Does your dog respond with a hesitant motion as he approaches you when called? Did you notice that when you first called him to “come” your tone was sweet and approachable? The longer your dog appears to be ignoring you, the firmer your tone.
First, make sure your dog understands the command. I am writing this post not to talk about teaching the “come” command, but rather the danger in grabbing your dog’s collar every time you want them to go where they don’t particularly want to go. Does he flinch a little when you reach for him because he knows you’re going to grab his collar? He’s telling you “don’t touch me there!”
If every time you call your dog to you, you grab their collar, I can almost guarantee you that soon they will avoid your hand even if the intention is just to pet them. Take the time to call your dog to you without an ulterior motive. Don’t grab them every time they approach, even if it is in your mind for something “good.”
They learn very quickly to get close enough to you that you can’t reach for them. If I’m repeating myself on this subject, it is because it’s worth repeating. Watch how rapidly your dog approaches someone who hasn’t conditioned them and is eager for their hand to reach toward them.
It’s the equivalent of your being called to come to someone and when you eagerly get to them they grab your collar and lead you somewhere. That probably wouldn’t happen twice!
–I will add that if you dog is in harm’s way and they respond when called to you, grab their collar, scruff of the neck, tail, anything so that they can’t be hurt. You can “fix” the emotional scarring later. =) —
“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too!” Samuel Butler
Have you ever walked over something that made you trip and you quickly look back – not to see what you tripped on but to see who’s laughing at you? Why is watching someone almost fall so funny? I think our dogs are more kind when we make a fool of ourselves than human observers!
My advice – when you are out in public, take a dog. No one will notice you as you trip over the invisible crack in the sidewalk. Your dog will, but I can promise that he’ll trip along with you and stop to lick you if you’re down.
I’m constantly reminded how similar our relationships with our pets are to the relationship we have with humans.
My Great Dane is so in need of a constant reminder that I think she’s a “good” girl. Not mentioning any names, I’ve known a few women that can get caught in that level of insecurity. She came to me with a history of instability. As is true for a lot of rescued dogs (insert humans), they have a history that needs to be healed before they can move on.
I’m learning to balance the right amount of affection and attention for Violet. If I were to give her a lot of attention in an attempt to over-compensate for her past, I’d be doing her a disservice. She needs to learn to trust me and my intentions toward her. She needs and deserves to be a confident creature that is not too “needy.”
There is a balance we need to have with our pets. Some times, it’s a bit of an “I love you – now go away!” Haven’t we all felt that way toward a human or two?
Shortly after this video clip, I was saying. . .you guessed it – “I love you, now go away!”
Wait! Don’t let your blood pressure rise. . .I’m just messin’ with you! Dogs, if given the chance will thrive in an environment that is “natural” to them. If a dog is allowed to be outside and has a lot of room to roam, they will adapt to that. If a dog is kept in a high-rise condo and taken out for daily walks, they will adapt to that environment.
I can’t speak for the dog. Maybe they’d all prefer to go back to their roots and exist at least part of the time as their particular breed was intended. I do know that if they are given exercise, structure, food, and affection, they seem to be what we’d call happy. If you are providing all of these, I wouldn’t stress about what it is you aren’t providing. Dogs living in shelters would gladly take their place.
My dogs love running on the property and chasing (killing and eating) lizards and whatever else they can find. They also express great pleasure in coming inside and curling up on a cozy bed and sleeping by the fireplace. The latter certainly isn’t a pleasure their ancestors enjoyed. I’m sure they would have if given the chance.
It was especially cold this particular night . . .I don’t know, do you think they are happy?
There are various methods for training and it can be confusing. As far as I’m concerned, the only absolute is that you don’t need to hit your dog. Should you use hand signals? Treat or no treat? Is there a right or wrong way to train? On-leash or off-leash?
Start somewhere. Training and behavior modification go hand-in-hand. Consistency and intention are the common denominators regardless of the method you choose.
It’s no wonder that our dogs wait anxiously at the front door. Good things happen there. Other than the observation of a bird in the tree or a car going by, the front door usually represents something good.
Most don’t open the door to someone they aren’t glad to see. Our dogs learn from us that the front door is an exciting place. First off, it’s where we come in (unless it’s the garage door, etc). When our friends or family arrive, we exude an energy that tells our dog “get excited – they’re here!”
So, if an over-exuberant dog at the front door is going to annoy who is arriving (or you), ask your guests to never return or see if lowering your level of energy and taking the focus off your dog helps. Here’s how to work with your dog at the front door.
I’m not talking about black, white, brindle, harlequin, etc., I’m talking about what is your dog’s favorite color?
For so long, we were told that dogs are color-blind, meaning they see black and white and various shades of gray. In the 1980’s studies were done that proved otherwise. Dogs do see “in color.” They don’t see color as we do. . .
“Instead, dogs see “VIBYYYR” (Violet, Indigo, Blue, Yellow, and Red). The colors Green, Yellow, and Orange all look alike to dogs; but look different from Red and different from the various Blues and Purples. Dogs are very good at telling different shades of VIB apart. Finally, Blue-Green looks White to dogs.”
This article explains the study. I knew that Olive saw color when she picked out this hat with a yellow daisy. They were her favorite.
Not! There are some training methods that encourage hitting your dog to get it to understand what not to do. One of the techniques is whacking the dog on the nose with a rolled up magazine or paper. And, I’m not talking about a tap either.
I won’t say this form of training doesn’t work. It does. It works like spanking kids with a paper worked. We may have flinched every time the person who enforced that discipline walked by whether we had done anything or not. This may also be true for the dog “trained” in this manner.
Most people who ask me my opinion on hitting a dog, are asking because it’s not an action they want to take – they just don’t know what to do. They don’t want to intentionally inflict pain on their pet. Nor should they.
If you have reached the point of frustration because your dog just doesn’t get what you want from them, step back and see if you’ve actually shown them in a way they understand. If this behavior is out of your control or has to do with aggression, contact a behavorist for assistance, or send me your question in the box to the right.
Hitting your dog can make them hand-shy and it’s not an action they will always respect.
It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of retractable leashes. I understand why they are used and were initially thought of as the latest and greatest leash option. My dislike:
Lack of control
Actually, that’s no control for most of those on the opposite end of the leash
Your dog thinks it’s large and in charge
The dog that your friendly fido is approaching isn’t thrilled with the retractable leash continually extending as an uncontrolled dog is barking and running toward them. (Add to that fido’s human yelling above the barking that their dog is friendly =)
The retractable leash is ok if you are taking your dog out for a potty break and want to give it space to sniff around without letting it off leash. Beyond that, unless it is kept retracted, I don’t recommend this leash for training or when control is needed.
Trust is an interesting topic. It’s interesting for human relationships and the relationship we have with our dogs. We can love someone, but if we don’t trust them, the relationship isn’t likely to last. This goes for our life with our dog(s) as well as with other humans. While our dogs can’t technically leave us, the companionship we could experience will be missing.
When you call your dog to come to you, they have to trust that your intention for them is something they consider to be good. When you feed them and slip in some medicine, if the taste is horrible they may not be so trusting at their next meal.
Trust is an important aspect of teaching your dog to swim. If you are going to be around a swimming pool, they need to know how to get out should they ever fall in . You don’t want to throw them in and hope for the best. You have to help, show, and teach them. Even when they trust you, their fear may be greater!
I took Mac swimming yesterday for the first time. He’s part Lab (he’s a Labradoodle) so he likes water. I assisted him onto the steps and took it very slowly from there. What I learned, is how much he trusts me. Within a brief period of time, he was leaping after me even though he wasn’t quite grasping how to use has back legs to keep him afloat and accelerate his approach to me.
He received massive praise and was never allowed to sink. Still, what impressed me was his level of trust. He was somewhat afraid but didn’t hesitate to keep trying; all the while knowing that I would be there to catch and support him if needed. It shows the value of my consistent behavior toward him. He absolutely knew that I would not let anything bad happen.
Would your dog trust you? We’ll talk about humans later. =) While you contemplate this, watch Mac enjoy his after-swim-lesson relaxation time.
