Training Tips
Housebreaking, Crating, and Marking
Notes from a Seminar presented by Amber Burckhalter, of K-9 Coach
SCHEDULE: First, Amber gave us a handout and encouraged every owner to create a log or chart which shows the eat/drink/pee/poop/play times, with nap times in between. A chart or log will help you to become observant and more aware of your dog's daily cycles so that you can establish a successful and consistent schedule. To start, it reinforces the idea that the first thing a dog wants to do upon awakening is to relieve itself. Similarly, once it eats, this will create pressure on the bowel and bladder, stimulating the dog to poop and pee after eating. You need to pay close attention to each of these specific activities so that a regimented schedule is established. The number one rule in housebreaking is CONSISTENCY.
CRATING: When it comes to housebreaking, the crate is your ally. The solid plastic type crates are the better style to use because they are more private and den-like, and because wire crates allow dogs to pee outside the crate, defeating the purpose of crating. They are also easier to keep completely clean. The size of the crate should be sufficient for the dog to stand, turn around, and lay down in it, no larger. It is not a condo.
Next, for the purposes of housebreaking, the crate should be spartan, without fluffy, thick bedding. The idea is to make it very unpleasant for the dog to soil their crate, their den. There should be no getting away from it. However, if your pet soils the crate, you should clean it thoroughly and then feed the dog in the crate. This means, putting the dry kibble directly on the plastic surface of the kennel, not in a bowl, so that the dog won't want to soil his "dinner plate". On a related topic, if the dog soils a particular carpet, take up the carpet and put the dog's food on the floor beneath that spot. Same rationale--the dog will want to keep his dining area clean.
The accepted rule is that the length of hours a puppy can be in the crate, after 12 weeks of age, is it's age in months plus one. For example, a three month old pup can be crated for four hours; a five month old pup can be crated for six hours, etc. This "rule of thumb" is a guideline, and each owner must carefully observe their own pet to establish a schedule that lets the puppy be successful at "holding it" until the appropriate time. Most often, the puppy's first success is learning to hold it overnight and this can be facilitated by having a cut-off time each evening for the dog's intake of food and water.
Amber doesn't advocate paper training because it promotes poop eating. This is because the dog wants to keep it's living quarters clean. You are also now asking a puppy to distinguish between different types of paper on the floor. Many believe that it also sends contradicting messages to the dog to potty inside and then potty outside. "What is it that my crazy human wants me to do?" It's OK to use papers up to the age of eight weeks, and from then on, work on real housebreaking. Remember--- CONSISTENCY.
When the dog is crated, it should not be placed in a window where it can look outside. The reason is that the dog will be stressed when it sees people or things outside, and then bark at them. Usually, the trigger will go away, but the dog will think that it left because the dog barked. That will teach the dog to bark at, and possibly become aggressive with, people approaching your house. Amber thinks that many dogs learn to be aggressive this way.
POTTY TIME: Your pet should be supervised constantly, which means either visual supervision, tethering or crating. When you take the dog outside for a potty break, pay attention to what type of surface it will use. Some dogs want to pee/poop on pine straw, others on mulch, grass, cement or asphalt. Learning the dog's preference, or choosing for him, will make it easier for you to guide him to a surface that will encourage elimination consistently.
When the dog is taken out for potty breaks, you should stand still and wait for the dog to pee/poop. Don't talk, pet or play with the dog when it's outside for pottying. Even if you have a fenced yard, the dog should be on leash to learn the difference between play time and potty time. When the dog eliminates, praise it immediately. If the dog does not eliminate, take it inside, crate it, and then go outside again after ten minutes. Repeat this until the dog eliminates outside.
Always take your dog back to the same spot once it has pottied there. If your dog urinates or defecates indoors, pick up as much of it on a paper towel as you can and deposit it outside in the designated potty spot. Take your dog with you when you do this so the dog will get the scent of it outside and it may help stimulate your dog to use this spot for elimination in the future.
Once this is accomplished, the dog can have play time, either inside or outside. Remember, the dog cannot be left unsupervised (in your eyesight, tethered to you or in crate) until you know the dog is housetrained.
Clicker Training is a great way to teach the dog anything. To get started, just use the clicker, paired with a food reward, over and over and over again. The time between click and food reward should be about 1/2 second. Eventually, the sound of the clicker is equal to the food reward. Now you can use the clicker to reward good behavior any where, any time. Also use a key phrase, and use only that phrase by every member of the family, when training the dog to potty. Consistency is the key.
MARKING: As for dogs that mark, Amber thinks this is due to several causes:
Lack of neutering a male. It takes two months after neutering to get rid of the hormones that trigger marking. Dogs mark their territory to tell other dogs to stay out.
Insecurity: Lack of structure causes the dog to be insecure. Dogs should not sleep in bed with you, eat any time they want, get on the furniture, or butt your hand for attention. All these behaviors suggest that the dog is alpha and you are not. In return, you get a dog running your house, and not vice versa. This dog will also be anxious when strangers come into your house. The result is an ill-mannered, insecure dog.
THE SOLUTION TO MARKING BEHAVIOR:
First, rule out any medical problems: Urinary Tract Infection, Bladder Stones, Not Concentrating Urine, Hypothyroidism.
Next, keep your house clean. Get rid of the odors. (Orek Pet Stain Solution was recommended.) Revisit the notion of feeding the dog on the surface it's soiling, when necessary.
Control the dog--it must earn it's freedoms. Keep it tethered to you, use a belly band, or crate the dog.
Teach the dog commands: just the basics like "come", "sit", and "stay", will make the dog attentive to you, and give you an opening "dialogue" to work with.
You must become the alpha by making the dog earn all of it's rewards. For example, the dog should sit before you put the leash on him to go outside.
When you come home, you should ignore the dog for the first 15 minutes after you get home. Just do your business, and then once those matters are taken care of, you can pet the dog. Similarly, when you leave, ignore the dog for 15 minutes before you depart. Don't train your dog to get histrionic when you leave or return. This behavior may make you feel soooo needed, but it really messes up your dog's psyche.
No More Free Lunch Program
Your dog needs to know you are the boss, and that it's job is to please you. Amber has a handout titled "No more Free Lunch" which outlines this philosophy:
Often owners are unknowingly sending their dog signals that the dog is in charge. Petting the dog when he pushes your hand, responding to barks for attention, allowing the dog to initiate all play and allowing your dog to drag you down the street are examples of such signals. The No Free Lunch Program will help establish you as the leader, not your dog!
1. ¥our dog must sit or lie down for all attention. This includes eating, petting, treats, coming inside and outside, etc. This will be your dog's way of saying "please".
2. Do not play tug of war games. These types of games increase aggression and are not really games to dogs. When they "win", they are winning more than the game.
3. Start and stop all games with your dog. If you know he will play fetch up to 10 times, play 6 times and stop.
4. Do not respond to demands for attention. This includes pushing your hand for petting and barking to get your attention. Make your dog sit or lie down first.
5. Keep your dog off of your furniture. Allowing your dog on your bed and on your furniture puts them at eye level and thereby, pack level with you. Keep them on the ground level in their own cushy bed.
You can love your dog but you must love it in the way dogs understand. Undeserved attention and attention given on demand is interpreted differently by dogs than humans. Make your dog work for you!
Fear Aggression
Notes from a Seminar presented by Amber Burckhalter, of K-9 Coach
Amber once again delivered a fact-filled, entertaining session on the dog training. This seminar’s topic was Dog Aggression, which includes things like barking when people come to the door, fear biting and aggressive behavior. Fear Aggression is not the same as Dominance Aggression. They have different causes. With Fear Aggression, when a dog encounters a new thing (it can be anything: e.g., a sneeze), it reacts with aggressive behavior. Signs of fear aggression include cowering, with ears down and tail tucked between its legs; growling, snapping or biting, glazed eyes, stiff or still posture, hair raised, and a “sinking in” appearance. With an aggressive dog, you may have to warn people that “My dog will bite you/your dog if you come closer!”, because people ignore more friendly statements like “My dog is afraid. or, My dog doesn’t like other dogs.” Some people just keep on coming saying “My dog likes everyone.” Next thing that happens might be ugly… So, be direct with your warning. Also, some fear aggressive dogs might not be appropriate candidates for doggie day care, because they may be traumatized there. She suggests watching your dog while it’s at doggie day care to decide if the dog likes it or not. Not all dogs do.
For starters, Amber thinks that 90% of aggression is the result of the dog’s lack of hard exercise—the kind that leaves them lying on the ground, panting with their tongue hanging out at the end of the session. She recommends 45 minutes, twice daily in cooler months, and maybe half that duration in the hot summer months. If you’re not a jogger or biker, try tossing the ball or Frisbee and have the dog do all the work while you sit back and relax. No yard? Then try tossing the ball up the stairs and let the dog run up and down the stairs till he’s pooped. Once the dog is well exercised, then you can embark on behavior modification techniques. The dog will now have burned off that excess energy and be able to focus on you. All training should be positive in nature.
Secondly, food plays a role in the dog’s behavior. Amber recommends feeding a high quality dog food with no more than 20% protein. Feeding high-protein foods are like feeding sugar to kids and then trying to make them go to sleep. They’re all pumped up and in high gear. Avoid dog foods with corn or wheat. Rice is OK, though. She said that Costco’s house brand is Diamond Dog Food, and that’s what she feeds her dogs.
There are several causes for aggression in dogs. Some dog breeds are more prone to aggressive behavior. These include sight hounds, working dogs and German Shepherds. They tend to be nervous dogs. Puppy Mill dogs have been traumatized because of their longstanding life in a cage, so they may have developed some strange behaviors. Fears can be learned from owners, too. Some owners transmit their fears to their pets, so the pets learn to be afraid in some situations. For example, when a pet owner gets uptight when a large dog approaches. The owner’s fears “go down the leash” to their pet, and it, too, becomes afraid of the large dog. Then, there are the mean people/kids/dogs that torment or traumatize dogs. This mistreatment can make dogs aggressive, too. Don’t forget to neuter your male dog. Testosterone does bad things.
Next, for the basic premise of dog behavior: When a dog exhibits a certain behavior and gets what it wants, it will repeat that behavior. Here’s where clicker training is very effective in changing a dog’s behavior. Amber recommends as a starting point that you teach a dog to sit, stay and relax on command.
Now, let’s get back to the aggressive behavior. Aggressive dogs will always be aggressive. We must learn to recognize it, manage it, but nobody can cure it. That’s the simple truth. Once it’s there, you must learn to deal with it. It is very important to learn to recognize the beginnings of fearful or aggressive behavior and take action to correct it at once. Often people don’t realize the signs of aggression because it appears to be so innocent at first. For example, a dog shies away from strangers. The dog growls or runs away from kids or other dogs. You must not ignore this type of behavior when you first learn of it. Instead, you must begin the long process of counter conditioning the dog to redirect its behavior in other ways—teach it to do something incompatible with the fearful/aggressive behavior.
To help avoid the development of aggression in young puppies, it is essential to socialize puppies in the age range of 8-14 weeks. During that time they should be exposed to many different situations and experiences. Failure to do so may result in a fearful dog, and potentially a fear-biter.
This is where basic obedience training comes into play. Amber also has a handout on “No free lunch”, meaning that the dog must look up to you as its pack leader and obey you (pay attention to you) so that you can help the dog learn new, acceptable behaviors.
You must become the leader. This means
- The dog doesn’t get on the bed or furniture unless you permit it.
- Don’t humanize dogs. Learn to think in dog terms, not human terms.
- Crate your young dog. This helps you maintain control of the dog and give it security.
- Don’t let the dog ride in the front seat of your car. It’s dangerous for the dog in the event of an accident, and it elevates the dog’s status, too.
- Read the No Free Lunch handout and incorporate it into your daily routine with your dog.
The method for training aggressive dogs is simple. Teach the dog to do desired behaviors by rewarding those desired behaviors when they occur using the clicker paired with a treat. You wait until the dog does something desired, then you click and give a food treat (she used “high value treats: roast beef and all-meat, natural hot dogs—forget the milk bones, please). For example, if a dog is afraid of men, you have a man nearby, and if the dog turns to look at the man, you click and treat. Do this over and over, whenever the dog looks at the man. Next, wait for the dog to look and raise its ears. When that happens, click and treat. When the dog looks, ears go up and tail comes out from between its legs, click and treat. The idea is to reinforce all those behaviors that go with relaxing and are the opposite of being tense and afraid. Then, with the man a bit closer, repeat the reward of behaviors that are associated with looking at, showing interest in the man (ears up, tail up). This will take a long time (weeks or months), but it will work. Similarly, when a dog shows other types of aggressive or fear behaviors, you must start with reinforcing the tiniest movement toward desired behavior and immediately click and reward that behavior. Sounds simple, but it’s tedious work, and you must be consistent.
There are dog trainers who use punishment to make the dog stop the behavior: e.g., electric collars that shock the dog via a remote control when the undesirable behavior is shown, “hanging” (holding the dog off the ground) by its collar, pinning the dog to the ground, use of a pinch collar. Amber says this may not yield lasting results and sometimes the dogs redirect their behavior to some other behavior, such as paw licking, pulling out its hair, etc. So, you may have stifled one type of undesirable behavior, but a new one replaces it. Amber’s method is called counter-conditioning—you teach the dog to do the opposite of the aggressive behavior, using positive reinforcement.
To sum it all up: Socialize your puppy. Use positive-based training. Address fears immediately. Teach your dog basic obedience plus the relax/chill command. Feed it the right stuff. Get proficient with clicker training. Give your dog lots of exercise every day. If your dog is a real nut-case, you may need to get drugs from the vet so that the dog can calm down enough to pay attention and learn from you. And finally, it won’t be easy or quick.
TRAINING
YOUR NEW DOG
Prepared by: Brenda Newman, State
Certified Dog Trainer
Congratulations, you just got a new
dog! He or she may be a diamond in
the rough and no matter what he learned
before, now it is time to learn some
manners and rules of your house. Listed
below are a few of the more typical
behavior problems that you may encounter
and tips on solving them. Remember,
your new dog wants to please you but
does not know how. Consistency is
the key!
DIGGING: Some dogs
have a natural tendency to dig. Many
dogs dig out of boredom or stress.
Before using negative reinforcement,
try redirecting your dog by giving
him a bone or kong toy. If your dog
always digs in a specific spot you
may try a product called "Get
Off My Garden". It's a green,
gel-based product and will last through
rain. Also, you can dig a trench in
the area where your dog digs. Put
chicken wire in the trench and cover
with dirt. Your dog will not like
the feel of the chicken wire on his
nails. (Be careful of rough edges
on the chicken wire--cover rough edges
with duct tape to avoid injury to
your dog's feet when he digs).
JUMPING: Keep a
spray bottle of water handy. Spray
at your dog's face when he or she
jumps and say "off". Allow
your dog to wear a leash in the house,
under supervision. When he jumps,
grab the leash, pull him away from
you and say, "off." Place
him in a sitting position when people
go to pet him. This will help teach
him not to jump on your company.
PUPPY NIPPING: Keep
some Sour Spray or Bitter Apple Spray
(available through trainers and some
pet supply stores) by your side and
when your puppy nips, spray directly
into his/her mouth and say "no
bite". These products can also
be sprayed on objects for chewing
problems (read the label).
BARKING: Sour Spray
or using a spray water bottle can
be useful for barking as well. For
people who have more severe problems
with their dog, an electronic collar,
or citronella collar may help. The
electronic collar emits a beeping
sound when the dog barks to warn him.
If the barking continues, the dog will
be shocked. It is best to buy a collar
with more than one frequency. The
citronella collar shoots a spray toward
the animal's nose when it barks.
TRAINING: Many of these problems can be solved
with a good obedience training program.
Obedience training doesn't just teach
your dog to sit or lie down, it teaches
your dog that YOU ARE IN CONTROL.
Dogs, like children, need to know
their limits. When they feel safe
in their dog pack (YOUR FAMILY), they
won't act out. A good obedience program
will teach you how to communicate
with your dog. It will teach a dominant
dog who is the BOSS and will help
a shy dog feel more confident. Puppies
can be trained as early as three months
of age. A state certified dog trainer
works with all age groups and problems.
Basic dog training lessons include
sit, lie down, place training, come
here, stay, heel, and will include
work on any specific problem behavior
(such as jumping, barking, or aggression).
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