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.