Lesson 101
A Through Z – Tid-Bits to Ponder and Remember

As to who is smarter and who trains who to do what, are everyday questions in the world of dog training.

This lesson is designed to give you an overview of the more important dog training tid-bits, thus you will definitely become smarter than your dog; and through your smarter training efforts, your dog will definitely be "A…Better…Canine!"

TID-BITS TO PONDER and REMEMBER

	Diana Dean & Prince After the "ABC's" Prince quickly shed his very rough coat.

A. Do you like to be nagged? Does your spouse? Do your children? Neither does your dog! How many times have you heard people say to their dogs, or been guilty of yourself: “No, dog! No, dog! No, dog!” Time after time, hour, day, week, month, year after year, we say, “No, dog! Pleeeese, dog! You are driving me crazy, dog!” Then one or two years go by, and...guess what? The puppy is no longer a puppy! Now he is a moose, and he is no good!

When they reach this point, what do people do with many of their dogs? Let’s here and now face the unfortunate facts. Some will kick them, some will kick them…out! Some will drop them off in the countryside and many simply end up at the pound! If no one claims or adopts them, what eventually happens? Is this really fair to the dog? Whose fault was it anyhow? I rest my case! In commanding your dog, if he doesn’t respond the first time—teach him, but do not…nag him! Be reasonable as to what you expect from your dog. “Out of the mouths of babes,” this young man wasn’t being facetious when he asked, “Can the dog be taught to go fart in another room?”

Don’t put your dog in harm's way. Veterinarians will tell you of problems that can afflict dogs if they are forced to jog for too long. Problems such as heart conditions, heat prostration, foot and pad injuries, and arthritis. The human may be able to run for miles on end, but not the dog, especially if he is under two years old. A couple of reasons for this is that dogs don’t perspire well, and they require more rest and water stops than humans. Unfortunately, I all too often see people taking their puppies and dogs out for a jog. The dog, with his little butt hugging the sidewalk, is panting and wondering, “Why this cruel and unusual punishment?” As we are watchful of our children’s tolerance level, be watchful of your dog’s tolerance level and do not push them past it.

B. If you can read, understand, learn and follow ABC directions, you can train your own dog! We encourage you to slowly read this book from cover to cover and then apply the instructions, explicitly as given, one lesson at a time. Dog training is not just dog training, it is first and foremost—people training.

C. As it is with the human, be it a child or an adult who is attending school, it is the same for the dog:

1. The setting should at all times be conducive to learning.
2. Learning sessions should be kept to a reasonable time period.
3. Before advancing to another lesson, give ample time for the dog to fully understand and be able to perform the current lesson.

D. With the above points kept in mind:

1. Training sessions with your dog should, at first, not be in a carnival-type setting; with many adults, children and/or dogs all around. First, have him learn—then, expose him to the “combat zone!” Remember that our dogs do not live in parks, in parking lots, or with a bunch of other dogs. They live in homes with people. Therefore, the training setting should preferably be in the same type of setting.
2. Keep training sessions to maneuvers which take a maximum of twenty minutes.
3. Give the dog a minimum of one week practice to the current lesson before advancing him to the next lesson. At ABC School for Dogs, we give two weeks between lessons.
4. Bear in mind that we’re just beginning training, so do yourself and your dog the biggest favor possible: To control him until he is fully trained and trustworthy, provide him with a kennel. Outside if he’s large; otherwise it’s your choice, but do not give him the run of your home or yard. Use good judgement and common sense regarding its size and location. Believe me, the expense and effort that you’ll incur will be negligible compared to the expense, effort, frustration and discomfort that you are sure to experience otherwise. During the first year or better, while you’re away or not directly supervising your dog, he should be confined and controlled.

E. The methods taught in this book are precisely the ones used by real professional trainers, both in the public eye (such as in the training of Guide Dogs for the blind) and in the privacy of their training establishments. As unfortunately has been the case in many situations, these methods are not meant to soft-pedal the issues of training by taking advantage of and playing on overzealous human sentimentalities.

Many men and women fail to complete armed forces boot-camp because of separation anxieties from home—one’s family, daddy or mommy. This happens to dogs, especially little ones, and many have even died from it. Don’t spoil your dog so rotten that he goes through life as an emotional invalid; that when you must go away for a few days and place him in a kennel, he goes bananas. Teach him from puppyhood that he must learn to stand his ground. Love him, but don’t kill your dog…with kindness!

F. “Dave, just how smart is the dog, anyhow?” This is one of the questions that has been asked by students more than most. When answering, I always pause, as I quizzically and slowly look up to them and respond, “Well…you see…the question really is not…how smart is the dog…!”

G. There is no such thing as “Puppy Obedience Classes.” Do not be taken in! For up to at least the first four months, let the puppy be a “puppy!” Let him have a little fun. He’ll have to grow up soon enough! To control him at the beginning, use good judgment, i.e., proper confinement when you can’t keep your eye on him; chew proof your home and the area where you keep him; provide adequate toys and…overall, be patient with him. Remember that he is, after all—a puppy! Besides cruel owners, if there is one thing that upsets me in this business, it is quote, trainers, unquote, who “play” on the unsuspecting sentimentalities of the human by offering “puppy classes.” There is no such thing! Do not be taken in!

There have been more dogs who experienced trauma through “puppy classes,” which at a later age created distortions in their nature. One case in point was Sasha, a little female German Shepherd, imported from Germany, owned by a lady about 65 and living alone. Because the puppy was jumping and chewing on her and the furniture, etc., the trainer she hired suggested methods of correction which should only be reserved for more mature dogs. When I was called to the case, at the golden age of only six months, the dog was already irreversibly neurotic. The dog had to be put to sleep. And this is only one case!

I pray that the information contained in this book will enlighten many to be "real" and allow the dog and its world their fair and deserving place.

In discussing so-called puppy obedience classes with a new Rottweiler owner--a family with two children, two- and four-year-old--they stated that their breeder suggested that from the very beginning, each time the puppy is fed, to have the children sit by the puppy's bowl, and to even encourage them to play with the dog's food while eating.

I couldn't believe my ears! I really wanted to explode on this one! At times, I have been known to have a "little bit" of a temper...but don't you believe it! Its really all an act.  I must remember to be tactful and diplomatic. So...I swallowed hard and suggested that they do as their conscience dictates.  However, I also shared the following story with them.

This is what Dr. and Mrs. Staples experienced when they obtained an eight-week-old German Shepherd puppy, Duke.  For years they had two Pugs, Shorty and Snotty. From the first day of Duke's arrival, they allowed all three to eat out of the same bowl.  All was fine for the first seven months - no problems.  Shorty and Snotty could at any time go to the food bowl while Duke was eating.  But in the eighth month, Shorty went to the bowl while Duke was eating - for the last time.  Duke took but one bite out of Shorty, and popped his eyes right out of his head.  The vet tried to save the little Pug, but to no avail.  Two months later, Snotty experienced the same fate.

I paused for a moment before stating, that "this doesn't necessarily mean that this is what will happen in each and every case. But, you do as your conscience dictates."

In our Housebreaking Lesson, we parallel a “baby puppy” to a “baby human being.” There is not much difference! Much care, much love, much guidance, much patience is needed! It’s true that a puppy at eight or nine weeks can begin to learn, but few humans have the stamina, patience and know-how that is required. If guidance is needed, consult your veterinarian or a professional trainer – check credentials and success stories and satisfied clients that he/she is bound to have if he/she is a true professional. Generally speaking, let the puppy be a puppy.

When training your puppy or dog, always remember that there are facts…and there are opinions—and opinions are like belly-buttons, everybody has one! The hurt and damage that has been done by “opinions” to dogs and their owners trying to do “the right thing” is unbelievable and incomprehensible. Opinions from “experts” running the entire gamut from those who should know better—from “professional” trainers to “humane” treatment animal control investigators—opinions so cockeyed they would even make Little Red Riding Hood’s, Lobo, run… away from home!

H. A space or pause between your dog’s name and the desired command is very important. Do not cause your dog, as so many have, to think that his first name is “Fido” and his last name is “Heel.” Have you ever heard of “Fido heel!” or “Fido no!” I had a little old lady student, (not from Pasadena), once tell me, “I know what you mean, Dave, my dog thinks his name is Fidogetoutofthetrash!”

I. The frequent use of your dog’s name and in tones he enjoys is very important. “Prince is a good boy! Prince likes to have dinner. He likes to chase the ball. He likes to play with Honey, (Prince’s female companion), and…he likes cookies! Prince is a little angel dog!”

This will make him feel very good and cause him to know that he, in fact, is an acceptable member of the family pack. I have always done this with my dogs, and in response, the way they wiggle, and smile, and go around and around, you’d think that they’d crawl right out of their skins! The pleasure and the bond that you’ll derive with your dog, as I have—with ALL the dogs in my life—is invaluable and immeasurable!

J. Bones…of any kind (rawhides excepted) are not good for your dog. Although your dog loves them and loves you for giving them to him—they are not good for him! How many times have we seen dogs at the “ripe ol’ age” of five or six years without teeth. Why? Not to mention all the unnecessary bone-related veterinarian expenses.

K. Dogs do not learn anything by beating them. They learn only through leadership, the love factor and startling/surprise-type corrections. One of the main reasons why many humans end-up with dogs that literally dominate the household is that they are unwilling to correctly correct their dog—thinking that they are going to hurt him.

At the beginning of training, I always ask the students, “Do you want a well trained dog? Well…there is no two ways about it—you must be willing to correct him—correctly and consistently.

	Never leave two untrained puppies alone in the house

L. Why should the dog not think that he owns you? Are we not the ones to emphasize our subservience to him? Think about it! When he goes to the bathroom, who cleans up after him? When he wants to go out, who takes him out? When he needs a bath, who bathes him? When he is hungry, who feeds him; and who washes the dishes for him? And so on. This is all O.K., but on the other hand, shouldn’t it also be O.K. when you want him to obey!

M. It’s nonsense that in order to solve problems, you must catch the dog “in the act.” In 90% of the cases, if handled correctly, the dog can be made aware of his misdeed, even if eight hours have passed since its occurrence. Therefore, a correction is applicable! In the case of the ten percenters, your correction should be so correct regarding the situation, that aversion has been implanted into your dog’s brain. Thus the correction is valid in all respects!

N. Don’t confuse your dog by letting him think that his name is a reprimand tone. If you call his name, say something after it. How many times have you seen and heard people with their dogs – the dog is in the trash, or sniffing some one’s crotch, or acting like a wild hooligan – and their owner hollers, “Prince! Prince! Prince!” Always add a command after his name: “Prince – NO!”, or “Prince – COME!” or “Prince – GO!”

O. If your dog happens to be the very dominant type—i.e. wants to drag you down the street every time he sees another dog, kitty-cat, or squirrel (I’ve seen more human broken bones and scrapes because of this); insists on getting into the trash; charges the front door every time you open it, etc.—the time to solve the problem is before it happens! Emphasize obedience in all aspects and at all times! Such as, when you command your dog to “Down!” or “Halt!” he should down or halt “on a dime and get nine cents change!” Any less than this, make a firm correction. Do not wait until you are on the firing line!

P. Do you like to be pinned down in any way, shape or form to the point where you can not retreat? If someone goes to shake your hand and holds it for an unusually prolonged period of time, what is your tendency! To avoid temperament and psychological problems with your dog, do not ever, for prolonged periods of time, physically pin down your dog or any part of him. Always give him the option of retreat. Exceptions to this rule are noted in Lesson 107, Solving Misbehavior Situations, where the method of “Instantaneous Pinning & Release” is used in solving notorious misbehaviors.

	No More Misdeeds
	Dawn Ketcham, Sasha and Snow Bear Springfield, Virginia

Q. Have you ever heard it said that “The dog lives to please you!” This is a comment that has been made many a time and written in many a book. BUNK! I’m here to tell you that the true nature of the dog is that he is a very pushy animal. He wants to please WHO…first? You betcha! And you…last…if at all! On the other hand, let’s not be too hasty, he does want to please you, but only after you reverse the leadership pattern. This is what training does—it reverses the leadership pattern. Then he does want to please you; but only because there is a reward - the love factor! or a consequence - a startling/surprise-type correction.

R. In many instances the name you give your dog has an affect on his behavior and temperament. Many times we get calls for “Help! My dog is too aggressive. He wants to eat everybody!” I arrange for an evaluation meeting at the person’s home. At the gate, I’m met by a Pit Bull, or a German Shepherd, or Cairn Terrier who wants to eat me alive! The people have to come out to the sidewalk to meet with me. One of my first questions is, “What’s the dog’s name?” The reply, “Oh, Rocky!” In another instance, “What’s the dog’s name?” The reply, “Killer!” And another, “Ripper!” Is it any wonder why these dogs are aggressive? Unbeknownst to the owner, people in general have been making “moves” on that dog since he was a puppy; “moves” that bring out…aggression! Can you picture it?

On the other hand, we have the person who complains, “My Doberman, Shepherd, Rottweiler, etc. is not aggressive at all!” “What’s the dog’s name?” I ask. “Chrysanthemum!” And another, “Sweet Pea!” And yet another, “Lolly Pop!”

What do you suppose the temperament of the Dalmatian named “Dopey” is like? Dopey belongs to a Mexican family…and family…and family…and family —grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, etc. Can you imagine the chaos in that household! And who do you suppose is in the center of it all!

And what about "Butkus", who is an 80 pound Chocolate Labrador Retriever. Butkus belongs to my neighbor, Anita. However, Anita doesn’t refer to him as Butkus, as if that wasn’t bad enough, she refers to him as, “The dog from hell.” Can you imagine the damage that Butkus has done to Anita’s home! And can you imagine the way Butkus greets company—have you ever seen the way that bowling pins scatter when one gets a strike!

Bobbie, owner of a notorious Doberman/Shepherd mix, shared with me that her television cable company serviceman has had “…to come to my home more times to replace wire and remote controls my dog has ‘eaten’ that they now have a new code in their Service Manual: the code—Rascal!”

One of the looniest situations that I’ve ever walked into was this loony individual with three of the looniest, unruliest dogs I’ve ever seen. Their names – Bing-Bing, Bang-Bang, and…Dead Dog!

S. All human family members must be leaders over the dog. It is certain that if one is and others are not, the dog will make it harder on the ones that are, or he’ll find his niche somewhere in between!

T. Always remember that the pack instinct is so ingrained in the dog that regardless of how much or how well you train your dog, the dog will always reserve a little section in his brain that says, “O.K., I’ll perform, but mainly I do still own you!”

U. That the dog forgets is nonsense! We get calls from students that graduated six months to a year ago. “Dave, help!” they say. “My dog’s brain has turned to guacamole! He has forgotten everything!” I arrange a meeting with them, and it has yet to fail that upon seeing me again, the dog turns shades of green, purple and white, all combined. I give one firm command and he does everything but salute!

V. For all misbehavior corrections, your command or your tone should be an emphatic “No!” or “No, No, No!” An example of this is: Dog jumps on you, as you swiftly (not to hurt, but to shock) drive your knee into his chest, your command is not “Down!” but—“No!” You will find that in no time at all, your dog will immediately respond even to a passive “No!” before he reaches the “contact point” to whatever misbehavior.

W. A dog that reaches the age of four months or thereabouts and is still going to the bathroom in the house is not necessarily not housebroken. I’ve found that in the majority of the cases, the dog is only marking the territory. He is expressing the dominance that he has, not only over the household, itself, but the members within. This also holds true for a dog that marks every blade of grass, fire hydrant, telephone pole, etc. They do not have to do this. It is not a matter of “needing” to go to the bathroom. It is simply a matter of telling the world and all its members, “King Tut has been here, and is here to stay!” Or, simply, “This is my turf!” Can you imagine a guide dog for the blind ever doing this!

X. One of the questions which is most frequently asked by students is, “What is the hardest dog to train?” I slowly raise my eyes to meet theirs, “Well, you see, that is not the question. The question is, who are the hardest people to train, and the hardest people to train are those with little dogs.” Why? The answer is simple. With bigger dogs, we may not hesitate to make a firm correction, but what do we normally do with little dogs? That’s right, we spoil them…rotten!

Take for example students who own a one-year-old, five-year-old, or even a fifteen-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, that is still going to the bathroom in the middle of the living room, or in the master’s bedroom, or better yet, their bed. “Why?” I’m often asked, My answer is, “If your dog was not a Yorkshire Terrier, but a Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Boxer, et al, would he still be going to the bathroom in the same areas? Think about it!”

Y. Many people believe that the dog should never cower down to the owner. To this I suggest: Do you think that we Marine Corps "boots", to one degree or another, don’t go around with our tails between our legs during our initial training period? You betcha, we do—every last one of us! The same applies to the dog! But does this continue indefinitely? Of course not! Not after we understand the rules. The same applies to the dog “in training.”

Regardless of your nature, YOU must be the leader of the pack; there is no other way. If you have to train yourself to get tough, do it! If you have to join the U.S. Marine Corps, do it! There is no other way! A case in point is Sheri and her highly exuberant Labrador Retriever, Sam. Sheri is so easy going, the type of person that would not say “apple pie” if she had a mouthful. Although we did make tremendous strides in the basic program and extra lessons that she had to have, at my last visit, I left her with the following Get Tough Rx. diet: Breakfast=1/2 pound of nails; Lunch=1/2 pound of thumb tacks; Dinner=1/2 pound of each!

“Z.” When students first come to the school and we show them the lesson plan, many of them ask, “Dave, can we start with the Problem Solving lesson?” Though your tendency may be to do the same—don’t! As I explain to the students, “Many people try to make corrections on their dog before they gain their leadership over him. This doesn’t follow. If you can’t tell your dog to sit and stay, and walk him on a leash halfway decently, how is he ever going to listen to you when you tell him not to jump on people or the furniture?” Stick to the lesson plan. Read this entire book from cover to cover. You’ll be amazed at the end results! Don’t cheat yourself…and your dog!

TID-BITS TO PONDER and REMEMBER

A. Please see A through Z above.

B. Please see A through Z above.

   C. Please see A through Z above!!!

 

A Better Canine School for Dogs
7330 University Ave., La Mesa, CA 91941-6003
Email: info@dogtrainingbook.com
Phone: (619) 466-1877 Fax: (619) 466-6557