My Pet Community — Pet Training
How to Speak “Dog” Cornerstone Dog Training Tips by Jason Robbins
—Resident Submission
Communicating with your dog in a positive and effective way is easier than people think. I’m here to show you how! My name is Jason and I’ve been he’s doing something undesirable them. They begin to learn that they can training dogs for years. For me, dogs (such as chewing the table leg for ex- maintain their freedom as long as they bring so much love and friendship to ample). You want to respond by walk- don’t do the unwanted behavior. life and my passion is to help dog owning towards them — they sense you are This is the key to training a well-beers have a better relationship with their taking up their space (proximal pres- haved dog! Grant freedom as they earn furry friends. If I could save all the hurt sure). The faster you walk towards it. More freedom requires more reand heartache that comes from lack of them, the greater the “pressure.” sponsibility, so you must allow them to communication between dog owners But applying pressure is not earn it by proving that they will behave and their pets, my mission would be enough! There has to be a release! So appropriately with the current freeaccomplished! the key is, once you get their attention dom they have. In this example, that Dogs understand pressure and and they stop the bad behavior, re- freedom is physical space (and it’s a release — it’s how they communicate lease the pressure and give them their BIG one for dogs). This is especially imboundaries. There are many ways space again. portant with puppies. It is best to start that dogs use If they go out by restricting their space because pressure with right back to they are not capable of handling it yet. each other, chewing on the Too much freedom for a dog will end from growls table leg, you poorly. Far too many people give their and nips to take another puppies the world to roam around in, full-on fightstep toward and then discover that they’ve created ing. For us, them. This lets a monster. we can use a them know you But dogs can always be trained by leash (easiest don’t like what talking to them in their language. So and most they’re doing even if your dog is older and still does common), and are going unwanted behavior, don’t give up on but our dogs to assert your them! Apply pressure and release aren’t always dominance by taking up their space. principles, and be sure to look for dog on leashes. When the puppy stops to look up at trainers who understand this as well. This is where proximal pressure you, step back and release the pres- Patience and consistency will always comes in handy! Proximal pressure is sure. Repeat as needed. win out with a dog, no matter how stuball about space: the space around you Let’s compare this to a more typi- born they seem. and around them. What does a dog do cal scenario. An owner notices an unwhen it enters a new room? They walk wanted behavior, and they go over to Write an article for the magazine! around the entire room and check out the puppy and maybe grab them, or See linktr.ee/mcusf for details. every inch and corner! They think to pick them up and move them, or stand themselves “okay, if this is my space to there and talk at them while shaking take care of then I gotta know what’s in their finger “no, no, no! Don’t do that! here: every smell, every person - I gotta Bad!” Etc. etc. know it all!” The owner has applied extreme In short, space matters to them. pressure (likely more than needed), To use proximal pressure and rebut even worse, has maintained the lease effectively, we need to underpressure by standing in the dog’s space, stand that dogs are a lot like teenaggrabbing it, and talking over it. The dog ers. They push back against pressure! is confused. “What’s wrong? I stopped, (Thank goodness teenagers don’t read I stopped!” he thinks. When we apply magazines…) pressure by stepping into their space, This is useful for those moments and they stop to recognize that preswhen your dog is not on a leash and sure, our backing away is a reward to
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