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Canine Discipline
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Discipline and your Puppy
Nothing in Life is Free
Discipline
and your puppy
By: Dian Welle
Your puppy is learning every
day. A dog learns from activities that you never thought contained a lesson.
Things that may be a game for you, may contain a major life-lesson for your
puppy. Think before you act ! If you remember the following suggestion, you
will avoid most of the problems associated with dogs:,
Never let your puppy get by with anything as a puppy that you don’t want
him to do when he is older and larger.
Behaviors that are cute at 10 pounds are often NOT cute at 70 pounds.
Try to always ask yourself “would I want him doing this as a full grown
dog? If the answer is no, then do not allow the behavior.
Again, you puppy is learning every day.... whether you are training him
or not ! He has begun learning every day since he was born, and his active
learning began at about three weeks of age. He can be learning the things
you want him to, or if left to his own devices, learning things he picks
up on his own that you may not appreciate. If every day is a day of learning
for you and your puppy, and you start off on the right path, you may be
able to avoid many of the common pitfalls and behavior problems often encountered.
Do not play rough with your puppy, unless you want him to play VERY rough
at 65 - 85 pounds ! You can imagine how pleasurable it would be to have a
dog that size completely out for control.
Do not allow the puppy to develop bad habits such as jumping up on you
or the children, biting at clothing, etc. At 65 - 85 pounds, jumping can
knock someone to the floor, and biting at clothing and hands will only result
in shredded clothing and torn skin.
Within the first four months the most common complaint we hear is that
the puppy is nipping at the owners in play. To correct the behavior, you
hold the muzzle of the puppy in a firm manner while saying “NO BITE”. The
very second he stops squirming, screaming, crying and acting as if he were
being tortured, you let go of his muzzle and say “good boy...no bite” Every
time he does it again, you must follow through in the above manner. He’ll
learn eventually. Be ready for him to have a tantrum and start nipping at
you as soon as you let go of his muzzle. Be consistent, and punish the behavior
EACH TIME he does it.
For discipline we recommend the word “NO” used in a loud/stern voice.
A good verbal reprimand will usually be enough. If it isn’t enough, and
the sin is repeated immediately, you must respond just a bit tougher. A
shake by the scruff of the neck (not collar), or restraining the puppy on
his back may be used to let him know that you’re not happy. You must remember,
however, that just as soon as your pup has stopped doing something he wasn’t
supposed to do, he should be petted and praised. Tell him what a good dog
he is.
NEVER CALL HIM TO YOU AND REPRIMAND HIM !! If you call the puppy to you
and reprimand him, he will associate the word “come” with a reprimand. This
is the best way to teach your dog never to come. The command “come” is a
life saving command. The very word could save the life of your dog in a dangerous
situation. Your puppy must learn to come EVERY TIME you say that word. “Come”
is never taught without a means to make the dog come to you. A 12 - 20 foot
rope attached to his collar will permit the dog to get away from you. When
you use the word “come” you pull the dog into you, and praise it for coming.
Never use the word without having the means to make the dog come.
REMEMBER THE
PRAISE !!!
copyright 1997 - D. Welle
Permission to reprint granted if author and http is provided
Copyright 1998, '99, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04 ~ Blue Knight Labradors
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NOTHING
IN LIFE IS FREE
GAINING AND MAINTAINING CONTROL HUMANELY (aka NILIF)
Karen Peak,
West Wind Dog Training
Dominance rolls, alpha rolls,
harsh corrections in order to gain control of your dog and show him "who calls
the shots" are a thing of the past. Instead of force, humans can use ignoring
certain behaviors and having the dog work for privileges to teach the dog
that humans are in charge.
This is not a substitution for behavioral work and should only be used
on dogs in good health and of stable temperament with no major behavioral
issues. If you have any questions regarding your dog's behavior, seek professional
advice before beginning a NILIF program. But for the average dog, this program
is valuable.
Do you do things like leave food down all day for your dog? Give in and
play when he jumps on you and the get frustrated when he jumps on you just
before you go out for dinner? Do you allow your dog to get away with undesired
manners like barking for attention or acting up when it is time to go for
walks? Does your dog run roughshod over you? Not good. It is time to get serious
and begin NILIF'ing.
Many undesired behaviors are learned out of demanding attention. For example,
dog jumps on you, you pat him, dog is more likely to jump for attention
the next time he wants it from you. Other dogs may poke, bark in your face,
etc. The key is the dog is in control of the situation when he gets the
attention he demands. Not good. He is also developing undesired behaviors,
not because he is bad, but because you are reinforcing them. It is time
to stop this. Since the dog is doing this for attention, you are going to
deny him that attention. Walk away. Totally ignore the dog. You can give
him as much attention as you want as long as it is by your rules and not
his. Now, encourage your dog to come to you and sit. If all four feet remain
on the floor, he can get attention. If he starts that undesired barking or
jumping or mouthing, walk away. Be consistent and be fair. Maintain your
composure and level of being in charge. Dogs that are confused about who
is in control are more likely to act out.
When first beginning a NILIF program the dog may get a bit confused. "Hey,
this always worked in the past!" Chances are he will now try in earnest
to get your attention. He will burst, explode and the behavior will get
worse – or as I call it – The Storm Before the Calm. Hold your ground and
do not give in. Giving in at any time is going to encourage the undesired
behavior to continue. "See, I finally broke you down!"
Think of it as a toddler throwing tantrums and always getting what he wants.
First time child sees something he wants and starts to fuss, mom gives in.
She has just started the cycle of "If I fuss, I will get it." Next time
mom ignored the fussing, the child escalates a bit. Mom gives in and child
realizes "Gee, I got her to break down." The next time, the child will work
even harder to get mom to give in if she does not crack immediately. The
more mom breaks down, the more the child will throw that tantrum. If mom
puts her footdown and ignores the tantrum, the child will escalate it trying
to get his own way again.
She may have to endure hours of screaming, kicking feet, tears, wailing,
throwing things, even the child gagging and possibly even vomiting as he
works up that frenzy. Eventually, the child will stop. The tantrum just does
not work any more. Yelling, or even pushing the child away is not what he
is looking for, but it is something and a sign that mom is breaking. You
need to totally turn off to the tantrum and endure it. As long as a child
is not hurting himself, others, or breaking things, tantrums can often be
allowed to run their course with children. This is very similar with dogs.
For some dogs, attention is attention - be it positive or negative. Use the
denial of any attention instead. Endure the extinction period and things
will improve if everyone in the house is consistent. Again, you can give
all the attention you want to the dog as long as it is by YOUR RULES and
not his!
You as the human have the power, but you are also empowering the dog to
learn selfcontrol. Again, do you just give in to your dog? Does he get food
and play for free and there is no "currency" he has to pay with to get it?
Change that. You have the power; you are in control - not him. Simple things
like making him "work" or "pay" for things can help reestablish who is in
charge. Insist the dog sits before he gets to eat. If he sits automatically,
regain control by having him down. If he takes a few bites and walks away,
dinner is over until the next meal (feed your dog two meals a day). You control
the food. He does not decide when mealtimes are - you do. Does your dog
get up on your bed or furniture when he feels like it? Change. He has to
now wait until he is given a
command to come up. Before play and during play, stop the dog and have
him work, teach him tricks like "Shake" "Play Dead" "Take a Bow." If he
does this, he can continue to play with you. If not, the game is over. The
dog is given power in his own right. If he does what you ask, he gets what
he wants. He is in control to an extent. But you are determining the outcome
and what has to be done in order for that to occur. Sort of like a paycheck.
You do what you are supposed to and when you are supposed to, your pay continues,
your job continues. Failure to do this and your job may very well end as
does that pay check!
With your dog no longer in charge of the house, you will have to make more
of an effort to engage in play and socialize. But it is worth it. NILIF
does not mean denial of attention or play, it just means that the balance
of power has shifted and the human is back in charge.
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