Dog Fencing: Dog Training advice from dog fencing sponsors!
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Kathy Santo of Bergen County NJ can be found at www.ksdti.com and www.KathySanto.com 201-327-9374
This article is written by Kathy Santo, a professional dog behavior expert with over 20 years experience. She offers assorted group classes for common needs and private lessons with more intensive programs.
Some links that how her work include:
Martha Stewart with Kobe in 2006
Kathy's media exposure
AND ASK HER QUESTONS IN HER HOUSE BEAUTIFUL MAGAZINE COLUMN
While all dogs should see a qualified trainer, here are some tips for the household!
(Don’t!) Run, Run, Run as Fast As You Can
Some links that how her work include:
Martha Stewart with Kobe in 2006
Kathy's media exposure
AND ASK HER QUESTONS IN HER HOUSE BEAUTIFUL MAGAZINE COLUMN
While all dogs should see a qualified trainer, here are some tips for the household!
(Don’t!) Run, Run, Run as Fast As You Can
It happens to every dog owner. The horrifying moment when your dog runs away from you. Maybe he bolted outside when someone opened the door. Maybe your leash broke while you were walking him. Maybe you thought he was ready to be walked off leash, but he saw another dog and ran off. Now what do you do?
Use Your Dog’s Obedience Commands. Come, Sit, Stay, Down. Even if you’ve had only a few lessons and you think he’s not going to obey, try them anyway. How about calling out his favorite phrases – “Who Wants A Cookie?”, “Where’s Your Toy?” to get his attention off what he’s focused on and back on you. I’m guessing that “Who Wants To Go Outside?” won’t be effective, but try it anyway. If he looks at you, but doesn’t come back, run the other way. Yes, you heard me, run the other way! If you run towards a dog, you’re just causing him to run away faster. He’ll either think this is a big game or he’ll be freaked out because you’re running after him and screaming.
Attention K-Mart Shoppers. Employ the use of others to help you in your quest. Call out to people to please try and catch your dog. Tell them to squat down and try and coax him over to them. Sometimes your dog is more likely to go to others before you, especially if they feel your anger.
The Fake Out. If you’re near a car, and if your dog likes car rides, call out “You Wanna Go In The Car?”, and if he looks back at you, open the door. If it’s not your car, reach for the handle and fake the opening part. If you’re by a doorway you can do the same thing – call out “Let’s Go In The House”, reach for the handle and, if possible, open the door. Running through open doors is a basic urge for dogs (as you just found out) and sometimes you can use it to your advantage,
The Courtship. He’s baaa-ck. Sort of. He’s standing about ten feet away from you, but when you try and grab him, he bounds away playfully. Don’t panic and don’t lunge at him. Sudden movements make this worse (for you) and more fun for him. Sit on the ground and become very interested in something you see there – a pebble, a blade of grass, a leaf. Don’t make direct eye contact, just watch him peripherally. When he gets close enough, slowly reach for his collar.
Now You’re Gonna Get It! Get the idea that your dog needs training, I mean. Do Not Punish Your Dog even though every fiber in your being wants to do so. You know that will ruin your relationship and make it even more difficult to catch him next time he gets loose. Instead, do yourself a favor and sign up for some obedience classes today!
Your Dog Wanted Me To Tell You…….
A few things to make his (and your) life more pleasant. Let’s begin with:
His Enthusiastic Greetings
He doesn’t understand why you don’t like him jumping on you when you get home anymore. When he was a puppy you loved, nay encouraged, the behavior. Now when you see him coming to greet you, you run the other way, or worse, get angry at him. He’d like to know what you want him to do (sit, perhaps?) and wants you to know that if you hadn’t come through the door every single night, verbally
amping him up when he was a puppy (“hey boy, Daddy’s home, where’s my boy!?) he would have never felt like exploring his inner wild child in the first place.
His Penchant For Bolting Out Doors
He thinks this is how he should do it. After all, when he was a puppy you would race through doors at warp speed, carrying him under your arm saying things like “noooo, not on the ruuuug!” So now that he’s too big for you to carry, he’s racing out the door like he was taught to. Maybe if you showed him what is more acceptable (he waits while you go through first, then he’s invited to follow you out) he would be more accommodating. Not maybe, definitely.
What’s The Deal With The Leash?
True, he bounces off the walls when the leash comes out, but his dance is an accompaniment to your manic vocalizations of “Who wants ta go outside? You wanna go outside?” He wants you to know that if you chill, he will, too. And by the way, he has no clue what “Hey! Hold still watz a matter with you - I Can’t Get Your Leash On!” means. If you want him to sit and stay he would be happy to accommodate you (because when you’re angry he feels confused and afraid) if you would just take the time to teach him what those commands mean!
Hey, Lose The Jewelry!
He wants to weigh in on the dog tag issue, seeing that it’s his neck they’re hanging from. If they have to be there, for legal and safety issues, fine. BUT, if there’s more then one tag, he would like you to know that the sound of them jingle-jangling in his ear is driving him nuts. How would you like to wear a set of your car keys as earrings? It’s even worse for him because his hearing is so much keener then yours. Tape his tags together and he’ll be much happier. Yes, he knows that you like the sound of his tags jingling because it helps you know his whereabouts, but he’d like to suggest that if you want to know where he is in the house, try calling his name. The purpose of the dog tags is to be able to return him to his rightful owner, should he become lost. Their function is not to be a cowbell.
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Can you really teach an old dog new tricks?
My puppies start training when they’re 8 weeks old (aka walking stomachs) will do almost anything if you offer enticing food. Training started at this age builds the relationship with you and your dog and it teaches the puppy the foundation of learning – the puppy has to do something to earn a reward. The myth that you can’t start training until the puppy is 6 months old is ludicrous! By the time the puppy is 6 months old, they’re well into the hormonal beginnings of adolescence (think teenagers) and that can add an enormous challenge. That’s not to say that 6 month old puppies can’t be trained – they can! – but if you’re reading this and have an 8 week old puppy chewing on your shoe, know that starting now will fast-track your training AND save your shoes.
The oldest dog that came to me for training was a 10-year-old golden retriever. When the owners came to class, the first thing I asked them was “What made you decide to train this dog now?” The answer was that the dog had been a chronic jumper for his whole life, but 2 weeks prior he had jumped on their grandmother and she’d broken her hip. They decided that the dog had to be trained or had to go.
The Supreme Dog Training Secret is that dogs train fairly quickly – it’s the owners who are a bit more time-consuming to train. Or un-train! Teaching people not to run in the door yelling “Oh, Pookie-bear, where are you?!” because that incites a dog to be overly excited whenever the door is opened. Teaching them that when the dog jumps they should say “Off”, not “Down” because we’ll teach “down” to mean lay down and “Off” to mean get off. Teaching them the way to help their dog understand what they’re saying isn’t with more volume, but clarity and consistency in their commands.
I knew that the family with the golden retriever would be easy to train because they were very motivated to have the problem stop immediately. Their challenge would be remembering that their dog had been jumping for 10 years, so the problem wasn’t going to be solved overnight. They had to learn a new way to greet the dog and the dog had to learn that the old behavior was unacceptable. After a month’s time, they reported that the behavior had stopped! But, they also knew that they could never go back to their old ways, or the behavior would return immediately. So the answer to the age-old question is “YES! You can teach an old dog new tricks - as long as their owners are willing to learn, too!”
Kathy provides group and private training in the Bergen County NJ area: Cliffside Park, Closter, Rochelle Park, Rockleigh, Saddle Brook, Saddle River, Englewood Cliffs,Ridgewood, Teaneck, Cresskill, Demarest, Edgewater, Elmwood Park, Emerson, Englewood,Fair Lawn, Fairview, Fort Lee, Franklin Lakes, Wallington, Garfield, Glen Rock, Lodi, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Hasbrouck Heights, Nj haworth, Hillsdale, Ho Ho Kus, Leonia, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Mahwah, Maywood, Allendale, Allendale, Alpine, Dumont, Bergenfield, Bogota, Carlstadt, Midland Park, Montvale, Moonachie, New Milford, North Arlington, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Nj Oradell, Palisades Park, Paramus, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ridgefield, Ridgefield Park, River Edge, River Vale, Rivervale, Tenafly, Teterboro, Washington, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Westwood, Wood Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, NJ, Northern, New Jersey, North Jersey, Wyckoff, NJ 07481, 07677, 07022, 07075, 07675, 07057, 07463, 07676, 07608, 07666, 07606, 07458, 07663, 07662, 07644, 07643, 07605, 07423, 07642, 07641, 07604, 07640, 07601, 07452, 07026, 07024, 07410, 07632, 07631, 07630, 07407, 07020, 07073, 07628, 07627, 07626, 07670, 07624, 07010, 07072, 07603, 07621, 07401, 07661, 07450, 07660, 07657, 07446, 07656, 07652, 07650, 07649, 07436, 07648, 07417, 07647, 07031, 07646, 07074, 07645, 07432, 07607, 07495, 07430, 07071,
See our links above or visit www.petfenceinc.com for more health & behavior information!
Kathy provides group and private training in the Bergen County NJ area: Cliffside Park, Closter, Rochelle Park, Rockleigh, Saddle Brook, Saddle River, Englewood Cliffs,Ridgewood, Teaneck, Cresskill, Demarest, Edgewater, Elmwood Park, Emerson, Englewood,Fair Lawn, Fairview, Fort Lee, Franklin Lakes, Wallington, Garfield, Glen Rock, Lodi, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Hasbrouck Heights, Nj haworth, Hillsdale, Ho Ho Kus, Leonia, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Mahwah, Maywood, Allendale, Allendale, Alpine, Dumont, Bergenfield, Bogota, Carlstadt, Midland Park, Montvale, Moonachie, New Milford, North Arlington, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Nj Oradell, Palisades Park, Paramus, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ridgefield, Ridgefield Park, River Edge, River Vale, Rivervale, Tenafly, Teterboro, Washington, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Westwood, Wood Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, NJ, Northern, New Jersey, North Jersey, Wyckoff, NJ 07481, 07677, 07022, 07075, 07675, 07057, 07463, 07676, 07608, 07666, 07606, 07458, 07663, 07662, 07644, 07643, 07605, 07423, 07642, 07641, 07604, 07640, 07601, 07452, 07026, 07024, 07410, 07632, 07631, 07630, 07407, 07020, 07073, 07628, 07627, 07626, 07670, 07624, 07010, 07072, 07603, 07621, 07401, 07661, 07450, 07660, 07657, 07446, 07656, 07652, 07650, 07649, 07436, 07648, 07417, 07647, 07031, 07646, 07074, 07645, 07432, 07607, 07495, 07430, 07071,
See our links above or visit www.petfenceinc.com for more health & behavior information!
