This week, a student came to class complaining that she had taken her 2 yr old boxer for a 3 mile run and even after that, when she went out to pick up her son at school, she came home to 2 shredded pillows and caught him in the act of chewing the leg of her kitchen table.  That same week, a student came to class lamenting that she’d done a 30-minute, very successful training session with her labradoodle. But when she came home from the grocery store that same afternoon, she noticed that he’d ripped up the new crate mat she bought him, and had pulled the window drapes into his crate and was ripping them to pieces, too.

You’re thinking “I Can Relate.  This Happens On A Daily Basis At My House”.

So what was the issue?  They’d both spent time with their dogs.  One had done a great cardio workout, the other a successful training workout.  Shouldn’t the boxer have been physically exhausted and the labradoodle mentally exhausted?  Yes and yes.  But the KEY to success is in wearing them out both physically and mentally in the same session.   When I work out at the gym, I’m usually physically tired, but my mind is still busy thinking of things to teach to my students or what I’m going to write for my next column.  Conversely, after a few hours of working on a project on the computer, my brain is tired and I just want to think about nothing for a little while.  But my body has lots of energy, so I might want to do a short run to clear my head. I’ve often wondered what would happen if I was able to run on a treadmill at the gym and, instead of a TV, I could have my computer screen in front of me and work on my lesson sheets and columns.  While that day may very well happen in the future for humans, it is achievable now with your dog!

“Excuse Me.  But I Have A Life.”

And a job, and children, and relatives….  I get it.  So do I.  There aren’t many people who can devote hours a day towards the exercise and training of their dogs. But if I told you that you could accomplish that goal in the same session – that same 20-30 minutes that you would originally have been doing one or the other, would you do it?

“Of Course I Would.  Where’s The Catch?”

There isn’t one.  Except for a tiny bit of planning on your part, integrating the mind-body connection will be easy once you start thinking outside the box. Let’s look at a game that I like to start my beginning students with called “Wild Sits”.  Taught as soon as their dog understands the concept of “Sit”,  Wild Sits begins by having the dog on a leash while the owner runs around cheering, jumping up and down, doing anything that will make their dog excited enough to run wild with them.  (Note: If a dog is meek, afraid, and/or sensitive, we tone the wildness down – the goal is an excited but not frightened dog!).  Once their dog is suitably cranked up, they stop moving and ask him to “Sit”.   (If he’s a puppy or new to training, you can put a treat in front of his nose before saying “Sit”.)  He probably won’t the first time or two, so we help him succeed.  After a while, they’ll be able to get him super hyped up and he’ll still respond to the “Sit” command.

“That’s Cool.  But Why Do I Need To Do That?”

Here are my top 3 reasons why:

1. Your dog is getting a cardio workout from all that running around!
2. You’re getting a cardio workout, too. Your FitBit or Apple Watch will show you the numbers!
3. YOU’RE TEACHING YOUR DOG TO GO FROM A STATE OF HYPERACTIVITY INTO AN IMMEDIATE STATE OF “Yes, of course I will sit, Mother.”

So, because of 1 & 3, you’re working your dog out physically and mentally at the same time!

Number 1 & 2 are great. But number 3 is H U G E!  What state is your dog in most of the time when you need him to listen to you?  A state of Hyperactivity!  Which is the same condition that he’s in when the doorbell rings, or when he sees people on the street when you’re walking.  And in the past, when you’ve asked (begged, pleaded, yelled at) him to Sit, he didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t respond, primarily because you’d never taught him how to go from wild dog to responsive dog. So now you’re teaching him how to be able to immediately pull himself back into a responsive, obedient state of mind.  How great is that?

“I See Where You’re Going With This.  Any More Ideas?”

Of course!  How about practicing heeling with a cardio twist?  Instead of heeling in boring circles at the same old lackluster, zombie pace, why not add in some weaving?  Think of a slalom course in skiing.  You can use folding chairs, orange cones, people, trees, signs, anything that will stand still long enough for you to walk around them!  By doing this, you’re practicing:

1. Change of pace – even if you don’t change yours!  Your dog has to quicken his steps when you weave to the right if he’s heeling on your left side.  And he has to slow his pace as you’re weaving to the left.  If you do this exercise running, the cardio benefits skyrocket even more.

2.  Attention! Your dog has to pay better attention to you now that you’re moving to the left and right.

3.  The best one: You’re working his mind and body at the same time.

“This Sounds Like I’ll Benefit From This In More Ways Than One!”

Yes, you will.  Besides having a well-trained and well-exercised dog, YOU will also reap the benefits of more cardio in your life.  And while I’m not suggesting this to be an alternative to going to the gym, I am speaking from experience that by doing this your relationship with your dog and with your own physicality will definitely improve by leaps and bounds.

If you’ve ever taken your dog for a walk, chances are you’ve encountered the leash aggressive dog.  Typically, they lunge, bark, snap and act in an extremely aggressive and anti social manner when they glimpse a fellow canine.  Similar to Jekyll and Hyde, the leash reactive/aggressive dog is calm, cool and downright polite when walking among people. But once he catches sight of a dog, it’s: “Goodbye Jekyll and Hello Hyde”.  Although leash aggressive dogs rarely follow through with a bite, the experience is frightening and embarrassing enough to make their owners decide to limit or eliminate walks altogether.

So, imagine that you own a leash-aggressive dog, and are told that you need to exercise your dog  30-60 minutes every day because that will help him become calmer and more able to focus on the obedience training that  you’re doing  at home.  What then?  4am walks in the neighborhood before anyone wakes up?  Midnight walks in the dark?  Mapping out routes where you know there aren‘t any dogs?

Not if you understand the causes and solutions for this type of behavior.

A combination of frustration and tension, many leash aggressive dogs crave interaction with other dogs, but most likely have less than stellar social skills to create a successful meet and greet.  Much like a child who runs onto a playground and puts another child in a headlock and gives him a noogie as a way of saying “Hey, let’s be friends!”, a dog lacking social skills may lunge and bark at a passing dog instead of using subtle signs to signal their desire to form a relationship.  When their owners witness this behavior, they (understandably) pull their dogs away and avoid exposing them to social interactions with other canines.  By doing that, they insure that their dog will never learn how to correctly interact with other dogs, and doom themselves and their dog to a life devoid of canine friendships.

While it sounds counter intuitive, the road to fixing this issue is actually off leash interactions with dogs.  This is not to be done without seeking the help of a professional dog trainer, because before you take this step, you must learn how to correctly read the native language of dogs – body language!  If you don’t know what your dog or the other dog is saying with their body signals, you may see play when it’s really tension, and tension when it’s really play. In addition, we can help you evaluate your dog to see if this is a typical case of leash aggression, or if there’s something else happening.  Whenever I’m handling this type of behavior problem, I always make sure that the dog has had a complete veterinary exam to rule out any medical causes for the behavior.

Punch Buggy!

In the meantime, start decreasing your dog’s frustration when he’s on leash and spies another dog by removing the tension from your leash.  To do that, you’re going to teach your dog that when he sees another dog, you’re going to reward him for looking at you.  Reminiscent of the childhood game “Punch Buggy!” (without the punch!), the “Cookie Dog!” game starts with you and your dog sitting on a park bench in an area where there are a small number of dogs out and about.  Do your research in advance and scout out a few places without your dog.  Your dog should be very hungry (playing this before mealtimes is ideal) and you should have a large amount of super high value types of treats (steak, chicken, tortellini!) with you.  Keep in mind that the treats you always use when you’re training your dog at home will be less than exciting when you’re outside and there are lots of distractions to grab his attention.  And you already know how rewarding he finds other dogs, so be prepared to break out the anchovy treats!

So you’ve arrived at the bench with your on-leash hungry dog and your fabulous treats, and you see a dog in the distance.  The minute you see your dog notice him, say “Cookie Dog!”, put the treat in front of his nose and start feeding him treat after treat until the dog has gone by. At that point, the proverbial “bar” is closed, and there will be no more reinforcement….until the next “cookie dog” shows up.  This is going to quickly teach your dog that the arrival of another dog means that you’re going to start paying out treats like a hot slot machine in Vegas.   The resulting behavior will be that your dog sees the other dog, turns to you, and expects a reward.  Great!  Feed him and then – after a week or so of successful Cookie Dog experiences – ask your calm and focused dog to “Sit” and “Wait”.

After a few weeks of playing the Cookie Dog game on a bench, you can start playing it on the move.
It’s crucial that YOU are super focused on your dog and the presence of other dogs while on the walk.  That means that during this phase, keep your mind in the game and not on texting, talking on the phone, or listening to music!  Besides, you’ll be meeting so many new people and their dogs, you won’t have time to do anything else.

Driving Miss Doggie: Training tips for car rides, proper crates and travel restraints, sidebar on car anxiety and motion sickness.

On The Road Again

Or not. If you plan on taking your dog on a road trip, please be sure that he or she has been on a few mini-trips before you start your vacation.

Many people make the mistake of taking their house-/yard-bound dog on a trip and expect them to behave as if they’re travel veterans. When my students tell me that they’re taking their dog on a trip for the first time, I suggest they arrange a “sleep over” for them and their pet at a local hotel or even at a friend’s home. Dogs have to learn not only to travel but also to sleep in new surroundings.  If your dog’s bedtime has never been anywhere but your home, it’s better to acclimate him before the trip to prevent separation issues and the potential behaviors that go with it, such as barking, whining, destructive behavior, soiling etc.

 Put Your Dog In His Place

Which is either in a seatbelt or in a crate.  And before you ask, here’s why you need to do this:

1.  Because an unrestrained dog can become a flying projectile of unimaginable force in a car crash, which means that your 60lb dog becomes a 2,700lb missile during a 35mph collision.

2.  Because having your dog sit on your lap can cause him to interfere with your steering and, if he jumps or slides down to your feet, interfere with the gas and brake pedals.

3.  Because having your dog loose is dangerously distracting.

Now that I’ve convinced you why you need to seatbelt or crate your dog, now let me convince you where he should travel while in the car.   The safest place for seat belted dog is in the middle back seat.  I know, you like to have your dog next to you, but if your airbag were to deploy it would come out of the dashboard or steering wheel at 140mph.  Enough said.  Those of you who are choosing to crate your dog need to know that the crate itself can become a flying projectile in an accident, so you need to have the crate securely fastened.

”Ok.  I’m on board with restraining my dog. So what do I buy?”
I’m so glad you asked.  If you’re thinking of a seatbelt, make sure that it is certified as “U.S. Crash Tested”.  Remember, a seatbelt is not a walking harness – it’s a specially constructed safety restraint.   If you’re considering a crate, you need to research which ones are the most secure.  An airline or wire crate would provide the most protection in an accident, while a soft-sided crate would provide the least.

 What’s In Your Wallet?
If you’re traveling with your dog, it should include a recent photo of him, a copy of his health certificate, a listing all of his recent vaccinations, and your veterinarian’s contact info, In the unlikely event that you become separated from your dog, you’ll have the information you need to make posters and contact rescue groups in order to have him returned home.

It goes without saying that your dog should be wearing a collar with his ID tags attached.  The phone number on the ID should be your cell number, not your home number (you won’t be there).  Another option is to purchase a personalized collar with the word “REWARD” and your cell number on it.  Those of you who have your dogs micro-chipped are ahead of the game. Those of you who haven’t “chipped” your dog yet, put that on the top of your To Do list.

Boredom
When you’re traveling (provided someone else is driving!)  you can read a book, work on your laptop or listen to your iPod.  But what about your dog?  Providing him with a few new toys will ensure he doesn’t get bored. My dog’s favorite kind are  “puzzle-type” toys, like a Kong stuffed and frozen with peanut butter.  What you stuff yours with depends on what your dog loves.  One of my students stuffs her dog’s Kong with cheese tortellini!!

Time Out!
Literally!  Your dog should be allowed out and about whenever possible.  Letting him stretch his legs and have some fun time out of his crate or seatbelt will make him more accepting of the time he has to spend in it.

Doggie Zen
A calm owner usually has a calm pet.  Our dogs pick up on our stress, so if you’re nervous and uptight, guess who else feels it?

Whether traveling for a dog show or for pleasure, I remind my students that their dogs are Doggie Ambassadors for traveling.  Being able to keep your pet with you on vacation is a privilege.  Arriving at places with a well-trained dog and being considerate of those around you will go a long way in assuring that our animal companions will always be welcome away from home.

SIDEBAR:  It’s Not Your Driving.  Really.

The most common reason that dogs get carsick is stress.  If your dog doesn’t see the fun in car rides because he associates them with negative events (vet visits, being left at a kennel, trips to the groomer), try changing his attitude by:

1. If he loves mealtime, start feeding him in the car! Start with the car off, go in with him, feed him, and then everybody out! Nice he’s excited to get into the car for a meal, try it with the car turned on in your driveway.

2. How about taking him on a short 5-10 min trip that ends with you taking him out and playing his favorite game?

3. Some dogs do better on an empty stomach while some need a small meal. Trial and error is the name of the game.

6. My border collie used to look at every car going past us! Whipping his head back and forth made him car sick, so I switched him from riding in a seatbelt to a sheet-covered crate in the back. Now he just lays down and focuses on the toys I give him, NOT the cars.
7. Sometimes cracking the windows to let some fresh air in is a good idea. Of course, since your dog is safely secured, you don’t have to worry about him sticking his head anywhere near the window.
8. There are homeopathic and pharmaceutical remedies for car sickness. Speak to your vet about your options.

There will come a day in every dog owner’s life when they will have to bathe their own dog.   Whether it’s because the groomer was booked, or the dog decided to roll in the mud two hours before your entire family arrived for a barbeque, or he had a close and personal meeting with a skunk, it’s inevitable that it will happen.

And for some, that’s the precise moment when they realize that their dog doesn’t share their excitement for the bathing event at hand.  Not only that, some dogs can have a panic-stricken reaction that leads to more fear, hysteria, and in some cases aggression.

Let’s take a look at the most common bathing scenarios and how a bit of training and behavior modification can help create a better experience for all involved.

“My Groomer Said My Dog Loves To Get Groomed, So Why Is He Freaking Out In MY Bathtub?”

Um, right.  So, unless you’ve actually seen your dog at the groomer having the time of his life, let’s quantify that statement.  Remember, groomers are dog professionals (like the groomers at our new grooming shop, Kathy Santo’s Pet A Groom), which means that they know their way around a resistant, hysterical dog, they have equipment that makes their job easier (slip-free bathing tubs, for starters), and they make the right decisions at the right times. Because of that, most of the time, the grooming experience results in a successful, positive outcome.  Unless you have professional training and years of experience under your belt, without some guidance your result may be different.

Canine Aqua Phobia?

Some dogs dislike water. A lot. It could be because of the way is shoots out of the hose, or the temperature it is when it comes out of the hose, or it could be the unpleasant sensation coming from your “regrettably still set on ‘Power Jet’ mode” handheld showerhead.  (Helpful hint: starting out with a gentle setting like “Rain” is less stressful to most dogs).  And while we’re on the subject, let me debunk the myth forever that sporting dogs and dogs who have “water” in their name are genetically engineered to love water.  They aren’t.  There are Portuguese Water Dogs who don’t love water just as there are Golden Retrievers who don’t love to retrieve.  Every dog is a unique individual.  Know thy dog!

But whatever the reason, you’re going to have to find a way to convince your water resistant dog that bath time is at least tolerable. My Doberman would head for the hills when my golden retrievers came out of the pool just in case a rogue droplet of water hit him when they shook! To prevent his bath from being a traumatic experience, I didn’t use a hose or even a hand held showerhead.  I used a sponge similar to what you might use for a horse, dipped it in a bucket of warm water and soap, and gave him a sponge bath.  When it was time to rinse him off, I had a second bucket of clear warm water and a sponge at the ready.  The time it would have taken me to empty the first bucket and rinse the sponge would have increased the length of the bath, thereby increasing the length of his stress.

It’s worth mentioning that I did tether him so that he wouldn’t be able to take a field trip around the yard during his bath.  In addition, I would turn on the hose just a tiny bit so a little stream of water trickled out.  When I picked up the hose, he got a treat.  Once I saw that he was happy and relaxed when I was reaching for the hose (as he was anticipating a cookie!), I would run a little water over one of his paws and then reward him.  After he was relaxed about one paw getting wet, then I would progress to two, and so on and so on.   This process took two months, at least, and I was very careful not to push him over his comfort threshold.  My goal each session was a happy, relaxed dog.

Fear of the Tub

There can be many reasons for this fear.  I’ll skip over “Because one day he was muddy and you carried him upstairs against his will and forced a bath on him” and go right into the many other reasons dogs dislike being in a bath tub. Whether it’s their long nails, the slick tile, or the small confined space of the tub, there’s not much for a nervous dog to love.  Here are a few ideas that can help reduce the stress for your dog:

Your Bathroom Is Now His Dining Room.  The quickest way to get your dog unstressed about the bathroom is to start serving him meals in it.  Start with feeding him in the bathroom doorway and gradually migrate his bowl closer and closer to the tub.  Don’t shut him in the room and proceed SLOWLY.  Once you have a happy dog that runs into the bathroom anticipating a meal, you can drop an extra special treat into the (empty) tub.  Letting the dog reach in and get his reward will lead to the dog hopping into the tub, especially if the treat is accidentally on purpose placed farther away from him than he can reach by standing outside it.  But before you get to that point, you have to remember that……

Dogs Hate Slipping.  This seems obvious, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it.  Go out and buy a rubber bath mat and put it in the bottom of the tub.  For extra nervous dogs, take your bathmat (yes the one that you step on when you come out of the shower) and put that on top of the rubber mat. Then add the water to the tub. Yes, I know that your mat will be soaking wet. That’s why dryers and clotheslines were invented.  Your dog’s comfort and safety in the tub comes first.

Memo To You:  Your Dog Is Not Getting Dive Certified

He isn’t taking a PADI home study course; therefore you don’t need to fill the tub up to the tippy top.  Start with an inch or two of warm water to acclimate him to the idea that his feet can be in water without him panicking.  Preferably you’ll have the water already in the tub when the dog arrives, especially for those fearful of running water.

Haven’t I Seen You Before?

If you’re going to desensitize your dog to the bathroom, water, and hoses, you may as well add his shampoo bottle to the list.  A rarely thought of trigger, the sight and smell of the shampoo bottle can set off a negative reaction, too.  When the sight of the shampoo caused my student’s great Dane to race around the house in an attempt to avoid a bath, the first thing I  had her do was to change to a different brand of dog shampoo.  My feeling was that it would be easier to acclimate her dog to a new scent then to change her feelings about the old one.  Next, the shampoo bottle made regular appearances in her life outside of an actual bath.  Like the Travelocity Gnome, the bottle appeared near her food bowl when she was eating, by her leash on the counter, in her basket of toys (of course she was supervised, silly!), and next to her cookie jar.  Every time her owner picked up the bottle, the dog got a treat.  Her association with that shampoo bottle was that she was about to get a cookie, NOT that something unpleasant was going to happen that she needed to avoid.  Eventually, when bath time was imminent, we took the extra precaution of putting the shampoo in a plastic bowl and carrying it upstairs to the tub.  That way, if her dog had a negative association with the squeezy/slurpy sound of the shampoo coming out of the bottle, this prevented a regression.

In and Out Bother

To avoid the drama of the dog that jumps out of the tub, an inexpensive tub tether is the answer.  If you have a dog whose training is at the stage that you can ask for a “Stand/Stay” then give yourself a round of applause and use a tub tether anyway.  You just never know when even the best dog is going to decide that jumping out of the tub is an option.

NOT A Hot Tub Party!

At the other end of the stick is the dog that thinks “Whoopee!  Water!”  These are the dogs that are constantly biting at the hose, chasing the spray, and generally engaging in unbridled joy at the idea that they and their human are “playing” in the water together.  Those of you with a fearful dog think this would be a better problem to have.  Those of you whose dog inappropriately celebrates bath time think differently.

Individuals with this type of dog should do themselves a favor and make sure that the dog comes to the party already tired out.  A nice long walk or run, a rousing game of fetch, or maybe even working on some homework from obedience school will result in a mellower dog – the term “mellow” being relevant, of course.

If at all possible, see if you can get a friend or family member to help you.  When my daughter holds a peanut butter stuffed Kong, my golden retriever lets me bathe him as long as I want to without moving a muscle.  That is, as long as the peanut butter doesn’t run out…..

In addition, this is an excellent time for your obedience training to go to work for you.  One huge reason to have training in the first place is to (among other reasons), make day-to-day living with your pet an easier experience for the both of you.  At bath time, consider using your “Stand and Stay” command.

Personally, I think that teaching your dog to calmly accept a bath is an important life lesson.  During the bath a lot of handling occurs that teaches your dog to be tolerant of being touched.  That skill comes in handy when you need to clean his ears when he has an ear infection, when you need to brush a mat out of his coat, or if someone has to grab his collar to prevent him from doing something that could be harmful (bolting out a door into the road, for example).  Instead of having a flight, fear or aggressive response, your dog will be calm, cool and accepting.  And not to mention that when you do take your dog to a groomer, at least you know that he’s been trained to understand what acceptable behavior in the tub is.

Imagine having your dog so well trained that he can enter a television studio with 279 people that he’s never met before sitting 25 feet away from him (or closer), a dozen or so more walking close by, cameras rolling towards him that are twice the height of a person and a few thousand overhead lights thrown in.  But yet, on command he can perform whatever he’s been asked to do perfectly. 

As someone who’s been on television in front of live studio audiences many times (with my dogs and those of my students!), I’m very familiar with  the level of attention that needs to happen for a successful experience.  At every appearance, the dogs were relaxed and happily focused on me, and not the extremely distracting environment.   

In your dreams, you think? As I’ve told my students more times than I can count, “Raise the bar, people!”  Although your dog may never be under the bright lights of a TV studio, teaching him a command that will get you his undivided attention is an extremely important.  Imagine being able to instantly summon your dog to be 100% focused and attentive, no matter what’s going on around you.  Having trouble imagining the real-life application of this command?  How about when you’re walking your highly prey-driven dog (read: chases anything that moves) dog and you see a squirrel or cat crossing your path?  By asking for his attention and either heeling past or staying still and waiting until it passes, you’ve made life a whole lot easier for both of you.  Dogs with a penchant for chasing cars, wanting to engage in games of “staring and stalking”, or for barking at others can be re-directed by using the “Watch me” command.  And that’s a big part of what dog training is all about – re-directing your dog so that you reward him for doing what you WANT him to do instead of constantly fussing at him for always being wrong.

Where to Start?

Any dog, at any age, can learn this command.  Plan a training session for when your dog is hungry, lonely and/or bored so he’ll be interested in the game.  Go to a distraction-free area (for now) and put your dog on a leash. Have a supply of your dog’s favorite treats or, if he’s not a food-motivated dog, his favorite toy to use as a motivator.

For puppies or small dogs you have a choice – you can either kneel on the floor or you can put your dog up on a grooming table (taking care to hold onto the leash in case of a potential bungee jump!).  Larger puppies and dogs can sit at your side while you stand.

Here’s How To Teach It:

Have your dog sit at your left side and bring the treat or toy to his nose.  Let him sniff it, and maybe even have a nibble.  You want him to be very interested in what you have.  If he’s not, then choose a different treat or toy.

Next, slowly raise the cookie up to your eyes, and the second you see his eyes look from the treat to your face, say “Yes! Watch” or “Yes! Look”. (you’re naming the command when he does it correctly, not chanting “watch watch watch” to a dog who is looking away from you), pop the treat into his mouth and at the same time praise him “good boy” and immediately release him with “O.K.!” If your dog knows how to tug, this is a great time to play that game with him.

 My suggestion is to do this 5-10 times per session, keeping in mind that you always want your dog to want to do more.  Never train until he’s exhausted!  This is where knowing your dog (his work ethic, energy level, motivation, etc.) is essential.

Watch Out!
The timing of the reward is a critically important step in the “watch” command.   You must get that treat or toy to him as he’s watching you!  If you’re moving the      reward towards him and he gets distracted and looks away, refocus him on the food by bringing it to his nose, and bring it back up to your face.  If you give him          the food while he’s looking away, you’ll have a dog that learns that “watch” means look anywhere but at you.

I know it sounds obvious, but when you’re training and you have to think of eight dozen different things to do at once (the command, the lure, the timing of the reward, the alternate plan if he looks away) the obvious suddenly becomes muddled, and you find yourself doing things much differently than you’d planned.  Slow down, be calm and be very, very patient with yourself as well as your dog.

Equally important is the release (“ok!”), because just as he would associate getting a treat while looking away meant that looking away was what you wanted, releasing him when he’s looking away also rewards the behavior.  By simultaneously putting the treat in his mouth and praising and then immediately releasing him, you’ll avoid the problem.

Things Are Looking Up……….

After a week or so, your dog is probably ready to move ahead.  We’re going to transition from putting the treat in front of the dog’s nose and moving it to your face to saying “watch” without the lure.   Of course, the dog will still receive a reward when he does the command correctly, but soon we’ll transition off the food/toy as a primary reward, and transition to your verbal praise and a great game of tug.  After all, obedience should never be dependant on whether or not you have a great treat in your pocket, or whether or not your dog is hungry or in the mood for his special toy.

(Those of you with small dogs or puppies who started the process sitting or kneeling next to your dog will need to transition to standing up before proceeding. Sitting in a chair is a great bridge between kneeling and standing.)

   Have your dog sit in front of you, on leash and close enough so that your knees and his nose are almost touching.  Tell him to “Watch”. Praise him when he does.

   Take one step to the right, and repeat the command “Watch”   If he continues to watch you, reward/praise and release (“O.K.!”). 

Build up to taking more than one step to the right, and then try the same thing moving to the left.  After that, try the same thing while backing up one step at a            time.  Keep your dog motivated and enthusiastic by keeping your level of enthusiasm up and using great treats, games and toys as rewards.

If your dog is at this level and does not look at you when you say the command, be sure that you haven’t skipped a step or rushed through the process.

With each practice, gradually increasing the length of time that you ask your dog to watch you, and add distractions (start mild and work up from there!).  Now          you’re teaching your dog under which situations you expect him to obey your “Watch Me!” command.

In less time then you think, your dog will be happy to give you his full attention, no matter what the situation.  And when people admire your dog but say that their    dog could never do that, you are required to tell them, from me, to “Raise the bar!!”

Rounding the corner of the DOG TREAT aisle at my local Major Pet Supermarket Chain, I come upon a scene that most people would find heartwarming.  Two people are engrossed in a conversation about the recent dog food recalls while their dogs, who are on leashes, are sniffing each other.  Other people are walking past and smiling, seeing a friendly interlude. I’m rooted to the spot, anticipating a major problem.

Others see dead people.  I see dog fights.

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For most people, interpreting their dog’s behavioral issue is like reading Homer’s Odyssey. Upside down. In Mandarin.

It’s situations like these that can cause tension and stress between the owner and dog, and sometimes result in the owner making the decision to place the dog in a shelter. The good news is that if you learn a few basic facts about dogs and their learning process, you’ll be able to successfully solve these problems.

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