Whips, chains, and leather collars (Dog Training Techniques)

Member Name: cbpotts

Product:	Dog Training Techniques
Date:	19/09/01 (537 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: provides for a calm, serene household and people will still want to visit

Disadvantages: they never really do learn to make coffee or clean house :(

Whips, chains, leather and collars

Yes, this opinion is about heaving chests, big doe eyes staring back at you, nibbles, bites, chains, leather and more. However, for all you sick perverts who think I'm talking about S&M, feel free to leave a VU and depart the opinion now, because this has nothing to do with bondage. In fact, I was half tempted to title the opinion Of Canine Bondage but didn't want the animal rights protection groups after me.

Two weeks ago my husband and I embarked on the adventure of dog ownership. Doug's always been a dog fan but I've owned cats ever since I've been on my own. I'm used to their quiet, independent ways and actually enjoy the fact that they don't want attention or fussing 24x7. So, Doug's enthusiasm was tempered by my anxiety over the life-change that this beast would bring.

For those who are looking into owning a dog, there are a few things to know that relate directly to training.

First, research the type of dog you are getting. Believe it or not, some are more intelligent than others. For instance, German shepherds and Labrador retrievers are smart. Irish setters and dalmations are dumb as rocks; wonderful dogs; but pretty stupid. Ours, the golden retriever is a medium smart dog, but just as importantly, has an intense desire to please its owner.

Second, make the commitment to take the time to train your dog. One of the main reasons we decided to get ours now is that I don't have a job at the moment so I am home all day. Puppies get destructive when they're bored. Our last attempt to own a dog (a black lab mutt) was a disaster because we both worked fulltime. The poor animal was stuck in a small room for 10 or more hours a day. I never realized that a dog would eat the plaster off a wall when it's bored or dig craters in the yard when there wasn't anything else to do. Then, when we finally came home from work and were e
xhausted and worn out, she was ready to take us on.

So, here we were, educated on dog breeds after many hours of watching Animal Planet and reading at the library, and knowing that one of us had the time and willingness to commit to training our new family member. Enter Bailey, golden retriever puppy (see gbopotts' profile for a picture of our little one).

Now that we've had Bailey for two weeks, I'm fairly positive that she is under the impression that her name is actually "Stop That," or "No," because those are the most commonly used words in her direction. Even so, considering that she was nine weeks old yesterday, the amount of learning that she has already accomplished is commendable. She will sit on command, come when called, let go of items when asked and has most recently began letting me know when she needs to go out to pee, or otherwise (thank God, thank God, thank God!). Impressive, no? I thought so too. All this has been done without one spanking. We decided from the start that we would never lift a hand to her so I'd like to share with you our methods.


1. It's never too early to start. We began training Bailey almost immediately after we got her as a result of something my brother said regarding disciplining his son. It's easy to stop bad habits when they're 15 pounds than when they're 70. As long as we remain consistent on Bailey's rules and training, the groundwork we lay now will last a lifetime.

2. Have treats with you at all times. Both the come and sit commands were accomplished because Bailey receives a small treat every time she does either. We also praise her with "good girl" and a lot of petting, but I have a feeling that feeding her face is her favorite reward.

3. Provide plenty of diversions. A dog's baby teeth hurt. That's just a fact of life. They're needle sharp and puppies love to use any human body p
art as a teething ring. I on the other hand, am not fond of being used as a teething ring so I've attempted to put a stop to it. This is where the word "stop it" comes in handy. When said firmly in a low voice, it *usually* has gets her mouth separated from our fingers for about 5 minutes. When that doesn't work, holding her muzzle closed firmly for 5 seconds, meeting her gaze and saying "stop it" firmly does.

A pre-emptive solution is to provide other diversions. Our floors are littered with chew toys of all shapes, colors and sizes. When we're on the floor playing with Bailey, we have a toy handy. If our fingers end up in her mouth, we shove a toy in instead and she's just as happy.

I've never had much tolerance for people who bring small children with them while they shop and then get irritated when the children get bored. I don't like being in stores for very long and I'm an adult. Why would anyone expect a child's attention to be held very long in a place where they're not allowed to touch, talk, play or even rant and rave? It's the same with puppies. The only time they don't need to be stimulated is when they're asleep.

4. If you're going to allow them to play tug-of-war, they've got to learn "let go." Goldens are retrievers. We read lots of books that told us it was importantly not to play tug-of-war with these dogs because when it came time for them to retrieve that prize goose that you've shot down you'd end up playing tug-of-war with its head in your hands and the body in their teeth. We have no desire to hunt with Bailey, but understood the need to make sure she knew when to let go after she fetched our slippers, the paper or the morning coffee. So, once again, with treats in hand, we began the process of using the words "let go" to attain that result. Food is an excellent motivator (and Bailey IS a female after all&
#8230;it's a pity that chocolate isn't good for dogs or we could probably get her to do anything with it).

5. Potty training. The peeing on the floor thing has been the hardest to train Bailey off of. Granted, it's probably for the same reason that toddlers don't like to be potty trained and hold off as long as possible. The convenience of being able to go wherever and whenever they please is a hard freedom to lose. However, unless we plan on becoming a stockholder in a carpet cleaning business, we were dedicated to the job of teaching her to let us know when she needed to go out. One of the reasons it has taken so long is our fault. We have made it a habit of taking her out through the back door, which is far away from the rooms we spend most of our time. She could be doing a tap dance back there with a top hat and cane and we'd never see or hear her. So, within the last few days, I have begun taking her out through the front door instead, a door that is visible from the living room and library. Since then she has stood in front of that door every time she has needed to relieve herself and the carpets are saved.

6. Never give up. I've been attempting to teach Bailey how to retrieve items I throw. It's been a frustrating experience. Most of the time she watches my hand and misses the fact that the ball's no longer in it. She looks at me with this silly, loving grin, wondering if I've just suffered some sort of spasm (yes, I throw like a typical female). Other times she'll go bounding after the ball or stick and settle down with it for a good chew session. However, few and far between are those times that she picks up the ball and brings it back to me. Those times are treat and praise filled so I'm sure that soon she'll be retrieving in true Golden style.

I hope these simple, easy methods of training a dog have proven helpful. As Bailey grows and learns, I'll update this op to
let you know how her progress is proceeding. She is proof that having a well trained dog is possible to anyone if they're willing to take the time and have the patience to make it happen.

Summary: