creating a solid base
Our dogs look to us for guidance. If we are not providing them with clear guidance and structure, they will make up their own rules – And they’re pretty darn good at it! Creating a good, solid base for training allows us to clearly communicate with our dogs in a fair and gentle manner. It teaches our dogs how to engage us in a positive way (vs. being pushy or loud!).
These exercises that you incorporate into your daily routine will easily become the new “law of the land”. Once you’ve worked on them consistently for 2 - 3 weeks, your dog should start to do them automatically. A cool thing about our dogs is, once they understand the new game, they’re a-okay with it! But, when the “game” changes often is when confusion sets in...
Creating a solid training base can help with dogs that are fearful, new to your home, reactive... Dogs that have just had their schedules changed around - new house, new baby, kids home in the summer and then going to school in the fall, new job. There are a lot of things that affect our dogs that we don’t even realize!
Teach him to look to you for what he needs in life.
If you control your dog's “valued resources”, then your dog will start to look to you for what he needs. If your dog has regular access to valued resources, he really has no reason to ask your permission or guidance for anything! So, what are valued resources? They are anything your DOG thinks are valuable. Here are some of the main ones:
FOOD!
Feed him meals. Sounds simple, right? Not so... Most of the owners we meet during private lessons tell us that their dog is so good, they can just leave the food out on the floor (sound familiar?)! Wow, he must be so good for not gulping down his food right away. They tell us that he’s not very interested in his food. Or, he can leave his food sit in his bowl all day, or that he’s a “grazer”, or that they have to put a topping on his food to make him eat it.
Actually, this is completely opposite of what you want! You WANT your dog to be excited about his mealtime! If we ever hear about a dog not really being “treat motivated”, that tells us one of three things:
∙ Your treats are boring (yes, boring hard biscuits, blak!).
∙ Your dog really has no reason to want to work for the food in your hand.
∙ Your dog is in a situation where he is past his threshold
So, feeding him meals can be one of the most important things you do!
It’s pretty easy to change over to meals vs. free feeding:
In the beginning your dog may not really get it, or may not really seem to care. If your dog has gone through one, two, three or more feedings without eating, don’t get too worried. A healthy dog will not let himself starve. I recently heard from a vet that a dog can safely go about 5-7 days with fasting. So, don’t think “Oh, Schmoopy hasn’t eaten his breakfast! I better sweeten the pot and put something yummy on top of his food so he eats!”. Because of course, many dogs will hold out for the good stuff!
Once you have your dog looking forward to eating his meals, you can start to use this as a training time! Ask him to Sit, Wait (just for a short moment!) and Look. Once he looks at you, say “Okay!” and put his bowl down. Good Dog! You mastered Step One!
Wait just a second!
“Wait” is a great training tool, and can help you crate and hold a solid base with your dog. This will make your dog polite and prevent him from bolting out the door! My
Portuguese Water Dog is like a proper Southern Belle, she will stand there and wait forever for you to open the door for her and “escort” her through! Asking your dog to wait is another opportunity for your dog to look to you for what he needs in life.
Doorways can certainly be valued resources – Not everyone can go through them at the same time! Do you need to make your dog wait while you go through first? No.. You can if you want, but it’s not necessary. What you really want is for your dog to wait, and be under verbal control – They wait until you release them. Think of this as a quick pause button. As soon as they pause, say “Okay” and let them through!
Once you’ve mastered Wait at the inside door (bedroom door, bathroom door), you can practice *on leash* with outside doors. You can use Wait for their food, with car doors, crate doors, top or bottom of the stairs... Any opportunity you can find!
Please get off...
Are you one of those owners that won’t move in the bed because you don’t want to disturb your dogs slumber? Have you seen those dogs that lay on the master bed like they expect a servant to come and feed them grapes (which, um, grapes are toxic to dogs, so don’t do that!). Oh yes, I’ve seen them, you may even have one! They lay on the bed like it’s expected for them to receive the royal treatment!
We also chuckle to ourselves when we hear owners say “He has his perch on the couch so he can see right out the front window”. Yes, the dog that perches – not just on the couch, but on the TOP of the couch! Are these status - seeking dogs? Maybe - Maybe not. But, they are definitely dogs that have control of the valued resources in the home!
Please, do your dog a favor and let him know very clearly that furniture is a luxury, not an
assumed contract. Would you give your child everything he asked for just because he said he wanted it? I sure don’t! My kids and my dogs EARN luxuries. If your dog is having reactivity or aggression issues, we recommend no furniture. Zip. Zero. None. Not until they have a good solid base (which yes, this is part of that base!) and have turned the corner so-to-speak. And then, maybe then, we can talk about allowing them on the furniture again.
If you can’t possibly live with the idea of not having your dog on the furniture, then we suggest at least make them ASK to come on the furniture. By asking, we refer to that whole “waiting” thing we talked about earlier. Just like for food, or for a doorway –Ask your dog to wait (just for a moment) as long as they are being good, then you can say “Okay”, and pat the couch for them to jump up on it.
I do have to say this –If you want great results, follow our suggestions to a “T”. If you want so-so results, follow only part of what we are instructing you...Here is a good compromise -If you want to snuggle with your dog, go down on the floor and snuggle. That way you can still get your cuddle time in! It’s okay to go down to his level –Just make sure you keep control of those valued resources.
Don’t pet your dog?
No. We’d never tell you that you couldn’t pet your dog. But... Can affection be a valued resource? You bet! Ask your dog to do something first –That way, when you pet him it will be a reward!
Think of it this way, if your dog comes up to you and puts his paw on your lap. Or, touches you with his nose. Or, nudges your elbow (that one really gets me –Pushy!). This catches your attention, so what do you do? You look down at him (eye contact can also be attention) and start to pet him. Dog,1 –Human, 0. Your dog just said “Hey person, it’s time to groom me”, and you said, “Okay dog, I’ll groom you”.
You can easily change the dynamics. When your dog comes up to you and demands attention, simply ask him to sit. Once he sits, you can give him all the attention and affection you want!
You just changed the dynamics and now you’ve asked him to do something, and you’re rewarding him for it! Look –You’re becoming a dog trainer!
Feed him meals. Sounds simple, right? Not so... Most of the owners we meet during private lessons tell us that their dog is so good, they can just leave the food out on the floor (sound familiar?)! Wow, he must be so good for not gulping down his food right away. They tell us that he’s not very interested in his food. Or, he can leave his food sit in his bowl all day, or that he’s a “grazer”, or that they have to put a topping on his food to make him eat it.
Actually, this is completely opposite of what you want! You WANT your dog to be excited about his mealtime! If we ever hear about a dog not really being “treat motivated”, that tells us one of three things:
∙ Your treats are boring (yes, boring hard biscuits, blak!).
∙ Your dog really has no reason to want to work for the food in your hand.
∙ Your dog is in a situation where he is past his threshold
So, feeding him meals can be one of the most important things you do!
It’s pretty easy to change over to meals vs. free feeding:
- Fill up his food bowl with however much you think he should eat for a meal. Call him to you.
- Set his bowl down. If he is *actively* eating his food, his bowl can remain down. If he walks away from his food, even for a moment, the bowl goes up on the counter and he doesn’t get it until his next mealtime.
- At his next meal time, use his remaining food from the previous feeding (add more to it to make it a full feedings worth if you need to).
In the beginning your dog may not really get it, or may not really seem to care. If your dog has gone through one, two, three or more feedings without eating, don’t get too worried. A healthy dog will not let himself starve. I recently heard from a vet that a dog can safely go about 5-7 days with fasting. So, don’t think “Oh, Schmoopy hasn’t eaten his breakfast! I better sweeten the pot and put something yummy on top of his food so he eats!”. Because of course, many dogs will hold out for the good stuff!
Once you have your dog looking forward to eating his meals, you can start to use this as a training time! Ask him to Sit, Wait (just for a short moment!) and Look. Once he looks at you, say “Okay!” and put his bowl down. Good Dog! You mastered Step One!
Wait just a second!
“Wait” is a great training tool, and can help you crate and hold a solid base with your dog. This will make your dog polite and prevent him from bolting out the door! My
Portuguese Water Dog is like a proper Southern Belle, she will stand there and wait forever for you to open the door for her and “escort” her through! Asking your dog to wait is another opportunity for your dog to look to you for what he needs in life.
Doorways can certainly be valued resources – Not everyone can go through them at the same time! Do you need to make your dog wait while you go through first? No.. You can if you want, but it’s not necessary. What you really want is for your dog to wait, and be under verbal control – They wait until you release them. Think of this as a quick pause button. As soon as they pause, say “Okay” and let them through!
Once you’ve mastered Wait at the inside door (bedroom door, bathroom door), you can practice *on leash* with outside doors. You can use Wait for their food, with car doors, crate doors, top or bottom of the stairs... Any opportunity you can find!
Please get off...
Are you one of those owners that won’t move in the bed because you don’t want to disturb your dogs slumber? Have you seen those dogs that lay on the master bed like they expect a servant to come and feed them grapes (which, um, grapes are toxic to dogs, so don’t do that!). Oh yes, I’ve seen them, you may even have one! They lay on the bed like it’s expected for them to receive the royal treatment!
We also chuckle to ourselves when we hear owners say “He has his perch on the couch so he can see right out the front window”. Yes, the dog that perches – not just on the couch, but on the TOP of the couch! Are these status - seeking dogs? Maybe - Maybe not. But, they are definitely dogs that have control of the valued resources in the home!
Please, do your dog a favor and let him know very clearly that furniture is a luxury, not an
assumed contract. Would you give your child everything he asked for just because he said he wanted it? I sure don’t! My kids and my dogs EARN luxuries. If your dog is having reactivity or aggression issues, we recommend no furniture. Zip. Zero. None. Not until they have a good solid base (which yes, this is part of that base!) and have turned the corner so-to-speak. And then, maybe then, we can talk about allowing them on the furniture again.
If you can’t possibly live with the idea of not having your dog on the furniture, then we suggest at least make them ASK to come on the furniture. By asking, we refer to that whole “waiting” thing we talked about earlier. Just like for food, or for a doorway –Ask your dog to wait (just for a moment) as long as they are being good, then you can say “Okay”, and pat the couch for them to jump up on it.
I do have to say this –If you want great results, follow our suggestions to a “T”. If you want so-so results, follow only part of what we are instructing you...Here is a good compromise -If you want to snuggle with your dog, go down on the floor and snuggle. That way you can still get your cuddle time in! It’s okay to go down to his level –Just make sure you keep control of those valued resources.
Don’t pet your dog?
No. We’d never tell you that you couldn’t pet your dog. But... Can affection be a valued resource? You bet! Ask your dog to do something first –That way, when you pet him it will be a reward!
Think of it this way, if your dog comes up to you and puts his paw on your lap. Or, touches you with his nose. Or, nudges your elbow (that one really gets me –Pushy!). This catches your attention, so what do you do? You look down at him (eye contact can also be attention) and start to pet him. Dog,1 –Human, 0. Your dog just said “Hey person, it’s time to groom me”, and you said, “Okay dog, I’ll groom you”.
You can easily change the dynamics. When your dog comes up to you and demands attention, simply ask him to sit. Once he sits, you can give him all the attention and affection you want!
You just changed the dynamics and now you’ve asked him to do something, and you’re rewarding him for it! Look –You’re becoming a dog trainer!
Crate randomly
I know, your dog is probably pretty good so you don’t crate him anymore. Maybe he’s older, or he is past the puppy stage so he’s not chewing things up or having accidents. So, why continue to crate? Two important reasons:
I love having the crate in the main living area of the house. This way, when you do crate your
dog, he can still be in the same room with you and won’t feel isolated. When you crate randomly, it only needs to be for a short time, a few minutes here and there. Just enough for your dog to understand that they only get to come out as long as they are offering calm behaviors. I have three kids running around my house, so I often crate during “high energy” times. When they’re tearing through the house with friends after school, or when I’m trying to make dinner. I will also crate during quiet times, so my dogs understand that when it’s quiet, they need to be quiet too!
Once you have a good, solid base with your dog, you can start to actually TRAIN him! Train him in a way that he will understand, and a way that will actually make a difference in his behavior – I can’t wait to start the next steps!
Giene Keyes
Giene Keyes is the owner of Moon Dog Training, LLC, providing positive in-home training, behavior consultations and group classes. After receiving “Best of Madison'' multiple years in a row, Giene sold her dog daycare to focus on her dog behavior work. Giene has been working with pets and their owners for over 30 years. She is a professional animal trainer and behavior specialist in Southern Wisconsin. Giene divides her time between teaching group classes and private lessons – Specializing in manners and aggression cases. Giene works with vets, rescue groups and shelters, evaluating dogs for adoption, developing Canine Aggression Management Programs, and educating staff on dog language and behaviors. She consults for dog daycares and training companies by educating staff on dog body language, cues, managing a pack, difficult dogs and much more. She provides behavior consultations for service dog organizations and rescue groups in the Midwest. She has been an Instructor with the American Red Cross in Pet CPR and First Aid, a Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club, and a Licensed Judge with the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection. Giene is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She routinely presents seminars on dog behavior and training, as well as chicken training seminars to promote team building. Giene has been a regular guest on popular Madison radio shows and evening newscasts. Giene has also been featured in numerous local magazines, including the cover for Wisconsin Woman. Giene is a published author (see her Chicken Training Book!) and loves demonstrating to people how clever dogs, chickens and pigs can be.
I know, your dog is probably pretty good so you don’t crate him anymore. Maybe he’s older, or he is past the puppy stage so he’s not chewing things up or having accidents. So, why continue to crate? Two important reasons:
- It’s a big responsibility patrolling the whole house! Having the run of the house can oftentimes be overwhelming for a dog. That is a lot to take care of! Going from one room to the next. Looking out one window to the next. Oftentimes if we crate our dogs it’s actually a huge weight off of their shoulders. They think, “Phew, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore!”, and they can start to relax a bit.
- Crating randomly teaches your dog better impulse control. Oh yes, being able to physically calm themselves down can be one of the hardest things for a dog to do! My Portuguese Water Dog is only one year old and I still crate her randomly each day. Sometimes it’s when nothing is going on, sometimes it’s when a lot is going on!
I love having the crate in the main living area of the house. This way, when you do crate your
dog, he can still be in the same room with you and won’t feel isolated. When you crate randomly, it only needs to be for a short time, a few minutes here and there. Just enough for your dog to understand that they only get to come out as long as they are offering calm behaviors. I have three kids running around my house, so I often crate during “high energy” times. When they’re tearing through the house with friends after school, or when I’m trying to make dinner. I will also crate during quiet times, so my dogs understand that when it’s quiet, they need to be quiet too!
Once you have a good, solid base with your dog, you can start to actually TRAIN him! Train him in a way that he will understand, and a way that will actually make a difference in his behavior – I can’t wait to start the next steps!
Giene Keyes
Giene Keyes is the owner of Moon Dog Training, LLC, providing positive in-home training, behavior consultations and group classes. After receiving “Best of Madison'' multiple years in a row, Giene sold her dog daycare to focus on her dog behavior work. Giene has been working with pets and their owners for over 30 years. She is a professional animal trainer and behavior specialist in Southern Wisconsin. Giene divides her time between teaching group classes and private lessons – Specializing in manners and aggression cases. Giene works with vets, rescue groups and shelters, evaluating dogs for adoption, developing Canine Aggression Management Programs, and educating staff on dog language and behaviors. She consults for dog daycares and training companies by educating staff on dog body language, cues, managing a pack, difficult dogs and much more. She provides behavior consultations for service dog organizations and rescue groups in the Midwest. She has been an Instructor with the American Red Cross in Pet CPR and First Aid, a Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club, and a Licensed Judge with the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection. Giene is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She routinely presents seminars on dog behavior and training, as well as chicken training seminars to promote team building. Giene has been a regular guest on popular Madison radio shows and evening newscasts. Giene has also been featured in numerous local magazines, including the cover for Wisconsin Woman. Giene is a published author (see her Chicken Training Book!) and loves demonstrating to people how clever dogs, chickens and pigs can be.
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