Our theme for the week is channeling energy and self-control. We have started our week out with a lot of work on name recognition and attention work. It seems so simple to teach a dog their name but the trick comes in having a dog enthusiastically respond to their name no matter what is going on around them. It's easy to get caught in a trap of repeatedly calling a dog's name before the dog ever looks at you or using the dog's name in a stern tone. We want to make sure Mollie has a really positive association with her name so you can get her attention no matter what is going on around her. I start out in a low distraction environment simply saying her name and giving her a treat. When she starts to turn her head when she hears her name, I change the criteria and wait for her eye contact. When she looks me in the eye, she gets rewarded. As she gets better, I'll start to add in more distractions. I'm going to be careful to only say her name once. If she doesn't give me eye contact when I say her name, I follow through with her by making noise, tapping her on the side, moving away from her, or wiggling a treat under her nose.
Mollie is learning to sit for things that she wants. She is sitting for her meals, going outside, playing with the other dogs, playing with me, coming back inside, clipping the leash on her collar, and getting pets from people. This teaches her some self-control and helps her regard people as the leaders in the pack.
Because of her age and the fact that she is teething, Mollie needs plenty to chew on. When she is chewing on a chew toy, I am gently stroking her and telling her what a good girl she is. I want her to get a lot of praise for chewing on appropriate items. If she does chew on furniture, rugs, etc. I redirect her to one of her toys. I interrupt her by saying "ah ah ah" while clapping my hands. No need to do it loudly, you can just use a normal tone of voice. When she stops, I praise her and give her a chew toy. If she does this several times and continues to chew inappropriately despite interruption, a quick time-out is in order. Time-outs are just a few minutes in a confined area (like a crate). If she is quiet, she can be released from the crate. She's very good in the crate so I haven't had to wait for her to quiet down before releasing her.
Mollie is doing pretty well with the other dogs in the house (in particular, Sinbad, pictured above). She plays well with them and listens well if they grumble under their breath to her. The times when she needs intervention is when the older dog is not setting boundaries for her. Sometimes a dog will just try to ignore the puppy which usually leads to her demand barking to get them to play with her. If my dogs don't say anything to her, I interrupt this behavior ("ah ah ah" while clapping my hands). If she doesn't listen after several attempts to interrupt, a quick time-out in the crate is warranted. If timed well, this gives her the clear instruction that she no longer gets to play if she continues with that behavior. Her reward for being quiet is the chance to play again.
And Mollie needs plenty of playtime. She is a busy girl and it's hard for her to show self-control if she has some pent up energy. Today is was raining so hard so we had to look for alternatives indoors. Teaching a dog new tricks or doing things with them where they have to think will help burn off some of that energy. I like to use puzzles that are made for dogs to help with this. These puzzles make the dog think and problem solve in order to find the hidden treats. Mollie loved this game! I also play a lot of fetch indoors on days like this. If she seems to be a mischievous mood, playing a game of tug or fetch with her is a great way to channel some of that energy. She is more than happy to practice walking on a leash or working on some of her other skills too. Mollie needs things to do otherwise she will find her own entertainment...and that's usually not a good thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment