Gimmick dog training
Comments (1)I get lots of questions from dog owners through this website. Some of the questions are pretty silly to be honest. Some of them I never respond to because the person is obviously asking as a joke. Most of the questions I respond to in one way or another, either by email or through blog posts.
I rarely get someone who thanks me after I have taken the time to answer their question. Most of the people take the answer I give them and do what they will with it, either apply the training information or ignore it. No problem with me.
There are those, however, who do take the time to thank me for the dog training tips I have provided them. There is something in common with many of the people who thank me. Those that take the time to thank me often have received ‘gimmicky’ tips. Allow me to explain:
The solution to most dog training problems lies within these areas:
- Obedience training
- Supervision
- Correcting bad behaviors and praising good behaviors
- Being consistent with the proper techniques
Just about any dog training problem can be solved with a combination of several of the above mentioned areas. There are some dog problems, however, that can be fixed or aided by what I call ‘gimmick’ methods. Examples of ‘gimmick’ methods are:
- Using bitter apple spray on your furniture so the dog doesn’t chew. This is a gimmick to me because it requires a spray to get the dog to not chew your furniture. I want the dog to not chew my furniture because they respect me and my belongings, not because of a spray. Having said that, bitter apple spray can be helpful and so it doesn’t hurt to use it so I will at times recommend it.
- Placing pots and pans hanging over the edge of a counter. When the dog goes to get on the counter searching for food he may knock over the pots and pans and scare himself from counter surfing. To me this is a gimmick because before the dog ever had the opportunity to get on the counter he should have been supervised and corrected for trying to get on the counter. It can help some people, though, so I will mention this method.
- Placing dog stool in the hole. By putting a dog’s own stool in the hole you can often help to fix a digging problem. I consider this a gimmick because the dog is probably digging because of a lack of supervision, obedience training, and mental and physical stimulation. Can putting stool in a hole work? Yes, but it is a gimmick because the owner should be looking to the root causes of the behavior.
I believe the reason people that get ‘gimmicky’ answers take the time to thank me is because ‘gimmicky’ techniques are simple. They take no effort on the owner’s part. I think that when I tell people to obedience train and supervise their dog that they write me off because it is too much work.
There are partial ‘gimmick’ solutions to many dog behavior problems. The reality is, though, that if you want to change your dog’s behavior it is likely going to cost you some time and effort. If you have a dog, get ready for some work.
AAARRRGGHH!
Comments (2)As I mentioned in one of my previous posts I just moved into a new home. We love the home. Our neighbors are great. Many of our neighbors, though, have a horrible habit that is liable to put me into an early grave.
Many of my neighbors allow their dogs to roam free in the neighborhood. This has to be one of my biggest pet peeves. This is one of the most irresponsible things that a pet owner can do. A big part of my dog training business is working with extreme aggression cases. So here I am attempting to work with a dog that wants to kill other dogs and here comes the neighbor’s dog trotting up barking furiously and attempting to lunge at the dog I am working with. This has happened several times and I’ve only been here a week and a half.
I hope you aren’t guilty of doing this with your dog. NO DOG should EVER be allowed to be out in the neighborhood without direct supervision from their owner. Here are the top four reasons why you should never allow your dog to roam the neighborhood:
1- It is incredibly dangerous for your dog. If your dog is roaming free there is a good chance that he could be hit by a car or stolen. There are also many other people like myself that don’t like when dogs are allowed to roam. Many of these people aren’t nearly as nice as me and will think nothing of shooting or poisoning a dog to keep him from pooping on their lawn just one more time.
2- It is unbelievably rude. Dogs that are allowed to roam the streets go to the bathroom on other people’s lawns. They interrupt neighbor’s barbecues. They frighten children. They chase cats. They torment other dogs behind fences. I don’t know if it is just my luck but in every neighborhood where I have lived that had loose dogs they always tend to come up and bark at people who are walking in the street. Why on earth would you allow your dog to do these things to your neighbors? Not everybody loves your dog like you do, they shouldn’t be forced to be subjected to your dog.
3- It is a huge liability. Whatever your dog does when roaming free in your neighborhood is your legal liability. If your dog kills a cat, bites a person, runs in front of a car, etc. that is your problem to deal with. I nearly always hear dog owners say, “Well, my dog is nice. He would never do such a thing.”
Let me tell you something. I make a good living off of people who have dogs who would ‘never hurt a fly’. Dogs are animals. As such, their behavior can be unpredictable at times. Your dog may be an angel in your house but if you give him freedom to roam he may not act the same. Can you imagine the lawsuit and hurt that you would experience if your dog bit a child? Don’t risk it.
4- Your dog could contribute to pet overpopulation. If your dog is not altered it could impregnate a female dog. Worse, if you have a female dog she could get pregnant. A pregnant dog contributes to overpopulation and can cost you thousands in vet bills.
If you are currently doing this with your dog, please stop. Don’t make the life of your neighbors more difficult by forcing them to endure your dog, pick up your dog’s poop, and hear your dog barking in their yard. Keep your dog in the house or securely kept in the back yard.
Dog training is work!
Comments (1)I recently got a question from a reader of my website. The reader had two problems they were struggling with concerning their dog. The dog was peeing on the floor and the dog was begging at the table.
These are two, incredibly easy problems to fix. I recommended the following to fix the problems:
1- Supervise the dog. I told her that a dog that is peeing on the floor is an unsupervised dog. A dog that isn’t house-trained should never be unsupervised. Either the dog is with the owner or in a crate. Simple enough. This breaks the pattern the dog is in and only allows the dog to urinate outside.
2- I recommended that the dog be taught a ‘place’ command on a bed or pillow. When it is dinner time have the dog lie in the place and stay there.
The response I received shocked me. The dog owner lamented saying that supervising the dog and teaching the dog one simple command would be too hard. “Oh well,” was the response, “I guess we won’t be able to fix the problem.”
I responded back by email saying that if she wasn’t willing to train the dog to fix the problem why did she ask me, a dog trainer, how to fix the problem in the first place?
Her response was that she was hoping for a miracle cure to her problems.
Ladies and Gents, there is no such thing as a miracle cure for dog behavior problems. Dogs are animals with their own behavior patterns, thought patterns, drives, desires, and needs. If you want to change their behavior you have to work at it. There is no magic wand to wave that will magically change a living creature’s behavior.
If you get a dog be prepared for work. It is going to take lots of effort to care for, bathe, feed, water, train, entertain, and mentally stimulate a dog.
I feel for this person that sent me the email and also her dog. I only see two scenarios resulting from this situation. The dog continues in her behavior pattern and the owners deal with daily urine on their floors and a begging dog or the owners finally give up and get rid of the dog, all because of their laziness. Neither of these scenarios would come to pass if they only put forth a little bit of effort to help the dog realize her potential.
Do people really still rub their dog’s nose in house training mistakes?
Comments (1)WARNING: This post is more of a rant than an educational dog training piece. Read at your own risk!
In order to get topics for these blog posts I often visit dog training message boards and forums looking for ideas. I like to see some of the problems that are common amongst pet dogs and write about them in this blog.
There is a technique that I see from time to time recommended by dog owners to other dog owners. I think you know what method I’m talking about (I’m assuming you read the title to this post). Someone goes on a message board asking for advice on how to house train their dog. It is inevitable that I see someone else respond by saying, “Rub your dog’s nose in the accident while telling him ‘no’ in a firm voice. Then put the dog in his crate or outside.”
I honestly can’t believe that in the year 2008 that this archaic method is still followed and believed to work. As a professional dog trainer that has assisted numerous clients in house training numerous dogs let me assure you, THIS METHOD DOES NOT WORK!!!
Many people claim that dog’s can’t remember something after it happens. That isn’t true. Dogs do have memory. What they aren’t capable of, however, is attaching negative or positive reinforcement to a behavior after the fact. What that means is that if you catch your dog more than a few seconds after a house training accident or any other misbehavior there is nothing you can do. Don’t even try. It isn’t that your dog is stupid, it’s just that the canine mind is programmed differently than a human mind. Different doesn’t mean better or worse, just different.
If you are going to train your dog it is imperative that you know how he understands associations. So please, understand this one. If you don’t catch your dog in the act of a misbehavior don’t do anything! Just learn your lesson and supervise your dog better.
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