Partnership: Why do
dogs make good companions for people?
One of the reasons is that, like us, they tend by
nature to live in groups. From the moment your puppy became
aware of his surroundings, he was part of a pack. Since joining
your household, the pup has been readjusting to fit into a
new pack. Just as the puppy is rapidly becoming 'one of the
family' for the humans in the house, from the puppy's point
of view, all the people and other pets in the household are
part of his new 'family-pack'. Even at a few weeks of age,
the individual characters of each puppy begin to express themselves
and the litter your puppy has recently left would have been
organised into a structure with a top, a middle and a bottom
and Mum as the overall pack leader. Your puppy will expect
his new pack also to have a structure and will be looking
to you to show him where he fits in.
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Who
is pack leader in your house ?
It is important that the pack order is established
from the very beginning of your relationship. Get this right,
and you will have the basis for a relationship with your dog
that is rewarding for both of you.
Who Decides.
Who decides when it is time for your puppy to be fed or have
a cuddle?
Who starts and finishes the games ?
Who decides where the puppy sleep ?
You Decide.
Following a few basic pack rules will establish from
the very start that people rank higher in the family pack
than your dog. Not that you love him any less, but that you
love him in his correct place.
What is a pack leader's role ?
The leader of a canine pack is king of the castle,
AKA the BOSS. The position brings many privileges, pack leader
eats first and has the pick of the resting places, but also
carries many responsibilities. The leader of the pack is responsible
for safety and protecting the other pack members, for making
the rules and ensuring they are followed. A dog pack leader
fulfils their role by guiding other pack members and rewarding
them for behaving in the appropriate manner. The good pack
leader can be firm when necessary and fun when suitable. Most
important, a pack leader must earn the pack's respect by being
consistent with calm assertive energy with positive reinforcement
for good behaviour. Decide on the rules for your pack "family"
and make sure everybody understands and follows them. Give
a dog a inch and they eat the sofa.
*****************************Nothing
in life is free (R+ (CANRG) = Pack leader = YOU*****************************
Puppy is born to follow if you stick to these rules, with
patience and love, you will be a great pack leader. You
have a responsibility to the dog/ puppy the day you got Him/Her.
Provide
your puppy with his own comfortable bed and teach him from
the start that this is where he sleeps.
You: Control the resting places.
In any wild dog pack, the leader eats first and the lower
ranking pack members have what is left. Make sure that your
puppy knows you control the food. Do not leave his meals down
all the time, or he will be able to eat what he wants when
he wants.
You: Control the Food
Give your puppy lots of attention, but on your terms. Call
him to you and make a fuss of him, play with him and train
him. If the puppy tries to demand attention, ignore him and
avoid eye contact. Once he has given up and gone off to amuse
himself, call him to you and play a game.
You: Are is hero
Always control the games you play with your puppy. You start
the games and you finish them, removing the toys at the end
of the play session and placing them out of reach. Always
stop before the puppy becomes bored so the toys retain their
novelty value and he will always be on the look out for another
game. An additional benefit is that your puppy will become
excited when you bring out the special toys and they can be
used as reward in training
You: Control the best trophies.
To handle and groom your puppy is a privilege you extend to
him. Short, pleasant grooming sessions will help to reinforce
the bond between you and clarify your position as pack leader,
whilst teaching your puppy that human hands are not a threat.
You: Control the right to handle and groom him if
you wish.
Higher ranking pack members walk where they wish.
If the puppy is lying in a doorway you wish to walk through,
make him move to let you pass. Do not walk round him to get
to a destination. If you are passing through a door or gateway
with him, make sure he allows you to pass through first.
What is your puppy learning ? - stepping aside is a mark of
respect. YOU ARE PACK LEADER!!!!!!
We
teach dog training and puppy training "Dog
Obedience Training"
This
helps you to achieve full leadership and stimulates your dog.
This helps you to understand and prevent bad dog
behaviour. Training should be fun for both of you -incorporate
training exercises into games the pup enjoys. Keep the play/training
sessions short but frequent and varied. Be consistent, Make
a list of words you wish to use and make sure everyone dealing
with the pup knows them.
Make a list below of the words and hand signals you
and everyone will use when training your pup
- Action
- Command
- Hand signal
For example:
Pay
attention -use puppy's name holding hand with treat up to
your face. We need eye contact on name.
Sit - use name plus sit with hand in front of nose, raise
hand vertically
*********************** These are the commands we feel all
dogs should learn, know and why ***********************
Teaching
the puppy
"toilet" PEEPEES & POOPOOS
Or GO TOOS
Why:
Do we need to say?
Getting
the puppy's attention & Teaching your puppy his name
Why: The only way your puppy will ever learn
to respond to your commands is if you can first attract his
attention and encourage the pup to home in on YOU.
IMPORTANT Universal NO "AH"
Why:
We teach "AH" for no. This can not be said in a
angry or frustrated way which is very important. This helps
us to set rules, yes you can do this, no you can't do that.
Teaching your puppy to SIT
Why:The dog can pay attention to you and
take his cues as to what to do next from you when he is sitting
quietly.
Teaching the puppy to LIE DOWN.
Why:This is an ideal position for the dog
to be in while you examine him or administer first aid. A
dog which is lying down is less reactive to what is going
on around him and is far more likely to STAY in position should
he need to be left for a few moments.
Teaching
the puppy RECALL.
Why:An instant RECALL from a distance can
be a life saver if the dog is heading for danger such as an
approaching train when he is running close to a railway line,
a horse galloping down a bridleway, a cliff etc. Very young
puppies tend to follow their people around, and it is easy
to be lulled into a false sense of security that this will
continue forever! Sooner or later you will take your puppy
for walks somewhere with many interesting distractions and
for the safety and sanity of all concerned.
Teaching
the puppy STAY.
Why: Giving a command to stay helps with separation
anxiety, they know your coming back. Helps with the saftey
of the dog, on walks, waiting at the door
or by the road side etc.
Teaching the puppy OFF.
Why: The sofa cost £5000
Teaching the puppy DROP.
Why: If you have a young puppy, you know the answer
to this - it's because they frequently have something valuable
or dangerous in their mouths!
Teaching the puppy LEAVE IT.
Why: Same as above and when you see the cheeky little
monster on is way to your chocolate. Leaving other dogs toys
in the park, this stops fights. Leave the xmas dinner, you
can not go out a buy another turkey.
Teaching the puppy CALM.
Why: A calm dog listens.
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Puppy
Love: Do Dogs Have Emotions? There's no doubt in
my mind that dogs have emotions. They feel joy after a job
well done. They feel sad when a pack member passes away. And
they feel love for their family members – their pack.
However, it's important to remember that those emotions are
different from our own. The
feelings that dogs experience aren't connected to complex
thoughts. They don't have ulterior motives or doubt. Their
emotions are pure and honest.
Your dog isn't lying to you when he communicates that he loves
you. The more you fulfill your dog's needs, the more this
connection will develop between you. There's nothing better
than coming home from a bad day and having your dog there
to support you. No judgment. No questions. Just love!But remember,
how we feel affects our dogs. If you are upset after a long
day of work, your dog won't understand why, but he will pick
up on your energy and body language. He will interpret this
as unbalanced energy, and if you don't have your leadership
down pat, it can lead to behavior issues. Make sure you are
fulfilling your dog's needs first.
Our dogs give us so much and ask so little. If we provide
them with exercise, discipline, then affection, we can really
appreciate man (or woman's) best friend and the love they
have to offer.
Stay
calm and assertive.'
Cesar Millan
Philip & Leonie at VIP Cesar One on One Dog Behaviour
Talk 2010 |
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