Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Front, Come, Here…they all mean the same thing (Day One Hundred and Seven)

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There is no doubt in my mind that my dogs understand (at least in part) what I am saying to them; (which is why we say “W” for walk.)  Just how many words a dog truly understands depends upon the researcher, I have heard anywhere from 160 words to over 250!  I think there are some words that are very important for your dog to understand and these words will be your verbal commands.  You may also want to combine your training with a non-verbal a.k.a hand signals or silent commands.  If I have a hand signal for my command, I use the hand signal when I say the verbal.  If you have been doing this, try not saying anything and just using the hand signal and see what your response is.

 Just as there are varying opinions on how many words your pet understands, there are also varying opinions on what commands your dog should know.  In my mind there are some that are very important and I would like to share those with you here and (in my opinion) how and when you should use them. 

“Sit” – The most basic of the commands, and usually the easiest to teach, this means, “Put your butt on the floor/ground.” I use this command when I am feeding them; when someone is coming in the door, or when we are on walks and a car is approaching (with the hope that if for some reason my dog is EVER without me on the road, it will prevent him from getting hit by a car.) (Non-verbal is a closed fist.) 

“Down” – The command means, “Lie down,” we use this for when we are eating dinner and we do not want the dogs sitting at our sides waiting for scraps of food.   (Non-verbal is my hand palm side down, moving from about waist height down to hip level.) 

“Stay” – This means “You sit or lie where I tell you to, and you stay there until I say you get up.”  This command is important if you are bringing groceries into the house or putting them in the car and you don’t want your dog outside without you. (Non-verbal is hand palm side down, at about waist height.) 

“Wait” – Similar to stay, with the exception being “You will be allowed to participate just not yet,” most times my dogs are in the car without their leashes, when I stop and want to take them out of the car, I tell them to “Wait” this command has prevented many dogs from dashing out a door and getting hit by a car. (Non-verbal is hand with the palm side facing the dogs; like a stop sign.) 

“Place” – Our dogs lie on mats while we are eating dinner, we refer to these mats as “Place” when we sit down to eat we give each dog a treat, when we are done with dinner and they are released, we reward them each with a couple of carrots.  Sampson is so conditioned sometimes when we take the plates out of the cupboard; he automatically goes to his “place.”  Delilah hasn’t progressed that far yet. (I usually point with my finger and then say, “Stay” giving the hand command for stay.) 

Delilah on her "Place."

 

“Come” “Here” or “Front” – This command is a matter of preference, I use “Here” but my dogs will also respond to “Come.”  This means, come back from wherever you are and whatever you are doing and “Check in” with me.  Usually I am rewarding them for returning; especially if we are on the trail. (Non-verbal is me tapping the upper part of my chest a couple of times with my palm, sometimes I will just crook my finger at Sampson.) 

“Ok!”  – This is their release command, it means “We’re done” and you’re free to do whatever you want (within reason of course.)  I usually clap my hands, give them rubbies and tell them “Good Job!” 

“Crate” or “Kennel”  – What it means is “Get in your crate,” my dogs spend very little time in their crate at this stage, but if you have a new puppy or dog, it is a good basic command to teach.  What you call this is your personal preference, some people also say, “Kennel up.” (My hand signal is pointing into the crate.) 

“Leash”  – This means I need your leash on you, because I want you to stay with me.  I do not (as of yet, have a non-verbal command for this.)

“Heel” – The command means you should come and sit by my side,  most people heel their dogs on their left side but some heel to the right, depending on your preference and your dogs.  I will slap my left hand against the side of my leg as my non-verbal command.  Normally you would combine Heel with:

“Walk” or “With Me” – This means you will walk alongside me wherever we are going.  I do not have a non-verbal for this.

“STOP” or “NO” – To me this is one of if not THE most important command, it means what it says, the way I taught Sampson was NO/STOP and directed him away from whatever it was he was doing (Delilah is still learning this one.)  Once he got out of the car and saw a big black crow sitting in the road, his natural instinct was to go after it and he took off, but he did not see the car that was zooming down the hill; I screamed “Sampson, “STOP” and he put the skids on, and stopped himself just as his front feet hit the road. 🙂  I think this command saved my dog.

Of course you must find a word that you are comfortable with, that will also be easily remembered by both you and your pet. 🙂

Verbal and Non-Verbal Commands (Day One Hundred and Six)

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I finished the book, “Through a Dog’s Eyes” by Jennifer L. Arnold; what I was most interested in was how she trained her dogs to be canine assistants in a humane and non-dominating manner.  Ms. Arnold’s method rewards your dog for the requested behavior, if the behavior is not completed, they simply get no reward.  This will require patience on your part, but you will be surprised how quickly they catch on.

Before you begin your training, think about the words you will want to use, have these set firmly in your mind, some commands require no real thinking such as sit.  Others will require a bit of thought;  I use “Off” when I want them to put all four of their feet on the floor; for instance if they are jumping up at something.  I use “Down” when I want them to lie down; “OK” is the command I use to let them know they have been released from whatever they are doing and “Free Dog” when they can run off leash.

Your training sessions should not be too long;  twenty minutes for an older dog and ten minutes for puppies.  Work on one command at a time and take frequent breaks, as learning can be tiring.  Perhaps a 30 second break every five or six commands.  Sometimes it will take your dog some time to digest what exactly you are teaching; if your dog does not respond immediately, don’t keep repeating the command, instead give the command, mentally count to five and then repeat the command.   Don’t become discouraged if they do not immediately “get” what it is you want; this will come over time.  If you have tried a few times with no success, go back to a command they know well, you will want to end your training session with the dog feeling successful.

I started teaching the dogs “Watch Me” a good basic command to get your dog focused on you.   I also like to use hand signals (or nonverbal) combined with my spoken commands, how I did this was I took the treat in my hand and said “Watch Me” and I raised the treat up between my eyes (believe it or not both dogs sat).  As soon as both dog’s eyes were focused on me, I said “YES” “Good Job!” Once I’m sure they know the command, I can begin treating less frequently.

Eye on the prize

Sit is easy to teach puppies, you put the treat in front of their little nose,say “Sit” and then raise the treat up over their head, when they lift their head to follow the smell of the treat, their little butt automatically sits.  While they are in the process of sitting you can say, “That’s Right” or “Yes” as soon as the butt is sitting, “Good Job” or whatever words you choose to use for your dog, then give the reward and the release command, “OK!”  I usually rub them with my hand after I have released them so they know how pleased I am.

I use a closed fist for “Sit.” So I say, “Sit” and I hold my closed fist out. I like the non-verbal command for emergency situations.  Let’s say, your dog wanders out of your yard and is across the street, your dog sees you and begins to make a beeline for you; but a truck is coming and your dog cannot hear your shout; the closed fist says “Sit.”  If your dog has learned well, your dog will sit, saving your dog from certain harm, possible death and saving you from unthinkable heartbreak.

My dogs are big foodies and are always around when I am cooking or eating, so I figure if they are going to be in my kitchen, and I am going to reward them, then they should sit or lie down while I go about my business.  Monday night I was using pieces of apple to show Chet how Delilah was doing with the “Watch Me” command.  This morning I was using small bits of honey-dew melon, they also like carrots, watermelon, and pineapple among other things. I will use what is available to me and save the really good meat treats for when we are out on the trail.

Waiting for mom to come back with the camera.

Roast Beefin' in the Rain (Day Ninety Six)

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Last night Chet and I watched a video called Really Reliable Recall by Leslie Nelson, a dog trainer in Manchester, CT (ok, Chet fell asleep, so it was really just me.)  

Ms. Nelson’s method involves having some really tasty treats with you and rewarding your dog whenever you are out on the trail or in your home or yard and your pet “checks in with you.”  Obviously the younger your dog is when you start the better, but it should work on adult dogs too.  The trick to this is to call your pet and reward them when they return to you, HOWEVER what you must keep in mind when training your dog is never call your pet if you think they will not come.  Ah, the catch.  So if your dog turns and is heading your way, call your dog.  You already know he/she is coming, right?  Now they arrive and boom, you reward them.  You should choose a word that is easy for you to remember when you are recalling the dog, Chet uses “come” with Sampson; I use “here” with Delilah, some people use “front.”  Once you have the dog returning to you when you call, you want to find a word that will carry if your dog is a distance away from you, but will be easy for you to remember in an emergency or serious situation.  One of the words that they used on the video was “Yahoo.”  It is a great word because it really carries outside.  I had also considered using, “NOW.”

Whenever I read or hear about a humane training method for dogs; I am all for it.  So it was no surprise how anxious I was to get out on the trail with my dogs and see how it works.  Chet had plans today and I had plans this morning, so it had to wait until this afternoon.   It had been raining lightly on and off for most of the day, and the sky was really overcast.  I figured it was a perfect time because there wouldn’t be a lot of people out today, so I should have no interruptions.  I had plans to grab get my boots, grab a hat, my camera, and my half a pound of shredded Roast Beef and hit the trail for about an hour.  Things didn’t go exactly as I had planned.

Before I let the dogs out of the car, I gave them each a tiny bit of the Roast Beef, then I opened the door and said, “free dog.”  They took off at a run and I began the slow trek in, trouble is I forgot my boots and hat and as soon as we stepped onto the trail, it began raining.  No problem, this is doable.  The dogs are running and every time one of them turned back to me I would call them and get so excited when they were running towards me, then I would give them little bits of Roast Beef.  You will be amazed at how many times your dog “checks in” with you when you give them Roast Beef.

We started up the hill into the field and it really started raining; the snow was soft and there were times I was sinking in, but I soldiered on, intent on getting my dogs to come to me whenever I called.  The snow had actually totally melted in some spots and you could see grass; and puddles.  I stepped in one; and soaked my sneakers, my glasses were covered in rain and water poured off my head, but still I was determined. 

Finally the dogs got far enough away from me for me to try; I took some Roast Beef in each hand and as loud as I could I yelled “YAHOO!!!” Both heads snapped up, both dogs turned and both dogs RAN to me!!!  Success!!  I cannot wait to continue with this method, of course it means I will have to carry some food with me, but to me it is more important that my dog return when called, you never know when you will need a reliable recall.

Sampson Stone Trail Dog

 

Wet but happy.

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