BUILDING TRUST

BUILDING TRUST
Picture your dog getting loose and chasing a cat across the road. Your heart is in your mouth because you are afraid a car might hit him. When he finally returns, you are angry and soundly scold him for chasing the cat and giving you such a scare.Here is how your dog looks at this situation. First, he chased the cat, which was a lot of fun. Then he came back to you and was reprimanded, which was no fun at all. What you wanted to teach him was not to chase the cat. What you actually taught him was that coming to you is unpleasant.
One of the commands you will want to teach Felix is to come when called. To be successful, remember this principle: Whenever your dog comes to you, be nice to him. Reward this behavior. No matter what your dog might have done, be pleasant and greet him with a kind word, a pat on the head, and a smile. Teach your dog to trust you by being a safe place for him. When he is with you, follows you, or comes to you, make him feel wanted.
When you call your dog to you and then punish him, you undermine his trust in you. When your dog comes to you voluntarily and gets punished, he associates being punished with coming to you.
You might ask “How can I be nice to my dog when he brings me the remains of one of my brand new shoes, or when he wants to jump on me with muddy paws, or when I just discovered an unwanted present on the carpet?” For the answers, you will have to read this book; it will show you how to deal with all these situations without undermining his trust in you.

Developmental periods

Developmental periods
As your puppy grows up, he will go through various developmental periods. These periods, in turn, influence how he responds to training.
The first major period that influences training occurs sometime between the fourth and eighth months, when your puppy realizes there is a big, wide world out there. Up to now, chances are the puppy followed your every footstep and perhaps even willingly came to you every time you called him. But now he wants to do his own thing—investigate a scent, follow a trail, chase a butterfly, whatever. He is maturing and cutting the apron strings. This is normal behavior. Your puppy is not being spiteful or disobedient, he’s just becoming an adolescent.
While Felix is going through this phase, it is best to keep him on leash or in a confined area until you have taught him to come when called. Otherwise, not coming when called will become an annoying and potentially dangerous habit.
Once it becomes an established behavior, it will be difficult to change, so prevention is the best cure. Chapter 9 explains how to teach your dog to come when called
Under no circumstances should you chase after your dog, as he will think you are playing his game. Instead, run the other way and try to get him to chase you. If that does not work, kneel down and pretend you have found something extremely interesting on the ground, hoping your dog’s curiosity will make him come to you. If you do have to go to your dog, approach slowly until you can calmly take him by the collar.
The need to socialize
Your dog is a social animal. To become an acceptable pet, he needs to interact with you, your family, and other humans, as well as dogs. If denied that chance, his behavior around other people or dogs may be unpredictable, either fearful or aggressive. For example, unless he regularly meets children during this period, he may not be trustworthy around them, especially when he feels cornered. Your puppy needs the opportunity to meet and to have positive experiences with those people who will play a role in his life. If you are a grandparent whose
grandchildren occasionally visit, have your puppy meet children as often as possible.If you live by yourself, make an effort to let your puppy meet other people, especially friends and members of the opposite sex. Interacting with other dogs on a regular basis as he is growing up is equally important.
If you plan to take Felix on family outings or vacations, get him used to riding in a car. Time spent on socializing now is worth the effort in making your puppy a well-adjusted companion. Puppyhood is short and goes by quickly, so use this time wisely.

WHEN TO BEGIN TRAINING

WHEN TO BEGIN TRAINING
Whether your dog is a puppy, an adolescent, or an adult dog, start training him now. There is no truth in the saying “Old dogs can’t learn new tricks”—it just takes longer. For a puppy, the ideal time to begin training is at 7 weeks of age. Your puppy is most receptive to training during an 8-week window from 7 to 16 weeks.
You will be amazed at the ease and speed with which a puppy learns. The longer you wait, the harder the job will become. Make the most of the available time now!
During this period your puppy is capable of learning far more than you will teach him. What the puppy learns now he will remember for the rest of his life.
His brain is the same size as that of an adult dog; he lacks only the experience and motor coordination of an adult dog.
We know what you’re thinking: “I have plenty of time. I can wait until he’s 6 months to a year old. Let him enjoy his puppyhood.” While you may have the best of intentions, your thinking is flawed. Why? There are three reasons:
1. Your puppy is going to learn many things while he is growing up, with or without your involvement. Some of the behaviors he will probably learn are the very ones you don’t want him to do as an adult dog; for example, dashing outside, pulling on the leash, not coming when called, and jumping on people. The more ingrained these behaviors become, the greater the
difficulty in eliminating them.
2. Learning at this stage is perhaps even more important than any specific commands you want to teach Felix. Future lessons you want your dog to learn are easier to teach to a dog who had some training as a puppy.
Besides, puppies like to learn, and your puppy will look forward to his training sessions.
3. Puppies are physically easier to manipulate than grown dogs. Again, you don’t have much time—at 7 months of age dogs reach about 70 percent of their full size.

Why Train Your Dog and When to Start

Trained dogs are “free” dogs. They are welcome almost anywhere because
they behave themselves around people and other dogs, they stay when told,
and they come when called. They are a pleasure to take for a walk and can
be let loose for a romp in the park. They can be taken on trips and family outings.
They are members of the family in every sense of the word.

2 What All Good Dogs Should Know
On the other hand, untrained dogs have few, if any, privileges. When guests come,
they are locked away because they are too unruly. When the family sits down to
eat, they are locked up or put outside because of begging at the table. They are
never allowed off leash because they don’t come when called. Nobody wants to
take them for a walk because they pull, and family outings with such a nuisance
are unimaginable.
Your dog—for simplicity, we call him Felix throughout this book—has a life
expectancy of 8 to 16 years. Now is the time to ensure that these years are going
to be mutually rewarding. For your sanity and his safety, train your dog. Teach
him what every good dog should know.
WHAT IS A GOOD DOG?
Many dog books tell you that dogs are loyal, obedient, trustworthy, good with children,
born protectors, and wonderful companions. Most dogs have the potential to
be great pets, but few are born that way. Almost all require some training to bring
out the best in them.
A good dog should:
• Be housetrained.
• Come when called.
• Have no bad habits.
• Stay when told.
• Not pull when taken for a walk.
Depending on your dog and what you expect from him, he may need training
in just a few of these areas or in all five.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN TRAINING?
It may come as a surprise to you, but your dog’s ancestors were bred for their ability
to do a particular job well. Looks were considered coincidental. How readily
you can train your dog to fit into your lifestyle depends on the job for which he
was bred. For example, a dog bred for guarding is easier to train to stay on the
property than a dog bred for hunting.
Today, most owners—and we suspect you did, too—choose their pets on the
basis of appearance—“What a cute puppy!” But when you selected your dog, did
you consider how the instincts for which he was selectively bred over the course
of countless generations would affect his behavior as an adult?
Fortunately, some of these instincts are the very ones that endear the dog to you
and make him such a good pet—the legendary protectiveness of children, the
warning bark when a stranger comes on the property, the friendly greeting when
you come home, and the comfort he provides in times of sorrow. Characteristics
of specific breeds, such as the Newfoundland’s rescue instincts, the Bernese Mountain
Dog’s willingness to pull a cart, the terrier’s untiring playfulness, and the
Labrador’s eagerness to retrieve for his master, are equally appealing.
However, other instinctive behaviorsget the dog into trouble. A dog bred for guarding who does his job too well maybe accused of being vicious; one bred for herding may be chastised for chasing children, joggers, bicycles, and cars;and the hunting dog may be reprimanded for pulling on the leash when following a scent. Only the lap dog can get away with almost anything.