35
The Down
We recommend any one of three methods when teaching the down. The first two involve easing Una into the down position rather than forcing her down, and presume some body contact. The third method induces Una into a down with the help of a treat, and is a simple extension of the puppy down. Many people have great difficulty training the down, which is actually a simple exercise. It is often approached as a punitive exercise, with irate handlers attempting to ground their dogs by stepping on the leash or strangling them until they lie down. This frustrates both handler and dog.
The following methods of training the down are humane and easy, and most important, they work. Begin by heeling a bit with Una, then come to a stop with her in a sit position. Make eye contact by stroking the right side of her face, which encourages her to look up at you. Mention calmly, "Okay, ready for something new?" Make your voice animated and happy. Many handlers become tense when they begin to teach the down, anticipating that they may have trouble and thereby actually inviting it in the process. Immediately tell Una to stay, and kneel down beside her. With your right hand grasp one leg just below the elbow, and place your left hand on her upper back. Give the command "down!" in a firm but animated voice and move the leg forward, simultaneously pushing down firmly on the upper back. Do not make the motion abrupt and coarse — make it smooth, easing the dog down. If you need to, practice this exercise with a human on all fours before attempting it with your dog.
Once Una is down, kneel nearby, stroke her, and give her some reassuring praise. Keep your tone of voice low but affectionate, or she will try to get up. Keep one hand on the back region, applying light
Teaching the assisted down. While your dog is in the sit position, lift his front paw as you give the "down" command, slowly lean over and down on him, and thus gently ease him all the way into the down. Then give the "stay" command and hand signal. Finally, give lots of praise to your dog and to yourself! Continue to repeat this assisted down until the dog responds to the "down" command without help. Praise all around again.
pressure. In the early stages, end the exercise after thirty seconds or a minute, praising Una when she rises. Decide on some key word like "okay!" to signal her to get up. When she seems to be steady on the down, you can begin to rise from the ground yourself, but keep one hand in contact with her back.
Next place your left foot over the leash near where it is attached to Una. This keeps Una in place and helps her get comfortable with the position without your having to be right beside her or to correct her repeatedly. Soon you will be able to take your foot off the leash. Correct her attempts to get up by applying pressure on her back and saying, "No, down!" and placing her back in the down. If she moves quickly and manages to squirm up, go through the whole process again, then rise more slowly, applying pressure as you get up. If she tries to move backward as you lower her front, block this motion with your left leg or knee placed squarely behind her rear end. Don't be afraid to use all parts of your body in training. Your legs can become auxiliary arms if you know how to use them.
Some larger breeds (German shepherd dogs, Great Danes, Saint Bernards) might need even more body contact and pressure to ensure a smooth down. For these breeds, or for dogs who fight the first method, try a slightly modified approach as follows: lift both front legs together, with your hands just below the dog's elbows, and lower her front. You can either drape your left arm over her back to clasp her left foreleg or insert your right hand and forearm behind Una's two front legs (as you hold her collar on the back of her neck with your left hand) and then lift the front legs and lower her to the ground, saying, "Una, down!" At the same time, you may need to lean over and
Another method of teaching the down is to lift both front legs and lean over and down on the dog, easing him into the down as you say, "Down."
into her, leaning your left knee on her back. Follow this move with ample praise. The first few times, you may find this movement uncoordinated, but with repetition it becomes smoother. Since your face will be quite close to Una's, this method presumes that Una is not aggressive in any way. Initially, your goal is simply to get Una used to being placed in a down position. Once you have her down, proceed as above. With some particularly rough types who refuse to stay down for any length of time, simply place your foot on the leash, which prevents them from getting up. If the dog throws a tantrum of sorts (something that could happen if he was not introduced to down as a pup), you may have to crouch down beside him and proceed more patiently. But don't lose your cool. Keep calm and proceed step-by-step, as you are able.
If you are able to stand up for three minutes and the dog stays down, consider the exercise partially learned, and begin to teach the release, which is to sit. To end the exercise, say, "Okay!" and slap the upper part of your thigh, encouraging the dog to rise. Stationed on the dog's right, you can block any attempt to come to a full stand by having your left hand aimed toward the dog's rear end, ready to push it down.
The third method of teaching the down is good for sensitive dogs, as well as those who have had no previous exposure to this exercise. Crouch in front of Una and place your left hand in her collar, under her muzzle. Show her a treat with your right hand. In a downward movement, induce her into a down position, putting very light pressure on the collar as you say, "Una, down," and guide her into the down. Give her the treat and soft praise. Repeat this sequence five times. Next, instead of starting out in front of her, crouch beside her. Put your left hand on Una's withers as your right hand shows her the treat at eye level out in front of her. As you command, "Una, down!" move the treat toward the ground as you apply light pressure on her withers with your left hand. As she moves into the down, let her have the treat and praise her warmly.
When you complete a down, no matter what its length, be sure to praise the dog lavishly. Stroke especially the side of the face closest to your body to encourage her to look up at you. Make eye contact and sustain your verbal praise for a while.
There is a potential problem that may develop when training the down. Una may come to depend on your manipulating her into position, thinking that the point of the exercise is to wait to be lowered. For this type of dog, stop lowering her. With Una in a sit position, stand next to her (facing forward) and put your left hand where the collar and leash join, just under the ears. Now fold the leash entirely in your left hand. Turn sideways so that you are facing Una, just a bit in front of her. Now, say, "Una, down," as your right hand passes downward in front of her face. As you do so, apply steady pressure with your left hand and guide Una into a down. You may need to tap the ground several times with your right hand, encouraging her as you go. Again, once she is down, keep one foot over the leash to prevent her from rising.
36
The Down-Stay
If Una really knows the down, then the down-stay should follow naturally. Most dogs do not like to lie down and then immediately get up. When they settle down, they mean to stay down for some time. The practice of circling two or more times before "landing" is common to many breeds, especially German shepherd dogs. The dog appears to be carefully selecting and surveying the eventual resting place. If you are training for the obedience ring, you have to eliminate this practice by teaching an immediate down and insisting on an unwavering down-stay. A sloppy down or fidgeting on the down-stay costs points in the obedience ring. If you are not training for the ring, you may decide to permit quirks like circling before lying down, lolling about or rolling over on a down-stay, or extensive yawning ten seconds into a down-stay. Una is not bored. It's a position that encourages rest. Nevertheless, don't let her become too casual. If she starts prolonging the "pre-down" rituals, simply correct her and speed up expectations.
To begin work on the down-stay, after Una has gone into the down, give her the command "stay" along with the hand signal, as in your work for the sit-stay. Stand next to her until she can stay for a full minute. Now start varying things. Circle Una while keeping one
hand in contact with her back. Circle twice and release your hand, but do not allow her to get up. Repeat this circling process, applying pressure with only the tip of your index finger. You will be stooping over as you circle her. She may try to look behind at you as you circle. Allow this, but don't permit any attempts to get up. Curb any such attempt immediately by giving her a quick leash pop toward the ground as
Stay in sight while your dog does the down-stay. Avoid eye contact now by looking to the side. Otherwise, the dog will think you are inviting him to come.
you say, "Nah!" following up with "down, stay!" When you feel confident, go around Una without stooping down or applying hand pressure. Don't be afraid to repeat the command "stay" several times if she shows any interest in rising.
There is nothing wrong with her looking around at you as you circle and go momentarily out of sight. But don't encourage this trait by talking to her from the rear. Once they understand what is going on and what is expected of them, most dogs simply look ahead and wait while the handler walks around. When your dog gives you this type of reaction and no longer appears worried or jittery about staying in one place, you can begin adding distractions to make sure the down-stay is steady. Begin by stepping over the dog, back and forth, several times. Throw a ball or twig in front of her, repeating the command
With your dog in a down-stay, jump over him several times back and forth so that he learns to stay put.
Nothing surpasses working in a class for steady stays. Here, as a distraction, the monks and nuns toss volleyballs down the line of handlers while the dogs hold a down-stay.
An agile handler can sprint over dogs while they hold the down-stay. Distractions can strengthen all areas of training.
"stay" as you throw the object. If you are working in a class, an agile handler can leap over each dog in line. In a class, the dogs learn from one another not to move. Most of our puppies at New Skete learn to lie down and stay at a young age without any formal training simply by watching their mothers and older dogs on down-stays when the monks are dining. A dog who is just learning the down-stay sometimes does better if sandwiched between two experienced dogs who are steady on the exercise and distraction-proof. These self-assured dogs help allay the fears of the novice dog and help him hold the down-stay longer.
The correction for breaking the down-stay is always the same. Go get Una. March her back to the same spot and place her on the down again. Hopefully, you will be able to stop her in her tracks by a sharp "nah!" which may pin Una back to the ground before she moves more than a step or two. If she lies back down on her own initiative, it is not necessary to replace her in the same spot.
Next to the recall, the down-stay is probably the most useful of all the exercises in formal obedience training. Begin to integrate this command into Una's daily routine. Have her lie down and stay while you eat dinner, read, or watch television or during any sustained activity. Build up Una's ability to do so by staging practice sessions during coffee breaks. This way, if Una breaks several times, you'll feel prepared to get up and correct her, as opposed to dinnertime, when you might be tired and when continual corrections may mean that your dinner gets cold. The more Una can learn to see herself in a down while you are at table, the longer and more reliable the down-stay will become. When company visits, allow her to greet your friends, then place her on a down-stay nearby. Be consistent on correcting any breaks. Simply get her and put her back in position. Also, don't expect immediately to isolate her from you and expect her to hold a down-stay. This takes a lot of practice. If you plan to go on to CDX (Companion Dog Excellent) level in the obedience ring, your dog needs to be able to hold a down-stay with a group of dogs for five minutes while you are out of sight. If you are building up to this level of training, you are most probably also working with the high jump. If you occasionally hide behind the high jump while your dog is on a down-stay, the dog will never be sure whether you are behind it at an actual obedience trial.
In a household situation, the down-stay can be used for dogs who bother company or display aggressive reactions to humans or other dogs. Practice training your dog to the point where the down-stay is perfect. Dogs who know and can sustain the down and down-stay rarely need to be shunted off for any reason. They can be told to lie down and stay, and are able to be peacefully included in the family circle. This is a distinct pleasure for both dog and owner.
37
About Obedience Competition
If you really want to see what dogs working with their owners are capable of, attend an obedience trial. If you and your dog are proficient in obedience work, you may even consider entering the obedience ring yourselves. These events differ from conformation shows, which emphasize the structure and beauty of the dog. The American Kennel Club offers a Companion Dog (CD) title, Companion Dog Excellent (CDX), Utility Dog (UD), and a Tracking title (T). There is now also an Obedience Trial Champion title (OTC). A booklet describing the obedience regulations can be obtained from the American Kennel Club website (www.akc.org) or by writing to 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Since these regulations sometimes change, send for the latest edition.
If you are seriously interested in obedience competition, you should subscribe to one or both of the periodicals specializing in obedience work (see Select Reading List). You should also join an obedience club. Try to find a club that specializes in obedience training; if that isn't possible, join the training branch of a local breed club. Obedience training, on the whole, provides an opportunity for mutual growth, on the human as well as canine level. We have met hundreds of people who enjoy the world of professional obedience competition. There is one catch: you and your dog must be good at it to get anywhere in professional competition.
If you are considering obedience competition, make sure that you and your dog are able to work as a team. Don't enter the ring until you know the exercises and are completely ready. If you jump in too quickly, you will probably fail the trial, waste the judges' and other entrants' time, and possibly do damage to your dog. Take your dog to fun matches before you go to a real obedience trial.
Puppies intended for obedience work should be purchased from reliable, behavior-oriented breeders who breed for brains. These youngsters should be exposed to KPT and taken to fun matches early in life. However, it is seldom too late to attempt to win the CD or a higher title. If you feel you are ring-ready and still do not qualify with the necessary 170 score, don't be discouraged — chances are, you mishandled your dog. Check with the judge when he or she has a free moment. Most judges will tell you what you did wrong, and many may give you helpful advice. Above all, don't become bitter or disappointed. These reactions have a way of affecting training. Your dog picks up on these reactions immediately, and they damage your overall performance. Bear in mind, too, that you are competing for points and not against other handlers and their dogs. If you want to compete in the obedience ring, you must have a sense of humor. You must be able to laugh at yourself and your dog. The first thing you will learn, sometimes painfully, is that your dog has some faults and that your dog is not the center of the universe and the idol of all. These two realizations alone are worth all the time and effort that goes into obedience competition.
Though this book is not specifically intended for obedience competitors as such, we feel that it can be useful in enabling them to "read" their dogs more effectively and to help them perfect the exercises involved in winning obedience titles.
The American Kennel Club puts the matter succinctly in its introduction to the obedience regulations: "The purpose of obedience trials is to demonstrate the usefulness of the pure-bred dog as a companion of man [italics ours], not merely the dog's ability to follow specified routines in the obedience ring." If you decide to enter obedience trials, keep your purpose and goal in mind.
Problems
38
Understanding Your Dog's Personality: The Problem Explained
An owner brought in an eight-month-old rottweiler named Sash
a for our three-week obedience-training program. During the interview it became increasingly clear how dissatisfied the man was with his dog, and when we inquired about his efforts at training Sasha himself, he responded, "I've really tried, but I just can't figure her out. She's a nice enough dog around the house, but whenever we work on training, her ears go back, she lags and starts to pull this creepy-crawly routine, as if she were afraid of me. It's embarrassing. . . . She's a rottweiler, for goodness' sake! I've never hit her, yet from her reaction you'd think I'd been abusing her. It's so frustrating. She's totally different from the last rottie I had." When we asked him how he had tried correcting this submissive behavior, the man exclaimed, "I try to be consistent in correcting her with the leash, trying to get her to walk with me. Believe me, I correct and correct, but she doesn't seem to get the point." We did believe him, which is why we explained that in this case we were going to take a very deliberate, praise-oriented approach that would also use food to work with Sasha. The man seemed surprised. "But I thought you didn't use food in training. . . ." "Not necessarily, particularly when it's in the best interests of your dog," we replied without hesitation. Just because Sasha was a rottweiler, a breed that is notoriously dominant and serious, doesn't mean that we could ignore her specific personality. We needed to adjust our training accordingly. Let us explain.
How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend Page 25