Training and pet negotiation without treats
Dear Cathy,
I just read recent your column “How to train your dog to be quiet despite doorbells, other noises” (Expressnews.com. Feb. 4). It’s a good approach. I would like to share another idea that worked for me.
I had a home-based business — a private dog play area and separate agility arena on my acreage — that resulted in people coming onto my property. My dogs barked to announce their arrival. I welcomed the alert but not the barking.
So when I noticed their ears perking up at the first sign of someone arriving, usually by car, I would say, “good alert” before they barked and reward them. In a short time, they learned barking wasn’t necessary.
I didn’t use food treats, as my dogs (border collies) were never particularly food-motivated. Karen Hunter, founder and former owner of Mega-dogs
Dear Karen,
As the owner of a former business that catered to dogs, you understand the key to training is to reward dogs for the behavior you want. This often means, though, you only have a second or two to catch them doing the right thing before they do the very thing you don’t want, which in this case was barking.
Training like this requires a highly attentive owner who can react at the precise moment. This is not easy since some dogs seem to alert and bark almost instantaneously. So kudos to you for catching them in the right moment.
There are different training methods, and sometimes you have to experiment to see what works best for your pet. For example, when I see something my pets really want to do and it causes no harm, I let them do it. But first, I train them not to do it so I can control when they do it.
Here are two instances where that worked for me. I trained a dog that loved to jump on visitors to jump on command. When the doorbell rang, I asked him to “jump” several times and then “sit” before I opened the door. Because he still got to do his “excited jumping,” he was content with greeting visitors on all four paws.
When another dog wanted to sleep on the couch, I taught him he could only get on the couch if there was a blanket on it. I would say, “Do you want to get on the couch? Wait, let me get your blanket.” Then I would say “up” and pat the couch.
Within a few days, he learned not to get on the couch unless there was a blanket on it. That’s a winwin. He gets to sleep on the couch, and I determine the when and how of it.
Thanks for sharing your tip. I always like to hear how people train (and negotiate with) their animal companions.
Send your pet questions, and stories to cathy@petpundit. com. You can read the Animals Matter blog at http://blog. mysanantonio.com/animals and follow her at @cathy mrosenthal.