House Training A Dog Sitemap

Introduction - The steadily increasing interest in the obedience trained dog has made it necessary for the amateur to seek assistance in order to learn the best approved methods of training his dog in this type of work. Such knowledge is necessary not alone for the purpose of training the dog for obedient deportment in the home, but also for the purpose of enabling the average owner to compete with his dog in organized obedience test competitions.

Dog Training - The popularity of the police dog in Europe, and the almost unbelievable results accomplished by dog training during the first World War inspired scientists and animal experts to undertake the study of dog psychology for the purpose of improving, if possible, upon the training systems then in vogue. Successful training is possible only in the presence of perfect understanding between the trainer and his dog.

Equipment - After thoroughly digesting the psychology of dog training as outlined in the chapter preceding, the prospective trainer is now ready to begin work in earnest. I am not going to overburden the amateur with a lot of unnecessary instructions or remarks that might bore him to the point of diluting his interest or of dampening his enthusiasm.

Praise & Punishment - "It is impossible to train a dog through his skin or his stomach," is a well known saying, and the trainer who attempts it will never attain success. And when someone exclaims that his dog is more obedient when whipped, I am constrained to inquire exactly how that dog obeys. It will be found that he obeys invariably through fear which is just the opposite of what we want.

Puppy Education - From Puppy to Junior Dog Because it is impossible to really train a puppy, I have purposely entitled this chapter "education." For a puppy is educated rather than trained. Practically every owner purchases a puppy with the intention of raising it to a full grown dog that will afford him pleasure later on. If, however, the youngster is not brought up in the right way, he will prove a disappointment in many particulars.

Obedience - Obedience is the foundation of all training. It forms the greater part of everything we do, and each faulty act throughout the course of training can be traced to a lack of obedience during those first exercises, HEEL, SIT, DOWN and COME WHEN CALLED. Every single dog, irrespective of the kind of training given,—for moving pictures, for the stage, for Red Cross or police work—starts off with a ground work  of obedience.

1. Heeling - HEELING means that the dog accompanies his guide, walking at the guide's left side. All too often we find that the novice guide follows after the dog, allowing himself to be pulled here, there or wherever the dog wills to go. That habit of letting the dog take the lead will have to be broken and the dog taught to HEEL, in other words, to follow the guide with no pulling or straining at the leash.

2. Right & Left - Other than the command HEEL, which is used throughout, there is no definite command for the execution of this lesson. The dog must be given every possible assistance, consequently the command HEEL should be issued at every turn, whether right, left or turn about. If, for instance, while walking straight ahead, you make a sudden turn in a different direction without issuing the command, the dog would naturally continue straight ahead.

3. Sit - The moment the guide stops, the dog should sit close to his left side.

Hold the leash tightly in both hands, with the right hand at the side, and with a loose grip in the left hand at the left side. But do not slip the hand through the loop at the leash end.

Walk forward and stop suddenly, at the same time giving in a sharp voice the command SIT. Drop the leash from the left hand. Still holding the leash in a tight grip raise the right hand, and at that moment press the lower part of the dog's back to the ground with the left hand while repeating the command SIT.

4. Lying Down - At the command DOWN, the dog should drop to the ground close to the guide's left side, and remain there until given the order to move.

This lesson will evoke more varied reactions than any of the other exercises and, according to temperament, .some dogs will respond more quickly to it than others Care must be taken lest timid or nervous dogs be frightened by too much force. When the lesson is practised on the leash, be sure that the leash is not dropped.

5. Staying In Positions - The object of this lesson is to teach the dog, at the command SIT-STAY or DOWN-STAY, to remain in position until another command is given even though the guide should disappear entirely from sight.

The Sign—For DOWN—Right hand over dog's head For SIT—no sign
For   STAY—Left   hand   open, palm facing dog

When the dog is in the DOWN position, the guide should hold the leash in his left hand at the loop end, then issue the command STAY, step in front of the dog, facing him. Repeat the command STAY, and walk around the dog in a circle, from left to right, allowing the leash to hang loose from the hand.

6. Finish - The Sign—With his left hand the guide slaps the side of his left leg.

Recognizing this sign, the dog approaches his guide, sits in front of him; and at the command and sign HEEL, the dog swings around to the guide's left side and finishes in the original sitting position.

One of the snappiest of all lessons, this invariably attracts the attention of the spectator. A dog which thoroughly understands the meaning of the word HEEL should have no difficulty with this exercise because, no matter where he happens to be, the moment he hears the command HEEL, he will eagerly run to his guide and sit at his side.

7. Come When Called - The dog is lying down some little distance away, and at the command COME he approaches his guide at a fast pace and stops in front of him in sitting position. Then commanded HEEL, he swings around and sits at the left side of his guide.

In the preceding lesson the dog has learned to DOWN. He is now unleashed but the guide is not certain he is under full control.

8. Heeling Free - HEELING FREE is identical with the First Lesson save that the exercise is performed without the leash. At the command HEEL the dog follows closely at the guide's left knee.

The execution and correction of this lesson, being so closely related, can be explained in one chapter. For the dog that has been correctly trained by instructions previously given, HEELING FREE becomes an easy and quickly acquired lesson.

9. Stopping - The Sign—The guide's right arm raised full height over his head.

Following the DOWN-STAY command, the dog is called by the guide who is about ten feet away. When the dog is, say, five feet distant, the guide suddenly gives the command DOWN and at the same time raises his right arm. The dog drops immediately into the DOWN position and remains there until further commands are issued.

10. Jumping - At the command OVER, the dog must jump over an obstacle or jumping board.

This, the liveliest exercise of the entire training course, is welcomed by participants because of the variety it gives to the sometimes monotonous, oft repeated routine. It is usually executed with real enjoyment by the guide as well as by the dog; and it is remarkable how a dog, which in the beginning may show aversion and even clumsiness, later becomes a very graceful jumper.

11. Long Jump - THE COMMAND—Same as in Lesson No. 10—OVER

The execution of this exercise, which is related to the high jump, is identical with that of the previous lesson, except that a trench about one foot deep is used. Naturally trenches cannot be dug indoors, nor outdoors either without ruining lawns and yards, consequently
boards will serve the purpose if built up to a height of about one foot. It is advisable in the beginning to use two boards placed closely together.

12. Retrieving - The Sign—Lift the right hand in the direction in which the dumbbell is thrown.

The dog is in sitting position at the guide's left. The dumbbell is thrown, the command FETCH given. The dog runs for the dumbbell, picks it up and returns to the guide, stopping in front of him, in sitting position and with the dumbbell still held in his mouth. At the command OUT, the dumbbell is taken from the dog's jaws, as he remains in sitting position until ordered HEEL. He then swings around to the sitting position at the guide's left.

Preparation - If instruction in all of the previous lessons has been carefully followed, the dog should be thoroughly trained in obedience and, if desired, can now be prepared for participation in obedience test competition. In order to do so, however, the exercises must be practised often, each time eliminating the repetition of commands and conspicuous signs. Repeated commands and too showy signs are considered by judges of too great assistance to the dog.

Trailing Preface - It would prove useless to proceed with the following lessons in TRAILING unless the dog possessed a thorough knowledge of the lessons already explained. More harm than good would result if the next succeeding lesson were started with a dog just superficially trained, and lacking the art of perfect execution in any of the foregoing exercises.

Trailing - Trailing is the most interesting phase of the training process for those real friends of the dog who wish to go into training more scientifically. This new department differs markedly from all of the lessons and exercises in which we can assist the dog to grasp ideas or, as it were, force exercises upon him. Not alone does it afford knowledge of a dog's character and too, of his ability to perform lessons like those which have preceded, but it proves a high standard of mentality.

Trailing #2 - In the previous lesson, we observed that at long range the dog brings his nose to the ground before he reaches the object, this being the case especially when the guide has paid attention to the direction of the wind. When the dog is facing into the wind, instantly recognized scent particles are carried to him from the object, these particles serving as a magnet to draw him in the right direction. This small accomplishment must be used to develop further trailing.

Bad Habits - The innumerable requests received from dog owners asking about the best method of correcting bad habits have prompted me to explain my experiences along this line, in the hope that they may prove of some definite advantage to all concerned.

Many a dog has paid with his life for the dangerous habit of chasing everything that moves. There is no real trick in curing this habit quickly; only a little patience and conscientious work will do it.

Attack - Every conscientious trainer will refuse to train dogs for attack and protection if he is not familiar with a dog's environment. No honorable trainer can ever be blamed for making such a decision, because the responsibility is too great and the work so many sided that correct training requires time for studying not only the dog's character and behavior but that of the owner as well.

Courier Dogs - It is safe to say that the average man or woman has no conception of the extremely important part played by the dog in war.

For generations we have called the dog the friend of man without thinking very deeply, perhaps, just what that friendship entails. In war it means going with man into the turmoil of battle, without regard to danger, suffering, freezing cold and burning heat simply because, having elected to work with man, he refuses to desert him, come what may.

Casualty Dogs - Dogs are trained for Red Cross work for the purpose of aiding the stretcher-bearers to locate wounded combatants after and, if circumstances permit, during the battle. Searching in a given direction, the dogs are taught to report to their guides every person found in a sitting or lying-down position. Walking and standing persons must be ignored, sentries, patrols and marching groups included.

Obedience Trials - SECTION 1. The purpose of Obedience Trials is to demonstrate the usefulness of the purebred dog as the companion and guardian of man, and not the ability of the dog to acquire facility in the performance of mere tricks. The classification, which has been adopted, is progressive with the thought in mind that a dog, which can be termed a utility dog, has demonstrated his fitness to a place in our modern scheme of living.

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