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Basic Obedience and Your Therapy
Animal
Training Tips by Paulette Bethel
Whether you are training your dog for competition or for better
control around the house, there are certain procedures that,
when followed, make that training easier to accomplish.
What do we mean by "obedience" in the context of a therapy
animal? Basically, obedience, for our purposes, means that our
animals are calm, friendly and controllable. Predictability,
controllability and reliability, plus an attitude that inspires
confidence in others, are qualities the Delta Animal Evaluators
look for when they test your animal during the Pet Partners®
Skills Test. It is necessary that your dog greet a stranger
quietly, preferably sitting. Your dog needs to walk calmly at
your side on a fairly loose lead and be willing to be touched
thoroughly by a stranger.
Your animal should exhibit no aggression when it encounters
another animal that is neutral (passive) with its handler.
Some of these things can be a challenge for a young, outgoing
dog who enjoys interacting with people and other animals. You
need to understand how to encourage your dog in positive
behavior while simultaneously discouraging negative or
inappropriate behavior without having to be harsh or physically
punish your dog.
This article outlines some basic obedience skills that can help
you achieve that goal. I will discuss some methods to
communicate with your dog in such a way as to encourage and
help your dog understand what you want.
Communication
So, communication becomes the first order of business for dog
training. How do you communicate with your animal so that it
understands what it is you are attempting to teach it? I use
small pieces of food to show my dog what I want from her. I
move the food to encourage her to attain the position I want
and then I reward her with the food when she has achieved my
goal.
Consistency
The second thing that is imperative for effective dog training
is consistency. If I ask for a sit by repeating the word "sit"
and showing the dog what "sit" means with food, and then
rewarding the dog when its rear hits the ground, I have made
inroads into teaching my dog to sit. However, if I use a
different word, or say the same word several times, or fail to
let my dog know when it has achieved my desire, then I wind up
frustrated, my dog is unhappy because it knows it hasn't done
something (it's not sure what), and I am in a lose-lose
situation.
Timing
The third component that is very important to animal training
is timing. When I tell my dog to sit, I show my dog, by lifting
its head, that I want is its bottom to hit the ground, I
immediately give it praise just as its bottom hits the ground.
Then I have timed my positive reinforcement so that it has
meaning to my dog.
Right Equipment
Equipment is necessary in order to train an animal. With dog
training the usual equipment is a collar and a leash. Some of
you prefer a harness to work your dog, but for training
purposes, using a collar makes it easier to communicate to your
dog what you are attempting to teach it. There are several
collars that make training a little easier: slip collars (choke
chains) made of metal, nylon or leather; prong or pinch collars
or fur savers (a type of slip collar for coated dogs). Also you
need a good leash (I prefer leather because it is easier on my
hands) and some kind of a motivator. A motivator is anything
that causes your dog to understand that you are happy with what
he has done. I use food, such as sliced hot dogs or liver bait,
and a toy, usuallly a tennis ball. The motivator is used to
lure your dog into the desired position and then to reward it
for achieving that position.
It is also important to know how and when to use correction. A
correction is not punishment or pain, it is the level of
compulsion necessary to get your dog's attention.The amount of
compulsion needed may increase as the level of distraction
increases. The following is a modification of the Volhard
Canine Personality Quiz. Its main benefit is to tell you in a
little more detail what you already probably know about your
dog. High numbers in the prey and pack categories are ideal for
obedience, but how you praise and correct the dog depends on
the defense drive (fight or flight) scores.
Prey drive represents a dog's inclination and ability to hunt.
Things like pouncing on toys, tearing toys apart, chasing cats,
stealing food, barking in excitement, jumping, shaking toys,
digging, burying, etc. are behaviors associated with prey
drive. In training, a dog with strong prey drive will be
motivated by toys and treats.
Pack drive represents a dog's social life. Mounting other dogs,
cuddling, playing with other dogs, liking to groom or be
groomed, liking people a lot, being unhappy when left
alone--these are all pack behaviors.
The fight or flight drive represents how a dog will deal with
stress. It is be harder to train a dog that responds to a
correction by flight. This also indicates how dog-aggressive
and people-aggressive a dog is.
by -
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