Training makes the difference between whether your new dog becomes pure pleasure or a perpetual pain. It influences your dog’s daily attitude and behavior.
The best thing you can do to increase Spot’s confidence is let him know you approve of him. Conversely, the worst thing you can do is constantly berate him. That’s why simple training is so essential. It teaches Spot how to earn your approval and makes living with him a pleasure. And, as a side benefit, it gets him accustomed to looking toward you for leadership; over and over, day after day. This develops his natural instinct to please and helps make his bad habits fade away.
Obedience School
Obedience schools teach people how to train their dogs, so it would be ideal if every new dog owner and their pet signed up for an eight-week or ten-week course. Veterinarians often know where such classes are held or you can look them up in the yellow pages of your telephone directory or in the classified section of your newspaper. For more on obedience classes, see Competitive Events for All Dogs.
Of course, the ideal isn’t always possible due to busy schedules, finances, and other considerations. If you can’t attend classes, you can still teach your dog good manners by educating him on your own schedule. Here’s how:
Reliable and Carefree: The "Come!" Command
The most important response Spot will ever learn is to come immediately when called. A reliable reaction to the “Come” command saves dogs’ lives and makes life with a dog much easier.
Before Spot can learn to come when called, he has to learn what “Come” means. Decide how you want to call Spot and then always use the same word or words. If you use “Come” one time, "Here boy” the next and “Over here” after that, Spot may come in response to all these commands if your tone is inviting enough, but he won’t learn the meaning of the command.
After you decide how to call Spot, use the command frequently. One of the reasons many grown dogs respond to the word “Sit” more readily than they do to the “Come” command, is because their owners use the “Sit” command much more often. Nowhere is the old saying, “practice makes perfect” more true than in dog training. So look for excuses to call Spot, and play calling games with him.
Bribery works best when teaching Spot what “Come” means. Introduce the command “Come” at feeding time, by saying his name, followed by “Come” in a happy voice—“Spot, Come!” Show Spot his dinner dish, and when he follows you and the dish a few steps, praise him and let him eat. Repeat this easy conditioning lesson every time you feed him.
Many dogs love to chase, and you can use that instinct to your advantage. Always move away from Spot when teaching him to come. In the beginning, call him only when you know he’ll want to come—not when he’s eating dinner, playing with a toy, or enjoying another person’s company. Start by touching Spot playfully, then say “Spot, Come,” and run away a few steps while bending, clapping, and talking happily to encourage him to reach you quickly. Let him catch you, play with him a few seconds, then call him and run off as before. Three or four times is enough. Always quit while Spot is still having fun. Too much practice will bore him.
Your whole family can have fun with “Come” games. Two of you can go to either end of a room and call him back and forth. When he arrives, reward him with praise and a tidbit. Dogs love to find people, so games of hide and seek work great. Children can hide behind a chair or a door and call Spot happily and often until he finds them. Then they should celebrate by petting and hugging him and possibly giving him a little treat for being such a splendid detective. The more places the children hide, the better time Spot will have, as long as the children are upbeat and patient.
Your new dog may be insecure in strange places unless he is close to you, at least for a couple of weeks. Use his insecurity to your advantage to help you instill the “Come” command. If you or one of your friends has a large, fenced yard, allow Spot to explore off lead. While he examines a flower, hide behind a tree or around the side of the house. Then call him cheerfully. Praise him enthusiastically as he heads in your direction and celebrate when he finds you.
Another conditioning trick that works well in a large, fenced area is to suddenly turn and walk in a different direction when Spot is investigating out ahead of you. After going a few steps, call him in a normal happy tone (not very excitedly as you aren’t hiding), and don’t miss a beat in continuing to walk away from him. The slower he responds, the faster you should move away. When he arrives by your side, welcome him casually and continue walking. The next time he moves away from you, do it all over again.
Wait until Spot is used to walking on a lead before practicing the “Come” command outdoors in a suburban or city neighborhood. Then, when Spot is walking beside you nicely on a loose lead, call him and start walking or running backward. Cheer Spot on as he chases you, and reward him with play, praise, and sometimes a treat, when you let him catch you.
OBEDIENCE HELPS ECO START OVER
Trained to bring honor to his owner as a stylish, productive Pointer, elegant Eco did his job well. He also lived the life many successful Pointers with wealthy owners experience—wintering in a southern state while perfecting his performance with the help of an expert professional trainer.
At the start of spring when he was going on four, Eco arrived home from Texas with some problems. The pro said he lacked endurance. In fact, he got tired so quickly the trainer recommended a medical evaluation. Eco’s owner complied, and the results showed that the dog had a sporadic heart beat during physical exercise or mental stress. His heart skipped a beat at times, and nothing could be done about it.
Eco’s owner had no use for a Pointer that couldn’t hunt, and wanted to find a new home for the dog. Michelle Knefelkamp, of Houlton, Wisconsin, an Obedience and Agility instructor, offered temporary foster care. With her many contacts in the dog world, she was sure she could find a good home for Eco. Michelle knew the Pointer well because she worked with horses on the same farm where he was kenneled. She had always admired handsome Eco, but she already had two Brittanies and didn’t want a third dog.
That was four years ago and Michelle still has three dogs. "I couldn’t give him up,” she says, “And I'll probably never foster a dog again because I’m such a softie.”
Bringing a four-year-old kennel dog into a home with a reluctant husband, a young son, two other dogs, and some cats wasn’t easy. When the decision was made to keep Eco, the Knefelkamps had him neutered and worked on his house manners. Although the Pointer persisted in lifting his leg in the basement (where the cement floor probably reminded him of his kennel) for longer than the family would have liked, eventually he overcame it.
Surprisingly, Eco showed no evidence of his heart problem while living a house dog’s life. He played outdoors, ran with his Brittany buddies, and hung out with Michelle when she worked in the garden, all with no signs of fatigue.
After they had Eco for six months, Ken Knefelkamp decided to try him in the field. That was the last time he was indifferent about the Pointer. “My husband almost dropped his jaw the first time he saw Eco on point,” Michelle said. “Eco is so intense, so sure, and so truly awesome in a hunting situation, he took Ken’s breath away.” The first try was four years ago, and since then Ken has successfully hunted with Eco many times. He limits their time in the field to two hours and the Pointer has shown no signs of fatigue.
This was not so in obedience class. Being part of a class full of people and strange dogs seemed to stress Eco so much that he couldn’t even focus. Insecure and irresponsive, he crept behind Michelle and couldn’t be enticed to heel beside her, not even for bribes like hot dogs, cheese, or tennis balls. Meanwhile he did the whole lesson beautifully at home, heeling smartly and responding to praise, food, or toys.
Michelle solved the problem by taking Eco along to the obedience classes she taught and letting him lay down in the middle of the ring and watch the other dogs perform. Desensitizing him to crowds of strange dogs worked. By the time his own class was ready to graduate, he had overcome his lack of socialization and performed happily and accurately. Now Michelle occasionally uses him as a demo-dog when she teaches.
Eco has come a long way but he’ll always have some idiosyncrasies. On the plus side, he’s a superb watchdog, and Michelle says she feels quite safe with him waiting behind the front door at the end of their long driveway. But lack of early socialization still shows up in a few areas, and the Knefelkamps have adjusted by taking precautions in these areas. For example, Eco distrusts strangers and must be introduced to them gradually. The Knefelkamps accomplish this by putting the Pointer in the basement when company arrives. After fifteen minutes or so of getting used to the strange voices, the dog is allowed to join the party. By then he affectionately asks for his share of attention. Another idiosyncrasy that could stem from lack of puppy socialization is that while Eco is good with the Knefelkamp’s son Aaron, they sense that he may not be trustworthy with other children. To be sure rather than sorry, they crate Eco when Aaron’s friends visit. Aaron’s toys also show evidence of an Eco peculiarity. All the stuffed animals are bald. While Eco never destroys them, he shreds out every single hair.
Are bald toys and a few adjustments worth the effort? “Yes,” agree the Knefelkamps. “All in all, Eco is a success story,” Michelle says. “I often catch Ken and Eco wrestling on the couch or taking a nap together. We’re all glad Eco came into our lives.”
The Bold and the Bashful
There is no way your dog can come and still be wrong, but some responses are more desirable than others. When you call Spot, if he comes bounding over eagerly, with his tail wagging his whole body, hug him and tell yourself how lucky you are.
If Spot saunters slowly toward you, vary your actions upon his arrival. Sometimes hug and praise him. Other times, give him a treat. About half the time, just give him a joyful pat, then turn and run away from him while calling him on the fly. Soon he’ll join in the fun by coming to your call with more enthusiasm.
It’s bashful Spot, the dog that lowers his body and kind of creeps toward you that needs more help. He may become even more submissive when he reaches you, keeping his head down and possibly rolling over and presenting his belly.
Don’t rub that vulnerable belly to reassure Spot. Reassuring him is a mistake because it praises his submissive behavior. Instead, use the same happy talk you would use if he were an outgoing dog, but kneel down when he reaches you and cup his face in your hands. Tickle Spot under the chin. Get him to reach up for a treat. That encourages him to keep his head up and prevents him from lying down or rolling over. Don’t despair over Spot’s bashful behavior. Once he feels secure, bashful Spot may become bolder.
Don't Trash Your Training
After teaching Spot to come happily when called, don’t erase your work by becoming lazy and calling him when you want to push a pill down his throat or chastise him for stealing your shoe. Always go to Spot for the unpleasantries, and keep his “Comes” carefree.
