I had not planned another posting before year end but this note from Eric Letendre just said it had to be shared.
Your dog does not have to be an obedience
champ but the majority of dogs that end up in
shelters are there because of behavior
problems.
Training usually happens after the dog has
destroyed something, becomes completely
uncontrollable on walks, refused to come
when called or has soaked the carpet a few
times.
In this email I will share my simple 5 Step
dog training plan:
Step 1: Socialization - Dogs are extremely
social animals and need to be properly
socialized or they can develop big time
behavior problems. Start young and socialize
your dog around other friendly dogs, people,
places, sights and sounds.
Step 2: Start training early - You can start
training as early as eight weeks old. Your dog
can learn all the basics and good manners at
an early age. The earlier you start the better.
Step 3: Do positive training - It is much better
to train your dog by rewarding behavior than
punishing behavior. You will get the best results
by reinforcing the behaviors you want your dog
to do.
Step 4: Manage behavior - As your dog is learning
to live with you, you will need to effectively
manage your dog's behavior. Crates, leashes, baby
gates are all management tools for you to use
to set your dog up for success.
Step 5: Exercise - "The only good dog is a tired
dog." Nuff said.
Having a plan for your dog will make it much easier
for you and your dog. I don't remember who said it
but “He who fails to plan, plans to fail."
I love crates and baby gates. Dogs need boundaries and safe places and that is how I look at the use of crates and baby gates. To me they are not punishment tools. We have never crated our dogs out of frustration or punishment, they are used as a safe bed. I'm always very successful house training a puppy when they are put in an area that I can get them outside quickly when necessary, that they can work on going out on their own and if I miss a sign that they need to go out is easily cleaned up. We also use the baby gate for keeping them from chewing up things when we have to leave them alone to shower, do laundry, etc. I know people that think crates are mean. I don't think they understand that dogs look for a safe place to sleep and call their own. We don't even close Oliver's crate at night, he just goes in and sleeps and is still in there in the morning. Love you, Karen
ReplyDeleteThank you for your observations. I wish all those "Negative Nellies" would at least give today's methods a chance. What can I say? They're still rubbing their dog's noses in a pile of stool. I wonder if they did that to their kids when they dirtied their diapers?
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