Measurement Guide

training. If you win the small battles, the big fights will
be much easier to handle. Dogs see the world in black
and white. To your dog, either you are in control or it is.
There is no middle ground.
Dr. Ivan Petrovic Pavlov taught us a lot about canine
behavior. Two of his most important points, conditioned
responses and substitution, will be the cornerstones of
your training program.
Conditioned responses to commands are mandatory
for a properly trained dog. When you explain something
one time to a person, he or she will understand it and
quite often give a positive response when questioned on
that topic. Canines are different in that they trust their
instincts implicitly. Instincts have protected canines
for thousands of years from wild animals and other
threats, and those threats still live in their minds today.
In your training program, you must totally condition the
responses to the obedience commands to such a degree
that your dog trusts you more than its own instincts.
That is a tall order, and you must take it seriously or
you will not have success. Simple repetition is the only
way to properly condition a dog. Simple repetition to
the tune of around 1,000 repetitions per command will
do this nicely. That might seem like an undoable task
but if you will train consistently, it will take only a short
time.
Dr. Pavlov also taught us about substitution. This is
where we use a stimulus to cause a response and then
add another stimulus simultaneously until the second
stimulus evokes the same response as the first. You
might remember Dr. Pavlov’s work with ringing the
dinner bell as he was feeding his dog. It did not take
long before simply ringing the dinner bell caused the
dog to salivate. You will use this same practice in
training your dog, beginning with a leash, progressing
to words and then finishing with electrical stimulation.
It may sound overwhelming right now but you will
be successful and your dog will accept this without
question if you follow the steps.
The intent of this program is to help you communicate
with your dog. This communication is a two-way street.
Dogs speak to us in their own language and we must be
able to understand what they are saying if training is
to be successful. You do not need to be a modern-day
Dr. Dolittle; a few simple skills will cover your needs.
We could spend a lot of time discussing how dogs
communicate, and while that would be helpful, your
main focus in listening to your dog will be to understand
when your dog accepts what is offered. This acceptance
could be for reward (doing a good job) or correction
(making repeated mistakes on a command that has
been conditioned).
Your dog will tell you, “I got it boss!” by the simple
action of swallowing. Again, that acceptance behavior is
the same for praise and for correction. When you praise
your dog (by stroking its shoulder) you will see the
dog’s swallow response. Your dog has spoken, saying:
“I accept your praise.” Continual stroking will not gain
you anything. Conversely, it will decrease the effect
of future strokes and lessen the sincerity. One of the
hardest things you will face is knowing when your dog
has received enough correction. Once again, you will
understand this when your dog gives you the swallow
response. No more correction is needed because the
dog has accepted the correction and openly told the
world by sticking its tongue out and swallowing. You
probably are not sure this is true, so go ahead and
stroke your dog on the shoulder and watch for the
tongue to come out, followed by a swallow. It’s that
simple.
While we are on the subject of rewards, what is the best
reward for a job well done by your dog? Many trainers
use food treats and that method will give you some
success. However, what position do you assume when
you give your dog a treat? That you are beta. But you
must always strive to maintain an alpha role if you are
to keep your dog’s mind straight. If your dog thinks
you are always alpha and it gets all the good things it
needs in life while being beta, why not accept this role
and live the good life? This sounds like a great gig and
that is what you want your dog to think. So, if you are
not going to use a food treat, how do you reward your
dog when training sessions are going well? There are
two methods that will satisfy your dog’s needs. First,
if it is a retrieving breed, throw an uninhibited retrieve
(fun bumper) for the dog, rewarding its chase instinct.
If your dog has a strong chase instinct, what could be
more satisfying? Or, you can simply stroke your dog
LEARNING TO
TRAIN
That depends on how
well you want your dog
to perform. If you desire
a bulletproof, obedient
dog, you will need to do
two 10-minute sessions
of focused work with your
dog each day. Now, that
does not sound so bad,
does it? During those
sessions, it will be all
work and no play time.
You will praise your dog
and reward its positive
responses but always
maintain an alpha role.
Some of the sessions
may be shorter than 10
minutes and others may
be longer because each
session should be goal-
oriented – and those goals
must be realistic.
When you accomplish the
desired goal for that day,
stop and celebrate. Avoid
the temptation of trying
to meet tomorrow’s goals
along with today’s goals
just because you have
some extra time. That can
lead to failure. You always
want to finish a session
on a positive note so your
dog will look forward to
coming “back to work”
tomorrow.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I TRAIN MY DOG?
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