Training for Clarity

Training Tip from Andrew: I often like to talk about the three Cs of dog training: clarity, consistency, and calmness.

In classes recently clarity has been coming up frequently. When I say clarity I mean several things. Most importantly, what do your commands mean to your dog? For example, when you tell your dog to "sit," what do you want your dog to do? Do you and him think the same thing?

You...'re probably thinking that you want your dog's butt to hit to the ground. Simple enough, right?

Nope - it's not so easy. Based on what we see in classes, your dog probably only knows how to sit right in front of you or on your left hand side in a heel. Unless your dog is pretty highly trained you probably can't tell him to sit from 20 feet away and have his butt hit the ground instantly. If you yell sit from 20 feet away and your dog runs up to you and sits in front of you, that's generally what I expect a "come" command (recall) to be. So now do "sit" and "come" mean the same thing to your dog or are they just guessing?

Also, when you say sit do you want his butt to hit the ground and then run away or do you want him to sit and wait for your next command?

My challenge would be simply to think about what the words you say to your dog mean and think about how consistent you are in reinforcing those meanings.

If my dog escapes across the street I want to know I can yell for him to sit and have him put his butt on the ground and wait for me to come grab him (ideally). If he thought sit meant for him to run up to me and put his butt on the ground right in front of me, well then I've unsafely sent him across the street again without a chaperone and I certainly wouldn't want that.

Training for clarity can make a big difference when you need it the most. If you're interested in communicating more effectively with your dog, please feel free to e-mail me at drew.warner@live.com and we can find a way to start making that happen.

Dogs in Need of Space

What are DINOS?

DINOS is a new acronym for "dogs in need of space." This phrase has been popularized by a group called The Yellow Dog Project.

The aim of this group, paraphrased by me, is to protect dogs from ...humanity. As I've discussed in the past, it is all too common for humans to see a dog and immediately rush into it's space and pet it and shower it with affection.

We love dogs so much this seems so natural for us to do. But imagine if you went up and hugged a random human on the street. Humans may love hugs and affection, but it doesn't mean they want it from you or another stranger. Just like dogs, some humans might enjoy it, but others will feel violated and uncomfortable.

Now imagine doing that to animal with a different value system and a different language. It's very alarming to dogs and not all of them can handle it - this is why the Yellow Dog Project exists - to allow nervous dogs space to feel comfortable in the world. They do this by wearing yellow ribbons on their leash or collar or even by wearing a vest that says "I need space."

My secret is to treat every dog like it needs space. This will only make dogs love you more as well as help you in earning their respect. If your goal is to love and help dogs, I urge you to honor them by treating them with respect and allowing them room to breathe.

So if you see a dog with a yellow ribbon, you know what It means.

If your dog has fear issues, or feels uncomfortable, feel free to reach out to me at Andrew@dog-dayz.com to see if there is anything we can do to make them happier.