Paw Pals Pet Dog Training

I recommend a Leadership program to most of my clients. By developing Leadership skills we are able to clearly, effectively, and appropriately communicate with our dogs in ways that they understand.

These are appropriate ways of interacting with our dogs, as human-dog interaction should differ from dog-dog interaction. In most cases, interacting with our dogs as other dogs would is not appropriate. We are humans and want our dogs to see us as Leaders, and to be mannerly and respectful of us.

A Leadership program can not only help teach a pushy dog to be mannerly and respectful, but it can also help shy dogs develop confidence. By clearly communicating with our dogs, we remove any ambiguity and this takes the pressure off them of trying to figure out what is expected of them.

Leadership

Elizabeth Brooks

Leadership is the foundation of your bond with Rover.  By developing your leadership skills, you will be successfully communicating with Rover in a manner she can understand. Human expectations will be very clear to Rover and she will learn to trust your guidance, gain confidence, and happily be a follower.

To become a good Leader, you should start with these behaviors:

1)      All people are leaders – Rover should be mannerly and respectful of all people regardless of size. This must be taught; it is not instinctual doggy behavior.

2)      Leaders eat first – Always have something to eat before you feed Rover a meal (Kong, knuckle bone, buster cube).

3)      People always go first – Rover should always yield space to people and follow them rather than running ahead or being pushy.

4)      Followers allow gentle handling – Rover should allow handling all over her body. If she is uncomfortable being handled anywhere, you need to start desensitizing her to it by gently handling while clicking and treating.

5)      Nothing from the hand without permission – Rover should only take something from your hand with permission (free, easy). This helps when small children are carrying food.

6)      Encourage eye contact – We want Rover to feel comfortable with direct eye contact from people of all sizes. When you say her name she should turn and make direct eye contact; this way you know you have her attention.

7)      Earning Life Rewards – Every dog needs a job. We want Rover to develop a good work ethic. If we can gradually increase the amount of work she has to do to earn Life Rewards, then we are providing much needed mental stimulation. Rather than her being bored much of the time, she’s trying to figure out how to get us to give her Life Rewards (food, affection, play time, exercise, and anything else she enjoys).

8)      Down is a sign of respect – Encourage Rover to down quickly. Reward this behavior with belly rubs.

9)      When in doubt, “Sit” – sitting should become Rover’s default behavior.  If he’s ever unsure what is expected of him, he should offer a sit. If she’s sitting she’s not jumping or bumping or any other undesirable behavior.

10)  The “Pack” sleeps together – Rover should be sleeping in the Leaders’ den every night.  She should sleep on a lower level than your bed.

11)  The “Pack” that plays together, stays together – The Leaders control  play time by controlling the toys and the length of the game.

12)  Be Proactive rather than Reactive – Do keep in mind that every interaction with Rover is teaching her something; make sure it’s what you want her to learn. For example, if you’ve had a bad day and come home and she jumps on you and you hug her and tell her all about your lousy day, you’ve just reinforced her jumping behavior. An alternative is to have her sit and then drop down to her level and tell her all about your crummy day while rubbing her belly and loving on her. Now you’ve reinforced appropriate behavior.