And now, for something practical!

Suka is the proverbial 'old dog' - Well, not THAT old; she's aged seven - but in a very short time, she's come to understand what I want from her. A couple of people have asked how I got certain behaviors from Suka, things like getting her to not jump up, and so on. Now, in no way, shape, or form am I a skilled trainer, and a lot of this will seem very basic to a lot of people, but I do have Suka doing what I want, and if the steps I used are useful, well here they are:

Jumping up:
When Suka went to jump up, I initially put my hands behind my back and turned away from her - The "hands behind my back" was to remind ME not to push her away - the hand contact from that was a reward to her! Within days, she started to recall her manners as soon as my hands started to move behind my back - I didn't intend for this to happen that way, but the command for Suka to get off/not jump up has become just that; to put my hands behind my back! No verbal command necessary, I just start the motion, and she sits right down!

Out-of-countrol greeting:
For general reference, when coming home is treated as a low-key affair, dogs learn to react in a lower-key way. If you greet them on your return with rewards, extra attention, and excited greetings, they'll treat every homecoming as a party, with wild exuberance - fine, if that's what you want, but many of us prefer the lower-key approach!

'Entering softly' basically means paying little-to-no attention to the dog upon your return home, for a few moment to a few minutes, as needed. This gives the dog a chance to adjust to your presence without a big production. Typically, for instance, I come home and will place my keys in the bowl, hang up my coat, put the mail on my desk, and maybe feed the cats before I let Suka out of her crate*, or even acknowege that she's there (remember - the crated dog is invisible!). By that point, she's no longer a bundle of nervous energy - I'm home, the routine is established, and when she's released from the crate she slips into the routine with only her usual body-wiggles and foot-stomping - no jumping up!



The trick to training an older dog, as I've learned (with plenty of help!) to use on Suka, is to be consistent, to catch them in the act that you want to modify or encourage, and to let the dog make the right choices - If you correct a behavior, the dog will try something else. When they hit the behavior you want, reward it! If you see a behavior you want to encourage, label it and reward it: "Good sit!" "Good down!" and so on. Suka and I have quite a way to go together yet, but she's already learned enough that she fits right into the household, and even my not-terribly-dog-friendly wife has fallen in love with her and her good behavior.

The best place to train your dog is where it is, wherever it is! Pretty much anywhere you go, there's a teachable moment to be found.

Remember: Consistency, patience, and practice, practice, practice!


Next time;
Lead-pulling and anxiety reactions on-lead.


* I'll address crate training at some other point. Please don't flame me just yet - Save it for that post!