you should be having together in your own back yard?  Could it be because he doesn’t have skills such as “leave it” or “please don’t jump up” that he isn’t a participant in the festivities – pool parties, cookouts, and other family events?

There’s hope!  You can teach new tricks to dogs of any age!  If you find yourself saying “No!” a lot, or putting your dog away when people come to the house, for fear he will nose them in their nether regions, have his nose on their plates, or muss up their white pants with a paw print or two, it’s probably time to take a good, positive, basic manners class.   This is especially important for young puppies.  But, it's also important for dogs that are in the adolescent age range – from age 17 weeks through adulthood.  Reiterating our expectations during this “lemon brain” period, as Jean Donaldson calls it in her landmark book, The Culture Clash, is probably very worthwhile, because the dog is now of an age and size where jumping up is no longer cute, and downright irritating if white pants have muddy prints on them, or those nails are scratching people’s bare skin not covered by shorts.

In winter, we spend a lot of time alone with our dogs at home, we don’t tend to have that many parties, and when we do they are indoors.  But, in good weather, we are out, and if the dog is not well mannered, sadly, he is in.  A good basic manners class can help families change that, so that their otherwise great dogs can join in the fun, too! 

The three basic "summer skills" – no jumping up, come when called, and leave it, are among the skills taught in any good positive reinforcement class.  As a trainer, it saddens me that a basic class is probably enough to help you train Fido to keep his nose off your plate and his paws off of all those white pants and bare legs, yet not enough people take advantage of training at this time of year.  If you find yourself locking Fido up when company comes, or continually saying “No – stop it – off – down!” with no result, maybe it’s time to train before the summer has become fall and Fido spends the good weather away from all the fun!

It's never necessary to use harsh tools such as choke, prong, or shock collars to teach these skills.  Dogs tend to repeat behavior that works, so if they are after attention, the secret to good training is to only give them attention when they are doing *appropriate* behavior, AND to teach them alternative behaviors that they are allowed and even encouraged to do.  So, for example, the dog that jumps up should get absolutely nothing for doing that (not even "no"), but he could EARN a treat for going to his mat, or for lying down quietly or for simply keeping his feet on the ground.  And, wonder of wonders, the more the dog is rewarded for the good behavior, the more of it he does!  The key is to learn how to use a motivator the dog is willing to work for, and to learn to use it in the correct manner so that it isn't a bribe.

For more information on this type of training, visit www.petprofessionalguild.com. You may want to look at their flyer on "Proper Use of Food in Training."

Or, visit my web page's Resources section: www.pawsforpraise.com.