New Pup?

One of the more popular questions that I often field as a professional trainer is whether it is detrimental for a gun dog to be allowed to live in the house. It seems that over the years the myth continues to surface that hunting dogs should only be raised outside and shouldn’t be allowed indoors for a variety of senseless reasons.

  Actually, the opposite is true; communication, attention, bonding, focus, and responsiveness can’t be established nearly as well in brief training sessions as it can in day-to-day living. Dogs that are strictly outside or kennel dogs don’t have nearly the relationship or the level of communication with their owners, and their training doesn’t generally advance nearly as smoothly, as those that are raised in the house.

  This became obvious to me when I noticed the responses to their short daily lessons of the dogs that have been sent to my kennel for training. When a dog is out only for short concentrated periods of training, the dog’s eyes reveal his true feelings about the lessons that he is being asked to perform. If he is looking away, yawning, shaking his head, and generally trying to avoid paying attention, he is not learning. (Read, "I Really Don’t Want To Do This!" RJ July/August ‘99.)

  But my personal dogs that are raised in the house as well as being intermittently rotated into their outdoor kennels are more attentive and have learned to read me by paying attention to my every move.

  The positive aspects of raising a gun dog pup in the house also far outweigh the negatives when it comes to basic training and socialization. Similarly, one of the many side benefits of youngsters learning housebreaking at an early age is that they also begin to absorb a level of understanding as to what pleases and displeases the "leader of the pack" - their owner. This requires the pup to begin focusing on pleasing a human rather than being left to be largely self-reliant, as he would if he were raised strictly in an outdoor kennel. And, by learning what pleases a human, he is beginning to learn cooperation and behavior interaction or what is commonly called socialization.

  Another positive facet of housebreaking is overall cleanliness. From my experience dealing with a great number of dogs in my training business, it has become quite clear to me that the dogs that are housebroken are much cleaner in their outdoor kennels as well. I have noticed that when a dog comes to the kennel for training, those that have been raised primarily in an outdoor kennel or loose in a fenced yard have little concept of soiling their kennel (their home), and they smear mess up and down the floor and all over the gate and the wire until it resembles a disgusting, sticky brown carpet.

  On the other hand, housebroken dogs, even when temporarily required to live in an outdoor kennel run, almost always learn to "hold it" and wait until released to relieve themselves. And, if they do "go" in their kennel, rarely do they smear it all over everything.

A11 dogs have a need to either be the leader of the pack or to recognize a well-defined leader. And for a new owner to assume this position of leadership, he needs to continually send signals reminding his dog that he is in charge, in the language that the dog understands - body language.

  But it is a natural human tendency to apply the relationship practices that work with other humans to their dogs, and when the dogs don’t respond (because dogs have an entirely different language of relationship behavior), the owner can’t understand why. Often this technique consists of a mixture of punishment or threat of punishment and spoiling - mixed messages that result in confusion in the dog.

  With the vast number of dogs that we have in the world today, there is something seriously wrong in the ways that people relate to dogs and most other animals - they believe that physical domination is the total answer to control. But, physical domination is much less effective than psychological domination. And mental domination, because it is such a powerful influence, is far more reliable.

  There are certain regions of a dog’s body that evoke the response of allowing other dogs or humans to establish or relinquish psychological dominance or leadership over the dog. And just like the body language rituals that dogs perform, contact in these areas is what he understands best. These two areas are his muzzle and the scruff of the neck or shoulder region, which would be called the withers on a horse.

  Therefore, to establish yourself in your dog’s mind in the dominant position in the pecking order, sufficient correction should be to hold and shake the muzzle along with firmly grabbing the scruff of the neck or shoulder area and shaking hard. Or if you are strong enough and know the dog well enough to be assured that you won’t get bitten, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and the skin immediately in front of his tail and lifting him completely off the ground while shaking. This method does not in any way harm the dog, and it’s doubtful that it’s even too uncomfortable, so don’t worry about being "mean".

  That should be the extent of the physical and psycho­logical correction that is necessary. Hitting a dog is certainly not the way to establish the necessary authority. Also, if you don’t trust the dog to not bite when you grab him, place a muzzle on him to establish control. In fact, the simple act of putting a muzzle on an antagonistic dog will usually change his demeanor from one of aggression to one of total acquiescence. Try it if you don’t believe it.

So let’s look at some "tricks" that you can employ to help you get started confirming your leadership position, thereby easing your formal training time and in all likelihood your stress level as well:

  Every so often, when sitting around the house or watching TV, simply stare directly at your dog and make eye contact with him. And don’t give in by looking away. Make him feel uncomfortable so he’ll look away first. He will have resigned himself to you when this happens. If he feels uncomfortable and begins acting silly or nudges you to pet him, don’t do it - just continue to stare. And, whatever you do, when he finally gives in and looks away, don’t relinquish the dominant position you have established by playing with him as a reward. When he looks away and doesn’t look back, just move your attention elsewhere without saying a word.

  Staring and this non-vocal intense eye contact is an extremely effective method of establishing behavioral control. But be careful - a direct stare can be conceived as a challenge, too. So only do this with a dog that you are familiar with or he may begin growling and get agitated, resulting in the possibility of a confrontation.

  Never pet your dog when he nudges you. Avoid the urge to pet him when he requests it, doing so puts you in a position of submitting to him. Pet him when you choose to, primarily on his back, the top of his head, or by grabbing him firmly on the muzzle and play-shaking it.

  Occasionally, put your arm, legs or feet over your dog’s back when he is lying or sitting on the floor or even when he is standing. But never allow him to put his feet on you or lay his head on you or even lay his body across your feet. If he lies on your feet when you are sitting reading or watching TV, simply pull them out and put them on top of him or across his back. This may seem very subtle - and it is - but he is being subtle in his attempts to elevate his standing in the pecking order!

  Never allow your dog to jump up and put his front feet on you. Again, this may seem insignificant, but it is unquestionably an attempt on his part to assert his dominance over you. And it undermines your leadership position much the same as when one dog mounts another in a sexual manner or puts his front feet on another’s shoulders to establish control.

  All dogs, especially at a young age, jump on their owners and other people; but your dog must be stopped from this unacceptable behavior. We have all heard for years that that jumping up can be cured by squatting down to play with your pup, since the jumping is an attempt to get up to your level. Well, squatting down, just like some of the more customary, but possibly risky, methods of breaking him of the behavior (such as kneeing the dog in the chest or holding his front feet while stepping on his back feet) may serve to alleviate or end the immediate problem, but that is like masking the symptoms, not curing the disease.

  New dogs that come to my kennel for training often try to jump on me in an effort to determine their position in the pack hierarchy, but once I begin their formal obedience training and show them that I am in charge, the jumping miraculously stops. Likewise, it is almost comical to watch when the dogs are loose in my kennel yard with visitors. They will certainly try to jump on any kids and maybe the adults, but none would even think of jumping on me! They know better - instinctive canine behavior will not allow them to jump on the acknowledged pack leader.

	All dogs have a need to either be the leader of the pack or to recognize a well-defined leader. And for a new owner to assume this position of leadership, he needs to continually send signals reminding his dog that he is in charge, in the language that the dog understands - body language.
Occasionally have a staring contest with your dog: you know you've won when he looks away first.

  Just like jumping up, don’t allow your dog to put his mouth on you. This is not to say that he can’t lick you. Licking a human on the face or under the chin is a sign of the dog’s submission. What I am talking about is nipping or mouthing you. One of the ways that puppies play is by nipping, so it is natural for them to think that you or your family are just part of their pack of littermates. But, this is also how puppies and older dogs assert dominance and determine their status in the pack. So stop the practice as quickly as it shows itself, and you will assert your position of leadership. Firmly grabbing the pup by the muzzle and giving it a good shake, along with a sharp rebuke of, "No," or, "No biting" continued over a period of time should be sufficient to end the problem.

  The next method of asserting control that I am going to mention might seem a bit disgusting to you but it works; I learned this from a horse trainer. Every now and then, just grab your dog’s muzzle, open his mouth, and spit in his mouth! This works especially well on dogs that are being obstinate. I was told that it has the same effect as if Mama canine regurgitated food into a puppy’s mouth - and all dogs remember the respect that they had for Mama. I regularly spit in each dogs’ mouth when I have them on my force- fetch table; it has the effect of calming them down and reaffirms control.

  Similarly, if you don’t mind doing it, any treats that you give should be held in your mouth or spit on and moistened with your saliva before giving it to your dog. This, too, I would guess, is suggestive of Mama regurgitating food, and it reinforces the dog’s understanding of his lower rung on the pecking order ladder.

  Now, of all of the suggestions for establishing a leadership position that I have mentioned, the following might be the either the easiest or the most difficult of all, depending upon your family’s lifestyle: Keep your dog off your furniture and out of your bed. If you are to maintain a leadership status, he needs to have his own bed or sleep in his crate, but never be allowed up on the your bed or on the sofa. If you want to play or sit with your dog in the house, go down to his level by sitting on the floor or kneeling down; but do not elevate him to your level, or you will be elevating his status in the pecking order, too.

  So I guess the eventual question that everyone asks about starting this training is, "How soon or at what age should I begin establishing this form of communication and my leadership position?" And, the inevitable answer has to be: the moment that the pup comes into your life. After all, you are now stepping in and taking Mama’s place as the leader of the pack. You have mighty big shoes to fill!