Training Tips

Bringing your new dog home


Create Success From The Start

The best way to create success when bringing a new dog home is to prepare in advance. Regardless of whether you are adopting a puppy or an older dog, you should establish your dog’s routine right from the start.
  • Have his food and water station set
  • Choose his sleeping area and prepare his bed
  • Designate the area int he yard where he will go to the bathroom, and take him to that spot right away

Crating Your Dog

If you are planning to crate your dog, a cage-type crate offers an open environment, encouraging social interaction with the family, while a closed, plastic travel crate creates a cave-like environment, and may promote a tendency to hide away in the dark.  We do not recommend closed, plastic crates for anything other than travel.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake people make when adopting a mature dog, is to assume he can move right in and immediately become the family dog.  Even a dog who has only lived at the shelter for a few months will need to re-learn how to live in a house!  And all dogs, (even adults) will regress to the early learning stage of a ten week old puppy when transferred into a new environment.  In some cases, it can take as long as eight months for your new dog’s true personality reveal itself.

Growling and Barking

Dogs fear that which is unfamiliar, and it is not uncommon for them to growl or seek out a hiding place when they encounter new things.  If your dog growls, or exhibits any behavior that frightens you, it is because your dog is afraid.  DO NOT TO PANIC!  You can teach your new dog to adapt, by implementing some very basic exercises that are outlined below.

Things your dog may find frightening:

  • Stairs
  • Exerecise equipment
  • Vaccuum cleaners
  • Hearing a foreign language or accent
  • Certain odors
    • Some odors are entirely undetectable to humans, but can be overwhelming to the highly-sensitive canine nose.  For example:  Medication use, (that can cause a subtle change in body scent), the smell of cigarette smoke (or even the mere act of smoking).
  • Children
    • When a dog barks at a child, it is more likely that he is afraid of their excitement and quick movements, rather than a mean dog who doesn’t like children.  The best thing to do is teach your children to slowly approach your dog and gently pet him, so that the dog can see that your child means him no harm.

Basic Exercises to Help Your New Dog Adjust

The most important tip is to keep your dog with you and on his leash for the first seven to fourteen days you are together.  While indoors (with the leash still on), lead your dog to all the areas of your home where he will ever be allowed to go.  

Prevent Chewing and Accidents

Do not give your dog any freedom during the first one to two weeks, because that may lead to trouble!  If he is with you at all times, he will not be able to have an accident or chew something he’s not supposed to.  If you give him something to chew, do not let him run off to have his bone or chew toy by himself.  He should remain right there with you.  Chewing is a stress reliever, so your dog should just relax and chew until he falls asleep.  

Shaking or Cowering

In order for a dog to overcome his fear, he must openly confront it, and determine that it poses no threat to him.  If your dog is shaking or cowering, do not touch, or attempt to comfort him.  Instead, get him to sit out in the open (not pressing against your leg or a wall) so he can see that there is nothing to be afraid of.   Only after he is relaxed, sitting up straight, and smiling his little doggie smile, should you pet and praise him!

When To Look ~ Speak ~ Touch

Be aware of the messages you send to your dog.  When looking, speaking, or touching your dog, you should only be delivering the message that you approve of what he is doing at that moment.

Correcting Negative Behavior:

Dogs do not learn from being corrected.  On the contrary, they learn when they are rewarded!  Correcting a negative behavior only gives you the opportunity to get your dogs attention so you can reward his good behavior.

Dogs can interpret eye contact as confrontational, especially delivered in conjunction with discipline.  When you want to correct a negative behavior, simply tell your dog, NO, without making eye contact with him. 

Use eye contact as a form of positive reinforcement.  When rewarding your dog for good behavior, his reward should be YOU and your praise. 

Rewarding Your Dog:

•    Make eye contact while praising him  
•    Pet him while praising him

You can also give your dog treats when they are first learning new commands, but do so sparingly.  You want your dog to think of you as the ultimate reward, so you don’t have to rely on food to get him to obey your commands.  Besides, too many treats can cause your dog to gain weight, and just like with humans, obesity can be a precursor to other health problems.

Teaching Proper Bathroom Habits

Train your dog to “do his business” in one place.  Both male and female dogs will “mark” their territory, so before going out for a walk or for play time, lead your dog to his designated “bathroom” area, and stand still until he relieves himself.  Repeating a cue word will teach your dog that this is his special place to “do his business”. One cue for a bowel movement or to urinate is all you need.

Do not let your dog “sprinkle” on every tree, rock and lamppost you pass during your walks.  This is called “marking” and it is your dogs’ way of claiming his territory.  With every drop of urine he is telling other animals, “this belongs to me”.  

If you train your dog to empty his bladder in one spot, he won’t have any property to protect or claims to stake, and will be more focused on you and your walk together. This will also prevent him from pulling on his leash to get at a spot that is in need of a fresh mark.  

Marked territory can cause fights with other dogs, and just generally gets in the way of nice walk.  So simply nudge him along and keep moving.  

Dogs are routine creatures, so teaching them the routine from the start will develop good behaviors, and create a relaxed and happy companion.

The Importance of Training Your Dog

Training your dog will create good habits, and keep everybody safe and happy!

There are 5 basic commands that all dogs should learn and obey:
  • HEEL
  • SIT
  • STAY
  • DOWN
  • COME

Each of these commands has a specific purpose in what we refer to as, “behavioral shaping”.

HEEL

HEEL refers to your dog walking properly on his leash.  From a behavior point of view, HEEL is an exercise to teach your dog to pay attention and focus on you.

Teaching Your Dog To HEEL

With the dog on your left side, walk two steps and have him SIT. (The SIT command is built in to the HEEL command.)

Repeat this exercise at least five times in a row, and by the third or fourth time your dog should be sitting and looking up at you. The goal is to repeat this step until your dog sits automatically beside you when you stop.  (The repetition of walking and sitting has a similar effect of taking a slow, deep breath.)

Teaching Positive Eye Contact

The next step is to walk a full circle around your dog while he remains seated.  Only his head should move as he watches you.  This exercise teaches your dog positive eye contact.
Every time your dog makes eye contact with you, gently praise him while maintaining the eye contact.  If you have to correct him, divert your eyes to some other part of his body and tell him to SIT.  

Doing this teaches your dog that when you make eye contact with him and deliver nice, gentle praise, he is exhibiting good behavior.  If you are not making eye contact with your dog when you tell him NO, he should automatically stop what he is doing and sit down.

Observe Your Dogs Body Language

Watch for tense, curled toes, the position of the ears, etc.  When correcting your dog say, NO in a matter-of-fact tone, without yelling or sounding angry.

STAY

STAY is your control command. It teaches your dog self control.

In a training process, STAY would be the first time you drop the leash and move away from your dog.  As your dog develops self control, you begin gaining control at a distance, without holding onto his leash.

Long SIT-STAYS are the best training tool you have. The longer your dog sits, the smarter he gets!
      

DOWN

DOWN is a submissive position, but learning it will actually help build your dogs confidence. When he learns to lie down on command, your dog is learning to relax, and not feel submissive or threatened. Dogs can be stubborn about learning the DOWN command, because they are generally afraid and confused by it. Therefore, when teaching it, remain calm and non-threatening, and do not accept any submissive posturing from your dog, such as rolling over to expose his belly.

A dog will lie down and expose his belly to show submission, but also when he’s trying to take control of a situation.  For example, he may be telling another dog, “Go away. I give up”, or a person “Give me a tummy rub”.

COME

Teaching your dog to COME when called should make him feel he has a job to do. Using food is a great way to teach the COME command, but be sure not to use the food as a lure. The reward should always be a surprise, and it should be greater than the reward for not coming. If you lure your dog to COME to you on command, you will always have to lure him to COME. It’s best is to have a variety of “special rewards” that your dog does not see until after he has COME and made contact with you. Giving a different reward each time lets the dog know no matter what, whenever he COMES to your command something GREAT will happen.
 
Teaching your dog the ALL DONE command will let him know that play time is over. A good training game is to turn your dog ON AND OFF repeatedly, with PLAY, ALL DONE, and alternating between the SIT, STAY, DOWN, and COME commands. Do this a few times for ten minutes, varying the amount of time your dog plays or holds a position. This will make it easier to get your dogs attention outside of a training session.

Use your commands all the time, so your dog understands that this is his job, and he is not just performing tricks for your entertainment.

Safety

An educated dog is a relaxed dog.  He knows how to SIT, STAY, LAY DOWN, and COME when called.  A well-trained dog will ask his human, “what are we going to do now?” as opposed to making his own decisions, which could lead him into trouble.  He understands the difference between PLAY TIME and STAY TIME, which plays a crucial role in keeping him (and those he meets) safe.  

If you train your dog to respond to your voice, he can easily be called away from the road or water, from annoying and jumping on other people as they walk by, or approaching another dog that might not be so friendly.