Why I Do Not Train a "Wait" Command

 

On Amazon.com there are, at the time of this post, 57995 dog training books.  57994 of them include instructions on how to train the “wait” command (e.g. “wait” before you go out the door, “wait” before you eat, etc).

I have never taught my clients a verbal “wait” command.  In fact, if the dog already knows it, I have told my clients to stop using it.  

“Wait” waters down the “stay” command.  Think about it – what does “stay” mean? It  means put your butt on that spot and don’t move until I give you a release command. What does “wait” mean to a dog? Wait for how long? It sounds the same to the dog, and the body language of the handler looks the same - but it means something different.  Dogs who are good at “wait” are lousy at “stay” (and stay is a much more useful command).

“Wait” is not only confusing to the dog, but it is a completely unnecessary command if your dog has been properly trained.  Well-trained dogs are constantly looking to the owner for approval in everything they do. They do not dare follow their owners out through open doors unless they are invited (or are on leash). 

So, what do you do if your dog is following you out the door as you head to work in the morning? You signal (using body language) that the dog is not invited to accompany you. Any good trainer can teach you exactly how to do this without saying a word. (By the way, you can’t use “stay” because the dog won’t be able to get up until you come home – assuming that you’ve taught your dog a proper stay.)

The verbal “wait” command is a fairly recent development, coming into vogue just a few years ago thanks to the purely positive crowd – the same people who insist on sweetly chirping “Thank You” when their dogs sit. I don’t know a single experienced professional dog trainer who teaches (or uses) a “wait” command.       

Should dogs learn to wait? Absolutely! They should be waiting all the time, for all kinds of things, politely deferring to their owner’s established household rules.  But “wait” is not a verbal obedience command – it’s a learned behavior that polite, well trained dogs will do all the time on their own. When they don’t do it, good handlers know how to efficiently correct the oversight.  

By the way, if you want to see “wait” practiced hundreds of times a day without anyone saying a word, go to your local animal shelter and watch experienced employees entering and leaving kennels. The dogs easily read their body language and know when they are staying and when they are leaving based solely on the body language of the employee. On leash with my back to you means you’re coming with me; off leash and I am facing you (sometimes with my hand out) means you’re not coming.  

What about using “wait” before eating? Again - good idea, wrong command. What you need here is “stay” and then a release word of your choice.

Rule of thumb – not only with this “wait” business, but in general - if you want to be a better handler, stop talking so much.

 

Dogs and Babies

The arrival of your new baby is an exciting, joyful moment! Life changes in lots of ways for everyone in the family. You’ve got a million things to think about, but there’s one thing you might not have considered – introducing the baby to the family dog.




Expectant parents who own dogs are often given  2 pieces of advice from well meaning friends and relatives, which are at best ineffective, and at worst, dangerous:

 MYTH #1

“Bring home a doll and start treating it like a baby so the dog will get used to having a baby at home.”
On the surface, this sounds like it makes sense, but there’s a huge problem with this piece of advice: a baby doll is not a baby. Dogs are hunters, with highly evolved senses. They can smell mates, prey and predators from miles away.  They have eyes that can detect the slightest movements. They can hear the sound of a twig snapping deep in the woods. Their very survival depends upon these keen senses. Thinking that a baby doll smells, moves and sounds anything like a baby is ridiculous.
What does a baby doll smell like? It is usually made of vinyl and cloth and it smells a lot  like a dog’s toys! Exactly the wrong association!  You don’t want your dog thinking that the baby is a toy, do you?

 MYTH #2

“A few days before baby comes home, bring a blanket home from the hospital with the baby’s smell on it.” 
The advice to bring home a blanket does absolutely NOTHING to prepare a dog for the arrival of an infant.  Think about this: many dogs have been in fights with other dogs. Is that because they did not smell another dog before the fight began?  Does smelling something teach the dog to feel good around something? The only thing that bringing home a blanket does is distract the family from what they should be doing in preparation:

What you SHOULD be doing in preparation for the arrival of the baby:

- Gate the baby's room and have the dog learn now, before baby arrives, that this room is off limits.

- Obedience training is always helpful (sit, down, stay, come). A trained dog is under your control; an untrained dog is not.

- Crate training is always helpful for those times when the dog needs to go to a safe, secure place to rest. If your dog is not crate trained, do it now, before the baby arrives.

- Expose and desensitize your dog to the stroller, high chairs, playpens and swings before the baby arrives.

- For dogs who are sensitive to loud noises, use a recording of a crying baby (at first at low volume, then gradually louder during short daily training sessions) to desensitize the dog to the sound.

 

After baby arrives:

- Pay more attention to the dog when the baby is present, and less when the baby is down for a  nap (not the other way around). We want the dog to LOVE seeing the baby because when the baby is around the dog gets more attention.

- Dog and baby should NEVER be left alone together. 

- Dog and baby must not play with eachother's toys. 

- Do not allow baby or toddler to play in the dog's bed or crate.

Buyer Beware: Thunder Garments, Herbal Remedies and DAP Don’t Work!

In days gone by, a gullible public eagerly bought up miracle cures by the gallon to cure everything from baldness to obesity. You’d think that people would be smarter nowadays, but I could make a good argument (at least in my little corner of the world - dog training) that things haven’t changed all that much. Even in this Internet age - people are every bit as likely to buy a potion, lotion or miracle cure to fix a problem as they ever were.

Don’t believe me? Then how else can we explain the millions of dollars spent each year by  pet owners and so-called “dog trainers” on things like Thunder Shirts, Rescue Remedy, Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) and other “miracle cures?” Where is the credible scientific research supporting their effectiveness?   There is none.

If your dog has a serious behavior problem – like fear, hyperactivity, aggression or separation anxiety – you might be willing to try anything to help your pet. These “miracle cures” might not make things any worse, so it’s tempting to give them a try. But when it comes to dog behavior there are problems with wasting time experimenting with junk science: 1) After these products fail to deliver as advertised, people tend to feel they’ve “tried everything” and are tempted to give up; 2) People spend their limited time and money in the wrong place. Spend your money on an experienced, properly trained, “real world” dog trainer - not on nonsensical notions, lotions and potions promoted by the “purely positive” crowd.  

These products are a multi-million dollar business. Their manufacturers sponsor many of the major dog trainer conventions each year.  Well-meaning but often inexperienced trainers are the primary conduits for many of these products.   

Veteran dog trainers don’t promote tight fitting sweaters, herbal remedies and aroma therapy to treat fear or aggression in dogs. They understand that real changes in dog behavior can only be achieved by classical and operant conditioning, systematic desensitization, obedience training, deference protocols and proper management.  With some time, patience and good coaching from a balanced professional dog trainer, owners will see genuine, lasting improvement. It doesn’t come in a bottle. It comes through hard work, consistency and sound training protocols.

What is a "Submissive Grin" in Dogs?

A submissive grin is a fairly uncommon gesture made by dogs.  It can be a bit tricky to tell the difference so people often misinterpret this signal of submission (i.e. a friendly smile)  as an aggressive snarl (exactly the opposite of the dog's intent).

A submissive grin can look like an aggressive snarl, but the two gestures are completely different in both action and intent. If you're not sure that you can tell the difference, here are a few things to look for: 

• Look at the overall body language - is it loose and happy or stiff and threatening?
• Look at the eyes - are they squinty (soft and averted) or threatening (staring and dilated)?
• What's going on in the environment? Has the dog just spotted the owner bringing the leash and is happy to be going for a walk? Or is he standing over a favorite bone stiffly (guarding it)?

Here are pics of 2 dogs. The dog on the left is doing a submissive grin and the dog on the right is doing a threat display:

Dog on left is showing full teeth with his mouth pulled back into a  "smile" - ears are gently back ("bunny ears") and eyes are squinty. This is a submissive grin.

Dog on right has her whiskers forward, hard eyes with pupils dilated, furrowed brow and a strong stare. This is a threat display.

Here is a video of a dog doing a submissive grin: http://youtu.be/Aw_1V1yguvE

Train Dog to Ring Bell for Potty?

Effective housebreaking protocols include things such as supervision, consistency, scheduling and confinement - not training the dog to ring a bell.

In "The Handbook of Applied Dog Training and Behavior, Volume Three"  Steven R. Lindsay, M.A., explains: 

"Teaching puppies to give a signal to go outside is a common, but questionable house-training practice. While appearing reasonable and useful at first glance, encouraging puppies to give such signals may conflict with the objective of training them to hold and eliminate in accordance with an arbitrary schedule. Effective bowel and bladder control require that puppies learn to endure some amount of discomfort – an aspect of house training that is not necessarily served by training puppies to perform a signal to get outdoors on demand. Furthermore, such need-to-go signals depend on the owner being present to respond – a state of affairs that can rarely be maintained on a consistent basis.

An unfortunate outcome of such training is the development of common elimination problems later. Unable to get the owner’s attention with the elimination signal, a dog may go to the door after and after a moment just turn around and eliminate nearby or run off to another room before eliminating, thereby reflecting the pattern previously established in association with the need-to-go signal, viz., give signal and then eliminate.

Finally, many puppies rapidly learn to extend and generalize the need-to-go signal with a need-to-whatever-whenever signal, prompting the owner to go outside for purposes other than elimination. Such puppies learn that barking or pawing at bells can get them outside for play and other activities having nothing to do with elimination."
  

Is a German Shepherd the Right Breed for You?

Canine Dimensions trains more German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) than any other breed. The AKC reports that in 2013 the GSD was the second most popular breed in the United States (the Labrador Retriever was #1).  Is the GSD the right breed for you?

On the website of GSGSR (a large GSD Rescue in the northeast) they answer this question in an accurate but somewhat encyclopedic fashion. Here’s their description – along with a few real-world comments from the perspective of someone who has trained, rescued and fostered many German Shepherds over the years, and has seen many successful – and unfortunately, some unsuccessful – owner experiences with this magnificent but potentially challenging breed: 

The German Shepherd Dog is also known as the Alsatian. It is handsome, well proportioned and very strong. The coat most often comes in black with tan, sable or all black, but also can come in blue, liver and white….here are three varieties of the German Shepherd: rough-coated, long rough-coated, and the long-haired. This breed sheds bits of hair constantly and is a seasonally heavy shedder. A quick daily brushing is best unless hair in the house is not a problem.

My two cents: This breed is not for “neat freaks.” All dogs shed, but the GSD is a champion shedder.  Like most purebred dogs there are potential health challenges in the breed. If you cannot afford to provide quality veterinary care for your dog, this breed is not for you.

Often used as working dogs, German Shepherds are direct and fearless, eager and alert. Bold, cheerful, obedient and eager to learn, they are also known for their tremendous loyalty and courage. Calmly confident, but not hostile, he is serious and almost human in his intelligence. They have a high learning ability. German Shepherds love to be close to their families, but they can be very wary of strangers. This breed needs his people and should not be left isolated for long periods of time. They only bark when it is necessary. German Shepherds have a very strong protective instinct, so they should be extensively socialized to prevent over-guarding when they become an adult.

Aggression and attacks on people are largely due to poor breeding, handling and training. A well bred, well-adjusted, and trained dog is for the most part generally good with other pets and excellent with children in the family. To be successful pets, these dogs should be trained and socialized from an early age with a firm and loving hand. Coercive or angry training does not succeed well with these dogs. To be truly happy, the German Shepherd needs a task in life. The breed is so intelligent and learns so readily that it has been used as a sheepdog, guard dog, in police work, as a guide for the blind, in search and rescue service, and in the military.

My two cents: Insurance companies put the German Shepherd at the top of the list for dog bite claims. Poor breeding and/or poor handling are the causes. A well-bred, well-trained GSD is a great pet. But because this breed is so popular with owners, it is unfortunately also popular with puppy mills. They breed GSDs by the thousands each year. A poorly bred GSD can come with a variety of physical and behavioral challenges.  A safer choice than buying a poorly bred puppy from a pet shop or puppy mill is to rescue an adult dog who has been temperament tested and lived in foster care with an experienced rescue organization. 

GSDs are extremely intelligent – sometimes more intelligent than their owners. It is common to hear comments such as these from first time GSD owners: “I’ve owned dogs all my life, but this dog is really a challenge!”  In response to perceived “dominance” issues (which usually are just “lack of training” issues), overwhelmed owners may resort to physical punishment, which creates bigger problems for them down the road.  GSDs are an intelligent and sensitive breed, and there is a much narrower margin for error with regard to poor handling than with some other breeds. If you’ve never owned a GSD before, this is not a “do-it-yourself” project, where you can read some Internet advice or watch a  few episodes of the Dog Whisperer.  Even experienced GSD owners will  benefit from the help of  a  good, experienced, balanced trainer (not Pet Store group lessons or “purely positive” trainers).

Socialization while young is extremely important if  you choose to buy a puppy. Puppies should meet a hundred friendly people and 20 friendly dogs by the time they are 6 months old. No dog parks. 

The German Shepherd also excels in many other dog activities including schutzhund, tracking, obedience, agility, flyball, and ring sport. His fine nose can sniff out drugs and intruders, and can alert handlers to the presence of underground mines in time to avoid detonation, or gas leaks in pipes buried 15 feet underground. The German Shepherd is also a popular show and family companion.

The German Shepherd will do okay in an apartment if sufficiently exercised. They are relatively inactive indoors and do best with at least a large yard. German Shepherd Dogs love strenuous activity, preferably combined with training of some kind, for these dogs are very intelligent and crave a good challenge.

An adult male German Shepherd usually ranges 24-26 inches in height; females 22-24 inches. They normally weight 77-90 pounds. It is important to consider their size when choosing a German Shepherd - an adult German Shepherd can swipe a coffee table clean with its tail, and can accidentally knock over small children or elderly people.

When all is said and done, it's hard to find a more well-rounded, intelligent, all-purpose dog than a German Shepherd.

My two cents: If I were a GSD I would prefer a big fenced yard to living in an apartment.  I would love an owner who enjoyed taking me places, and who was interested in agility, flyball and other fun activities. I would like to go to work with my owner if possible. If I were a GSD I  would insist that I live inside the house with the family, not be kenneled outside. I would ask that I have a crate of my own inside the house that I could go to for a safe, comfortable nap or whenever I needed that secure “den like” feeling  that my canine brain sometimes craves.   And most of all, if I were a GSD I would want a kind, benevolent but “no nonsense” pack leader to follow with the absolute loyalty and devotion that comes naturally in my breed.   

Tips on How to Raise a Puppy

Puppies bring joy to a home. They make us smile, they make us laugh. But if you’re not prepared for the work involved to raise one, they can also make you cry.  Every year, thousands of people plunge into puppy ownership without a realistic idea of the work involved to raise one.  Puppy ownership can give us plenty to chat about around the water cooler: “You’ll never guess what Sparky decided to eat this morning!” And sometimes expressions of regret: “What was I thinking when I brought home this little bundle of energy!?”  

As a professional dog trainer for over two decades, I’ve seen some really good puppy parenting, and some, well, not as good.  In spite of an unlimited number of puppy-how-to books and Internet tips, things don’t always go smoothly.  Add to that the barrage of advice from well-meaning friends and relatives, and the result could be confusion and frustration for you and your new best friend.

Raising a puppy is a lot of work, much more than can be condensed into a few “Easy Tips.” But after helping thousands of puppies and their owners over the years, I believe there are some things that rank at the top of the list if you want to dramatically raise the odds of a stress-free puppy experience:

·       Focus on what you want the puppy to do, not just what you want the puppy to stop doing.  A puppy explores the world through the eyes of a predator (chase, hunt, chew, forage). Teach the puppy how to use that energy and drive in a human world. Teach your puppy what to do, and you won’t have to spend as much time teaching him not what not to do.  Supervision – and holding a 6 foot leash attached to the puppy not just outside but inside the home - is a simple but overlooked tool.
 

·       Use a crate. When puppy can’t be on a leash, he should be safely confined in a kennel crate.  I know that many people are turned off to the idea of crating a puppy. They think it’s mean to lock that cute little ball of fur in a cage.  But a crate is the best gift one can give their puppy. It’s a place of peace and safety, working in harmony with the natural denning instincts of a dog. Plus, puppies need a lot of sleep and crates gives them the opportunity to get it.  Also, with the proper use of a crate, housebreaking will be much easier.

·       Use the puppy’s name to gain her attention - for example, before giving an obedience command - but never to scold.  If you use the puppy’s name to scold (e.g. “Molly NO! Molly OUT! Molly OFF!”) you’re teaching her that her name signals a conflict with the owner. 

 

·       Socialization. At Canine Dimensions we call this the “Rule of 120.” Your puppy should meet 100 friendly people and 20 friendly dogs before 6 months of age. Most aggressive behavior that trainers encounter among adult dogs is the result of failing to create a positive imprint on the young mind at an early age. It is much easier to prevent aggression than to treat it. The most important thing to teach your puppy at a young age is that other dogs and people are fun to be with and are no threat.

·       Take your time! Training should begin the moment you bring your puppy home, but it doesn’t have to be completed in a hurry. There are several developmental stages that puppies go through.  For example, from age 8 to 11 weeks anything that frightens the puppy will have a more lasting effect than if it occurred at any other time. This is known as the “Fear Imprint Period.”  From about 4 to 8 months of age a puppy will test its wings. He may challenge you in an attempt to decide who’s in charge. Also, he will be uncomfortable because his adult teeth are growing in. Make sure he always has lots of acceptable “doggy” things to chew on, or he will find your new iPhone to chew on.

·       Finally, a few words about walking on a leash at a young age. The pup should learn to enjoy the walk. Watch for any fear or shyness on leash and help your puppy work through this without coddling him. Just keep your head up, lead the walk and act natural. Stopping to talk to him at a moment of hesitation will send the wrong signal. Instead of pulling or popping the leash of a lagging puppy, use a happy tone of voice and your body language to get the puppy moving.   (Note:  No long jogging with a young puppy. The puppy’s skeletal system is not mature enough for repetitive exercises like jogging until around 12 to 18 months of age depending on breed. Check with your vet before jogging, rollerblading or using a treadmill with a puppy or an adolescent dog.)

Work with and respect your puppy’s natural instincts and drives, instead of battling them. Help your puppy channel those drives into healthy, fun activities and both of you will enjoy the puppy parenting experience!