The Dish by Darcie

“My dog won’t sit on command. I tell him to sit and he just looks at me or steps around me like he thinks I want him to dance or something. What am I doing wrong?

Ah, the sit! A much loved trick and the perfect people greeting position for all dogs. Your dog doesn’t understand what you want yet. Communication is the key to all training. I can ask you to “scuttleboogie” but unless you know what that word means you’re not going to do it for me. I have to show you what I mean.

Sit can be taught at any age, puppies or old, old dogs. It’s pretty impressive when your eight week old pup sits on request to greet a visitor. Sit is usually one of the first things we teach our dogs, isn’t it? That’s probably because it’s an easy position to get a dog to take. Let’s face it, when they have to turn that little nose up to the sky to see a treat above their head, the butt goes down and that little behind touches the floor.

Some trainers will tell you to train in a quiet place, stand in front of the dog, don’t do this, don’t do that. Not me. I say train where you live, anywhere, any time. Dogs are smart and they live in a loud, moving world. Squirrels, cars, people walking by, smells, grass, bunnies, other dogs; these are all the things in their environment. They already know these things. All you have to do to be a successful trainer is to be more fun and more interesting than all of those things. That’s not hard! If you’re training outside or someplace your dog can move more than ten feet away, use a leash. If you’re in a confined area, a leash is not necessary. And laugh while you teach…laugh a lot! Dogs love laughter.

Dancer was on a sit stay in the back of the car yesterday watching me walk around picking up trash. We’d had a terrific wind the night before, one of the dumpsters had blown open and released it’s insides to the skies. She was so funny. Her butt was planted, she would lean forward as far as she could so she could see me walk around outside the side of the car. She could have simply looked out the window, but her way was much cuter. Dancer leaned far forward and tilted her head as if to say, “I’ll come and help if you’ll just let me lift my little bottom up.” Dancer has a really good sit stay. (Hey, what a great name for a Store! Sorry, I can’t help myself, I love saying that.)

The only dog I’ve ever had trouble teaching to sit on request was a little teacup mixed breed who was so close to the floor that it was hard to tell if she was already sitting or if she was standing. Lying down was pretty interesting too. It was just hard to tell but I think I did it. When I asked her to sit, her bottom seemed to be a little lower. I gave her cookies anyway because she was just too precious.

So let’s talk about dogs who are higher above the ground, these are the easy ones, you can really tell if they’re sitting. Decide what hand motion you want to use for the sit, you do need one. I’ll teach you the one I like best, it’s palm up, curl the fingers all the way to the palm, curl the wrist. I like it because it’s the way I give treats to my dogs, it’s a natural gesture. Use a leash, you’re dog can’t go anywhere and just in case a squirrel comes by, we won’t get separated. (Squirrels are the biggest reason Dancer has such a great sit stay. I’d have her sit, a squirrel would come by and just before the squirrel got to the tree, I’d tell Dancer she was good, go get him! What a great reward! There’s no way she was going to catch that squirrel but the size of the reward was excellent.)

So dog is on leash, standing, treat is a favorite held between your thumb and forefinger; let your dog sniff it and quickly take it up higher so the nose follows the treat. Nose follows treat, turn your palm toward the ceiling and pull the fingers back toward you, don’t get too far away from the nose, you want the dog to follow the treat. Nose follows the treat upwards, head follows the nose, and by the time the butt goes down, you have made a fist. That’s my sit gesture. A fist, wrist curled, fingers facing my face. Cool, right? Mechanically, the nose goes up, the butt goes down. As quickly as that little bottom touches the floor, give the treat. This is called luring.

I like to toss a second treat quickly after giving the first one so the dog will get up and go get it, later you’ll add a release word when you toss the treat. It releases the dog from the sit. Don’t worry, your dog will come back to see you do this again. Do the sit again. Words are not necessary yet unless you want to add them now. It’s okay, your dog will understand soon what you mean. You can add the words later after the dog is doing the sit. I’ve trained it both ways and it works both ways. Do the sit three times and wait to train again later. Rewards come quickly at first. After the dog knows “sit” and you want a longer sit, the reward is delayed, longer sit. Pretty soon, your dog will sit at your request any time you like and will stay there until you say to get up.

If you just can’t get the lure to work for you, simply sit down with your dog and wait. Wait for your dog to sit and then give him a treat. That’s it. Just wait and watch. Starts to sit, wait for it, say sit as the dog’s behind touches the floor. Works for “down”, too.

I love clicker training. I think clicker training is the very best way to train a dog. It’s fast and fun and the dogs love the game. The dogs I train with a clicker learn faster, the trained behavior is solid, and we have a lot more fun! With clicker training, the dogs get to decide to do what you want instead of being lured to do it. Stay positive, stay relaxed and have fun. It will come.

You might reward that little dance he seems to like doing now, name it “dance” and circle with your finger as the gesture. Work on “sit” later. I love training dogs!

Last spring Dancer, our resident thief, stole a quarter pound piece of chocolate from my desk drawer and ate the whole thing. She vomited for the better part of a day to purge the chocolate from her stomach. That’s a sight that might sway your appetite for chocolate. We were lucky and Dancer was fine after getting rid of the chocolate. I learned that Dancer can open the desk drawer and now I store my chocolate up high.

Raisins can cause renal failure or at the least a very bad reaction in dogs. Raisins, chocolate, and onions are foods your dog doesn’t need. Onions can cause anemia. Better safe than sorry, keep these things in a high cabinet. These are treats best served only to people.

Here’s a short list of things your dog doesn’t need to have a good, balance, happy diet. Veterinarians have reported very ill dogs and dogs who have died from eating these things in small or large portions. This list is not a complete list of what might be poison to your dog. Do your research. And know your house plants.

Onions
Garlic in large amounts
Chocolate
Grapes
Raisins
Fruit pits and seeds
Macadamia Nuts
Rhubarb leaves
Green tomatoes
Yeast dough
Coffee, coffee grounds, Tea, soft drinks
Alcohol
Human Vitamins
Persimmons
Mushrooms
Xylitol (sweetner)
Nutmeg

“This 6 month old Beagle I got from a shelter is peeing in the house! I need help!”

Take a deep breath and relax, help is on the way. Well maybe a deep breath isn’t a good idea yet but take heart, housetraining is pretty easy. The main ingredients are perseverance and kind hands. Be consistent and in no time at all you’ll have a lovely, well mannered house dog. One of the biggest reasons dogs wind up in rescue is, “He can’t be house trained!” Your pup may have been born in a puppy mill and thinks the bathroom is wherever he is. Puppy millers are generally known to raise dogs in dirty, crowded, and caged environments. Being trapped in a cage with no one to open the door makes for a very messy dog. It becomes “normal” to pee and poop where they stand. Many people say that a 6 month old puppy can hold it’s bladder for an eight hour day. I don’t disagree but I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask a dog to hold its bladder that long, especially a young dog. When was the last time you held your water for eight hours? With routine, “normal” will be going outside to the spot to potty. If you choose the spot, you’ll still get to walk barefoot on the rest of your yard.

Clean all areas where the dog has pottied with a great cleaner like Urine Off, Get Serious, or Pet Pee Be Gone. Make sure to wash the crate thoroughly, too. Dogs like to potty where they’ve pottied before. Get rid of the odor and the dog most likely won’t go there again. Move the crate to a new clean place where the pup has never pottied. Next to your bed is a nice spot.

Pretend that your dog has come home to live with you just this minute. Never mind that he’s been driving you mad with pee since he came to live at your house two weeks ago. Forgive him completely and start all over. Going potty outside is all about routine. Dogs love routine and learn quickly when routine is established. It’s not hard to teach your dog where to potty.

I love the umbilical cord method of house training. The dog is on a six foot leash attached to you or another responsible and aware person for the next six months or until he has perfect house manners. He can’t do anything wrong because you will be supervising his every move. If he is not on the leash, he is in his crate, or outside playing with you as his guide. He will have emptied his bladder and his bowels and played and is ready for a nap before he goes into the crate. The umbilical cord is great for learning all manners. The dog can’t do anything wrong, you’re there to teach him what is right. Picks up a shoe? Trade him for a Bully Stix or a squeak toy. Barks at the postman, shush. Good dog. Watch those low to the floor dogs religiously. They can squat so fast and they’re done! Watch for sniffing the floor and get outside fast!

Routine. First thing in the morning, early, out the door on the leash. Stand still at the spot you’ve chosen for the potty. Urge him gently in a soft voice, “go pee”, “go poop”. When he does, applaud softly and pet him, “What a very clever boy, you are!” Do this every time he goes in the spot and soon he will go on command no matter where you are. Some trainers like to use treats as a reward. I like to use applause and a little bit of play to reward, maybe just a quick run to the other side of the yard, laughing and saying “what a clever dog you are!”

Routine. Eat. Within 15 minutes, back out to pee or poop.
Routine. Play. Within 15 minutes, back out to pee or poop.
Routine. Nap. Outside upon awakening, out to pee or poop.

Routine. Meals must be fed at the same time every day until he is going potty outside without fail, no house accidents. I like to continue the meals on a regular schedule until the dog is about 1 year old. Regular meals make for regular bowel movements.

Routine. Withhold water in the evening, yes, just like a toddler being potty trained. Last thing at night, outside on the leash, potty, then inside and go to bed.

Routine. It all starts over again in the morning.

If you have to be gone from home more than 4 hours at a time, get some help. A dog walker, a good friend or neighbor who will come in a couple of times a day, or a great doggie day care where your little one will have complete supervision, a lot of fun, and will return home at night tired out and ready for a long nights sleep are excellent choices.

Here’s a quick tip that I teach. (Don’t use this first thing in the morning, just get outside and pee! But every other time is good.) Dog is on leash. Go to door. “Want to go outside? Come tell me.” Pat your leg. Dog comes to you. Opening the door and going outside is the reward. Each time you do this, you’ll move a little bit further from the door, the dog learns to come to you to get you to open the door. You’ll move further into the house, until you are in the furthest room of the house. Watch his signals so you understand what he wants when he comes to get you. Don’t try to get too far into the house too fast. Slow and steady wins the race.

If you live in a high rise with a little dog, you might consider Little Stinker Housebreaking Pads. (Big dogs and dogs with grass outside are best trained to go outdoors.)

These wonderful puppy training books and help in quick read booklet form will give you more tips for housetraining. The more you read about dog behavior, the more you’ll enjoy your dog. We have a great library!

And relax; it’s not the end of the world if the dog does have an accident. Clean it up with a good odor cleaner. Things can and will change with positive training, kind hands, and routine, routine, routine. You and your dog will be happily going potty outside very soon…well, not you, but the dog will, you’ll just be there to applaud.