Fools rush in where angels fear to tread - Alexander Pope
That is so true when it comes to dog training!
We get an idea of what we want our dog to do - respond as we’d like to a knock on the door, manage fireworks calmly, walk beside us on a loose lead … whatever it is, we say, “That’s what I’ll teach today!”
Come the end of the day - a frustrating day, to be sure - and you say, “I tried that and it didn’t work.”
Imagine your three-year-old attempting a PhD dissertation!
We can’t develop new behaviours in a day … why should our dog?
Slow and steady for your dog
Slow and steady wins the race - Aesop’s Fables
Leads on, now we wait patiently at the door
That’s another saying we can call to mind.
The tortoise used craft and guile to beat the fast, agile, hare.
Let’s look at the sort of craft and guile we can employ when training our dogs! And I’ll use one example, and break it down.
Calm when the doorbell rings
The mad, barking, leaping, response to a knock on the door may be an entrenched behaviour by now. In that case, all the more reason to teach slowly, step-by-step, what it is you’d like your dog to do instead.
You see, dogs can’t not-do. They have to do.
He can’t freeze mid-air and wait silently for you to go to the door.
You have to teach him what you’d like instead.
Let’s say you want him to lie down, quietly, on his bed.
So you’ll start, when no-one is around, just sending him to his bed and rewarding him.
Next you’ll add a little duration, so he relaxes into the bed, rather than staying on his toes, ready to leap.
Once this is established, you can start randomly sending him to his bed at any time, from any place in the house. Take this s-l-o-w-l-y. First succeed in sending him from one place, then another in the same room, and so on.
You’ve taught the ‘down on your bed’ and now you’re consolidating. You can take a long time on this stage.
Once your dog is happy to play this game with you at any time, you can stand by the front door and send him. Once ready, the next step is to knock on the door and send him, go outside and knock from the other side of the door, and so on. Always reward heavily for each correct response.
If you have a doorbell, you can play around with a remote doorbell and move quite quickly forward.
Finally, you can take it a step further. Ideally with a friend who will come and knock on the door, knowing he’ll never be let in. It may take quite a while to get your dog calmly onto his bed, and it’s crucial to solidify this.
For my dogs, it’s the clank of the gate latch that sets them off. So your stooge person will need to start out at the gate!
What you want your dog to do is the variable here.
Maybe you’d like him to accompany you to the door. In that case, have him come to you to clip on his lead, and first work through the door manners system in this post and video: Does your dog crash the door??
Once you’ve taught this, you are guaranteed sanity every time you touch any door handle, anywhere.
Don’t forget, if your dog’s favourite reward is a quick game with a toy, be sure to check out the super, long-lasting toys here and don’t miss out on your special discount!
It takes time to shape your dog’s behaviour
So you can see, it takes time. It’s not something you can change in an afternoon.
And also, you have to break it down into steps. Most things we want our dog to do are a series of steps.
A recall needs response to the call (maybe away from something as intoxicating as a bunny chase), a smart return, at least a pause when he arrives with you - possibly a sit. This requires teaching the several steps separately.
Walking nicely on lead needs the dog to know exactly where you want him to be when on lead, then to keep that position regardless of your speed or direction. This takes time! Especially with a dog who naturally wants to charge ahead, nose down.
Getting your dog relaxed during firework season. This needs Desensitisation and Counterconditioning, as you’re working against fear. He isn’t deciding to get in a state, it’s not a voluntary action. So take your time, take it as slowly as you can - then a bit more slowly.
Read: Counterconditioning doggy fears!
Want more dog training tips?
Head over to my.brilliantfamilydog.com and look for the Search box at the top of the page. Here’s an example of what you’ll find:
This is an amazing resource. See all the results it brought up, over on the left?
Whenever you find yourself thinking, “What would Beverley do now?” this is where you’ll find out.
It will search all my books, courses, blog articles, and community answers.
Bob’s your uncle!
The tech is ultra-fast. But for us hoomans and our dogs, sometimes it’s better to be the tortoise than the hare.
RESOURCES:
Find quick answers by searching everything I’ve written here:
https://my.brilliantfamilydog.com/search
