The Dish by Darcy

Goal: You say “Mat”, does goes to the mat and lays down
You need: mat, treats, dog
Start: quiet place in the house, when learned move to other rooms

Tips: treat quickly and often the first ten minutes of training. Praise saying “Good Dog!”
Another tip: When dog is going to the mat on request, wean the treats giving one occasionally for a good job. Praise

Let’s get started!
Lay out the mat.
Feed three treats from your hand: one, two, three.
Toss a treat onto the mat.
The instant your dog starts to eat the treat say “Mat”.
Point at the mat and say “Mat”. Treat if the dog looks at or goes to the mat.
Your short term goal: shape the behavior, dog goes to go the mat.
Repeat. Treat only when the dog gets closer to or steps onto the mat.
Do not reward for no action. Be happy and your dog will play the game.
That’s it!
Training can take time with some dogs, be patient. Some learn in a minute, others will take a few days.
When your dog is going to the mat on request, have them lay down. Treat one two three while they are laying down.
Keep it up, your dog will go and down down on the mat when you say “Mat”.
Add “Stay” and you have a dog who will go to the mat and stay there until you tell her to get up.
Don’t ask for long stays at first, lengthen the time with care.
Don’t ever forget, when you put a dog on a stay, release her from that stay. This will keep her staying power strong.

Maybe I’m looking in the wrong place, but I’m needing something to spray at aggressive dogs to help with unleashed dogs that aggressively charge my dogs when walking.  Do you carry these items? The dogs on our rural road run out into the road barking aggressively at me and my dogs. One almost bit me today. Thanks, Frances”First a biting dog story. And then a training tip: How to get your dog to a mat and stay there.

A 15 month old girl and a 5 year old boy. The girl was in her own yard. Mother saw the stranger dog attack, fought for her daughter and the dog attacked both of them, badly injuring the little girl, biting the mother on the back of her neck. The dog has been euthanized. The boy was playing with his puppy when the stranger dog approached. The dog reportedly went for the puppy, the little boy tried to save the pup and he was badly bitten. Both children have had surgery. These are the the worst type of dog bite stories, both people and dogs were injured. In both of these cases, the dog seems to have attacked with little or no provocation. Both dogs were pit bulls…but pit bulls as a breed are not the story I see.

The story for me is that we can help prevent this. The only solution to these types of incidents are management of dogs. Manage our dogs. Watch our neighborhoods. Know our neighbors. Know our neighbor’s dogs. Dogs on the loose cause harm. Whether it’s a dog attacking other dogs or just a sweet dog who got out of his yard coming over to say hi. Unless you’re prepared to stay calm, it can chill your heart. You don’t know what’s going to happen and it happens so fast, you usually react without thinking. It leaves you with a fear of that it might happen again.

Sprays and other offensive weapons can backfire and you or your dog can get hurt. If you spray a dog who is truly aggressive, you’ve just made him mad or heightened his sense of fear or aggression. He may have thought you were a threat, now he knows you are one. Now you have real trouble. And stranger dog might attack the next passer by before they can spray him, a little pain is a good teacher when you’re dealing with fear. Dogs learn to react more quickly the next time so they don’t get hurt, that means no warning.

A slight breeze or badly aimed spray can come back to you and your dog. When that happens, now your dog is afraid or hurt and you can’t see through the tears. If it all goes badly, your dog may not recover from the fear. In my opinion, it’s just not worth using these types of tactics.

If you’re carrying spray, chances are that you’re feeling tense or upset already before you even see stranger dog. That feeling travels right down the leash to your dog. You’re potential victims in this state of mind. You dog is tense and all other dogs seem to be a threat even if they aren’t. A tense dog is more likely to increase fight and fear mode or escalate the conflict simply by being tense. People and dogs who are relaxed, happy, and minding their own business aren’t usually included in a dog fight.

There are many kinds of off leash dogs, they can all cause concern for a dog walker. Today we’re talking about dogs on an adventure and those who are protecting the public property in front of their home.

If your dog gets out of the yard and runs loose, she will cause concern and fear for dog walkers and children. Even if she’s a good, happy dog with you, her approach can make even the most solid soul tense. Your dog might be the next victim of the spray or shocking products available on the market even when she was just going to say hi. The effects can be long lasting.

A good dog who has never shown aggression gets out of the yard and runs. He’s a concern for dog walkers and children. They don’t know he’s a good dog, they don’t know him at all. All they see is speed and teeth showing, happy teeth maybe, but teeth can all look the same if you’re on the receiving end of a dog running at you. A child runs or start screaming, dog chases, biting in fun, tearing skin. Dog approaches child, people scare dog and try to intervene, people scare dog, dog bites everybody. Or dog chases dog, person intervenes, scares dog, dog bites everybody. Dog is taken into custody.

Lots of dogs on the loose aren’t aggressive dogs and don’t intend harm. More than likely they wouldn’t hurt your dog, they’re just curious and want to say hi to your dog, they may not have good manners so they run right up without first asking if it’s okay. Dogs rarely fight to the death and most of the time they don’t even put a tooth mark in. If there is a scuffle, one of the dogs is going to “say uncle”, the other will quit, everyone calls it a day and we all go home. Dogs get tooth marks in rough play all the time without lasting damage.

Dogs who “protect” public property adjacent to their own home are a problem which should be addressed immediately with the owner of the home. It’s your best protection. Talk to the authorities if those people won’t listen and promise to remedy the problem. I’ve never turned anyone in for an aggressive dog, I prefer to talk. Talking to people is always the first and the best start to end a problem.

If you want something physical to carry on your walks, consider carrying an umbrella which opens quickly with a button, it’s best if it will make some sound like a whoosh. Open it toward the dog who is charging. Stay calm. If the dog keeps coming, hold the dog back with the umbrella while you and your dog slowly back away. Practice opening the umbrella with your dog in a safe spot so she’s not scared if you have to use it. An opened umbrella to your dog will mean fun, to a stranger dog not so much.

Truly the very best thing I know to keep a stranger dog from approaching you and your dog is to yell “Come!”. Step toward the dog like you’re going to catch him and in a very loud and authoritative voice say, “Come” and then “Come here!” and then “Come here!” in an even more harsh voice. Dogs who are on the loose are usually on the loose because they don’t come to their master. Usually that’s because the dog gets punished when it finally does come. This has worked every single time I’ve used it. That does not guarantee it will work for you.

Now for the dog who thinks he owns the road. Dogs in their own yards are a different story entirely, they are defending their territory which includes a bit of the road adjacent as well. Please don’t use anything forceful like a spray against them, you will only escalate their fear, you’re asking for a bite. So far they are only barking and being a nuisance to you and your dog. They may be doing it out of fear and territory. If they were truly aggressive and intended harm, they wouldn’t stop at barking. If you do something to scare them, they may intensify their need to have you be on your way.

Please go to the door and talk. Go without your dog and talk to the owners. Maybe even take some cupcakes or a little basket of fruit (it will cost a lot less than stitches for you and your dog). They may not know that their dogs are going into the road to harass passers by. They may not know that their dogs are scaring anybody. My guess is that if you go to them with a love for dogs and explain what the dogs are doing and they are frightening you on a public road, they’ll help you by controlling the dogs. Usually it’s best to work things out peaceably with neighbors. The best way to start is, “Your dogs are beautiful and I know you don’t know this but they are coming into the road after me and my dog as we walk by. Today your bigger dog tried to bite me. I know that you don’t want anyone and especially a passing child to get hurt or bitten. Is there anything we can do so I can walk by without worrying about the dogs?” Most people don’t want to be sued for a dog bite or have to pay for someone else’s hospital bills, it’s an incentive to change the situation.

When you’re walking by, stay calm so your dog stays calm. Your emotions will be read easily by the other dogs. Befriend the dogs if you possibly can. A dog who knows you may not bite as quickly. After a while, they may not even approach the road when they know it’s you. Hopefully the owners will work with you. You might even find a new best friend in your neighbor.

If they don’t do something to make it better for the public, talk to your authorities.

Get to know your neighbors and their dogs for miles around. Set up play dates so the dogs get to know each other. I can’t remember when I last saw a dog around here who didn’t belong to the community I live in. If your dog gets out for a run, more than likely the neighbor will call instead of trying to hurt your dog.

Be a good neighbor, work with your local animal rescue to get dangerous dogs off of your streets. Take a deep breath and really know if the dog is dangerous or just a family dog out for an adventure. There is a huge difference, no matter the breed. You wouldn’t want someone calling in your dog because he wanted to say hi and play.

Never ever try to break up a dog fight by reaching your hands into the fray. You will get hurt.

Train your dogs to disregard other dogs no matter what the other dogs do. Watch “It’s Me or the Dog” on TV, she does a lot of that and she’s very good at it.

Recognizing what the dog intends as it’s coming toward you is the key to keeping you and your dog safe. Take a look at Canine Body Language (BACB) , Language of Dogs (BDLOD) , and Calming Signals (VRCB) at SitStay.com. You can search on the name or the item code to see them.

I wish you and your dogs the safest and best walks ever!

Darcie Krueger
President
SitStay.com

My breeder recommended him (Cesar Millan’s training tools and methods) and yes I have tried the stuff and yes it does work, but one thing I hate in a person is when they downgrade someone’s else’s work, that is one of my pet peeves. Your only saying this because you have your own way of training and you don’t like another person’s way of doing stuff. you shouldn’t talk bad about another person just because you don’t agree with their procurers, that is WRONG….. I now don’t think I will continue to purchase stuff from your company, that is just very bad, what you say about him and his training. – Name withheld to protect the innocent

We’ll call her Jane and not use her real name because I believe she is an innocent. She was encouraged to train her puppy with the methods and tools used on the Cesar Millan TV show. To be fair, after I replied to the above email to point out that I didn’t say anything hurtful or hateful toward her or to the TV star, Jane wrote back with an apology. (The threat to not order from SitStay any more was an empty threat. Jane had never ordered anything from SitStay then (she’s a good customer now). At the time of her above email, I couldn’t find an account for her under her real name or email address. I would have responded to her first emailed questions the same even if she had been a long standing customer asking questions of me. I love positive training and will shout it from the rooftops.)

Sometimes people don’t think before they speak…or send email. You see that all the time on discussion boards and we occasionally experience it at SitStay. You know, the person’s quick reply that was hateful, angry, or otherwise off the wall? Email is an especially tough medium because it doesn’t have its own voice, we give it one when we read it. We’re often wrong about what the voice really sounds like and sometimes it sounds hateful. It’s easy to respond with our own anger and a passionate and fiery email, hitting the send button quickly and so there! Sometimes there’s no mistaking the voice of the email. See above.

So, at the risk of alienating a potentially new dog trainer and customer, here we go.

Words said in anger or hate can be used as a wonderful learning experience for all of us. I trust that Jane didn’t give any thought to her comment; she was upset and fired off the email without really thinking it through. I won’t use her real name because I don’t want to embarrass her or to make her feel wronged. Sometimes I get myself into a load of trouble simply by opening my mouth. I don’t mind that not everyone agrees with me or the other positive trainers. I believe it’s best to say out loud how things can be better for the dogs instead of sitting quietly by so not to cause a stir and staying politically correct. Giving advice, facts, and opinions in a loving manner isn’t always taken as a kind gesture as you can see from the statement above. I’m known far and wide as a reasonable, common sense driven, girl next door, wanting everyone to love everyone else and their dogs kind of a gal. Sometimes I give too much opinion and advice and even though it’s been solicited from me, it’s not always taken kindly. It’s not easy to take a reply like the one above to my tries for helping. I’m sure happy it only happens once in a blue moon.

Jane emailed to ask if we would carry Cesar Millan’s tools at SitStay. She explained that she needs the tools, she’s been using the methods she sees on TV to train her puppy but she needs the tools so the training will work. Keep in mind that in her comment above she says she’s been using the methods and they work but now she needs tools because the puppy is not responding to the training. Yes, I know that doesn’t make sense. One of my most famous replies to people who call me for help but don’t want to abandon the traditional method of jerk, pull, pinch, run you into the ground so you’re so tired you can’t do anything but agree to this training is, “How’s that working out for you?” Most of those people say, “You know what, it isn’t working, is it? I wouldn’t have called for help if it was. I may not take all of your advice but I’m willing to listen.” I love that willingness to listen to something other than what they’ve been doing because it shows that they want to bond and live happily with their dogs. If it wasn’t true, they wouldn’t bother to call anybody, just take the dog to the shelter or toss him outside to do what dogs do on their own until they can’t stand that any more and then take him to the shelter.

Jane likes the TV show. She sees miracles worked every week. Bad dogs gone good again. Her breeder recommended the TV show training methods.

I replied to Jane that no, we won’t carry those tools and support his training. And because she’s working with a puppy, not an out of control aggressive dog, I expanded my reply.

My reply was courteous and nice even while gently trying to sway her toward positive training. I asked if she’d tried positive training yet. Maybe some clicker training, puppies love that. It’s easy and fun for everyone, especially the dogs.

I told her that I get calls all the time from people who have used the training methods as they see them on TV and the dogs have started biting. Now what do they do? I watch the TV show so I can speak of it intelligently and yes, it can be very entertaining and yes, it certainly looks like a miracle has been worked. The editors and producers know exactly what they’re doing, they’re making money. That’s what TV does, it sells advertising. And if it can hold the attention of the viewer, the advertisers will spend dollars there. It’s really a well done TV show.

We love watching dogs and we love watching people train dogs. It’s a perfect combination for a hit TV series. As I watch Cesar’s show, I can see why a normal person working with a normal dog could create a biting dog. You don’t get to see what happens behind the scenes, you don’t know what really happens. It’s a TV show, it’s edited, it’s not in real time. You miss some stuff.

You know the old adage, “I know just enough about this subject to make me dangerous”? There is danger in taking a bit of information that’s been dramatized to get viewers and advertising and using it to create something of your own. Even Cesar and his show acknowledge the danger of this. You see it on every show, “Don’t attempt these training methods without a professional” or words to that effect.

Jane says she’ll continue with the TV dog training methods. She’ll buy the tools from someone, maybe from him, and find out that maybe it doesn’t work either. She has a puppy. I feel bad for the pup. Positive training is so easy and it’s so much fun. It bonds us with love and affection and we get faster results than training which relies on making a dog do something.

When you were first forced to take out the trash, did you do that happily and with love every day after? Or were you the lucky one whose Mom said, “You take the trash out, I’ll get the dishes done, and we’ll have an ice cream to celebrate. Thanks, Honey, you are so much help to our family.” Even if taking out the trash isn’t ever going to be your favorite thing to do, it’s more fun to do it because you want to help, because you received a positive reward, not because you will get a spanking if you don’t. It’s the same with dogs.

For the record, I don’t totally disagree with everything that Cesar Millan says. Tons of positive trainers do disagree, strongly. I believe that all dogs need lots of exercise although I believe that exercise should be fun for both the dog and the person. I don’t agree that dogs or people should be exercised so strongly and for so long that they can’t make a decision of their own just because they’re so tired, that they give up free will. That’s torture. You don’t see this part of the solution to bad dogs on this TV show. It’s been widely reported by first hand witnesses that this is part of the training method.

I agree with Cesar that if a person puts too much pressure on a dog or they don’t know what they are doing, they will get bitten and potentially create a biter forever. See again the disclaimer on the TV show. Most of the dogs you see on the TV show are normal dogs who haven’t had positive training. They’ve been neglected or rewarded for what we consider bad behavior and that makes the behavior stronger. Common sense tells us then, let’s start with positive training and positive rewards and these behaviors won’t start. We can turn bad behavior around with positive training even in adult dogs, even in “bad” dogs. It’s done every day and without harm.

If Cesar can really rehabilitate red zone, over the top aggressive dogs so they no longer bite or are no longer lethal weapons and they don’t have to be killed, that’s a good thing in my book as long as the dogs are kept where they can’t harm children and other innocents. According to him on the show, there are a lot of these dogs living with him in his kennels. They didn’t get euthanized but they are still living in his kennels, monitored, managed, not in somebody’s house as a rehabilitated and newly loving dog. Some things can’t be completely undone. Once you teach a person or an animal to distrust, it’s hard to go back. I agree with Cesar that killing a dog who can’t fit into a happy home doesn’t have to happen. There are people like Cesar who are willing to home them and seem to be able to handle problems that might come up. I say this with the knowledge that I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes there, either. Forgive me if I’m wrong. I like the idea that a dog gone wrong doesn’t have to be killed. It’s the idealistic side of me and I like to think it’s true.

People who have normal dogs doing “bad” things should get professional help. Find a positive trainer. Read a book. Watch a positive DVD. Try clicker training. Please don’t put into practice what you see on TV, not without first witnessing what happens behind the scenes. It can be dangerous and harmful to your dog to attempt something without first knowing about dogs and how they learn. They have great big hearts and great big teeth. Which one do you want following you around every day?

Jane, if you’re listening, I hope you will reconsider. Train your puppy with positive training, affection and trusting hands, he will do anything for you. You will have a puppy who loves to be with you and who will be your friend for a lifetime. And then go back and show your breeder what a wonderful job you did.

The end result of a dark and dreary email may turn you and your breeder into new converts for puppy and dog happiness all over the world. You and your dog will have a lifetime of joy and the knowledge that you were part of a wonderful change of heart for someone else might give you a lightness of heart for the rest of your life.