Dog has a taste for shoelaces
We have a young dog that bites at our shoelaces when we put our shoes on. He knows commands like sit and stay. When he is faced with shoelaces, his good behaviour goes out the window. How can we get his obedience to work in real life?
Standard obedience focuses on skill-building first, as it should. Once dogs have a solid understanding of the basic version of the skill, transition to distraction training.
Start by adopting a basic training rule: Never try to train when your brain is distracted. Teaching is a skill, not an afterthought.
Temporarily prevent the dog from engaging in problem behaviour. Put them away or have family members supervise. We don’t want the dog rehearsing undesirable behaviour. The more the dog chases laces, the more fun the dog has and the more they will do it in the future.
Instead create “set-ups.” These scenarios mimic real life, but are structured. At a convenient time, get some shoes and treats. Bring out the shoe. Ask the dog to sit and stay. Reward the dog for staying. If the dog gets up, put the shoe away. Then try again. Continue with this exer- cise until the dog learns that they ought to sit at the sight of the shoe.
As the dog becomes proficient, make distractions more difficult. Try putting the shoe on. Work gradually toward moving laces, flicking them about and tying them up. Pay quickly and generously during training. Many dogs have long, solid sit-stays when nothing else is going on. When faced with distractions, it’s important to start back up from the bottom by feeding quickly.
Finally, move into real life. Set aside extra time when you’re ready to leave in order to teach. Continue rewarding until the new behaviour is habitual. Our puppy is 10 weeks old and struggling with house-training. We find we have to watch her continuously as she doesn’t ask to go out. Please help us get our dog house-trained.
Puppies, on average, develop good bladder and bowel control around 16 weeks of age. However, you can bet that many people will claim their dog learned much sooner. Many will brag about it at every opportunity. Families then feel their dog is slow to learn, when that’s not the case at all.
It’s similar to parents of young children pointing out their toddler’s early achievements. The people whose children are normal become worried that something might be wrong. Unrealistic pressure and expectations are in fact the issue.
Begin by reaffirming the family’s commitment to supervision. Use a crate for times when the dog cannot be supervised. Make sure that crate use is age appropriate. Close doors to limit the amount of space a puppy has to roam. Baby gates can also prevent puppies from walking away in a moment of lax supervision.
Consistently take the dog out. Use a timer as a reminder if it helps. Every day or two, set the clock for 15 minutes longer. We want the puppy to learn to hold their bladder for longer, but still reasonable periods of time. Do make exceptions if you see them drinking extra water or showing signs they need to go.
Go outside with the puppy on leash. Wait for them to go. When they do, reward them as soon as they finish. This teaches dogs to go first and play second.
In the meantime, if the dog is caught having an accident in the house, stay calm. Scoop them up and take them out. Then reaffirm, again, to supervise.
House-training is about rewarding what you like and preventing what you don’t like. Yvette Van Veen is an animal behaviour consultant and Canada’s first tested and certified PCT-A. Write her at advice@awesomedogs.ca