Raising the Perfect Dog; The Secrets of Law Enforcement K9 Trainers Read Online Free Page B
Author: Nicholas White
your dog, it is still good to do this drill in order to build confidence while playing tug.
Next, we start incorporating noise desensitization while playing tug with your puppy. Earlier, we talked about desensitizing them to noises in general, now we are going to apply those same concepts to desensitizing them while playing tug. Start small with something such as two spoons that you bang together as you play tug. Again, if the puppy gets scared and backs off the tug, encourage him back on, then make the same noises but not as loud. Then start to build the noise back up. Once he gets used to this, find something louder, such as banging on a saucepan with a metal spoon as you play tug. Again, if he comes off, encourage back on, and make the noise quieter, then build it back up. Once he adapts, find something even louder, and then repeat this process over and over. This is how we build dogs up to the point that they bite on a sleeve and we can shoot a gun over their head and they do not even flinch. Again, this is huge for their confidence.
Another good thing for confidence is praising the dog for barking when someone is at the door. When your puppy gets to be four or five months old, he may run to the door and bark when someone knocks. Some people take the unfortunate step of quickly telling their dog to be quiet or yelling at him. Remember, you got a big dog for a form of protection around the house, even if it was just to put on a good show for a would-be robber. So, I tell everyone they should praise their pup for this behavior. If you always quickly stop them or quiet them down, they will do exactly as you wish—eventually, they will never make a noise if someone is breaking in because every time they tried to give you a verbal warning that someone was outside, you quickly shut them up. Remember, dogs aim to please, so if you always stop your dog from barking at the sound of someone outside, he will do just that—never bark.
The key is to praise the behavior, but be able to silence them on command when you wish. We always let our protection dogs bark for a few seconds, praise them, and then give them the “quiet” command. That way, you are getting the best of both worlds. You have a dog that is alert, gets his confidence up by being praised when he gives you a verbal warning, and you can control it so it is not over the top or annoying. The key is you do not want to teach them not to bark, you want to be able to control their barking.
If you follow all these steps, you will have a highly confident pup that is comfortable in any situation.
w hat is socialization? It is getting your puppy acquainted with as many different animals, people, and circumstances as possible. In my opinion, socialization is one of the most important things in young puppies’ lives. If I were paid every time we received e-mails or calls about people-aggressive or dog-aggressive dogs, I could have retired by now. Almost all of these cases stem from a lack of socialization at a young age. When you get any new puppy, it is extremely important to get him to start interacting with other animals and people.
To get your dog well socialized with people, try having everyone your puppy meets give him a treat. Imagine if everyone you met gave you $50. You would quickly grow very fond of people; your puppy will, too. Your pup will start making the association of “people equal great things for me.” You should make it your mission for your puppy to meet as many people and animals as possible. Not only as many people as possible, but as many types of people as possible—male, female, children, infants, and even different races. He should have complete exposure to as many variations of humans as possible.
Socializing your puppy with other dogs and animals is also extremely important. Again, most cases of aggression result from a lack of socialization. As I write this paragraph, there is a dog in our facility on its first lesson who is extremely
Next, we start incorporating noise desensitization while playing tug with your puppy. Earlier, we talked about desensitizing them to noises in general, now we are going to apply those same concepts to desensitizing them while playing tug. Start small with something such as two spoons that you bang together as you play tug. Again, if the puppy gets scared and backs off the tug, encourage him back on, then make the same noises but not as loud. Then start to build the noise back up. Once he gets used to this, find something louder, such as banging on a saucepan with a metal spoon as you play tug. Again, if he comes off, encourage back on, and make the noise quieter, then build it back up. Once he adapts, find something even louder, and then repeat this process over and over. This is how we build dogs up to the point that they bite on a sleeve and we can shoot a gun over their head and they do not even flinch. Again, this is huge for their confidence.
Another good thing for confidence is praising the dog for barking when someone is at the door. When your puppy gets to be four or five months old, he may run to the door and bark when someone knocks. Some people take the unfortunate step of quickly telling their dog to be quiet or yelling at him. Remember, you got a big dog for a form of protection around the house, even if it was just to put on a good show for a would-be robber. So, I tell everyone they should praise their pup for this behavior. If you always quickly stop them or quiet them down, they will do exactly as you wish—eventually, they will never make a noise if someone is breaking in because every time they tried to give you a verbal warning that someone was outside, you quickly shut them up. Remember, dogs aim to please, so if you always stop your dog from barking at the sound of someone outside, he will do just that—never bark.
The key is to praise the behavior, but be able to silence them on command when you wish. We always let our protection dogs bark for a few seconds, praise them, and then give them the “quiet” command. That way, you are getting the best of both worlds. You have a dog that is alert, gets his confidence up by being praised when he gives you a verbal warning, and you can control it so it is not over the top or annoying. The key is you do not want to teach them not to bark, you want to be able to control their barking.
If you follow all these steps, you will have a highly confident pup that is comfortable in any situation.
w hat is socialization? It is getting your puppy acquainted with as many different animals, people, and circumstances as possible. In my opinion, socialization is one of the most important things in young puppies’ lives. If I were paid every time we received e-mails or calls about people-aggressive or dog-aggressive dogs, I could have retired by now. Almost all of these cases stem from a lack of socialization at a young age. When you get any new puppy, it is extremely important to get him to start interacting with other animals and people.
To get your dog well socialized with people, try having everyone your puppy meets give him a treat. Imagine if everyone you met gave you $50. You would quickly grow very fond of people; your puppy will, too. Your pup will start making the association of “people equal great things for me.” You should make it your mission for your puppy to meet as many people and animals as possible. Not only as many people as possible, but as many types of people as possible—male, female, children, infants, and even different races. He should have complete exposure to as many variations of humans as possible.
Socializing your puppy with other dogs and animals is also extremely important. Again, most cases of aggression result from a lack of socialization. As I write this paragraph, there is a dog in our facility on its first lesson who is extremely
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