People see me and my dog and the #1 comment I get is how well behaved my dog
is. "Can you teach my dog to do that?" they ask
Sure, all you need to do is join your Neighborhood Watch Program. You
should see the weird stares I get when I mention that. No, you don’t
really need to join, although it is a good program. My point being that
you should go out and walk your dog for 30 to 45 minutes. And you should
do this everyday.
That is the time you work on the basics of obedience. Need help with
training? I have many books
and DVDs to
help out. While walking, you get to bond with your dog, explore the world, and
get exercise for you and your dog. Exercise for your dog is the best therapy
around. It provides for a calm submissive state when they are home, and
they are more eager to please. Lastly, they become an obedient dog that others
will admire.
So what’s with the Neighborhood Watch program? Well, on your daily walks, you
observe. You find those neighbors that does not want dog poop in their yard. You
meet new friends, and you can tell when something is different, because it does
not fit that daily routine.
Don’t forget your dog leash and poop bags. Now get out there and Walk
That Dog. Be sure to give them ear rubs from me.
And that is the word "OK"
Now you need to teach your dog a release command. That is a command to
tell your dog they have finished the command, to get unfocused to what you (or
they) are doing. Now this is a needed command, just don’t choose the word
"OK" to do it.
Here are the consequences:
- Dogs don’t know you are on the phone (well some do, but most don’t)
Say the word "OK" in a conversation and watch the dog take off.
- Same goes with talking to your neighbor. If the dog hears you
say "OK" they do not know it was not directed at them, and
off they go.
- My wife tells me it’s dinner time, so I’ll say "OK Dear".
Well, I just sent the dog to the house.
You see the dilemma. Using everyday conversational words as commands
will not only confuse the dog, it can also produce unintended results.
When choosing a release command, but sure it is one that is not commonly used
in a human conversation. Better still to come up with a dog voculably.
My favorite command is used by sheep herders. Since I own a Border Collie,
it’s a natural command:
That’ll DO!!
That’ll Do!! can mean many things, but the primary command means this:
‘I’m telling you that you are done with what you are doing, now quit!’ That
includes herding animals, running through the house, begging, as well as usual
or unusual behavior. The best part is that it is a dog specific
command. You won’t confuse a dog if they hear That’ll Do!
I will introduce more commands later. All are designed to make life easier
for you and your dog.
I got an email the other day from a customer who bought one of my dog whistles:
It doesn’t work, he says. I tried it on all of my dogs and non of them would pay attention to it.
This is a common problem I hear. The trick is this. Train one dog at a time. In a home with a pack of dogs, a new sound can mean nothing more than the sound from the TV set. It’s just another sound. They have no reason to react because you have not made the sound of the whistle relate to a command.
Take one dog outside. If you have the dog trained to come, then have them sit/stay. Move to the other side of the yard and toot on the whistle, then call your dog. After several 10-15 minute sessions, the dog will come to the sound of the whistle. This style is called cross training.
Once you get dog #1 to learn that the sound of the whistle means something, move on to dog #2. Dog #1 should be able to help out, as he can show dog #2 what to do!
More FAQs about my whistles can be found here:
http://www.thedumbdog.com/whistle/whistle-faq-remington.htm
