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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

It's Not About Being Alpha

Zoe & Phee wait politely at the gate.

It's about good manners and safety.

I ask my dogs to wait and I walk through doorways and gates before them and if I don't walk through the door before them they need to at least be polite and not rush through or drag me out. It's not about being alpha. It's about teaching them impulse control and good manners. It's about safety. Rushing out the door can get a dog killed by a car. Rushing out the door can get someone knocked over and hurt. I also ask them to wait at the gate into the dog park until they are released and that's just reinforcing their good impulse control.

Happy National Train Your Dog Month everyone! I think it's pretty cool that there's a whole month dedicated to training your dog but really, training is for life. If you don't use it you lose it. We are constantly working on things.

One of the most important things to train a dog is impulse control. I talk about it all the time because it's so important. Dogs who don't know how to control themselves end up in the ER or dead.

Phoenix waits at the door.

We have a bunch of rules at our house and it's all to keep the dogs safe. I don't allow them in the kitchen while we are cooking, instead they can lie on the carpet near the kitchen and watch. I don't allow them to gobble up anything I drop, instead I ask them to wait and if it's safe I might release them to "get it". I actually had a client who's dog was hospitalized for a week after she dropped two Aleve pills and he ate them. He was lucky he didn't die. So things that are dropped are off limits unless I say it's okay to have it. I also don't allow them to eat things they find when we are out walking for the same reason.

I wish I knew who drew this so I could give them credit!

Again, it's not about being alpha or showing them who's the boss. The dominance theory has been debunked and we actually work together like a team. It's important that the girls have skills to keep them safe and good manners so they are not annoying to live with.

Whatever the dog does before she gets what she wants will be reinforced by getting what she wants. So if your dog rushes out the door and gets to go where she wants to go, that rushing out the door is reinforced and will be repeated. So if we teach our dog to sit and wait politely before we open the door and then she gets to go out, you are reinforcing her for sitting instead of rushing out. You are teaching the dog that by sitting and being patient she will get to go where she wants to go. The same thing goes for any behavior a dog will do. If the behavior is reinforced (by either you or just the dog getting what he wants) the behavior will be repeated. You are able to decide what is reinforced by training and management.

I do this with food and pretty much everything else. I've taught Kikopup's "No Mugging" and they are not allowed to just snatch or grab whatever they want. I also teach a solid "out" in case someone makes a mistake because let's face it. They are dogs and sometimes they do dumb things. I'm really happy to tell you that I've never had to induce vomiting with my dogs and we've never been to the vet because they ate something they shouldn't have. (Knock on wood!) I also keep my house really well managed and everything is kept out of reach and put away.



I also have rules for playing tug. The dogs are not allowed to take the toy until I say they can, they must not put their mouth on my hand and they must "out" when I ask. It's not about me being in charge or me being alpha. It's about me not getting my hand bitten off while we are playing. It's about being patient and polite. Sometimes they get to win the toy, sometimes I win but the game has to have rules. They understand the rules and they have a lot of fun playing.

Teaching a dog impulse control is not that difficult but it does take some time for them to get it. Pick a behavior you want to reward the dog for and wait for it. As soon as that behavior happens, they get the thing they want. You just have to be patient with the dog. If they are demand barking at you for something, wait them out. They can't bark forever. Barking does not get my dogs anywhere so it rarely happens around here unless I cue them to do it. If they are rushing out the door, put a leash on them and wait for them to sit or calm down. Then slowly, inch by inch open the door. If the dog breaks the sit, close the door. The dog does not get to go out until they can maintain that sit with the door wide open and you can walk out without them breaking the sit. (Sit, Stand, Down.. whatever you want the dog to do. It doesn't have to be sit.)

Being patient and staying consistent is very important. You have to decide what the rules are and make sure you follow through with them. It's all about the follow through. You can't just let the dog rush through the door one day and then the next they are not allowed to do it. It's the same with jumping up or snatching food, etc.


The girls are still dogs, they get to have fun and be dogs but because we have rules and because we do so much training they actually get more freedom than a lot of other dogs! You can achieve anything with your pups if you work hard enough for it!

Happy Training everyone!

Do you have any house rules for your dogs? Are you planning on teaching them anything new during National Train Your Dog Month? Tell me about it in the comments below! :D



33 comments:

  1. We have lots of rules to follow as well. Mom always says we need to learn more manners, but most people tell her we are really well behaved. Who knows. I did hear she is contemplating enrolling Bailie in a manner class, but she isn't sure about that yet.

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    1. That's good you have rules! Some dogs don't! New training classes are always fun!

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  2. We really need to work on Impulse control. Tucker rushes the door constantly and I'm just as bad for letting him do it. Having rules makes for a happier, healthier life for all involved.

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    1. Absolutely! Rules are good things! We worked on door dashing with Phoenix as one of her first training behaviors because the shelter told us she was a flight risk. Thankfully, they were wrong. She attached herself to me and I'm rarely ever out of her sight.

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  3. I so agree. We worked with Little Bit so she was patient and minded our commands. She lived to be a very old dog, but she was safe. I so agree with training our babies to have patience and good manners.

    Have a fabulous day. My best to both your babies. ☺

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  4. Our dogs are allowed to exit the house like wild maniacs and I allow them to lead on walks. However, I don't allow them to do whatever they want. Like you, it's not about being an alpha (or worrying that my dogs will dominate me). It's about what works best for our pack. We have four dogs and when we're at home, it's just important that they stay on our property, so I practice recall (especially with Rodrigo and Zoey - his shadow) the entire time. When we're on pack walks, I don't allow them to greet other dogs while on leash, because it quickly gets out of control.

    What works best for me is to change direction of our walks so they start looking to me about the direction of our walks even though they're walking in front of me.

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    1. Those are awesome rules! I don't like to let mine greet on leash, either!

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  5. You're such an amazing trainer! We have also taught our dogs similar impulse control, although we're not nearly as pro as you! The most important are to wait when we open the door, wait to cross the street and wait to eat when we put food in front of them.

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    1. Thanks so much! <3 Those are great rules to have!

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  6. I like this post! It makes some great points! We make the poodles wait to go out the door and are only allowed when we say "ok, D'Art" or "ok Teddy". If we let them race out together, Teddy tends to knock D'Art off his feet, so we find this approach much safer!

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    1. That's a great idea! I bet it's much safer for D'Art if he doesn't get knocked over! I've been working on individual releases with my dogs, too!

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  7. "Wait" at doors, gates, etc is my dogs very best cue because it is indeed the most important one. We need to brush up on our "leave it/get it." There has been too much quick grab action lately. Fortunately, no one has succeeded or gotten ill! Thanks for this post on the importance of training simple manners. There is something about the word "training" that makes people think they have to get their dog ready for the National Dog Show ring. It's really about making your pet a better teammate and giving the whole family a higher quality of life! So glad you joined the hop.

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    1. Yep! I totally agree with you! It's about living with them and not having all this frustration over what the dog is doing wrong. It's so much more fun and they are easier to live with. We don't have conflict and we don't have an antagonistic relationship. We're a team and we just needed a few rules to get there. :D

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  8. I love how well you train your dogs. Really, if you ever get my way...I sure could use the help. :-D

    Really after reading this post, I made them wait while I opened and went out the door on our afternoon walk. Hey, it's start.

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    1. Awe! Thank you! If you ever need any help or have questions, I would be happy to chat! :D Yay! Good job for having them wait!

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  9. Mr. N is not allowed in the kitchen period unless I invite him in to do some training there. He's allowed up on all the furniture as long as he gets off when he is told. No chews on furniture and raw food must be eaten in the crate! Thanks for joining the hop.

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    1. Those are great rules to have! We are the same way!

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  10. Yes! After my post I wanted to add Victoria Stilwell's mantra: Positive doesn't mean permissive. But I'll admit it, I'm way too permissive. When pressed to think of the rules for my dogs, it's pretty much "Don't bite people. Try not to eat the furniture."

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  11. Well said.

    For me, another great benefit of impulse control, besides safety, is that it makes it easier to take your dog into a wide range of social situations.

    We would not have been able to go cruising with Honey if we couldn't trust her to reign in her impulses.

    That said, we need to work on her impulse control when we come into a new dock with a friendly stranger. At least twice she has jumped off the boat before getting the go-ahead--a definite training fail that we'll be working on this year.

    Unfortunately, it's much harder to train the dock hands who make goo goo eyes at her as we pull up to a dock. :)

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    1. I definitely agree! It's so much easier to take the girls places and they are more welcome in our friend's homes because they behave.

      I totally agree with you about the humans. It is much harder to train people. I would probably just snap a leash on Honey before you dock so she can't hop out. :D

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  12. YES! This! There was some idiot conversation in a FB group I'm on about how "real alphas eat first/make their dog wait/ect. Insanity. My dogs wait at doors. They wait to be released from their crates, or to eat. They have emergency leave its (this is one of the only times I will use a very firm "no!"), emergency stops, and are recalled trained. Impulse control is huge for us. I think it's especially important in a multi-dog household.

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    1. Oh yikes! It's really funny that people still actually believe that stuff!

      Those are great household rules! I really need to work on the emergency stop!

      You are so right! Impulse control is so important for multi dog households! We have a lot less conflict because they know what they can and can't do!

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  13. I couldn't agree more strongly but there is a part of the world that still loves Cesar Milan (even some people who I like). It's tough because exerting dominance will make a dog shut down and therefore not be bad *right away*. Your approach is wonderful but requires so much discipline on your part... and lots of people don't have the commitment to be so disciplined.

    I don't mean to be negative - I'm just analyzing why the alpha stuff persists. Living with a sensitive dog like Shyla really teaches me that. If I get even slightly cranky with her, she shuts down. But she doesn't just "shut down" in terms of doing bad stuff, she also shuts down in her responses to me (she's no longer enthusiastic about training or playing with me). It's so sad - but I do find it to be an almost impossible standard for me to be able to completely hide my mood some days.

    We are continuing our nosework for the month!!! It is a blast! I don't think we'll ever compete but the dogs both adore playing the game. In just 4 weeks, I can make our "great room" (living room, dining room, kitchen combined) their search area, and I can hide the scent in all sorts of bizarre places. They find it every time, and they are SO motivated. It's a fun game for them and me.

    I hope that you don't mind my commentary on alphaness and my personal anecdote about how my mood can affect Shyla. It's really on my mind tonight.

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    1. I definitely agree with you about the people who love CM and thinking they need to exert dominance over their dogs. Everybody loves a quick fix. In this day and age everything has to be "instant". I want what I want and I want it right now. It can be frustrating at times. Especially because a lot of people think PR training takes longer. Today I taught my dogs a new trick and Zoe learned it in 5 minutes and she was having so much fun. I just feel like training should always be fun.

      I totally understand how you feel. I am not always the peppiest person, either. I know you suffer from health issues and I do as well. When I'm in pain or having vestibular issues, I'm more likely to be grouchy too. Both of my dogs are sensitive and I get a lot of the same reactions from them as you do with Shyla. It sucks and I always feel bad. I usually try to make it up to them by doing something fun that they like or giving them a high value treat.

      I don't really feel like I'm that disciplined but I think it's because I'm just used to the lifestyle and having rules. We have a cat that will chew through anything to get to food so after a year of dealing with her chewing everything we just put our food and other stuff away and we've been doing that for almost 6 years now. Managing the dogs is so much easier than dealing with that cat. LOL! Also, because the dogs are trained I can get up and leave food on the couch next to them and they won't snatch it. I just make sure to brush up on their training a few times a week to reinforce it. It's not that much work now that everything is pretty solid. That's the one thing that's so awesome about having dogs that are trained. They listen and they are so easy to live with.

      That's awesome about your nose work! I've been wanting to order a kit!

      I don't mind your comments at all! I think it's really good to talk about it! :) I really hope you feel better soon!

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  14. This is an excellent post!

    As far as house rules here, my dogs aren't allowed to rush the door, they need to exit/enter politely. They aren't allowed in the kitchen when I am cooking/preparing food. The dogs aren't allowed on the furniture [they have plenty of nice beds around the house], however they are allowed up on my bed at bedtime but I prefer that they don't get up there until I do. Not because I am alpha but because it is easier if I get in and get situated and then I invite them up. Sometimes Seppel gets on the bed without me, but he has no problems about getting off so I can get in. They don't seem to have any conflict with being allowed on my bed but not on the furniture.

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    1. Thank you!

      Those are awesome household rules! When Zoe used to sleep with me, I was the same way with getting in first! You are so right! It's way easier to get in and get comfy and then let the dogs up.

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  15. Hi hi hi! Ojo here! I must confess... I went through the back gate today before my person said "okay". But I wasn't trying to be dominant! It's just that there was a squirrel in the tree on the other side and I forgot that I was supposed to be waiting!

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    1. Squirrels are really fun to chase! I don't blame you for having a go at one! We don't believe in dominance at all! Sometimes dogs just have to have fun! :D I'm sure you'll remember to wait next time! :D

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  16. I'll admit it--we haven't put very much work into training impulse control. When I first got Nala, she was such a sensitive little flower that it didn't make sense to do so--she wouldn't dream of grabbing something, and attempts to train It's Yer Choice caused her to just lay down and not move. These days, we're finally at the point where we need to balance some of the drive we've built with a little more impulse control--but I still hate training it. Especially since Nala still wilts after about 10 repetitions.

    It's nice that your girls are so into tug that it makes sense to use it to practice impulse control! We over-did that a while back, and nearly killed Nala's love of the game. Sacrilege of sacrileges, now I let Nala win and restart the game most of the time.

    We do practice impulse control around doors, and reward choosing me over predatory distractions. We do lots of happy recalls, and I can call her off of playing with other dogs, squirrels, and grilled cheese sandwiches. She has a killer distance down, too. But I love that I don't have to worry about any of that exhausting alpha stuff, and I can do whatever I need to to help her feel happy and confident, you know? Even if it makes doing things that would make some trainers faint.

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  17. SO MUCH YES. I was just writing about impulse control today. I had big problems with Matilda dashing out before I taught her to sit before I open the door. She does it automatically now, and I really like getting some eye contact from her. Your dogs look so much like big versions of Matilda, so adorable.

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