Let your puppy or dog eat in peace. You may have heard somewhere that you should be petting her, sticking your hand in the bowl, or even taking it away, just to show that you “own” it. These are all not only extremely annoying and stressful (has a server ever whisked away a dish before you were finished?), but worse, may teach a dog that you cannot be trusted around his food. This is how resource guarding often starts.

We all have situations where our dog has learned the rules (we think), then one day violates them. Counter-surfing leaps to mind first, but there are many others. If Frodo is standing up at counters and tables to see what’s up there and has already managed to grab something delicious—or even a paper napkin that started a chase —don’t blame the dog.

Good behavior is not so much about responding to commands. As you have probably noticed, commands and cues don’t work well whenever a dog is scared, anxious, over-aroused or over-excited. That’s because emotions block thinking. This is when you need to change emotional responses in order to improve behavior— not work harder at obedience.

In my last post, the importance of timing treats was discussed in the context of calling your dog to you. . . . Here are two more situations where good timing makes all the difference.

Some people believe their dogs are being “manipulative” or mercenary, saying “She’ll only do it when I have treats.” But timing is everything, and showing treats at the wrong time means you probably won’t get a response *without* showing the food first.

Contrary to the old-school focus on commands and obedience, it’s not always necessary to tell your dog what to do. Automatic, volunteered behaviors (Defaults) are an important feature of a well-behaved dog, and ideally they start in puppyhood. But don’t stop reading if your dog is all grown up and not very polite. It’s not too late!

People who are new to clicker training often believe that a Good Girl or Good Boy will work just as well as clicks and treats. While praise can be great for maintaining an existing skill, the click (or verbal marker) is simply the smartest, fastest way to teach new skills and cues. And dogs love it!

Occasionally I’m asked to teach a dog to heel. It could be a puppy or a dog that’s reactive or one who’s just pulling too much. As a way of walking together, the preferred alternative to heeling—for many years now—is loose-leash walking.

The first several weeks after taking your new dog/puppy home are a period of adjustment that can be joyful but also somewhat stressful —and not just for you.

Everybody wants a well-behaved dog. But contrary to the general perception, that doesn’t require obedience training. In fact, there’s a much better way to teach your dog to behave nicely. 

Are you among those dog people who complain that their dog comes “only when she/he feels like it.” Let’s look at  the most common reasons why Barley or Baxter may not come reliably when called—and what to do instead of getting frustrated with our dogs.

Look, it’s the treat lady! . . . He’s only doing that because of the treats.. . . She won’t pay attention to me because she likes your treats better.

These are things I commonly hear from clients. Sure, dogs always love my treats, which are really tasty (apparently). And I do pay out a lot of them in a lesson. But not for free! They have to be earned by offering behaviors I want. 

When a dog reacts to an unfamiliar person coming towards him with raised hackles, barking, growling, and lunging, is he being aggressive? Protecting his people? These are two very common interpretations by guardians who are unaware of other, much more likely reasons for this behavior. 

Don’t assume it’s about You.

Does your dog have a delayed or unreliable response to Come, Down, or other commands? Do you see certain stress signals, like lip licking, looking away, sniffing the ground, moving slowly, or yawning? These responses indicate a poisoned cue.

Getting dogs to go outside is usually not a problem. Getting them to come back in can be challenging. You probably already know that reaching out to grab the collar just starts a game of Keep Away. Instead of nagging, pleading, or getting angry (which doesn’t make it any easier for your dog to come to you), here are four new ways to get your dog to come inside when called. Let me know which one works for you! 

My last post explains the importance of using the right harness and leash. Here are five more ways we can improve leash walks. Minimizing pressure is the key because pressure is what triggers pulling. With better handling skills, plus improving the way we use our body and voice, we can influence our dogs to do what we want, rather than try to physically control them. 

Imagine your dog (or one you know) walking on a loose leash. Both of you are relaxed and in balance because neither party is pulling on or leaning against the leash. You’re connected with each other mentally, not just physically, and making frequent eye contact—just as human companions do. There is minimal pressure on you, the dog, or the leash. Your dog is choosing to stay near you, and also has the space to sniff and explore a bit without pulling. When you stop, he stops automatically. Nice! 

If it seems like your dog isn’t listening to you sometimes—or pays attention only when you have pulled out some food—well, it’s a common complaint. But don’t assume that your dog is just being stubborn or will comply only when bribed. The problem is likely to be due to one or more of the following reasons.

When I was a kid, we thought we were spoiling our wire-haired terrier Perri with a diet of Alpo. He got one can a day. But we noticed that he kept getting into garbage cans around the neighborhood. When I was older and smarter, I was horrified to realize that he'd been hungry because he just wasn’t getting enough, either in quantity or quality. We didn’t know any better, and options were few in those days. 

Do you have a dog who’s so thrilled to see her people (even if you just went out to the mailbox), she celebrates reunions with way too much enthusiasm? Like most people, you may respond to jumping with No! Off! or Down! Or the one that leaves me (almost) speechless: No Jump!  . . . Wouldn’t you prefer to have no jumping in the first place? You just need to teach your dog what to do instead. . . . It can be done in one weekend. This is a simple training process that will show you the magic of clicker training.