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More Tips on Coping WithTeenage Canine DeliquentsPenny Taylor |
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| Although this
article is written by a Lurcher enthusiast, the training aspects are excellent. |
Many Young Dogs
reach the 'thug' stage at some time during their first year. As an
example my German Shepherd Greyhound cross is now nine months old and is
really beginning to feel her feet as far as size and strength are concerned.
I'm not just talking about physical strength either as mentally the young lurcher is growing in confidence all the time, testing the boundaries not only with me but also with the older dogs in my pack.
Her exagerated grovelling towards other members of the troop is tinged with a pushiness guaranteed to elicit stern growls from those superior to her in hierarchy.
This is where I take my lead from the older dogs and, although it might seem harsh, young 'Morgan' finds herself at the thin end of the wedge as far as taking liberties is concerned.
Remain Sitting
Each morning when I release her from the confines of her Kennel and run I command 'Morgan' to sit. She must remain sitting whilst I open the kennel door and not move untill I give her the command to: "Come out."
How often do you see dogs leaping and bouncing against the kennel doors like demented ping pong balls only to rush past their owner as soon as the gate is opened, tearing off down the garden or yard with no acknowledgement of the owner's presence?
This is exactly the same type of problem that occurs when your dog forces its way past you as you leave the house, barging past your legs to lead the way outdoors. The dog is leading the way, not just physically but mentally too, determining the path of the pack and making you into a subordinate left trailing in its wake!
Such is 'Morgan's' excitement and desire to be out in the fields that she would try to leap through the cage doors in my van without waiting for me to open them if I didn't enforce another 'sit' whilst I slowly open the door, then make her wait another second or two before giving her the command to: "Get in."
If I tell her to sit and she throws herself squirming on to her side I ignore her, turn my back untill she gets up, then call her to me once more and give the sit command again. She only recieves the praise when she obeys correctly.
Control
These might seem like trivial gestures on my part but everything I do is caredully desogned to ensure that the young dog doesn't take charge of her life and therefore her behaviour, which could lead to her being dangerously out of control.
Morgan is already a big dog currently standing 25 1/2 inches to the shoulder, with some more to grow, and she already weighs in at 31 kilos. Not the sort of lump you want running through you on its way to somewhere else!
Control is especially important when you consider that one half of this lurcher is German Shepherd, a breed known for its intelligence and forthright attitude. Some might term these qualities as 'forward going'!
German Shepherds are not known for their timidity or mental weakness and, as such, must be carefully schooled if they are not to run amok and cause real damage to livestock or even people when out in the field.
Potential Hazards
You really need to be on top of the game and foresee any potential hazards or temptations when you have a dog with such a high-prey drive. Their alertness and focus must be second to yours if you are to remain in charge of the situation.
When we arrive at our place of exercise 'Morgan' must once again sit in the back of the van whilst I open the cage door, despite her desperate intentions to leap out and start investigating the area.
She must walk on the lead without pulling untill I decide to release her, first sitting, and then waiting before being given the release command which in my case is "OK."
Like many lurcher owners, I use only a thin rope lead in the field and it is all too easy to get into the habit of simply pulling the lead over the dogs head and let it run free.
Simple Task
Clever pups learn to jerk their heads backwards as you pull the lead forewards over their muzzles, spinning off like whirling dervishes in a paroxysm of high energy and delight in the freedom they crave so strongly.
I overcome this problem by first sitting the dog then telling it to "wait" before removing the lead. Then I command the dog to "Heel" for a few paces then another "Sit" before finally giving the command to run free.
If I don't follow this protocol I find that some dogs are so strongly anticipating the release that they barely wait for you to remove the lead and you end up with a bucking bronco that won't keep still enough for you to accomplish this simplest of tasks.
Hunt Up
Of course I want my dogs to hunt up and any working dog worth its salt will be on the look out for rabbits the moment it finds itself in an area it knows to hold game.
But. I need to dictate when and where my dog hunts so I tend to let 'Morgan' work a hedgerow for 100 yards or so then call her back in, just for a second, followed by a sit and some praise before letting her go back to that all consuming task of finding rabbits.
Different Route
I make sure I don't get into the habit of always following the same route, when out on exercise. It's all too easy for a dog to anticipate your path and run on ahead, deaf to your calls if it knows exactly where you are going.
I often come across dogs on their own when I'm out only to find the owner trailing several hundred yards behind, uncaring or oblivious as to their mutt's whereabouts.
Thankfully most of these dogs are pet Springer Spaniels or Labradors and therefore unlikel;y to disappear into the next county if a deer jumps out of cover. The same could not be said of a lurcher!
I never let my dogs out of my site, even on land I know well. Who's to say that some unknown and aggressive dog will not come upon them and attack when I'm not there to intervene.
Feeding Routine
Back home and at feed time I always make my dogs sit and wait whilst I put their food bowls on the ground. If I happen to be feeding whole breast of lamb that night then I sit the dog before offering it that supremely munchable item.
'Morgan' disappears into her lair to eat in the darkness of the kennel, which I enter at random from time to time to clear away any leftovers.
I would never tolerate a dog that growled at me over its bone but I would also never expect them to growl in the first place. If you run your kennel in the correct manner you are extremely unlikely to ever encounter any problems of that nature.
These tips may seem trivial in the greater scheme of things but, believe me, more problems are caused by dogs that are confused over their status in the pack than by just about anything else.
There was never a creature born that didn't have to go through the growing up process, something we can weep over or suffer in silence. Or, if you are like me, welcome as part of the development into the hunting companion you cherish.
There is more that depends on attitude than you'd believe possible! And what some make out to be a trial can be a learning process on both sides if you allow it!
I'm not just talking about physical strength either as mentally the young lurcher is growing in confidence all the time, testing the boundaries not only with me but also with the older dogs in my pack.
Her exagerated grovelling towards other members of the troop is tinged with a pushiness guaranteed to elicit stern growls from those superior to her in hierarchy.
This is where I take my lead from the older dogs and, although it might seem harsh, young 'Morgan' finds herself at the thin end of the wedge as far as taking liberties is concerned.
Remain Sitting
Each morning when I release her from the confines of her Kennel and run I command 'Morgan' to sit. She must remain sitting whilst I open the kennel door and not move untill I give her the command to: "Come out."
How often do you see dogs leaping and bouncing against the kennel doors like demented ping pong balls only to rush past their owner as soon as the gate is opened, tearing off down the garden or yard with no acknowledgement of the owner's presence?
This is exactly the same type of problem that occurs when your dog forces its way past you as you leave the house, barging past your legs to lead the way outdoors. The dog is leading the way, not just physically but mentally too, determining the path of the pack and making you into a subordinate left trailing in its wake!
Such is 'Morgan's' excitement and desire to be out in the fields that she would try to leap through the cage doors in my van without waiting for me to open them if I didn't enforce another 'sit' whilst I slowly open the door, then make her wait another second or two before giving her the command to: "Get in."
If I tell her to sit and she throws herself squirming on to her side I ignore her, turn my back untill she gets up, then call her to me once more and give the sit command again. She only recieves the praise when she obeys correctly.
Control
These might seem like trivial gestures on my part but everything I do is caredully desogned to ensure that the young dog doesn't take charge of her life and therefore her behaviour, which could lead to her being dangerously out of control.
Morgan is already a big dog currently standing 25 1/2 inches to the shoulder, with some more to grow, and she already weighs in at 31 kilos. Not the sort of lump you want running through you on its way to somewhere else!
Control is especially important when you consider that one half of this lurcher is German Shepherd, a breed known for its intelligence and forthright attitude. Some might term these qualities as 'forward going'!
German Shepherds are not known for their timidity or mental weakness and, as such, must be carefully schooled if they are not to run amok and cause real damage to livestock or even people when out in the field.
Potential Hazards
You really need to be on top of the game and foresee any potential hazards or temptations when you have a dog with such a high-prey drive. Their alertness and focus must be second to yours if you are to remain in charge of the situation.
When we arrive at our place of exercise 'Morgan' must once again sit in the back of the van whilst I open the cage door, despite her desperate intentions to leap out and start investigating the area.
She must walk on the lead without pulling untill I decide to release her, first sitting, and then waiting before being given the release command which in my case is "OK."
Like many lurcher owners, I use only a thin rope lead in the field and it is all too easy to get into the habit of simply pulling the lead over the dogs head and let it run free.
Simple Task
Clever pups learn to jerk their heads backwards as you pull the lead forewards over their muzzles, spinning off like whirling dervishes in a paroxysm of high energy and delight in the freedom they crave so strongly.
I overcome this problem by first sitting the dog then telling it to "wait" before removing the lead. Then I command the dog to "Heel" for a few paces then another "Sit" before finally giving the command to run free.
If I don't follow this protocol I find that some dogs are so strongly anticipating the release that they barely wait for you to remove the lead and you end up with a bucking bronco that won't keep still enough for you to accomplish this simplest of tasks.
Hunt Up
Of course I want my dogs to hunt up and any working dog worth its salt will be on the look out for rabbits the moment it finds itself in an area it knows to hold game.
But. I need to dictate when and where my dog hunts so I tend to let 'Morgan' work a hedgerow for 100 yards or so then call her back in, just for a second, followed by a sit and some praise before letting her go back to that all consuming task of finding rabbits.
Different Route
I make sure I don't get into the habit of always following the same route, when out on exercise. It's all too easy for a dog to anticipate your path and run on ahead, deaf to your calls if it knows exactly where you are going.
I often come across dogs on their own when I'm out only to find the owner trailing several hundred yards behind, uncaring or oblivious as to their mutt's whereabouts.
Thankfully most of these dogs are pet Springer Spaniels or Labradors and therefore unlikel;y to disappear into the next county if a deer jumps out of cover. The same could not be said of a lurcher!
I never let my dogs out of my site, even on land I know well. Who's to say that some unknown and aggressive dog will not come upon them and attack when I'm not there to intervene.
Feeding Routine
Back home and at feed time I always make my dogs sit and wait whilst I put their food bowls on the ground. If I happen to be feeding whole breast of lamb that night then I sit the dog before offering it that supremely munchable item.
'Morgan' disappears into her lair to eat in the darkness of the kennel, which I enter at random from time to time to clear away any leftovers.
I would never tolerate a dog that growled at me over its bone but I would also never expect them to growl in the first place. If you run your kennel in the correct manner you are extremely unlikely to ever encounter any problems of that nature.
These tips may seem trivial in the greater scheme of things but, believe me, more problems are caused by dogs that are confused over their status in the pack than by just about anything else.
There was never a creature born that didn't have to go through the growing up process, something we can weep over or suffer in silence. Or, if you are like me, welcome as part of the development into the hunting companion you cherish.
There is more that depends on attitude than you'd believe possible! And what some make out to be a trial can be a learning process on both sides if you allow it!
reprinted with kind permission from Laoni Weeks,
Features Editor, The Countryman's Weekly
Unit 2 Lynher House, 3 Bush Park, Estover, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 7RG
www.countrymansweekly.com
Unit 2 Lynher House, 3 Bush Park, Estover, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 7RG
www.countrymansweekly.com