by Zak George
See, ideally, if you have a puppy, it’s critical you go out of your way to provide him with an array of experiences. Expose him to dogs, cats, and other animals. (Of course, check with your vet first to make sure your puppy is sufficiently vaccinated for such encounters—but note that experts often say your dog doesn’t have to be fully vaccinated for such exposure.11)
Let your dog play with children and get petted by strangers of any gender and of all races and sizes. Turn on your hair dryer, expose your dog to someone with a beard or glasses, let him see a motorcycle race by, and make sure he hears the garbage truck on your street.
You get it—the more experiences, the better. When you take a proactive approach to exposing your dog to lots of new things and making sure to provide fun, enjoyable outcomes surrounding those things—like treats, playtime, or some affection—then dogs are less likely to have social issues. Also, even though six to fourteen weeks is the critical socialization period, keep making it a point to expose your puppy to new experiences throughout his first eight to twelve months. Every little bit of socialization helps.
I know not everyone gets a puppy. Many of you have saved a homeless dog from your local shelter or adopted an adult dog from a rescue group. Maybe your dog appears to be uncomfortable around men, children, big dogs, beach balls, or something else. What are you to do now that these perceptions are ingrained within your dog? The good news is hope is far from lost.
While it may take some additional time and patience, you can likely overcome these issues with basic counterconditioning, the process of creating a pleasant association with something that currently causes a dog to act unpleasantly. For example, if your dog is scared of men, then repeated exposure to nice men who play with your dog and give him treats may elicit a different reaction from him over time. Or if your dog currently goes bananas when the vacuum is turned on, then gradually turning on the vacuum for short periods of time while rewarding him with good treats may ultimately help him act much more calmly next time you’re doing some housecleaning.
This, combined with exercise, continued socialization, and controlling your dog’s environment, is likely to yield great results. For example, if your dog is wary of children and he is around a child, make sure that the child and your dog do not interact to prevent escalating your dog’s uneasiness. Then, you could take steps to help your dog become more comfortable around kids by arranging mellow encounters where, say, a child sits nearby while you play with your dog and possibly moves closer over time. This is desensitization at work!
With some patience and understanding and making sure your pet knows he can trust you, most dogs show dramatic improvement on issues relating to socialization over time. However, there isn’t always a fix for dogs with more extreme social issues. Some dogs should never be around cats, for example, while others may never like certain surfaces (like grass or slippery floors), loud noises, or particular environments. And that’s okay!
We must accept our dogs for who they are. Yet, rest assured that if you follow the principles outlined throughout the book, you are likely to see improvement for most issues.
6. A Lapse in Training
Never blame your dog! It’s easy to hold dogs to a high standard because they usually demonstrate how smart they really are at a very young age. So we assume that if they’re not conforming to our expectations, then it must be their fault. However, if your dog chews something up, has an accident in the house, or consistently jumps all over houseguests, then you must understand that that’s a reflection of how well you have taught your dog the fundamentals.
Whenever there is a breakdown in how you want your dog to behave, ask yourself if you’re controlling the environment well enough, exercising your dog, and doing everything I addressed throughout chapter 1. Also, keep in mind that learning doesn’t happen by insisting or getting mad or frustrated. Instead, learning occurs when you break things down to where they’re easy enough for your dog to understand, and then you acknowledge every small success. Sometimes you have to take two steps backward and one step forward to see results. The great thing is that, when you remain patient and you and your dog start to click, you really start to see incredible progress!
CHAPTER 3
THE CRITICAL SKILLS
Before we delve into the behavioral issues and how to handle each one, it’s important to make sure you have a good handle on the fundamental skills every dog should know. A lot of these skills are actually the key to resolving many unwanted behaviors.
In my first book, Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution: The Complete Guide to Raising the Perfect Pet with Love, I cover these skills in great depth. And, of course, I address them on my YouTube channel.
In this chapter, I want to give you a quick refresher. Here are the essential skills your dog needs to know before you can address all the common training problems I cover in this book.
SIT AND DOWN
I often teach these two skills together because they rely on the same concept: lure training. Lure training is using a treat to coax your dog into a certain physical position. Here’s how to teach these skills:
Sit
1. Hold a small treat between your thumb and forefinger and make sure your dog sees it. Keeping it very close to your dog’s nose, move it over the bridge of her nose and up so that she lifts her nose directly up toward the ceiling or sky. This is lure training at its best! Just make sure you keep the treat and your dog’s nose close at all times, almost like magnets.
2. As your dog’s head tilts farther back, usually she will automatically sit down. (If she jumps up, you are likely starting with the treat too high above her face.) The second your dog’s hind legs touch the ground, say, “Yes! Sit!” once, and then give her the treat. Repeat this drill often.
3. Once your dog gets the hang of this, you can turn the lure into whatever hand signals you’d like to use. For example, you might say, “Sit!” as you point to the floor with your finger.
Down
1. Ask your dog to sit and then hold a treat very close to her nose. Very slowly move the treat down to the ground or down and inward toward her chest so that your dog follows the lure into a down position. When she lies down, say something like, “Great! Down!” and give her the treat.
2. You also have the option of “capturing” a down. For example, if you notice your dog is about to lie down—say, she’s turning in a circle or goes over to her bed—this would be your cue to say, “Down” as your dog performs the action. Over time, your dog will start making the connection between her behavior and the word down.
LEAVE IT
This skill is a fundamental part of all distraction training. It can also save your dog’s life—especially if she’s the type to eat any bit of litter or other objects she finds on the ground. Here’s how to teach this skill:
1. Put a piece of food in your hand and make sure your dog knows that it’s there. You might need to close your hand at first, especially if your dog is frantically trying to get at the food.
2. Within a minute or two, most dogs either become distracted by something else or lose interest for a microsecond. That’s when you immediately say, “Yes, leave it!” and then give your dog the food. Repeat this step a few times.
3. Next, place a piece of food on the floor in front of her. Again, your dog will probably lunge for it, so put your hand over the food, restricting her access to it, and say, “No.” Saying “no” always has a consequence; in this case it’s that she can’t have the food.
4. Begin to slowly reveal the food to your dog, making sure you cover it up each time your dog tries to get it prematurely. When your dog doesn’t go for it even for a fraction of a second, enthusiastically say, “Yes, leave it!” Then, pick up the reward and give it to her so she learns that rewards always come directly from you. Repeat this often.
5. As your dog shows that she understands “leave it,” begin doing
surprise primary “leave it” training sessions to start simulating real-life distractions. For instance, if you’re cooking in the kitchen, drop a morsel of food on the ground and ask your dog to “leave it.” Practice this as much as you can.
LOOK AT ME/WATCH ME
“Look at me” (or its variant “watch me”) is also one of the most important skills your dog needs to learn. First, if your dog doesn’t have eye contact with you, then it’s that much more difficult to teach her. Also, having your dog look at you is a critical step in making sure she listens to you around distractions. Here’s how to teach this skill:
1. Get at eye level with your dog and hold a treat directly in front of your eyes. Your dog will probably look at the treat and, as soon as you have eye contact with her, say, “Yes, look at me!” Start very close, keeping your training bubble—the distance between your dog’s eyes and your own—very small. Repeat this a few times.
2. Next, point to your eyes but without a treat in your hand. That way your dog is now looking at your finger, not at the food. Again, as soon as she looks at you, say, “Yes, look at me!” and then you can give her a treat with your other hand. Reward generously for weeks on this one.
3. Gradually stretch the training bubble by working your way up to being able to stand up. The goal is to be able to stand up and hold your dog’s gaze for up to ten seconds as she remains in front of you. Once you have your dog’s eyes on you, you’ll know you have her attention!
LEAVE IT/LOOK AT ME COMBO
Now that you’ve learned “leave it” and “look at me,” it’s time to combine them. This is a magical exercise because together these skills are the key to getting your dog to listen to you in the face of distractions. Your dog might leave something alone during a chill training session at home, but it’s very different asking her to do the same while you’re on a walk and she encounters a squirrel running by, another dog, or litter on the sidewalk. The purpose of the “leave it/look at me” drill is to make sure your dog understands the concept of choosing to look at you even when she sees something she wants. Here’s how to teach this skill:
1. In your home, put your dog on leash and do a basic “leave it” drill with a piece of meat. However, this time when your dog leaves the meat alone, encourage her to look at you by saying, “Look at me.” When she does, say, “Yes” and reward her. By doing this, you’re getting your dog’s attention on you instead of on a real piece of meat right in front of her!
2. Change things up a little bit. Take a favorite toy, drop it in front of your dog, and have her repeat the “leave it/look at me” drill. Practice this in a variety of ways as much as possible.
3. Now start walking around your house with your dog. As you do so, throw the meat or toy away, toward, or to the left or right of her, asking her to “leave it/look at me” each time. The idea is that you are preparing your dog for real-life distractions by showing her how to respond to mild distractions at first.
4. If you are doing well with this, move the lesson to your front yard or driveway. Since you’re changing a variable in your training—the location—your dog might be thrown off at first. Slow down and be patient while she gets the hang of it. As your dog gets better at this drill, take the opportunity to practice it in various situations.
COME
This is another vital skill that all dogs need to learn. The last thing you want is your dog running into harm’s way only to ignore you when you call her back to you. Here’s how to teach this skill:
1. Starting in a quiet, familiar environment, have your dog between you and, if possible, another person. If you’re teaching “come” by yourself, keep your dog on a long lead leash. Start with your dog a few feet from you. Show her that you have a treat in hand, and then call her to you in a really happy, enthusiastic voice. When she takes even one step toward you, praise her and say, “Great! Come!” Give her the reward. The key here is to make your dog realize that by coming to you, really awesome things are going to happen for her. If you’re working with another person, have him or her repeat the same drill so that your dog is running back and forth between the two of you.
2. Gradually increase the distance at which you ask your dog to come. If at any time during training, your dog stops coming to you, decrease the distance and slowly try to work back to that point. Also, practice this randomly and often when your dog doesn’t expect it, such as while you’re watching TV or sitting at a kitchen table working. This is how you’ll begin to help her generalize the concept outside of the initial training sessions.
3. Once you’ve succeeded repeatedly at home, it’s time to take your training sessions outside. Over the next several months of training, take your dog to lots of different places to practice “come.” This is how you’ll teach your dog to generalize this skill in various environments. Just make sure those areas are fenced in; otherwise, have your dog on a long lead leash so that you ultimately always have complete control.
STAY
You can divide “stay” training into three categories: stay for a period of time, stay with distance, and most important, stay while distracted. The key is adding only one new variable at a time so you don’t confuse your dog. Here’s how to teach these skills:
Stay for a Period of Time
1. Remaining close to your dog, ask her to sit and reward her when she does. As soon as she sits, put your palm facing her as though you’re telling her to stop. Find the tiniest reason to acknowledge a stay at this point. So if she doesn’t move, even for a split second, say, “Great, stay!” and reward her. If she does move, calmly say, “No” and try again.
2. Once you’ve mastered a brief stay for a few seconds, gradually add time to it. Start with one second, then two, and so on, working up to thirty seconds. Mix up the time periods you ask for along the way to avoid being too predictable. When you’re ready to release your dog from a stay, say something like, “Okay” or whatever word or phrase you choose to let your dog know the stay is over. If your dog breaks her stay at any point, say, “No,” withhold the reward, and try the drill again for a shorter period of time.
Stay with Distance
1. Starting just a few inches from your dog, ask for a basic stay. If you are on the ground and your dog is particularly clingy, begin by moving just your head a few inches away. If your dog holds her stay, reward her for the minor progress. Work up to being able to stand up as she holds her stay. Reward her.
2. Now add distance. Take a tiny step backward and then return promptly to your dog and reward her before she has a chance to move. Notice that you’re not pausing at the end of her stay yet. Most people intuitively do this, and it can delay your progress. Remember to change one variable at a time. In this case, the variable is “moving away,” not “moving away and also pausing.”
3. Move backward one step, then two, and then three. Slowly work your way up to greater distances. Once you’ve reached your desired distance, always immediately return to your dog and reward her before she breaks out of the stay. If your dog fails two times in a row, you are asking too much of her too soon, so decrease the distance the next two or three times. Don’t rush this process! For some dogs, you may need a few training sessions to work up to three feet; others may achieve forty feet during the first training session.
4. Once your dog is staying at a given distance twenty to thirty times in a row, work on adding more time at various distances. In other words, now you can begin pausing. This is a really special moment, because you are now combining duration and distance in a single exercise. At first, be content with a one- or two-second stay with some distance. Work your way up to thirty seconds over the next week or so.
Stay While Distracted
1. Teaching your dog to stay at doorways is a great way to introduce this concept because you can work in a familiar environment (your home) with a more distracting environment at a near distance (the outside). Of
course, safety first: Practice this in a fenced-in yard or on leash if there’s a street in front of your door. Also, practice this at a time when you’re not actually opening the door in real life—say, to let in a guest—so you’re not distracted either. To start, ask your dog to sit by the door and then stay. Since an open door is a fairly significant distraction by itself, start small. Most dogs know that when your hand goes near the doorknob, something exciting is about to happen. So, touch the doorknob. If your dog doesn’t budge, reward her before she even has a chance to break her stay. Repeat this several times.
2. Now take a more significant, but still fairly easy step: open the door an inch or two and then close it. Again, if your dog holds her stay, give her a treat and authentic praise! Gradually open the door farther until it’s wide open. Have your dog stay for a few seconds and encourage her to look at you. After doing this several times, notice that your dog automatically begins to anticipate that you want her to look at you and does so. Give her an extra-big reward for such an accomplishment.
3. If at any point your dog breaks her stay, simply say, “No” and shut the door. Limiting access to the place your dog wants to go—in this case, outside—is the consequence for breaking the stay. You should also withhold the reward.
4. If all is going well, ask your dog to stay and make the outside really exciting. Throw a fun toy or even a treat out the door. If your dog resists the urge to run outside, celebrate with her! You may have to cut back on the length of the stay since you’ve added a new variable here, but you can eventually work up to longer periods of time. Reward for the smallest increments of success here.