dog behavior training

 
If your dog’s barking and its not clear why, you can quickly identify the type of bark she’s making.

1. Aggressive or warning bark? If it is, is it directed at you or something else? This type is often the one that needs controlling and where you must avoid being manipulated.
2. Baying? This is often some form of signal, more common in specific breeds, like Beagles.
3. Whining? Some signify she’s in pain, others are again intended to manipulate.
4. Yapping? This one’s usually intending to be a nuisance until you meet the dog’s wishes.

The reasons for the barking include:

• She wants your attention; it could be she’s desperate for the toilet, more likely she’s seeking something from you 
• A reaction to someone or something outside; a reaction that you may appreciate sometimes
• Boredom or loneliness

Unless the reasons are simple and the answers are obvious, then to train the dog appropriately needs measured and deliberate responses from you. You are the owner that she depends on. If you don’t try and understand the reason, then you could confuse the dog and create bigger problems later.

If your dog thinks it can get what it wants because it barks at you, it will repeat the process over and over again.

So be aware that if you’ve “given in” before, there is a pattern forming that you probably want to stop.

Dogs need a lot of exercise and that is most often the simple but effective solution to boredom. Loneliness can be more complicated and I’ll return to this and other complexities in future.

For now, a good solution to the dog barking for less obvious reasons is to simply ignore it. Say nothing. Make no eye contact. If necessary, turn away. The dog will usually bark again. Again, do nothing. After a few minutes the dog will often stop because the barking is not having the desired effect.

If it still persists, reach out and hold her muzzle. Hold her collar if necessary; this is sending signals to her. When she’s still and quiet, hold for a few seconds more, then praise her. This is a very effective solution in the majority of cases.

This blog is devoted to dog behavior training; there will soon be a lot more content! If there is some aspect of dog training that interests you, please add your comments.

To be the alpha, the leader of the pack that your dog looks to belong to, you should make use of the signs that dogs naturally recognize to continually reinforce the message.

Most good practices in dog behavior training build on the recognition by your dog that you are the alpha of the pack. Many instances of poor dog behavior arise from the dog not recognizing or sometimes challenging your position.

You don’t want your dog to be too submissive; it is her level of assertiveness that requires some control. To achieve this, yet again consistency is essential. It will take time, patience and repetition on your part with difficult cases.

In a young (6-12 week old) puppy, amongst the aptitude tests used to evaluate assertive characteristics for specialist dog training such as mountain rescue, a test sometimes referred to as the dominance-submission test is used. The puppy is placed on its back and a hand placed on its chest. An assessment is made of how much and for how long the puppy struggles before relaxing by, for example, dropping its paws, dropping its head back or looking away from the evaluator. There will be some variation by breed; most terriers don’t normally react too well to this but a Labador Retriever will often relax in a shorter time, which is fine - it’s the degree and nature of protest that tell the experienced evaluator what nature of dog he is dealing with.

Alternative forms of test are to kneel or stand in front of the dog and lift it by the chest, or to lift it gently by its front paws without being aggressive. The dog may react initially but will usually comply, which encourages it to accept its future role as well as giving the tester a further pointer to the dog’s nature.

The physical “lead position” within the pack is usually associated with the alpha. Personally I think it is the owner’s preference as to how far this signal should be taken. While it is clearly sensible not to let your dog greet visitors at the door by being in front of you, whether you want to take it as far as training your dog never to walk in front of you when out walking, under any circumstances, is a matter of choice. 

The next post will review day-to-day signs of alpha behavior and how to strike the right balance in alpha dog training.

One remedy to your dog showing alpha tendencies is to put your face close to your dog’s, preferably by leaning over it, providing of course that there isn’t a biting problem. You can then simulate growls, barks or even shout if necessary. This may not work the first time, but over time the dog will recognise this as alpha behavior similar to the type of contest that occurs in dog packs.

A common exhibition of alpha dog behavior is jumping at you. The dog is trying to get close to your face, and it may not be alpha behavior - it could just be seeking your attention. Whether or not you suspect this is alpha behavior, the best initial reaction is to make sure that your hands are in front of you and push it down, accompanying it with a “down” command as it drops, and not before. Do not push it forcefully as in mnay instances, the dog will see this as a game to which it will react - playfully for the dog, irritatingly for you! If the problem persists, you should consistently ignore her and if necessary, calmly turn away. When you feel the dog has got the message, to reinforce it you should stoop to its level and let it come to you. You may find it useful to “stare it down” carefully for no more than a few seconds as it reaches you, then praise it. Repeated, these techniques normally work well.

Training your dog to greet you fully when you are at her level, by crouching or kneeling, is good practice, and a very effective reinforcement to numerous training techniques.

Allowing dogs on furniture is not good from several perspectives, but in alpha terms can be seen as a concession, yielding your “ground”, which is going to encourage your dog to try other natural alpha behavior.

Feeding your dog only after you have eaten is a strong alpha signal, see the “dog begging for food” post for a little more explanation.

Most dogs, alpha types included, have a natural fear of being excluded from the pack so ignoring or physically separating her from the “pack”, be that a dog pack or the family, can be used to effect. However, some care is needed depending on the situation. The separation will probably be part of correcting another situation than alpha issues alone.

Introducing a second dog into your home needs a little care. Initially, in almost all cases, your first dog, as the current incumbent, will make sure that he or she is higher in the pack hierarchy than the “intruder” into the territory. This is perfectly normal and the new dog and you as the owner (and as the alpha) should both be able to get along with it until things settle down.

Some behaviors from your original dog may include fighting, some rough and tumble, possibly taking everything the new dog shows an interest in, including food, and all forms of dominating behaviors such as trying to stand over the new arrival at every opportunity while it establishes the pecking order, or nestling alongside it then when looked at, the first dog deliberately looks away, to signify its superiority.

It is unlikely that the new dog will react too strongly to any of this. Any prospective second dog that takes a prolonged and/or violent exception to this is going to give you problems and you might wish to reconsider your plan in some instances if the dog behavior training actions described below are also clearly failing.

The actions you should take to help ease the new introduction include:

• Separate the dogs for a little while, e.g. in different rooms. They will each know the other is there through their sense of smell. This gives them space and a little time to acclimatise to the new situation.
• Treat both dogs equally when they do meet. Favour neither of them over the other and this sends them both the right signals both immediately and for the short-term while they get used to each other.
• Take them separately for walks if necessary for a short period, observing the same practice with each while the other can see how his “rival” is treated.
• Use separate bowls of food and water for each dog, but give your original dog hers first, reinforcing her position.

By following the above guidelines, after a relatively short time they will settle into a routine and any competition that occurs will be relatively minor as they sort it out between themselves. It is advisable not to leave them both together unobserved for a little while, so that any friction doesn’t escalate but generally, don’t get involved or over-react unless there is a very clear problem. Eventually, they’ll become friendly with each other and even though their rank in their own hierarchy might change over time, the preparation outlined above will normally work well.

Sit is one of the most useful commands and also one of the easiest to teach. Three reasons for it being useful are:

1. if your dog is in the sitting position, it takes just slightly longer for it to move to another activity and that moment’s delay can be useful, e.g. prior to crossing a road,
2. the sitting position usually means that your dog is focusing on you, ready for the next signal,
3. in a crude form, the sitting position signifies an aspect of submission from your dog, reinforcing that you are the leader.

First get your dog close to you, perhaps initially using a fixed leash if necessary. Then tell him to Sit and apply gentle pressure downwards on the top of his hindquarters, just in front of the tail, at the same time as giving the command. Do not push excessively. If carried out before meals - he’ll start to do this naturally pretty quickly!

Using a small food reward which you move above his head will also usually result your dog naturally sitting down as he lifts his head up. If using rewards for the Sit training, delaying the giving of the reward, though not for too long, will encourage your dog to learn to Sit and Stay until released, which will prove useful.

In addition, telling him to Sit when he is starting to do it anyway, then holding him gently in the Sit position and praising is excellent reinforcement for a young dog.

Playing with your dog has many benefits:

• provides fun, exercise and training opportunities
• uses surplus energy in your dog
• stimulates your dog
• helps your dog develop
• greatly enhances bonding between you and your dog
• considerably benefits health, possibly in you as well as your dog!

Playtime can be as silly as you like. Play is really helpful as it can be used to build on the training you may be trying to accomplish. There are lots of ways of varying playtime with your dog:

• Chasing is a natural activity for a dog so ball or frisbee games, including throwing and hiding, are an obvious choice
• Larger dogs and robust smaller ones enjoy a rough-housing session
• Old socks tied in knots make great toys for throwing
• Most dogs use their sense of smell to differentiate between a child’s ball and their own
• Tickling your dog’s tummy is a great favorite
• Carrying objects while chasing about is enjoyed by many dogs
• Hide and seek, including while out walking

In your garden or backyard you can adapt old stuff to create other ideas:

• Putting planks on blocks to make equipment for your dog to jump over or walk along
• Old children’s slides can be used for dogs to play on, and some dogs will quickly learn to climb the steps as well as the slope
• Old paddling pools can be used with shallow depths of water to put ice or apples in for your dog to retrieve
• Putting rewards or toys under one of a few old sand-buckets, a variation on magic acts, works well with playful dogs

Many of the above activities will create lots of opportunities to build on standard commands and develop various aspects, for example reducing the need for food rewards and replacing them more with praise and affection.
Opportunities for trick training will also be provided within some of the above, creating yet more variation and enjoyment for you and your dog.

Finally, some points worth bearing in mind when playing with your dog:

1. Don’t play for too long as it loses its impact
2. End all play sessions on a positive note by praising and stroking your dog
3. If playing any game of fetch or similar exercises, always get the object back from your dog
4. Young dogs shouldn’t be over-exercised as their bodies are still developing
5. Old dogs will still play but at different speeds and levels to their younger counterparts. Just because your dog is ageing, if it is in reasonable health the fun does not have to stop.

Have fun!

Training an older dog is more often than not a case of changing your dog’s habits where required. Allowances have to be made:

• these are established behaviors for the dog
• things will happen more slowly
• your dog is more likely to only want to pay attention for short periods
• there may be physical constraints involved, e.g. slower limbs, possibly more deafness, etc

As always, consistency is essential and perseverance on your part if trying to modify an embedded pattern of behavior. The type of exercsie need not be overly different, but your approach will need to be. A lot of repetition may well be required which, coupled with the probable necessity for shorter exercises, will mean more time spent than would be the case with a younger dog. It will also be necessary to leave longer rest periods if using physical exercise.

Rewards using food will have to be used more sparingly, not just because your dog will be more prone to putting on weight, but because she will also be getting wiser and more wily with age.

What does this mean? Simply that to be effective a little more thought and preparation is required if time and effort by both you and your dog are not going to be wasted. Ideas that will help are to make the training patterns as regular and consistent as possible so that your dog is more familiar and hence more attuned to what is required.  This can be done in terms of both time and place. It will be more routine but probably welcomed by an older dog, as it is in effect less wearing.

Another aspect to bear in mind is to recognise that the dog is older this time around, and play to its strengths; if necessary, recognise from the beginning that some things might not happen but focus on the things that do need to change.

Old dogs will learn new tricks, sometimes it just takes a little more time…

In my experience, German Shepherds are one of the easiest dogs to train if trained from young, particularly if as the owner you make use of their natural characteristics.

The stages for training them from young are outlined in click here. Here we’ll look at some of the behaviors an owner might become accustomed to and some useful pointers on specific training tools for German Shepherd (GSD) training.

Strong chewable toys that contain “puzzles” and strong objects for GSDs to chase are both good investments. The toy helps distract them from chewing something else and the ball, ring or frisbee is key to channelling their chasing traits along the right lines before they are adults.

Their liking for a challenging obstacle will be clear when they are out exercising off the leash, but an obstacle course in the yard or garden will also prove stimulating to a German Shepherd. Hurdles, tunnels and different levels made of wood, plastic and metal, if space and materials are available, will be utilised and appreciated, and can be used as an occasional substitute for walking or more normally as a game associated with commands and training.

If they exhibit their natural trait for chasing animals, then they must be kept on the leash when near horses, sheep, etc, and a verbal command and tug on the leash or harness when showing signs of erring towards animal enclosures.

German Shepherds are unlikely to be passive and they don’t get scared. Interacting with other dogs they are clever, even wily and if trained properly from young will usually only react if provoked.

They are very versatile dogs, able to be very agile but at other times unusually relaxed and composed. Unlike many breeds, they are able to lie for long periods watching. At all times they can be seen to be protecting their owner and home, but usually almost as a sentry. They can often be seen patrolling boundaries early and late in the day, which is a natural instinct for GSDs.

Trained and socialized properly from young, their behavior towards visitors to the home can and should be trained from early. They will quickly learn the difference between friend and foe and will adapt to the combination of a unique hand gesture and vocal command for each. They are usually very good with children.

It is unnatural and not normal for a German Shepherd to bite unprovoked. Their bite is more of the crushing type relying on the considerable strength of their jaws, which bruises under a human skin, and it isn’t normal for them to apply such pressure beyond the puppy stage unless trained to do so.

For more advanced training of your German Shepherd, click here. Enjoy!

The numerous varieties of spaniel can be broadly grouped into three types, each of which contains various breeds:

• Cocker Spaniels
• Springer Spaniels
• Toy Spaniels

All spaniels are naturally very enthusiastic, positive and fun-loving. Their high energy levels mean that they can get bored if inactive and start to cause problems. They will normally pick up basic training easily at first, but it is advisable, especially with the Cocker Spaniel and Springer Spaniel, to spend a little longer than normal on the basic training and if possible to then move onto more advanced training, to which they will react very well, in order to make the best use of their energy. Fun training is definitely to be recommended with these athletic dogs.

These dogs were originally bred for tracking, flushing out and retrieving game birds. They can have an independent streak and given the chance they will catch a scent and go hunting on their own if not well-trained early in their lives.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the King Charles Spaniel (also known as the English Toy Spaniel) are very sociable and while they do not need as much exercise as Springer Spaniels, they do not always react well to being left on their own for long periods. They much prefer human company to other animals and will adapt to an energetic or a relaxed lifestyle. They can be harder than some breeds to housetrain but once settled and maturing, are well-suited to apartments.

All these types of dog needs socializing when young and an owner must be aware that even as they grow older, they often cannot resist their innate traits to chase small animals, including other pets. Generally though, if trained well and observing the points metnioned, they all make fun-loving and enthusiastic pets.

Dog agility training is a sport with organized competitions in many countries. It is most appropriate for dogs that have been trained in all the basics from an early age and is good for reinforcing the bond between dog and keeper as well as being good, energetic fun.

Agility equipment for building agility courses includes tunnels, A-frames, hurdles and fences, see-saws, weave poles through which the dog weaves in a specific way to meet competition rules and pause frames on which the dog has to pause while competing.

Training usually starts at an organized club from when the dog is around twelve months old though dogs are not allowed to participate in any of the many forms of competition until at least eighteen months old and older in some cases. Mixed-breed dogs are allowed in some competitions and while some dog breeds are perceived to be more difficult to train for agility competitions, there are so many exceptions to this notion that in reality it appears to be more the case that the dog’s capability is formed from its early training and individual characteristics.

The equipment is so varied, even by its basic type, e.g. collapsible tunnel compared to see-saw, that specific training techniques and exercises are required for each type. Usually the dog will have to be led on a leash initially, quite slowly into, onto or over the obstacle and gently encouraged then rewarded in series of stages, then as its confidence grows, the difficulty increased. Eventually the completion of the task will have to be speeded up in order to compete, as competitions require accuracy, accumulating faults similar to showjumping and then fastest times determine the winner.

Because accuracy is essential while training, this should be the focus of the keeper, then speed can be acquired as experience is gained in competitions.

Dog owners contemplating agility competitions should also be aware that you will have to be fit as well! There is a lot of running near or on a par with the dog as it competes. Great fun though, especially if you can find a dog that is well-suited to showing off its energy and exuberance this way!

Positive reinforcement is one of the most popular modern methods of training your dog. It basically means rewarding good behavior and ignoring bad behavior. It works very well, confirming that ignoring your pet dog is one of the most effective methods of communicating your disapproval. Repeating and being consistent with positive reinforcement methods achieves results.

One of the best aspects of positive reinforcement is that it enables your dog to learn almost of its own accord and through this the appropriate behavior seem to be learned so much more effectively. Beyond the simple idea, there are several techniques for rewarding and ignoring that are worth familiarising yourself with.

Use meaningful rewards

The most effective rewards are treats and physical affection. Too many treats might lead to an overweight dog but also become boring for a dog after a while. So do simple pats on the head, so variation should be included in order to maintain your dog’s interest and motivation to improve again in future. Dogs like being stroked on their back near the tail, and on their chest. Scratching near the ears also appeals to most dogs. These are just examples of ways to vary the reward; others include favourite toys, ball chasing, etc.

Time things properly

Required behavior will be much more quickly understood by your dog if you ensure that rewards or positive signals are given at just the right moment, immediately following the correct behavior. A positive verbal sound or gesture will work if timed right, but clickers are also highly appropriate here. A separate post will follow about clicker training.

Be consistent

Positive reinforcement lends itself to planning and preparation, especially because it can be done in short bursts until it becomes part of your natural day-to-day interaction with your dog. Part of the planning is to be clear from the outset which commands and gestures you want your dog to understand and then consistently train using them.

Ignoring is a technique

A key aspect of being consistentwith this process is for the trainer (you) to understand that the negative reaction of ignoring means precisely that. The failure to react at all to the poor behavior registers with your dog. A negative reaction also registers and some dogs will seek that rather than total ignoring in order to get any kind of interaction with you. Showing no reaction also emphasises the effect of the positive reaction you give for good behavior, so uncomfortable as it may seem to some pet owners, ignoring is the right thing to do.

A healthy dog is easier to train, and as diet is very important to health then a good diet will support your training process. A common ratio for an appropriate dog diet is 40% meat, 30% vegetables and 30% starch.

A good quality dry dog food should be a key constituent in what you feed your dog. It helps both offset the cost of meat and starts to balance the diet. Dog foods are labelled with a list of ingredients, with the highest proportions listed first, through to the smallest at the end.

In the “Ingredients” or “Typical Analysis” section described on the packaging, a good dog food will have little, and in many cases, no “waste” animal content, which are sometimes described as “by-products”. These products are often unfit for human consumption. Any dog food that does have waste or by-products in any sizeable amount should really be avoided. It might be cheaper and the products themselves do not necessarily make the product dangerous, but they do carry higher long-term risk to muscles, bones, coats and the general health of dogs, especially if a part of their regular daily intake.

A number of points pertinent to achieving the 40/30/30 ratio:

• Meat - Lamb, beef and chicken provide protein, good for healthy coats and musculature. As an aside, it’s a bad idea to let dogs, cats and similar pets have chicken bones as they splinter easily and can cause choking.
• Vegetables - carrots and greens are a good balance for dog nutrition, providing the vitamins and minerals essential to good bone development. They also provide the right levels of hormone and enzyme for good health. I’ve always found that different individual dogs are partial to a particular vegetable but don’t like others, which is useful to explore when assessing what to feed your dog.
• Starch - the usual provider of this for a dog is brown or white rice, though not in too large a quantity, especially not in an older dog. Starch provides the carbohydrates to build energy and maintain strength.

Some breeds are often stated to be sensitive to certain foods but this varies in individual dogs. There will also be exceptions when a dog is unhealthy for a little while.

Small amounts of water can be added to dry food to make it more palatable for some dogs.

The sheen on your dog’s coat, the state of its eyes and what is coming out at the other end are the most easy indicators to allow you to assess your dog’s health, but a balanced diet helps provide these. Spending just a little more on better food for your pet is worth it in the long term.

Click here for a free 6-day email course. It will give you a LOT of information and includes solutions to:

• dogs ignoring commands
• dogs pulling on leashes
• dogs jumping up
• manic barking

and a whole lot more. Or you can click here if you like. It’s well worth a look.

Tricks don’t have to be complex routines but might be perfectly simple, such as sit up and beg, shake paws, etc. On the other hand, complicated tricks are usually taught, and learned most easily, by building up a series of short, simple routines. Also they can be done in stages, building, for example, distances and complexity.

Pointers to training your dog to do tricks include:

• Work with your dog’s inclinations and not against them. It’s worth researching some of the breed traits to see which type of trick might be relatively easy to begin with.
• Try and extend or adapt your dog’s current behavior, initially using rewards and linking a command or gesture. To give a simple example, extending the sitting position to lifting your dog’s paw then giving it a reward will soon lead your dog into doing it naturally.
• Similar examples would be training your dog to wheel around you on command with “spin” if it has learned to heel properly, or telling it to “roll” or “play dead” from a lying position, associating a gesture and initially rewarding.
• Gradually, praise will be sufficient to replace the reward, and this should be an early objective as well as the behavior itself.
• Even the initial or some of the early rewards don’t have to be food, in some cases a favorite or even a new toy will suffice.
• There is no doubt that food does work well, though, and by being a little creative with how the food is positioned relative to the dog’s body, without going to silly or frustrating (for your dog) extremes, you might be surprised how quickly your dog learns!

Above all, remember that your dog should be clearly enjoying the activity, so that you can too!

Despite its diminutive stature, the Pomeranian can be one of the more challenging breeds for dog behavior training. With high energy levels and natural friendly yet attention-seeking characteristics, they require more than normal amounts of patience and persistence than many other dog breeds. 

Kongs, the heavy duty rubber toy with a hole in the center in which you can hide things such as small treats or smaller safe toys, seem to work particularly well with many Pomeranians.

Regular short walks are the best way to keep your Pomeranian in both good health and demeanour. This will help offset their natural requirement for being kept occupied, but they do like doing tricks as well as enjoying ball games.This affinity for tricks plus their cute appearance, are the reasons why this breed more often stars than others at shows of both the public and “stage” variety.

They tend to jump a lot if not controlled, but the issue most owners have is their barking so the training methods shown elsewhere on this page for training dogs out of jumping and barking habits should be utilised as early as possible in the Pomeranian’s life, and with a good deal of patience and persistency from early on these will normally suffice.

Its worth noting that they don’t usually get on too well with cats, and they don’t know they are small so they will actually try to dominate other dogs as well, so the alpha techniques shown below will also be useful from an early stage. With this breed more than others, it’s a very good idea to get her trained to standard verbal commands and the relevant accompanying gestures, again from as early as possible.

If you would like to know more, click here for help with your Pomeranian training program.

Also be careful when leash training as although they have strong necks relative to their small size, tugging to correct poor behavior should not be overly sharp or prolonged. Nevertheless, another great dog to enjoy!

Commands

Restating the earlier post, making sure the basic commands are trained first is by far the best approach with this breed.

1. “Come” is fairly natural and the easiest using rewards, starting in the garden or somewhere else enclosed, using a leash and possibly more human assistance as the distance is increased gradually.
2. “Sit” is easily trained but probably the most important command, as the submissive position and greater control that it instils will be important throughout the terrier’s life.
3. If the first two above have begun to register, then “Stay” is the next most important, particularly because it can be used quite successfully as the warning before any aggression towards other dogs is signalled (see Part II of this post).
4. “Down” or “Lie Down” can also be trained fairly early, and reinforced by gently pushing the dog’s shoulders and/or rear end down as part of the learning process, supported by appropriate rewards and praise as it registers.

After these have all been instilled, then more advanced training can be embarked upon, but it is important that these are got across to the Staffordshire from an early age.

Leash Training

This is vital with such a strong dog, and I make no apology for restating that a chest halter is a must in my experience. No doubt other methods can be tried and may succeed but the halter gives more control and is mopre comfortable fopr your dog. The necks of many smaller dogs can be strong, but the chest, neck and muscle of a Staff are very powerful indeed, and a normal lead will not only be ineffective but also mean high risk if control of your dog is lost outdoors.

It’s a matter of preference about the leash, but I’ve found that using one of the strong nylon ribbon retractable leads was one of the best twenty-pound investments I’ve ever made. By getting the dog used to walking on a short length, when it is shortened it signals to him that he should behave and he doesn’t pull.

If your dog does pull, the halter and leash will quickly assert control. If necessary, you should simply stop walking and make him stay still or even sit befoire you signify that you are willing to continue. The same procedure will work with any jumping if it occurs.

Aggression in dogs is a huge subject due to the variety of behaviors and situations in which it can arise. This post considers two examples of the less severe forms of aggressive dog behavior.

• Food aggression - this can vary in its degree, ranging from not letting anyone near its food while it eats to being very aggressive if she thinks you are going to take it. In the most serious cases, aggression about food isn’t the only aggressive trait, but because eating is one of a dog’s greatest pleasures, its importance can often be the only area in which it exhibits such signs. ”Pack leader” status is inherent in food to a dog, so in mild cases it is important to continue interrupting her eating at various times so that she becomes more comfortable, rather than let the situation develop. In more serious cases the situation can be turned around by a range of actions ranging from adding food while she’s eating, establishing that she gets fed after the family have had their food, through to feeding in stages ensuring that there are interruptions. It can take time so that the training  evolves through each stage.
• Play-biting by an adult dog. Play-biting is natural in a puppy and can usually be overcome most simply by you over-reacting, for example with a squeal then turning away, at the level of the activity at which you wish to set the limit. This is similar to the treatment it would receive from a more dominant puppy when young ….without the normal bite it would receive as well! So it registers what is not acceptable. An adult dog that continues to play-bite has normally missed such correction either by the owner or possibly because it was removed from the litter at too early a stage. Physical force will only encourage her in many cases. The better reaction is to substitute a dog chew or toy. The cold-shoulder treatment is also effective. In the case of slightly more severe biting, a sharp “No” or an appropriate command that she is familiar with should be added. Praise should also be tagged on, but only at the point when it will be clear to her that the praise is for her improved behavior.

If you’d like to know more about dog aggression now, click here.

Un-neutered Staffordshire Bull Terriers will prove slightly more difficult initially, but the techniques outlined here will work. Points applicable to the training process include:

• It is best to do training with Staffs in short sessions, and when he is most alert, i.e. not shortly after a meal or exercise
• As always, consistency is a must, and with young Staffordshires, a disciplined approach and use of short commands will work, as will positive reinforcement techniques, with “Stop” or “No” accompanying wrong behaviors and rewards plus “Good”,”Good Lad”,”Good Boy”, etc, soon becoming recognized by the dog. Aggression with any dog is no use if training as a pet, and with a Staffordshire is likely to encourage him to return it in kind, if only as a defense measure.

Socializing

Staffordshire Bull Terriers definitely need socializing and making familiar with as many new situations as possible from young, so as to avoid surprising or startling them later and thereby producing an inappropriate reaction.

They are fine with children if socialized from young, but with these and other dogs, supervision of both dogs and children is strongly advised.

Always keep the Staffie on a leash when around other dogs. If there is any sign of imminent aggression, which is usually relatively obvious if alert to the signs but can progress quickly from “walking tall” - ears and tail up, still curious at this stage - to squaring up. By this point any experienced keeper will have sent a “No” signal to the dog, but if not, things are going to get serious when the Staffordshire starts eyeballing the other dog to try and register dominance, then lip curling, growling, snarling and beyond. The keeper must in all circumstances pull the Staff away and ALWAYS reprimand him with a good telling-off and a bit of ignoring for a while. The dog will get the message quite quickly after a few repetitions.

Consistency, persistence, patience, etc. Yep, read it, done it, got the tee-shirt?

Well, repetitive and boring as they sound, these are the main elements of training dogs and several other types of pet. But when you see someone else’s well-behaved dog while you’re still struggling, it’s probably worth a refresher of the things that don’t work in order to remind us all that the things we should be doing, the first three words of this post, are the right approach.

• Violence is a complete no-no, simply because it is going to create a timid pet dog or one that decides to respond in kind and possibly when least expected. Either way, its the end of any credible or rewarding dog-owning relationship.
• Dogs are neither children or adults and do not respond to words like we do. They respond to tones of voice, the keeper’s behavior and gestures. True, one or two words may be a simple command, but it’s the repetition of something they recognise, often in conjunction with a gesture, that they respond to, and not any literal understanding of the command.
• To quote Cesar Milan, dogs live in the “now”, especially young ones; so do the old ones, but they have also got wise to the easy path to get what they want and learned a few simple patterns in your behavior. Hence the need for consistency and recognition on your part to react quickly to communicate to your dog the right behavior has just been carried out successfully.
• Training “sessions”, i.e. in a schedule, are really only for dogs that have progressed into advanced forms of shows and exhibitions, where it may well be almost a way of life. For inexperienced dogs, most dogs as a rule, and certainly puppies, they are picking up signals from you all the time and so training is really achieved through day-to-day interaction between you and your dog, which really reinforces the opening few words above. Addressing particular issues will be helped through some of the suggestions on this site but it is still based on consistency, persistence and patience!

Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or Staffies to their friends, are often thought to be pit bull terriers and get an undeserved reputation as a result. They are exceptionally strong for their size and can be challenging to train, but if trained correctly from young, they make superb family dogs. The usual behaviors that need attention early if they are to be corrected quickly are:

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

• Pulling on the leash, relentlessly if allowed
• Aggression towards other dogs, trying to be “top dog”
• Sometimes foolhardy in the pursuit of their objective
• NEVER let them start fighting other dogs - it could prove very costly

They are naturally very friendly towards humans, as with other breeds unless trained otherwise. A few general points are relevant to training Staffordshire Bull Terriers:

1. Like all terriers they are attention-seekers, which means, used appropriately with this breed, ignoring them can work well; however, in my experience there is hardly ever a need for this if the other tips advised here are applied consistently.
2. They take to a general daily routine very easily if not too rigid. Getting into a routine quickly will contribute towards training success.
3. Food is a real driver with this breed; coupled with their mammoth capacity for exercise, when young, food treats work very well as rewards.
4. Don’t have too high an expectation of them at the outset. By keeping things simple and focusing on the basics in short sessions, the training process will be much easier.
5. Invest in a chest halter! A traditional lead will work with some, and with most Staffies it will work some of the time, but if he gets into pursuit mode, all kinds of problems can ensue.

Parts II and III of this post will go into more specific training techniques for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

The chihuahua is naturally fairly strong-willed. Behavioral problems almost invariably arise from when an owner has been too lenient with the chihuahua puppy on account of it being small and cute. Training needs to start early, especially socialization in as many situations as possible so that the pet chihuahua naturally becomes a fairly rounded character. This will also provide opportunities to gauge the puppy’s aptitude for advanced training because being energetic, alert and intelligent, the chihuahua is sometimes best engaged by varied and more difficult tasks if the aptitude is there in the specific dog. Training needs to be assertive and with exercise, play and varied rewards in place it is usually possible to train the chihuahua relatively easily.

The best chihuahua training methods work with the little dog’s nature, especially its liking for attention and need to be engaged. Given the principle of starting young, its need for variety in order to engage it is going to be accentuated. However it will also be very receptive to rewards, so by breaking the reward pattern up and only ever rewarding it after it completes the right behavior rather then during it, while keeping training sessions when young short and snappy, the chihuahua will quickly show what it made of and react fairly positively throughout.

Also, it is worth remembering that if something isn’t working, persisting with it immediately or becoming stressed will prove counter-productive for both your stress levels and the dog, so it is actually worth letting it go for another day, but without any rewards or they will lose their value very quickly.

Another productive technique with the young chihuahua is not to overdo a successful session, or else the dog will both tire and become bored, again illustrating the focus on short and snappy. So a little planning with simple objectives initially, and some patience, will be effective. Done properly, most chihuahuas will soon indicate their readiness to move onto advanced training and if so, it is well worth considering with this breed to make the most of its capabilities and fun-loving nature.

For help with training your Chihuahua, click here.

Chewing is one of the most natural things for your dog to do. Destructive dog chewing is the problem, especially when it’s our stuff that she’s developing a taste for!

Destructive chewing can often signify underexercise, boredom or loneliness. Exercise has a part to play in all of these, but it doesn’t solve the problem quickly. Really she has to be taught not to chew the wrong things and to stick to her own stuff.

Prevention is the first step:

• Keep all the tempting objects that you can out of harm’s way, and be careful you don’t get reminded the hard way that she can jump or reach up to table edges.
• In effect, especially with puppies, you need to “dog-proof” some areas of your home.
• Books, glasses, garbage, remote controls are all nice and crunchy for those sharp teeth.

Above all, make it clear which things can be chewed (her toys or dog chews) and which things are off-limits.

Giving your dog cast-off clothes, towels, slippers or shoes is going to confuse her and cost you both money to replace the item and time in reinforcing the rights and wrongs for her.

Focus her attention on her own toys. The younger she is, the more toys she might need. Keeping one or more toys in reserve and rotating them say every couple of days can help as it makes some variety, especially with a younger dog.

Try not to leave her on her own for too long if you are at home. Play with her and through this you can keep watch for any problem behavior.

It’s fairly certain that at some point she will chew something she shouldn’t. At that point a loud interrupting noise such as a clap of your hand or a firm vocal sound that she recognises as one of the telling-off type will stop her for a moment. Then by giving her one of her own toys or a dog chew quickly, and praising her when she reacts positively to the new item, will reinforce which of the dog chewing behaviors are acceptable to you.

Repeating this process as each incident occurs should solve destructive dog chewing fairly quickly.

My article on this was published on ezinearticles.com earlier today, click here to see it.

There is also an earlier one about the Key Principles of Dog Behavior Training, click here for that one.

And for a later one about Dogs Around Horses, click here.

Training a persistent dog not to bite will vary dependent on the individual dog’s characteristics, though age and breed will have a bearing. There are a range of techniques that can be used which will normally succeed if applied patiently and consistently before a muzzle becomes necessary.

Stopping the behavior in the young dog is the ideal, by stopping it developing the play-biting it would do naturally as a puppy. A strong “No” and slight squeeze of its muzzle, without damaging the nose or sense of smell, some of which occurs from high inside the nose, is a starting point which often gets the message across after a relatively short time.

Socializing the young dog as soon as possible and establishing the appropriate behaviors will also prevent problems forming then escalating. Biting other dogs when young is often a territorial and/or fear response so socializing is very useful. By initially leashing all the dogs involved if problems are anticipated, then letting them slowly approach and sniff each other will gradually ease any tension. Stroking all the dogs and letting your dog smell your hand will also help. If any dog is showing signs of imminent aggression, it should be made to sit; failure to do this will show the extent of the problem and it is almost inevitable with some breeds and individual dogs that they will always have to be leashed when around other dogs.

Experienced dog keepers recognise the signs at the very first instant, know their dogs and know that training the keepers themselves to take responsibility is also part of the solution. Occasionally a dog will persist in biting beyond around five months of age, in which case, depending on the specific circumstances, advanced measures will be required.

Dogs are naturally sociable, and if encouraged to socialize with other dogs from early in life, they will not normally develop problematic behaviour. There are exceptions, one of the most common being the natural instinct of rivalry between the same sex of the same breed, for example female German Shepherds, even though there isn’t a male in sight! This type of exception is normal and generally you just avoid putting them together if they haven’t been together from an early age. The terrier groups of dog generally tend to be more difficult with other dogs.

It is natural for dogs to enjoy rough knockabouts and play-biting with other dogs. Normally this shouldn’t be stopped unless there are signs of more serious biting developing, in which case the dogs should be separated quickly.

Problems tend to arise with older dogs that have not had as much contact with other dogs as perhaps they should. In these cases their territorial instincts often cause them to try and dominate the other dog. The territory in question could be your house, their own “space” or in some circumstances, you. These situations can often involve other factors. They can in most cases be overcome through repeating the experience, observing and carrying out appropriate training based on understanding the whole context. However, if you are watching the dogs as they approach each other, signs of one or both taking dominant postures should alert you to possibilities that you can head off before they develop.

If your dog continuously barks when in the presence of other dogs, in most circumstances a standard training command should stop it. If it continues, over time you will know your dog better and find the right reaction; actually simulating a bark yourself at your dog has been known to work, despite the strange looks it can attract!

Pulling on the leash is a common trait when sighting another dog. The most effective response, as with most leash pulling, is to stop for a few minutes, and if necessary make the dog sit or even lie down before moving on. Repeating this, even if every few steps and many times if necessary, will normally get the message across.

I’ll return to other aspects of socializing dogs in future posts.