Are
you giving a mixed message by being inconsistent?
- Are you
becoming overly upset and correcting too harshly for
accidents?
- Are you
overly anxious or nervous?
- Does your posture and body language
show confidence?
Dogs
communicate through body language, and they will read yours
also.
Establishing yourself as the
leader
You must be
physical with your puppy to establisdh your leadership
role. He does not
understand human language. Once you have
established yourself as the leader, you will be able to teach
him spoken commands. But the leadership role must be
established physically, through handling and body
language. If you do not do this, he
will not listen to your spoken commands. Remember, they
communicate through body language. You
may not be able to read theirs, but they can read
yours.
Some puppies
are more subordinate by nature and they will follow easily,
others tend to be more dominant and might challenge you for
the position of pack leader.
Exercises
Start by
doing a few simple exercises that will establish you as the
pack leader.
Decide ahead
of time what sound or word you are going to use for
correction.
It’s not
necessary to shout, they have excellent hearing. If you don’t believe
me, try sneaking a treat out of the bag and see how quickly
they appear.
Some people
will tell you to say “No bite” “No pee” “No bark” etc. Why not have just one
sound that simply means “stop doing what you are doing”.
A low growl works
well, since that is what their mother used. But Ah Ah!
Shht! Hey!, or any other short word or sound will
do.
Exercise 1
1 Sit on the
floor, hold the puppy out in front of you (with both
hands). He/she might
struggle and dropping him/her would cause him/her to lose trust in
you.
2 Hold him/her
away from you and look directly into his/her
eyes.
3 If he/she
struggles give him/her a quick shake (not harsh, just enough to
get his/her attention).
Use your chosen sound or word in stern calm
voice.
4 When he/she
stops struggling, praise him/her in a higher pitched pleasant
voice.
5 Repeat the
exercise until he/she no longer struggles, varying the length of
time from 15 to 45 seconds
Repeat the
exercise in different rooms and with different family members,
until every able family member is able to hold him/her without a
struggle.
For larger
dogs the exercise can be done by standing over the dog,
placing your hands under his/her chest and lifting his/her front leg
off the floor
Remember each
family member has to establish their own leadership role; you
cannot do it for them.
We’ll discuss babies and small children
later.
You can also do
this exercise in front of guests, and have them talk to the
puppy and pet him/her when he/she is calm. Early
socialization is very important.
Exercise 2
1 Sitting on
the floor, cradle the puppy in your arms on his/her
back
2 Move him/her
away from your body so he/she is in mid air, holding him/her
securely with one arm beneath him/her and your hand
supporting his/her head.
If he/she
struggles follow steps #3 through #5
above
3 Repeat this
exercise until he/she no longer struggles For larger
puppies, do this across your lap
Exercise 3
1 Kneeling on
the floor, gently lay your puppy on his/her side with his/her legs
pointing away from you.
If he/she struggles, you can hold him/her firmly by the scruff
of the neck with one hand while holding his/her midsection down
with the other hand.
He/she should raise his/her back legs, exposing himself/herself to you
as a sign of submission.
2 If he/she tries
to get up or to nip at you, use your chosen sound or word to
correct him/her. When
he/she is calm, praise him/her calmly. Don’t use excitement
or he/she will want to get up.
Repeat the
corrections until he/she is calm and quiet.
Exercise 4
While in the
above position, when he/she is calm,
1 Place your
fingers around his/her muzzle with firm but gentle pressure while
praising him/her.
2 Handle all
four paws, and toes squeezing gently on each
one.
3 Open his/her
mouth and put your fingers inside for a few
seconds.
If he/she
struggles at any point repeat with corrections until he/she is
calm, then lavish with praise.
The purpose
of these exercises is to teach trust and respect. Do not use these
exercises for discipline.
Repeat the
exercises briefly, several times a day for the first week, and
then daily for a month, and as needed
thereafter
For puppies
with a dominant nature, you might have to go back to the
beginning occasionally, and repeat the basics. It is much easier to
teach them when they are still young, than to try to correct
behavior later on.
Your goal is
to be able to repeat these exercises anywhere, at anytime,
without a struggle.
For babies and small
children
Small
children need to be monitored around puppies. You cannot blame a
puppy for biting a child if the child is pulling his hair or
hitting him.
If your puppy
demonstrates any type of dominant behavior toward the child,
use the corrections from above. The child cannot
establish itself as a pack leader, but the puppy needs to know
that the child “belongs to” the pack leader and therefore is
off limits.
Rough Play
Do not allow
a puppy to use you as a chew toy
If your puppy
had littermates, and was allowed to stay with his mother until
at least 10 weeks of age, he will have been taught how to play
nice. If not, he
might think your hands or your toddler are fair game to use
for teething.
If your puppy plays
too rough, you should use your chosen word for correction and use
your fingers to nip at him/her. If they do not stop atter 3
warnngs, take them by the scruff of the neck and look into their
eyes, showing your teeth and giving a low growl. You might
feel silly, but this is a language they understand.
Expect them to yipe. You are not hurting them, that
sound is a sign that they are giving up. Release them
and walk away from them. Do not show
affection until they come to you.
If you have shown that you are a
calm, assertive, stable pack leader, one who is fair and just,
they will seek you out and want to be close to you. If
they trust you they will not be afraid to approach
you.
Chewing
Barking
Jumping On
People
Socialization
Out of
Site
House
breaking
Discipline
