Dog Ownership 101 - May/June 2016

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your giving them permission. This can be very dangerous and can even cause your pet to be run over if she is on the road at any time. It can be dangerous to you too because you might get pushed down the stairs or knocked over. Avoid possible accidents by educating your dog in the ‘Sit and Stay’ commands when you open and close your door. TEACH YOUR DOG THE ‘SIT AND 2 STAY’ COMMAND They should only move after you tell them it is ‘OK’ to. Once your dog understands Sit-Stay, it is simple to teach them the basics of door manners. Leash up your dog and use the training collar. Carefully fold the leash into your hand and walk to the door like you would when you let them out. Make sure there is only the lightest upward tension on the collar and tell them to stay while you open the door. Let go of the tension. The ultimate goal is for them to stay. If they lunge forward, tense the leash once again. Shut the door and repeat the process. Once your dog has learned to stay without pushing towards the door, go ahead and step through it. YOUR DOG WILL BEGIN TO CATCH 3 ON WITH PRACTICE If your dog tries to follow you, try pulling up on the leash to remind them they need to stay. Keep doing this until they don’t need anymore reminders. Go through the door, release the leash and allow her to follow you. You’ll begin to notice as you repeat this, they will start to understand what is happening and remain in place in their den until you make the command. Movement means more to your dog than an actual word, so be sure you keep still as you release the dog. It’s important to remember that you don’t want to create the connection of you moving during the dog’s release. They are also sensitive to amounts of time, so change up how quickly you release the dog. Decide whether you want to go through the door first or the dog, then practice that regularly. Every time you take control and make your dog stay, you cement your position as the alpha of the pack. TRY AN EXERCISE WITH YOUR 4 STAIRCASE Teach your dog to stay at the bottom of the stairwell as you walk up the staircase. Command the dog to sit and stay, then walk up a few stairs. If the dog is shadowing you up the stairs, walk it back down and repeat the command. Keep this going until you can make it to the top of the stairs with the dog not following. The dog will be antsy about being set free from its position and might not wait for you to give it the command to get up. It will take some time, but she will start off by staying briefly before choosing to release herself. Sometimes once the 58 DOG ownership 101 | MAY / JUNE 2016
dog grasps the concept it may begin immediately or over a period of time, but rest assured you will see it happening. Once you start seeing this, make sure you stop whatever you might be attending to and put her back by using the stairs, turning and counting to ten before releasing her. BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR DOG 5 FOR BEST RESULTS She must not begin the habit of releasing herself. The general idea of this, like any other exercise, is to be consistent. By doing so, the dog will understand that when the door is open it must sit and stay. If there is a knock on the front door, don’t count on the dog to stay cool, calm and collected. This is a prime barking opportunity for them. This is a good reaction for the dog to have if there is danger on the other side of that door, but if it’s your Grandmother you want the dog to relax before you open the door. TEACH YOUR DOG NOT TO BARK 6 AND RUSH TO THE DOOR Practice this scenario with your dog, by having someone knock on the door while you have your dog on a leash. Practice the sit and stay command with the dog. The dog needs to see this situation as realistic as possible, so don’t directly repeat this scenario over and over again. Ask your dog to wait until you open the front door. Begin to open it and when she predictably starts to get up, give a quick pull of the leash to reinforce the command Sit-Stay. If he or she is excitable, you may have to move up a ring on the training collar to get him or her to take you seriously. Finally, when you have the dog staying, open the door. WHAT TO YOU DO ONCE YOU 7 OPEN THE DOOR Your dog will want to greet the new visitor, but reinforce the Sit-Stay and have the visitor approach while holding out their hand in a friendly manner. Allow your dog to sniff your palm and then have the person helping ignore them. It may be necessary for you to be next to your dog in order to really drive the ‘Sit-Stay’ point home. Repeat as much as necessary until your dog is staying as you open the door. Be sure to release them. The key to successful training is the bond between the determined and the persistent and perhaps whose will is stronger. This methodology is the same for keeping your dog from pouncing on unsuspecting house guests. Follow the same progressions. Once it is repeated enough, your dog will be an old hand at ‘Sit-Stay.’ You are now ready to begin teaching your excitable dog how to take a chill pill. Keep in mind that consistency is the key here. You can allow your dog’s exuberance to come out while you play at the park or in the backyard, but teach your dog how to respond appropriately when it is time to calm down and listen. Best of luck training your dog! DOG ownership 101 | MAY / JUNE 2016 59
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