Dog training
A nice, brief entry on how your dog is training you. After all, they’ve got nothing better to do.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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December 4th, 2003 at 2:40 pm
Great article.
I am convinced that when the aliens land, based on their observataions they will conclude that dogs are the superior species. They lead us around on a string and make us clean up their poop. They have us trained to feed them, play with them, and cater to their every need, while they just lay around all day.
But seriously, the making the dog earn stuff is good advice. I try to do that a lot (by making her sit as suggested in the article), and probably should do it more.
But another thing I’ve wondered about is am I sometimes rewarding bad behavior. For example, say the dog is over digging in the yard or pulling up grass or something. You say “NO”, and when they don’t stop you say “COME” and they come hauling ass expecting the treat which they always get for coming.
Is this teaching them that digging up the yard will get them a treat? It’s all so confusing.
December 4th, 2003 at 3:20 pm
That’s great! Doesn’t seem to transfer to cats, however. I can’t imagine any of my cats “sitting” on command.
December 4th, 2003 at 3:23 pm
Actually, what you want to reward is them stopping the offending behavior or good behavior, depending of the dog. And, unfortunately, different dogs react differently.
In our house, we have two very different dogs:
Politically Correct Dog: responds very well rewards. Reward good behavior and reward him when he stops negative behavior and he does outstanding.
Politically Incorrect Dog: Part of it is being a pup, but he still doesn’t respond to positive rewards some times. He often requires punishment to stop things. By punishment, he gets the evil eye or a sharp no command. Periodically, he even requires a light open handed pop on the ribs (which is the only way you should ever strike a dog, the noise gets their attention and not the pain).
Short answer, it depends on the dog.
It is very easy to accidentally reward bad behavior. In the case of digging, I’d give a sharp No and praise if she stops. If she fails to stop, I would actually walk towards her giving the evil eye and pointing (maybe even saying No!). You may have to walk all the up to her to get her attention. But when she stops, praise her.
December 4th, 2003 at 3:30 pm
That’s what Mrs. Bubba does. I’m too lazy.
December 4th, 2003 at 3:43 pm
Interesting sidenote: Politically Correct Dog has the Mrs. trained to scoot over and make room on the couch. And i inform her of that and she smiles and says that she has a dog so she can sit on the couch with him. Sometimes being trained has its rewards.
December 4th, 2003 at 4:17 pm
AlphaPatriot:
Both of my cats sit on command, although one does it far more reliably than the other. The more reliable one has also learned “shake.” The less reliable one has learned “beg.” (With “beg” being the cat sitting up on just the back two legs, much like a begging dog.)
But since cats are stubborn this way, neither will do it unless they can actually see (and probably smell) the treat. They’re not very good about coming when called (they do it when they want to), but they virtually always come when the treat cupbord is opened.
If I had been more diligent about training them when they were younger, I probably would have been able to do a lot more with them. Teaching cats tricks is easier than you might think, once you know how to communicate with them (verbal praise is meaningless to them — treats and scratching are the only effective methods, and even the latter is only marginally so).
The hard part is teaching them NOT to do stuff. I’ve found that task to be virtually impossible.
December 4th, 2003 at 4:30 pm
There are very few cat behavior problems that cannot be solved with duct tape.
I’m not a cat person.
December 4th, 2003 at 4:43 pm
I’m not really a cat person, either, but I am a sucker. Both of my cats are rescues.
And this may very well be personal preference, but I’ve found a C-clamp is far superior to duct tape in solving cat problems.
December 4th, 2003 at 9:19 pm
I’ve got a dumb question for you dog people (clearly I’m in the cat camp):
I go jogging on residential streets and from time to time a dog will approach me. What’s the best thing to do to minimize the likelihood that a more aggressive dog will come at me?
Avoid eye contact? Yell? Slow down and walk? I’m not sure what the best strategy is.
December 4th, 2003 at 9:45 pm
One valuable lesson…Peanut Flavored Milk Bones, DO NOT taste like peanut butter.
December 4th, 2003 at 10:51 pm
Typically, it’s all about demeanor. If you act threatened or scared, a dog will act aggressively. Eye contact is hit or miss depending on how well socialized the dog is. Non dominant dogs will typically submit when stared at. An alpha dog will view it as a challenge and initiate aggression. I’d advise against staring but a glance to acknowledge the dog would likely let him know you’re aware of him and not feeling threatened.
Yelling and arm waving may provoke the dog. Depending on the dog, running directly at it may cause it to retreat but this can be risky. I don’t advise it unless you know the dog.
Slowing to a walk is a good plan because running may initiate a hunter/prey response. Plus it shows confidence that you’re not running away.
Honestly, whenever I see a dog that is displaying aggressive behavior coming at me, my response is to look at him and say in my playful dog voice hey buddy or some other thing that dogs have likely been conditioned to respond positively to (good boy, etc). It’s amazing how well this works with most dogs. In fact, my friends who have bragged about how threatening their dogs are have been surprised when i do this at their house. They are surprised that the dog warms up to me so quickly. Typically, they respond positively to that. Don’t try to pet him unless he approaches you in an obviously friendly manner.
Just in case, I’d carry pepper spray and only use it if the dog is obviously going to be aggressive. If a dog attacks and you have no pepper spray, your plan should be to first try to kick it in the face as hard as you can before it can get a bite.
If it lands a bite, it’s gonna suck. But the dog will bite the first thing it can get to (which should not be your throat). Place your weak arm out as bait and after he gets hold knock the crap out of him with your strong arm/elbows. Right in the face or throat. As a last resort, go for his eyes. If it’s a trained attack dog, this won’t work but protection dogs don’t run the street and don’t arbitrarily attack people. Not good with police dogs.
Signs of aggression: snarling, barking, hackles raised. A scared dog is more likely to bite and scared dogs often display the same signs as aggressive dogs as a show or bluff.
Chemical repellants are your safest bet.
December 4th, 2003 at 10:53 pm
One more thing, don’t change direction if you slow down. It’s viewed as a retreat. Keep heading in the direction you’re going, unless that direction is in the dog’s yard, of course.
December 7th, 2003 at 7:07 am
If you are down to giving an attacking dog your weak arm to attack, then be prepared to kick it in the(conveniently exposed) gut as hard as you ever kicked anything in your life. You’re in a real fight, and dogs suck wind as well as any person ever has.
And if it comes down to it, remember that you are descended from the baddest product that harsh evolution has ever produced, and grab that exposed throat of the dog and squeeze hard enough to do enough damage to kill that dog dead.
I’m reminded of my brother-in-law riding his bike through the country, who was run down by a pack of dogs, and ended up defending himself with the one weapon he had; he dismounted the bike, grabbed the handlebars, and swung the bike around himself, converting it into a 5 foot long dog-hammer.
I find the “good dog” trick works really well. But, as they said, watch out for in your ear.