dog behavior training

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.

Clickers can be an effective training tool. Whilst verbal commands and gestures can be used on their own to achieve successful training outcomes, clickers are particularly beneficial to some aspects of dog behavior training because they communicate immediately to your dog.

This means that when used consistently and by timing the click to the instant that your dog is behaving as you require, with practice they allow the introduction of additional stages in training a behavior which can be very useful at times. This is known as shaping the behavior. With experience, the trainer can use a click to signify the beginning of a behavior as well as its successful conclusion.

Two important rules for using a clicker are:

1. Although it is good practice to reinforce the completion with a verbal confirmation such as “good” or “yes”, use of the clicker should continue unless it is no longer necessary. Your dog will be confused by any random combination or variation in use of rewards, verbal sounds or clicker and will not react as you require.
2. Any training activity using the clicker must use it consistently and accurately every time the required activity is performed or again it will lose its meaning to your dog.

To introduce your dog to the clicker, clicking it as a reward is given will begin the process. Another way to encourage your dog to associate it with enjoyable activity is to click it as she returns a ball for example, if that is something she enjoys doing. As it becomes more familiar, then it can be associated with good behavior outcomes as part of the positive reinforcement process.

Over time, as you become more experienced, the clicker can be used before the conclusion of an activity so that your dog will begin to anticipate what is required. Given further time and yet more experience, you will find that fewer clicks actually produce a greater number of successful outcomes.

Relatively simply taught as part of leash training but by using the command “Heel” consistently and repetitively to the same length of leash and position in relation to you, and always on the same side especially when young, it will be effective.

A fixed leash will be best when your dog is young rather than even a fixed length of retractable leash as the latter does not give anything like the same level of quick control, which is made worse by an inexperienced dog.

As with all forms of leash training, if you stop walking when your dog does not comply with the Heel command, then do not move on until he is waiting for you, then you can try again, keeping sessions short and the message will get through.

The key to early success is to stay calm as any scolding or signs of frustration from you will be counter-productive as it is sending the opposite message to many dogs, namely that walking correctly with you usually signifies bad things to your dog.

A further technique for large dogs is to use a food reward held close to your side at the height of your dog’s head to encourage the dog to walk correctly but the reward must only be given for correct behavior; the process must be restarted without the reward being given if your dog is not behaving as required.

Not all owners require their dog to sit before crossing a road or the similar routines, but if you will require it then all of this should be trained together, or in very quick succession while the dog is young to help reinforce each signal to your dog.

Heel should be tried as various speeds as your dog gets used to it, to make sure that the training is effective. Changing direction can also be added in as training progresses.

In the early stages of most advanced training to heel, training the dog to heel while turning left, right or completely around uses treats while on the leash.

Jack Russell Terriers and Parson Russell Terriers are very similar dogs, the Parson Russell being taller, from about twelve inches in height. The two breeds’ behavioral characteristics are generally the same:

• Highly energetic, and soon bored
• Tend to yap and bark a lot as they are soon aroused
• More likely to bite than many breeds
• Can be difficult to leash train

Some of these behaviors can be appropriately trained using techniques described in other posts on this site. The standard training practices of being consistent, assertive and not indicating stress to the dog will be required but coupled with persistence and more patience than is often the case with “normal” dog training.

Russell Terriers like a challenge and plenty of exercise and activity, so much so that they do well in advanced training like agility training and the more energetic exhibition activities. This aspect lends more emphasis to the idea of completing basic training as soon as possible with the young dog, but NOT at the expense of losing sdome of the individual dog’s spirit, character and natural exuberance.

One of the most important parts of training the Jack Russell Terrier is to ensure that it is socialized when young with other dogs, pets and children, especially the latter and under supervision with all three. It is worth doing a little teaching of the children too, when a Russell Terrier is around. Teasing the Russell puppy will be risky both immediately and longer-term as if an inappropriate reaction occurs in the dog, which will rapidly become a hard-to-stop habit if not admonished.

A feisty and difficult Russell may require the use of additional training tools such as training collars and leashes, but only usually if it has not been trained properly early enough. As an owner, you will be in the best position to judge when these might be appropriate. However, help is available if required. Jack Russell Terriers and Parson Russell Terriers make great pets, but getting the right training in early is the key.

It is not uncommon for a dog to be nervous when separated from its keeper for a time. The most common problem is a dog that is left alone when its keeper is out at work. With some dogs the anxiety increases quite quickly. It can have several causes:

1. Some breeds are more predisposed to the condition than others, for example Springer Spaniels and Airedales.
2. Dogs from shelters, possibly because they have been “deserted” before. 
3. Dogs separated too soon after birth from their mothers and other puppies.

Symptoms of dogs suffering separation anxiety include:

• When recognizing that you are about to leave the house, your dog starts whining, trembling or in some cases even becomes aggressive to try and prevent you leaving.
• When you are absent, she may start barking almost continuously or for long spells, or  attempt to scratch or dig her way out of the room, damaging doors, windows or carpets. She may also chew the wrong things or eliminate in the room.
• When you return, she greets you in an over-excited way and goes through a long greeting routine, way beyond the normal minute or so.

If events of this type are recurring, then clearly the behavior has to be corrected or it may deteriorate further. Solutions include the following:

• Do not over-indulge her on your return! This can be a major contributor to encouraging the wrong behavior.
• Exercise her before you leave, in the form of an energetic walk of at least 20 minutes and if possible longer, especially if she will be left alone for most of the day.
• Provide distractions for while you are out. For example, give her something appropriate to chew and/or enable her to see through a window. You could possibly even leave the radio on a soothing channel - it works for some dogs!
• Practice some “false starts” which effectively acclimatize her to you going and slowly build them up, moving to the next stage as she shows no stress with the completed one. Initially for example, put your coat on, open the door, then close the door and sit down. Whenh she stops reacting, praise the good behavior. At this point you can slowly escalate the routine, by going out, closing the door then coming back in again and sitting down, etc. You can prolong the period before you come back in through a couple more stages.

These actions will normally remedy the problems. For more advanced techniques to deal with separation anxiety, click here.

Stay naturally follows on from the Sit command. Remain facing him after he sits down, and walk backwards as you say “Stay”. By repetition at lengthening distances as your dog gets used to the training, eventually your dog will succeed at this.

An accompanying gesture is useful; don’t confuse this with another gesture, and because “Stay” will be one of the most frequent commands, use something really simple, for example pointing at where he is sat or a slightly raised hand always in the same position in relation to your body.

In case of any difficulties, Stay is one of those commands that can be reinforced simply with persistence with most dogs. If he comes back to you before you want him to, lead him back to the same spot he was in, get him to Sit then back slowly away again and repeat the process.

A retractable lead could be used but is not advisable in any early stages this might confuse your dog into thinking that you actually want him to come to you because the lead is attached to him. I have seen it recommended and it might be suitable for some situations, especially with a slightly older dog being trained for obedience trials, but with most puppies in my experience this will not work very well.

Stepping over or around your dog while he is in the Stay position will measure your success and may form part of the Stay training. As with Sit, encouraging your dog to Stay until you release him will prove useful. Try to succeed with this command without using food rewards as they will usually be counter-productive.