How to Teach a Dog to Track

Tracking, or following scent, is a natural behavior for dogs. Dogs are used to track game when hunting, find missing persons and sniff out contraband and bombs--a dog's strong sense of smell has been used in many different jobs. Dogs are also taught to track for fun and competition and it is a rewarding, low cost activity for you and your dog. While some breeds like hounds are more natural trackers, every dog has the ability to follow scent.
Instructions

Things You'll Need :
- Harness or buckle collar
- 20- or 30-foot Long line
- Treats
- Water and water bowl
- Large, preferably grassy area

1. Use a harness if at all possible, because you don't want the dog to feel any "corrections" by being tugged by the collar. If you don't have a harness, use a regular buckle collar. Never use a choke, pinch or any type of training collar for tracking.
2. Start by teaching your dog to identify your scent and associate it with rewards by laying out a scent pad. Do this by trampling a small area about two feet square with your feet. Doing this on grass makes it easier for the dog, because not only do they track your scent, they can track the smell of crushed vegetation. Sprinkle some very small, extra good treats within the scent pad and with your dog on leash, encourage him to nose around on the scent pad and find the treats. If he leads the scent pad, gently guide him back to it.
3. Have someone hold your dog, put him on a stay or tie him to something while you lay a short, straight track. Make a scent pad and put a single treat in it. With little steps, walk out about six feet, make a small scent pad by stomping around and lay another treat in it. Encourage your dog to find the first treat, and follow the short track to the second treat. Praise lavishly when he finds it.
4. Increase the distance and complexity over time. Lengthen the distance between treats, and start introducing some turns into the tracks. Many dogs will overshoot the turns so make it easy for them to understand by laying a second treat about six feet from the turn to give them something to aim for. Once your dog has the hang of it and you are laying longer and more complex tracks, you will minimize the number of treats and scent pads on the track and have one big, extra special "jackpot" treat at the very end. Make a big, big deal and lots of praise when your dog gets to the end of the track.
5. Start aging the tracks. At first, just wait ten or fifteen minutes after laying the track to let your dog follow it. Very experienced dogs with good noses can follow day-old tracks but this doesn't come naturally to all dogs so increase difficulty in small steps.
6. Begin training on variable surfaces. Grassy areas are easiest for a dog to start on but after a while you can use parking lots, woods, baseball fields and even city streets.
7. Make sure you have water available for the dog in between tracks. All that sniffing can make a dog very thirsty.
8. Take a class, if you can find one. Tracking classes are a lot of fun and you and your dog will learn a lot. If you want to get more involved in tracking either as a sport or put to use in real life situations, check the links below for information on AKC tracking titles and volunteering in search and rescue

Basic Control Exercises

It is essential that a dog have some basic obedience training before venturing into tracking. A tracking dog must be under control at all times. Successful training for tracking can only be achieved if con­trol and acceptance of training have been established through teach­ing basic exercises. Since it would constitute a digression from the main purpose of this book, not all of the exercises normally included in basic obedience training are included here. The following is an outline of the exercises recommended as essential to basic control, and a logical method of teaching them.

In obedience training you have three tools with which to work­verbal communication, physical control and body motion. Proper use of these tools will determine much of the success of your training program.

The collar must never be pulled tight and the lead must never be held taut. Both must be slack to assure that good, clear-cut cor­rections may be made when necessary. The lead should never be used to drag the dog or to hold him in restraint.

It will facilitate early training if you use both signal and com­mand in teaching a new exercise. Consistent use of a signal with each command will tend to hold the dog's attention and will lend emphasis to the verbal command. It will be shown that signals frequently are part of body motion to show the dog what you expect of him in response to a new command. If commands and signals are used together consistently, the transition from use of both to use of one or the other should present no problem once the dog is thoroughly trained.

Never wait for the dog to obey a command. Never coax him with ineffective repetitions of a command. When you do not get a prompt response to a command, repeat the command once in a reprimanding tone of voice and accompany it with a sharp collar correction, followed immediately by praise. A dog must learn not only the exercises, he must also learn that you expect immediate obedience to every command. This is the only way to establish con­trol. If you wait for the dog, you allow him to control the situation which defeats the whole purpose of training.

Proper emphasis on the command is very important to the success of teaching a new exercise. For this reason, use of the dog's name is not recommended for inexperienced handlers who usually use a dog's name incorrectly, placing more emphasis on the name than on the command. They either use the name after the command or say the name more loudly than the command. In either case, the greater emphasis is placed on the name. Corrrectly used, the dog's name alerts his attention just before a command is given. Incorrectly used, it distracts him from attention to the command. Since you want all vocal emphasis on the command when teach­ing a new exercise, it is better not to use the dog's name at all than to use it incorrectly. Once the dog knows the exercise, his name may be used to get his attention just before giving the command.

First, the dog must be taught to heel. This essentially means position to him, whether or not the handler is in motion. When you walk, your dog walks at heel on -your left side. When you stop, your dog sits at heel. In teaching a dog to heel, body motion is an important tool. If you consistently move the same way, start­ing and stopping on the same foot, the dog will soon learn to recog­nize these body motions as signals to which he will respond automatically.

To teach the command to "heel", start with the dog sitting at your left side, the lead held slack in your right hand. The left hand should be free to grasp the lead for quick corrections and for giving praise. The correct amount of slack in the lead may be determined by swinging the right arm straight out to your side. The lead should become taut when your arm is raised to about a 45° angle from your body.

Give the command to "heel", swing your left arm forward as a signal and step out on your left foot. If the dog does not respond, grasp the lead with the left hand close to the collar, repeat the command once, simultaneously giving a sharp jerk on the lead as you step forward again. Remove your left hand from the lead as soon as the dog is in motion and give him a rewarding pat and a few words of praise or encouragement. If the dog forges ahead, give a sharp corrective jerk on the lead and a reprimanding "heel" command, then praise him to tell him he is right. In jerking the lead, it is important that the left arm swing from the shoulder, not the elbow, so the motion of the left arm and hand becomes a signal and shows the dog where he should be. With repetition of this routine, the dog will learn to respond to a single verbal command to "heel", as well as to hand signals.

When you come to a halt, you want the dog to sit automatically and instantly at heel. Before stopping, take up the slack in the lead, moving your right hand close to the collar. This will give you better control as you come to a quick halt. Check the dog's forward motion with an upward tug on the lead and press his hindquarters down with your left hand, at the same time giving the command to "sit". In pressing the dog's hindquarters down, use your thumb and fore­finger rather than the flat of your hand. A quick, sharp squeeze above the hips will cause the dog to yield with less resistance than he might exert under pressure of the flat of your hand. All actions and commands should be executed smoothly and quickly so that the dog does not become confused or feel that he is engaged in a struggle. As soon as the dog sits, all hand and collar pressure must be promptly released and the dog praised. This exercise should be repeated in its entirety until it is virtually impossible to touch the dog's hindquarters before he sits. If you are consistent in teach­ing this exercise, the dog will shortly drop to an automatic sit, with no verbal or physical guidance, as soon as your left foot comes to rest when you halt.

The next step in training is teaching the dog to “stay”. This exercise offers an excellent illustration of proper use of body motion in training, as well as the importance of consistency. Just as you conditioned the dog to move forward when you lead off with your left foot in heeling, it now is important that you m~ke a pomt of NOT stepping away with your left foot when leavmg the dog on a stay. Remember that the dog understands signals and body motion. If you now give him an unfamiliar command to "stay", and step forward on your left foot (your body motion is a signal to "heel") you will be contradicting yourself and confusing your dog.

With the dog sitting at heel, switch the lead to the left hand, place the open palm of your right hand in front of his face and give the command to "stay". Step forward on your right foot and pivot to a position facing the dog. The lead is switched from the right to the left hand because you want the dog conditioned to the use of the right hand for all signals except heeling. In early stages of teaching the dog to stay, stand immediately in front of and facing him so as to be close enough to make a correction when necessary. As he begins to understand what is required of him, gradually increase the distance between you and the dog until he will stay in position at the full length of the lead. Each time you work on this, the dog must remain sitting until you return to the heel position by walking around him counterclockwise and coming to a halt by his right side.

If the dog starts to get up or lie down, check him immediately with a sharp NO. Simultaneously, with a collar correction, position him on the original spot facing the same direction and repeat the command to "stay". Since you want the correction to apply only to the dog's failure to stay, do not repeat the command to "sit" unless he has moved from the original spot.

When the dog will stay for several minutes at the full length of the lead, he should be tested by applying a gentle, steady pulling on the lead. A dog who is reliable on stays will physically resist considerable pulling on the lead. When testing the dog this way, take care not to jerk the lead so that he does not feel he is being corrected. This is more than a simple test-it is part of the training. The need for correction when the dog is six feet away sannot be dealt with as quickly as it should be. Pulling on the lead not only test the dog’s realibility on stays, it is also creates an opportunity for correction at the most effective moment if he does yield to the pulling. Before the dog actually gets up, you will feel a slight slackening in the lead as he prepares to “break”. The instant you feel that slackening, check the dog’s intention with a sharp NO, followed by a repeat of the command to “stay”.

It is advisable to practice stays in the presence of distractions such as crowds of moving people, other animals or anything else which might cause the dog to break a stay. This will provide addi­tional opportunities for corrections and praise which are so vital in training.

When the dog will stay in the sit position, it is time to teach him to "down". Put the dog on a sit-stay and stand close in front of him, holding the lead in your left hand. As you give the command to "down", raise your right arm and bring it down in a straight sweeping motion as a corresponding signal. Bring your fingertips down firmly on the withers (between the shoulder blades) at the end of the armswing and press the dog down. A slight down­ward pull with the left hand on the lead, close to the collar, will assist in this. The dog must always go down when your fingertips press on his withers so that he thoroughly understands the meaning of this particular physical contact.

This frequently is a difficult exercise to teach since it is not un­common to encounter resistance on the part of the dog. Wrestling with him must be avoided since this will only increase his resistance and teach him nothing. The problem of resistance may be overcome in the following manner. As the dog resists the pressure of your right hand on his withers, drop the lead and reach behind his right foreleg with your left hand. Grasp his left foreleg and scoop both legs out from under him, guiding him down with continuing pressure of your right hand on his withers. When scooping the dog's legs out from under him, raise them slightly and bring them forward so that the dog goes down in a comfortable, stretched out position. This must be done quickly and smoothly, with only a single repeat of the, command, followed immediately by release and praise. Do not hold the dog down. If he gets up right away, go through the entire procedure until the dog understands that he' is to stay in that position until you release him. Take care not to use roughness in teaching this exercise. If the dog is knocked down or thrown off balance it will only increase his resistance and teach him nothing. more than wrestling will.

In order to facilitate teaching the down, you may train the dog to come up to a sit from the down position. Standing directly in front of the dog, put him down by command and signal, then give him the command to "sit". Simultaneously swing your right arm upward as a signal, tapping him smartly under the chin with your fingertips to emphasize the command signal.. You may assist the dog into a sit position with an upward jerk on the lead with your left hand.

Once the dog will drop automatically into the down position on command and signal, give the command and signal to stay as in the sit-stay exercise. Circle around the dog to the heel position before releasing him. The dog should not sit up as you come to the heel position until you give him the command to do so. Vary the length of time you stand at heel in practicing this exercise so the dog understands that he must wait for your command to sit. You may also test the dog for reliability on the down-stay by pulling on the lead in the same manner you tested him on the sit-stay.

When the dog will stay reliably in both sit and down positions, he is ready for the "recall". With the dog on a sit-stay, stand at the end of the lead, give the command "come", and with your right arm make a full-sweeping, beckoning motion. Simultaneously give a sharp jerk on the lead to start the dog in motion toward you. As soon as the dog starts toward you he must be liberally praised and encouraged to keep coming. If he seems unsure or reluctant, give another corrective jerk on the lead, repeat the com­mand and take a few steps backward. Encourage him. Keep his attention on you. Let him know that it pleases you to have him come to you. As he moves forward, encourage him to a position in front of you and tell him to sit. The dog may and should be corrected for not coming, but the instant he starts in your direction, he is doing what you want, and praise at this point is essential.

The lead must only be used for correction. It must not be used to pull or guide the dog in any way. If the dog starts moving off to the side or becomes interested in something other than coming to you, a sharp jerk on the lead will bring his attention and direction back to you more effectively than if you drag him in.

The recall is the most important of all control exercises. It is the basis of all off-lead control, in everyday life as well as in various types of obedience training. Correction and praise are of primary importance in teaching the recall since the dog must be absolutely dependable in his response to the command to "come". No correc­tions should be made for anything other than failure to come. For instance, if the dog is corrected for failure to sit straight during early stages of teaching the recall, he is liable to think he is being corrected for coming. He must be firmly corrected for every sign of inattention to the command, and he must be assured of the re­ward of honest praise for his direct and instant response to the command.

People often are misled into believing that they have successfully trained their dogs to do the recall with little or no trouble because their dogs have responded eagerly from the start. These same dogs, however, will often prove to be undependable under practical, everyday conditions. Their eager response in training and under controlled conditions may have left little opportunity for correction. They cannot actually be said to have been trained to do the recall. They do it because they like to, but are just as liable not to do it when they don't want to. To eliminate this eventuality you must create situations in training which will cause the dog to make errors, giving you the opportunity for firm correction. You will need to work with a longer lead to give you more working room. A piece of clothesline or nylon cord, 15-20 ft. long will do. Have someone else stand nearby, put the dog on a sit-stay, go to the end of the line and face him. Just after you give the command to "come" and the dog has started toward you, have the other person call the dog. As Soon as his attention is drawn to the other person, give him a very sharp correction with the lead and a harsh single repeat of the command, followed by praise and encouragement as he recovers and comes toward you.

You might also practice in areas where there are other animals or children at play. Use any device you can to make the dog make a mistake in practicing the recall, giving you frequent reason to correct him. The more conscientiously you pursue this approach to teaching the recall, the more dependable your dog will be. Your reward will be well worth the effort when you know that you have a dog who will come instantly, under any circumstances, when he is called.

Before seeking or creating opportunities for correction, be certain the dog understands what his response to the command should be. Be especially attentive to the importance of giving praise proportionate to each correction.

Once the dog responds dependably to the "come" command he may be trained to sit correctly in front of you. The return-to-heel or finish of the recall exercise is taught separately, and only after the dog knows the recall itself. The dog may return to heel in either of two ways. He may swing around to the left into the heel position or pass to your right and circle behind you to the heel position on the left.

To teach the former, hold the lead in your left hand,· close to the collar. Give the command to "heel" and a jerk on the lead as you take one step backward. As the dog starts to pass on your left, move forward one step, repeating the command to "heel" and the collar correction. This will bring the dog around to the heel position. Then give the command to sit. To teach the alternate method, hold the shortened lead in your right hand. Give the heel command as you step back and, with a jerk on the lead, bring the dog around your right side. Exchange the lead from the right to the left hand behind your back. Step forward and, with another jerk on the lead, bring the dog around to the heel position where you will have him sit. The body motions of stepping backward and forward are only to facilitate the training and should be elimi­nated as soon as the dog understands what is expected of him. Because of the relative complexity of teaching this exercise, it is necessary to use three commands as well as extra body motion­"heel" -step back, "heel" -step forward, "sit". When the dog un­derstands what is required of him, eliminate all body motion. Re­turn to use of a slack lead so that the collar corrections may be made if the dog does not respond to a single command to "heel".

These are the basic control exercises which constitute the mini­mum training any dog should have before starting on tracking.

Retrieving is not a necessary prerequisite for teaching practical tracking. It is, however, very useful in training for an A.K.C. track­ing test where a relatively small article must be designated by the dog to complete the test successfully. A dog trai~ed to retrieve may en joy the advantage of additional incentive in tracking once he learns that he will retrieve an article at the end of every track. Retrieving is a relatively simple exercise when taught properly.

The mistake most commonly made in teaching the retrieve is forcing the dog to take or pick up a specific article such as a dumbbell. Although the dog eventually will be required to pick up specific articles, this should not be introduced until after he is proficient at retrieving random articles. Force retrieving should not be neces­sary for an average, sound dog. It is a training method apart which should not be .attempted except under direction of an experienced instructor.

Play retrieving is very effective as long as it remains a game in which the dog is encouraged to go after a tossed object. Retriev­ing is natural to a sound, stable dog. Any healthy puppy will chase a moving object. When he knows he will be praised and the object will be thrown for him to chase again when he returns it to his handler, he will do so for pure love of the game. This has been proven in the Army Bio-Sensor Research program where many pllp­pies of various breeds retrieve at the age of seven weeks. Once the retrieving game is well established, the formalities of obedience commands may be worked in gradually and specific articles intro­duced as objects of the chase. Play retrieving may be introduced any time before or during other training, but the formalities of doing it as an exercise must not be introduced until after the dog has been trained to do the recall.

There are certain aspects of this approach to training which are of sufficient importance that they must be re-emphasized.

Look for and welcome situations requiring corrections in training and practice. Take full advantage of them to reinforce your train­ing. For example, if your dog is heeling wide, exaggerate his error by stepping away from him rather than closer to him, thereby creat­ing the opportunity for a more effective correction. If the dog is crowding you, walk into him rather than away from him. If he is lagging, speed up rather than slow down. If he is forging, slow down rather than speed up. Never adapt yourself to the dog in order to compensate for a mistake on his part. The dog must make mistakes and be corrected for them in order to learn. Bear in mind the importance of praise immediately following every correction. A balanced pattern of meaningful correction followed by rewarding praise strengthens the dog's understanding of what is required of him.

By our intellectual standards, the dog has a relatively simple mind and learns through a process of doing exercises over and over again. Repetition must be wisely handled in training. In repeating commands and signals, care must be taken that the be single repetitions accompanied by single corrections, as needed, m the course of prac­ticing an entire exercise. Constant repetition of commands which amount to nagging, or signals which amount to nothing more than random arm-wavings, soon lose all effectiveness and meaning to the dog. Practice of any exercise should consist of a regularly fol­lowed series of single commands, signals and body motions, with corrections when necessary. This, of course, applies to practice of formal exercises and is by no means meant to contradict the in­formal approach to practical training and communication recom­mended earlier. Practice sessions should last no more than 15 to 20 minutes and should include a variety of exercises. These sessions should be conducted in good humor and cut short if you feel you are losing patience.

Consistency is of vital importance in training. If you teach an exercise one way today and another way" tomorrow, or neglect to use the same command and signal for any single act you are teach­ing, the dog will become confused. Overcoming such confusion will take much longer than if you are absolutely consistent right from the beginning.

It will be noted that no recommendation is made for the use of mechanical devices in any aspect of training. To train the average dog it is not necessary to use anything other than the collar and lead, your voice, hands and body motion. Mechanical devices or other "gimmicks" may be useful in handling certain problem dogs, but they confuse the real purpose of training a sound, stable dog. Part of the reason for training is the establishment of communica­tion with the dog as a means of control. Since you must eventually rely solely upon verbal commands and signals, it is logical to start that way and rely upon them during all training. The use of un­necessary mechanical devices often tends to create other training problems as the dog must eventually learn to work without them.

Any basic training program must be logically planned and fol­lowed. Each exercise must have as its foundation what has been taught previously. Each exercise must lead directly into what is to be taught next. This approach produces a smooth progression of training which is less confusing to the dog and enhances his willingness to learn.

In a tracking dog you want a companion who accepts control as a natural way of life, a dog who has a well-developed will to please, to learn and to work. These are qualities which may only be developed through patient and intelligent basic training.

The dog sitting correctly

The dog sitting correctly

The dog sitting correctly

The dog sitting correctly

The dog sitting correctly

Fundamentals of Training

Before beginning any type of dog training it is important to consider some of the basic principles involved. Regardless of the type of training in which you are interested, you must know what you wish to achieve. You must also understand what you must give of yourself and what you may expect of your dog.

Many people have satisfactory pets who only require training to overcome some annoying habit such as: refusal to come when called or jumping up on people. Others want more from train­ing-a gun dog or field trial worker, an obedience competitor, pro­tection dog or proficient tracker. Regardless of the reason for train­ing, the results should produce a better pet and companion. The quality of the results will depend entirely upon the amount of time and effort you are willing to put into the training and the extent of your understanding of the dog's capabilities.

The first step in any type of dog training is the development of a means of communication which promotes mutual understand­ing between dog arid handler. This requires willingness on the part of the trainer to accept the fact that he has as much to learn as the dog. You must observe the dog's natural behavior, his responses to sound and movement, his reactions to your typical behavior particularly to your voice. For example, when you are displeased with your dog and speak harshly to him he may run from you, or he may lay his ears back and cower before you. He may creep toward you with quivering tail as if to beg forgiveness; or he may even stand defiantly in front of you as if to challenge your right to scold him. On the other hand, when you are pleased with him .and speak to him affectionately or happily, he may react by nuzzling against you or relaxing into an attitude of complete self-satisfaction; he may go a little wild with joy, jumping against you or chasing about in random play. No matter what the dog's reaction to your tone-of-voice, expressions of pleasure or displeasure, once you have learned from his reactions that he understands whether or not you are pleased with him, you will have found the key to a means of communication with your dog. Your observations of his reactions will also give you a clue as to what will be necessary in your ad­ministration of correction and praise in future training.

All dog training is based on the dog's understanding of right and wrong. He learns the difference between right and wrong through your applications of correction and praise, and he looks primarily to your tone of voice for his understanding.

COMMON SENSE is an important element in communication and training and quite often produces better results than application of impersonal theory and technique. Consider, for instance, the ele­mentary problem of housebreaking a puppy. It is commonly recom­mended to 'paper-train' a pup, on the theory that if he is taught to use only paper, eventually the paper may be removed and the dog will no longer make a mistake in the house. It frequently hap­pens, however, that the dog still relieves himself after the paper has been removed and one must resort to other means. If you think about it you will realize the dog has actually been trained to relieve himself in the house by this method and, paper or no paper, he will return to the spot where he has been trained to go when neces­sary. It is much more logical to take the time and effort to exercise the puppy outdoors frequently, praise him when he relieves himself, and never give him an opportunity or excuse to do so in the house. Most dogs are naturally clean and will go as far as possible from where they eat or sleep to relieve themselves. When they understand that they will be taken out often enough to avoid discomfort, most dogs will resist relieving themselves in the house in deference to their natural cleanliness.

This is only one example of the use of common sense in training. There are thousands of people with acceptable, well-trained house pets, who never read a book on dog training or attended an obedi­ence training class. They simply use common sense by letting their dogs know when they are wrong and when they are right and tum them into the satisfactory companions they are.

Never hesitate to use common sense in training your dog. Regard­less of what you are training him for or what method of training you choose to follow, you must approach each step in training on the basis of your own circumstances and your understanding of your own dog.

Timing is a vital factor in training. Correction or praise are meaningless with poor timing. Development of good timing calls for careful observation, learning to anticipate the dog's behavior and being prepared to make the most effective use of correction and immediate praise. Consider the annoying problem of the friendly dog who jumps up on everyone. This is often encouraged during puppyhood and rewarded with affection, making it a diffi­cult habit to break. Pushing the dog away once his feet are up on you is rejection to him, not correction for the act of jumping up on you. You must anticipate the act and correct verbally and physically as the dog prepares to jump. Observation reveals that the dog's hindquarters dip to a slight crouch from which he can spring upwards. The moment you see that characteristic movement is the time for a correction. As the dog prepares to jump, put your hand straight out between you and the dog so that his muzzle will strike your palm as he springs upward. Don't raise your hand as if to pull away from or threaten the dog. This movement is more liable to encourage him to jump than it is to deter him. Let the dog come up against your palm. In effect, this causes the dog to correct himself as he is caught in the act of doing something you don't want him to do. Immediate praise, as he drops back to a sitting or standing position, will tell him he is right to 'stay down.

This brings us to the importance of observing your dog's physical b.ehavior patterns. Careful study of your dog under a variety of Circumstances will reveal certain behavior characteristics. There will be sounds or circumstances to which he reacts consistently. His reactions will show in the positron or motion of his tail, head, ears, hindquarters, back, eyes or any combination of these. Learn to read these physical signs and captitalize on them in training. If you learn to recognize the signs of the dog's intentions, you can anticipate his errors and correct him at the most effective moment, as in the case of the jumping dog.

Anticipation is useful in giving effective praise as well. The dog may not be sure of what he should do in response to a new com­mand and react hesitantly. If you can catch that first tentative response to a new command, immediate praise and encouragement will tell the dog he is right at the best possible time.

Consistency in training is essential. The dog must always under­stand exactly what you mean by your actions and tone of voice. This must apply to his behavior at all times, not just during periods of training. Inconsistency may result in a reverse of the desired effect. Consider, for instance, the problem of the shy, protective dog who is hostile to strangers. In attempting to overcome this, people often try to calm the dog, reassure him that the other person is all right. What they don't realize is that they are, in effect, prais­ing the dog for his hostility by petting him and telling him, "It's all right, boy, it's all right." The dog still feels the hostility, and reassuring words and petting encourage his attitude as he feels he is being praised for it. In such a case, a sharp correction, consistent with the way he has been corrected for other misbehavior, will tell him he is wrong. The dog must know when he is right or wrong. He will understand only through consistent, clear-cut applications of correction and praise.

Understanding is the sole purpose of communication in training. It can only be achieved through tone of voice and inflection. These are difficult to inject into monosyllabic words. In practical training whether it is a command, a correction or praise, multiple-word phrases offer opportunity for a much wider range of expression. Such phrases afford the handler more natural and meaningful utter­ance of his honest intent or feeling. This enhances the dog's under­standing of what is required of him.

Let us say, for example, that you have a problem with a dog who charges through the door every time you open it, causing you considerable annoyance. It might seem logical to control the situa­tion by telling the dog to stay before opening the door, and releasing him after you have passed through. Even though he obeys each time you give him a formal command to stay, will he really under­stand that it annoys you to have him crowd you in the doorway and that he is never to do so? This is not a training problem to be solved or handled like an 'exercise'. It is a practical behavior problem which can more effectively be solved by natural-phrase communication in place of formal, one-word commands. Let the dog know the full extent of your annoyance. Turn on him just as he is about to lunge through the doorway. Look him in the eye and shake your finger or fist at him. Raise your voice with all the irritation you really feel and say, "Now, you stay there until I get through that door!" From that short tirade the dog will re­spond to your tone of voice and understand your honest displeasure. It will take only a few such encounters to bring him to the point where he will gladly stop and wait for you to go through the door first, with no command necessary, just to avoid your displeasure. He must also understand your satisfaction with his improved be­havior. Once you are through the door, you should say something like, "That's it! Come on now, let's go!"

This use of informal-phrase communication may be applied to making verbal corrections, in obedience training as well. NO is probably the most grossly over-used word in dog training. Alone, it is not really a correction. It only tells the dog to "stop". Any short, sharp word or unpleasant throaty or nasal sound would do as well. Let us say you have a problem with a whining dog. You say NO and the dog stops whining. As soon as you turn your atten­tion elsewhere, he begins to whine again. He stops when you say NO, but the effect only lasts as long as your attention is on the dog. Eventually he may learn through constant repetition of the word NO that he should never whine, but he will learn more quickly and effectively if you communicate your displeasure through more expressive verbal communication. You might tell him to “Stop that”, “Now you stop that right now!”, “Shut up!”, “Knock it off!”, or any natural expression which really conveys your irritation. The dog will soon realize, through understanding your tone of voice, that whining is unforgivable at any time.

In this informal approach to communication with the dog, praise is vital and must never be neglected. Praise is more than just a way of letting the dog know he is right. It enhances his willingness to learn and work. When praise is used properly it serves to double the effectiveness of correction. If you have been working on an obedience exercise which has proven difficult for both you and the dog, you will be exceptionally pleased. the first time he does it right. He should experience the same feeling of "success at last" that you do and should be allowed to share your satisfaction with the resolution of the problem. If you give him a perfunctory pat on the head and mumble "good boy", you deprive the dog of the sense of accomplishment you feel. If, on the other hand, you tell him, with honest enthusiasm, "That's it! Now you've got it! Good boy!", he will understand the degree of your pleasure and be eager to comply in future practice of the exercise.

In considering these examples of basic practical training prob­lems, it can be seen that communication is more than teaching the dog words and response to words. Communication is a matter of mutual understanding. You have ways of knowing when a dog's attitude is negative and when it is positive. Give him the benefit of equal understanding. Let him know the full measure of your pleasure and displeasure.

Single words such as are traditionally used in obedience training evoke automatic response through repetition and training, but little understanding. There is no reason why you should not communicate naturally and informally with your dog in practice of exercises as well as in practical training. Teach him the formal commands, condition him to brief correction and praise, but don't lose touch with the dog by allowing yourself to be limited to artificial ter­minology. A dog learns by repetition of commands, signals and physical guidance with correction and praise. He understands through honest, natural communication of his handler-trainer.

The use of correction and praise in training must have the same purpose and achieve the same results as verbal instruction of an­other person. When you teach a person to do something, you explain or describe what he is to do. When he does it wrong, you tell him what his mistakes were, and when he performs correctly you tell him he is right. The same should apply to training a dog.

Obedience training is pointless if it is not applied daily toward the development of a dog who understands what is acceptable and what is not. If obedience training is to have a positive effect upon the dog's daily behavior it must be regarded as part of or an extension of practical training. Natural-talk communication is necesssary to give meaning to training and control.

From the simplest exercise to the most complex ring or field work, correction and praise are the basis of communication with a dog in training. Correction lets the dog know he is wrong and praise lets him know he is right. Expressions of correction and praise must be natural and they must be used honestly in expressing pleasure or displeasure. The dog cannot understand the meanings of words, but he does respond to inflection and tone of voice. Therefore, any phrase of expression uttered sharply or harshly will mean "wrong", and any phrase of expression uttered in a reassuring or enthusiastic tone of voice will mean "right".

Nagging is one of the worst and most common mistakes made in dog training. It is the result of improper application of commands and corrections. Monotonous repetition of commands uttered in a nonauthoritative tone of voice is nagging. Tugging on the collar which merely pulls the dog instead of correcting him amounts to nagging. A command is not a commarid unless it is backed up with an authoritative tone of voice, and physical guidance when necessary. A correction is not a correction unless it really tells the dog he is wrong and shows him how he is wrong. A dog that is nagged in training learns very little and soon becomes bored and inattentive. This can spell disaster to a training program since a dog's alertness and will to learn are so vitally important to success.

Avoid excessive use of, or dependence upon the word NO. NO is best used when you can anticipate the dog about to do something wrong. If you are heeling your dog, for instance, and his attention is drawn to another dog barking, a quick NO before he is actually distracted from the heel position will alert his attention back to you. Then a reassuring phrase such as, "That's it, now you pay attention to me", as you continue walking, will keep his attention on you and let him know he is right.

One of the hardest jobs an obedience instructor has is impressing upon human students the importance of praise. People are often inclined to neglect praise until perfection is attained. A dog does not understand the ultimate aim of each step in training and, even though his performance may be far short of perfection, he must be praised for every step in the right direction. For example, the three steps in teaching a dog to sit straight at heel are: sit, at heel, and straight. The first time the dog sits on command, regardless of where or how, he must be praised. As you progress and the dog sits at heel, even though he sits crookedly, he must be praised. Each time he sits a little straighter or more quickly than the time before , he must be praised.

In moving exercises such as heeling and the recall, praise may be given through encouragement as the dog is working. A few pleasant words from time to time as you are heeling will let the dog know he is pleasing you by walking at your side and will cause him to enjoy it. Informal encouragement as the dog moves toward you when he is learning the recall will tell him he is right and make him want to come to you for praise.

Correction and praise are also applied by physical means-one short, sharp jerk on the slip-chain collar to tell the dog he is wrong, and a pat on the head or shoulder to tell him he is right. Physical correction and praise should always be accompanied by verbal cor­rection and praise. This serves to double the effectiveness of your communication of right and wrong. The consistent combined use of verbal and physical communication in early training also will assure understanding on the part of the dog should circumstances require use of either type of communication alone in practical situations or later training.

Neither correction nor praise should be over-done. Overcorrecting may effect the dog as punishment and destroy his willingness to learn and eagerness to please. Too much exuberance in giving praise may destroy the control necessary in a training session, caus­ing the dog to forget what the praise was for.

Correction must always be followed immediately by praise whether or not the situation seems to warrant it. Even if the dog's reaction to a collar correction is nothing more than an involuntary one (as when you bring a lagging heeler into position by a sharp jerk on the collar), he must be praised so that he associates the correction with a change from wrong to right. Correction alone is meaningless to a dog in the learning process. When you teach a child what is "wrong", you also teach him what is right. In teach­ing a dog the same training principle exists. In order to teach him what is wrong you correct, and in order to teach him what is right you praise. To make this training principle work, it is imperative that correction always be balanced with praise.

Severity of correction should be determined by the type and size of the dog and his individual temperament. One would hardly ap­ply the same degree of physical correction to a Toy Poodle as to a German Shepherd. Neither would one apply the same degree of physical or verbal correction to a dog who is eager to please, as to an inattentive or stubborn dog. In determining the degree of severity of correction to be used, bear in mind the importance of maintaining a sound balance between correction and praise. If you must be very stern with your dog, you must be most lavish when you praise him. If your dog responds best to a lesser degree of severity, praise must be equally conservative. Such a balance of emphasis between correction and praise will greatly enhance the dog's understanding of both right and wrong.

There is no mystique in successful training and handling of a dog. People often are awed by someone who seems to have a "gift" with animals. It is true that some people have a greater aptitude than others for working with animals, but this aptitude is born of greater interest, application of observation and common sense, making the effort to understand and learn from the dog, and wil­lingness to temper the attitude of total human superiority.

Children frequently are successful in training their dogs to do quite complicated "tricks". We can learn something from watching such children. They teach their dogs in much the same manner as they have been taught. They talk to their dogs with complete lack of sophistication or self-consciousness, explaining what they want as they manipulate their dogs physically to show them what they should do. They get frustrated and give up for a while and then go back to it again. They are persistent and they are consistent. They are filled with love and pride once they have attained their goal, and they unashamedly demonstrate that love and pride to their dogs. They are natural and uninhibited in their relationships With their dogs and they are rewarded with devotion and obedience. That is what communication in dog training is all about.