The Difference Between Friend or Foe Positive Motivation Techniques Are Key to Owning Well-Mannered Dogs Published in The Missourian Wednesday, March 24, 1999 By Karen Cernich, Missourian Feature Writer They've been dubbed man's best friend, but as many men and women will agree, sometimes dogs are anything but. Unwanted behaviors such as constant digging, barking or hyperactivity often drive a wedge between a pet and its owner to the point where the house isn't big enough for the both of them, and the dog has got to go. But it doesn't have to be that way, says Vicky Lee, dog trainer and behavior consultant. "A well-behaved, trained dog is a pleasure to own," she remarked. "You can go anywhere without being a risk or nuisance to others." As owner of Washington's newest dog school -Pawsitive Home School Dog Training -Lee's motto is "Dedicated to making man's best friend better." She offers seven customized programs to choose from, including a private, in-home training program, "puppy kindergarten" and "doggie tune-ups." "I have a program for everyone," said Lee, who strongly rejects the "one size fits all" training attitude. "Every dog is different, just as every owner is different and every relationship is different." "My goal is to provide owners with the knowledge and skill to train their dogs to become the best friend they ever had," said Lee. Her secret? Positive motivational techniques, programs that reward the dog for good behavior, not punish him for his bad manners. "Catch your dog doing something right and reinforce that," she remarked. "It's how you and I would want to be treated." Lee illustrated the concept with the following scenario: Imagine you are in a foreign land, and someone comes up to you and says something you don't understand. When you don't respond appropriately, the person hits you and repeats the comment. Still unable to decipher the meaning, you may smile politely but continue to ignore the comment. The person hits you again, and again, and again, until you respond appropriately, if you ever do. "The point of that story is dogs don't speak English," said Lee. "When you give them a new command you have to teach them how to respond, not by hitting or pushing them," she said, "but with positive reinforcement." Learn to teach the dog from his or her point of view, and things will go a lot more smoothly, said Lee, pointing out the MRE system -Management, Relationship and Education - works best. "Plan for success," said Lee, noting strong management is essential to any training program. "If you don't want your dog messing up the living room, don't let him in there." And don't bend the rules. If the dog is in a multi-person home, it's important that management be consistent, said Lee, explaining one person can't let the dog in the living room while another prevents it. That only causes confusion and misbehavior. "Set the rules and put them on the refrigerator," said Lee. "Everybody has to be on the same page." Ensuring a good fit between owner and dog begins before the pet is even purchased said Lee, who couldn't stress enough the importance of "doing your homework" before deciding on a breed. "Every breed is not for every person," she stated. "Families may base their choice of breed by a star on TV or what's popular and later they're surprised when the pup grows up and goes from cute to annoying." And more often than not, the annoying behavior the dog exhibits was trained by the owner without even realizing it, said Lee, explaining in these cases it's always the unwanted behavior that gets the attention instead of the wanted. "Hyper" dogs are a good example, she said. "When the owner tries to get the dog to sit he gets all the attention. And when the dog finally sits the owner ignores him. The dog has learned in order to get attention, he needs to be hyper." Unfortunately this "training" begins within the first month the dog is in his new home, said Lee, explaining the owners are thrilled to have this new bundle of fun to play with and love. But as time goes by the bundle becomes old hat and the owners aren't as excited to play with it every minute. Unfortunately this is the only way the dog knows to get the attention it needs. "Dogs are masters at training their owners," said Lee, noting untraining a hyperactive dog includes ignoring the pet when he's being active and rewarding him when he's lying down and being quiet. For other, more natural dog behaviors-such as digging-Lee takes another approach. "Don't scold the dog for doing what comes naturally," she said. "Instead set up an area in the yard where the dog can dig-his own garden-and praise him for digging in that area." Training a dog is not rocket science, admits Lee, but it does require a different way of thinking than most owners are used to. "Communication begins with understanding," Lee remarked. "Develop a good relationship based on trust and clearly defined boundaries." "Learn to replace I with We,'" she said. "Living with your dog should be a partnership, not a dictatorship. The information coming up the leash from the dog is just as important as what you're sending down." Training Means Commitment Just as children learn the alphabet by reciting it over and over again, dogs learn good behavior by repetition. For some pets it may take a month to learn a new command, for others, it may take a couple of weeks. But for both, repetition is key, said Lee, and that's as much a commitment on the owner's part as it is on the dog's. "So many times owners are at their wits' end," said Lee. "They've tried other techniques that have not been successful, but the best program in the world is useless if the owner is unwilling to carry it out." When the dog does something right, he should be rewarded with a treat, and that doesn't necessarily mean food, said Lee. It could be affection or a favorite toy, too. When the dog misbehaves or ignores a command, the owner should simply keep giving the command until the wanted behavior is given. "Control your dog mentally," said Lee, "not physically." Lee also reminds owners they should be realistic in their expectations. "Dogs aren't born with college educations," she said. "They have to be trained to be good citizens." Of course nobody learns when they're not paying attention, and the same is true for dogs, said Lee, noting the average dog's attention span is only that of an 18-month-old child. Therefore, several short training sessions will be far more productive than just one or two long sessions. A Lifelong Love Prompted to start a dog training school because of the "tremendous need," Lee was employed as a dog trainer by Ralston Purina Company for 11 years before she quit to start her own company. After hearing enough owners say, " I like my dog, but…," Lee decided it was time to help. "It became very apparent to me that there is a tremendous need for this type of service," said Lee. "The major problem people face with their dogs is bad manners within their home environment. For that reason, I decided to take my training service to the home, where behavior problems start. "Unfortunately too many dogs are given up to shelters largely due to the fact that their owners didn't have the knowledge, the time or my type of service available to them," she added. Although her work for Ralston taught her much about the different types of breeds, behavior modification and agility, Lee's love for the work actually began when she was just a young girl. "Training dogs has always been a lifelong love of mine," she remarked, recalling it was her mom who sparked her interest. "She bought me a Great Dane when I was 12," said Lee, who trained the pet and took her to animal shows. "Mom and I took her to obedience classes, and from there on , training dogs was a love of mine." And she's been singing the praises of dog training ever since. "Training not only makes life easier for everyone involved," said Lee, "it also gives the owner immediate control over any situation." For example, if the dog would run out into the street, the owner could better control the situation and most likely save the animal's life. "Statistics show puppies who receive early socialization and training are far less likely to be destroyed before they reach three years of age," said Lee. In that respect, training is not only a matter of keeping the peace, but of keeping a pet alive. To The Top © 2004 Pawsitive Home School Dog Training This site created by Innovative Connections