The Durango Herald
"Durango Dog Tales" column by Julie Winkelman, CPDT, CDT
Subject: socialization
Subject: Managing an active dog, environmental enrichments
Subject: Trail manners
Subject: Training skills
"Exactly Who is the Trainer Here, Anyway" Durango Herald February 18th, 2011
Subject: Being alert for training opportunities
"Time to Tune Your Canine Alarm System" Durango Herald March 18th, 2011Subject: Fear/Aggression at the front door
"Introducing a New Dog to the Family Pack" Durango Herald April 15th, 2011Subject: Adding a new dog
"Dog Services: It's a Maze of Certifications, etc." Durango Herald May 20th, 2011 Subject: Explanation of lincensing, certifications, etc.
"Dog Play: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" Durango Herald June 17th, 2011 Subject: Understanding dog play
Should I Train My Dog Like the TV Trainers Durango Herald July 15th, 2011Subject: Utilizing the best of the TV reality shows
"Take Precautions When Hiking With Canines" Durango Herald August 19th, 2011Subject: Hiking safely
"Training Foster Dogs Teaches Patients to Both Animal and Human", Durango Herald September 16th, 2011Subject: Being patient
"Training Offers Dogs True Freedom", Durango Herald October 21st, 2011Subject: Great dog stories
"Mourning the Loss of a Friend" Durango Herald November 18th, 2011Subject: Dealing with the death of a dog
"Tips for a Safe, Sane Holiday with your Dog" Durango Herald December 16th, 2011Subject: Helping your dog stay out of trouble over the holidays
"Impulse Control is the Hallmark of a Well-Trained Dog" Durango Herald January 20th, 2012Subject: Impulse control
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Durango Herald
Article published Jan 20th, 2012
Impulse control is hallmark of well-trained dog
Not many dogs come with a natural
ability to control their impulses. They spot a cat, they run to it. They find
food, they eat it. They see something exciting, they bark at it.
Puppies and untrained dogs do what
they want, when they want, just like out-of-control 2-year-old kids.
When it comes right down to it,
though, inhibiting impulses is a big part of what it takes to be a trained dog,
a well-behaved child or a trustworthy citizen.
Surprisingly, the essence of a
well-trained dog is not found in the robotic ability to perform commands but
rather in a dog’s ability to control basic desires. Teaching your dog basic
obedience is fundamental, but the difference between trained and well-trained
lies in a dog’s ability to find self-control.
Because impulse control isn’t
innate, it must be taught by starting with small challenges and building to
higher levels of difficulty. With that in mind, you can begin teaching impulse
control by working through these steps:
Step 1: Teach your dog to ask for
attention, not demand it. Teach him that jumping on you, pawing at you or
barking at you for attention doesn’t work. When your dog is demanding, find a
way to remove any benefit that there might be for the behavior. If you walk
through the door and your dog jumps on you, turn right back around and leave.
Repeat this until he figures out that jumping isn’t working. If your dog barks
at you for attention, calmly put him in the laundry room, bathroom or a crate
for a few minutes for a time-out. Be sure to reward your dog for good behavior,
such as sitting politely for petting. By controlling the consequences of your
dog’s actions, you can help him work toward better impulse control.
Step 2: Sit and stay for meals. This
is a surprisingly easy exercise, even for dogs that haven’t learned the stay
command. Prepare your dog’s meal as usual. While holding the food bowl, tell
your dog to sit and then give the stay command. Lower the bowl to the ground at
normal speed (by lowering it slowly or in a jerky fashion, you actually make
the sit/stay more difficult to maintain.) If your dog gets up, raise the food
bowl back up and put her back into a sit/stay. You will need to repeat this a
few times before your dog realizes that getting up causes the food bowl to go
away. Once he can maintain a stay for a few seconds, release him with “OK.” You
can gradually extend the length of time you expect your dog to maintain the
sit/stay or even practice leaving the room and returning before releasing him.
Step 3: Sit and stay at the door.
Teach your dog that the only way to earn access to the outdoors is to control
the impulse to bolt and then wait for your release (“OK”). Put your dog into
the sit/stay position and open the door. If your dog moves to get up,
immediately close the door. Repeat this until your dog can wait calmly with the
door open before you release him. If your dog is especially adept at slipping
through the door, clip on a leash for added safety.
We teach our children to mature by
learning to control outbursts and focus on tasks. We require people to abide by
laws and regulations so that we can function better as a society. Learning to
control impulses, such as throwing a temper tantrum in the second grade or
punching out the guy with the ringing cellphone at the movies is all part of
growing up. Why would we ask less of our dogs?
Julie Winkelman is a certified pet
dog trainer and a certified dog trainer. Reach her at www.alphacanineacademy.com.
Durango Herald
Article published Feb 18, 2011
Who exactly is the dog trainer here, anyway?
Every interaction you have with your dog is training. That’s a powerful statement when you stop to think about it.
It
means that you constantly are communicating with your dog, and that all
of your movements, reactions and verbalizations are giving your dog
feedback about how to behave in the future.
Many dog owners have seen bad habits form in their dogs but are at a loss as to why they ever started in the first place.
Behaviors
like jumping on people, begging at the table and whining for attention
all begin innocently enough but are reinforced by the very people who
complain when they happen.
Do you hug your dog when she jumps on you?
Have you ever slipped a piece of pork chop to your dog?
You guessed it – that’s training! But not the sort of training that benefits you or your dog.
You can help to prevent bad habits by keeping “TABS” on your dog:
T
– Teamwork is important. Get everyone on the same page. Have a quick
family meeting to decide what the household rules should be for your
dog.
Do you think it’s just fine to give table scraps to your dog from the table? Does everyone else agree?
Would you like your dog to stay out of the kitchen while you are cooking?
What should everyone do when they come home and the dog jumps on them?
Make
a plan so that each family member understands what the rules are. And
don’t be afraid to ask that your friends abide by your wishes, either.
A
– Attend to your dog. Be aware of what your dog is doing so that you
can correct bad behaviors and reward good ones. Supervision especially
is important for puppies and dogs that lack impulse control.
Unconsciously
petting your dog every time she nudges you with her muzzle teaches her
that poking you “works.” Unless you want to be nudged a lot, don’t
reinforce that behavior.
On the
other hand, if your dog sits politely for petting when a friend is
invited into your home, you better let her know you are pleased. The
next time, she might decide to jump on the visitor since sitting quietly
didn’t pay-off.
B – Be consistent.
If you give your dog a pretzel when she paws at your leg one time but
yell at her the next time she does the same thing, there is little
chance that she will figure out what you want.
The
promise of getting a treat even once in every 10 tries can be enough to
keep your dog trying. Think about playing a slot machine, for instance.
You may not have hit a jackpot in years, but that doesn’t stop you from
trying every time you find yourself at the casino.
S
– Supply consequences. This is one of the pillars of leadership,
whether parenting a child, teaching a class, supervising a department or
training a dog.
Dogs do what
“works.” If your dog refuses to drop the tennis ball you just threw, and
you chase her to get it back, she thinks you just added a little extra
excitement to the game.
If you
stop the game and go inside, she’s left with no one to play with. It may
take a few repetitions before she realizes that giving the ball back
keeps the game going.
But she’ll figure it out.
Remember, every interaction with your dog is training, so either you are training your dog, or she is training you.
By
keeping “TABS” on your dog, you will help her maintain polite behavior
and prevent bad habits from developing in the first place.
Reach Julie Winkelman (CPDT, CDT) at alphacanineacademy.com
