Mama's Monday: Socialization, Continuing Education, Stressful Environments, Be the Leader

Every Monday I try and shove the newfs aside and write a little something something about the training we do together. This past week Pooka's class has worked on stay, and leave it, and they've upped the ante on the recall by having the dogs run PAST one another at the same time to their mamas going in opposite directions...but that's not what I'm going to write about.

I'm going to write about the training NANOOK has been doing this past week!

Because even though he's a year and a half old, you never really stop training a newf. And they don't stop training you, either. Nanook will be starting classes again next week, and check this out - his trainers are in the paper today! But Nanook had the opportunity to work on his Canine Good Citizenship yesterday when we brought him along with us to the Carriage Invitational "Coaches, Carriages and Conservation" which swung through my in-law's farm for an hour-long watering break and champagne stop during their tour.

We've got a bunch of photographs - see if you can spot the newf behaving himself in the background!

(you won't be able to see him in the first picture...but he is in all the others...and of course they are available in a much larger format if you click the picture)






Nanook walked the entire line of carriages while they were stopped, and although the horses were very interested in him, he walked politely next to me and did not bark, bounce, or be obnoxious in any way. (I knew he would be perfect, which is why he came. Pooka I'm afraid is not quite ready for horse-drawn carriages and affectionate grooms). He was petted and loved on by a good two dozen behatted, begloved and be-seriously-dressed-up carriage-riding socialites and he only drooled on one of them. He maintained his sit-stay at my side the ENTIRE hour. He didn't try to get up to greet people when they came to say hello to him, he let them come to him the way he is supposed to. He was absolutely a credit to his trainers.

With all these folks in period costumes and these beautiful antique carriages, and these incredible photo opportunities, the folks riding atop the carriages were taking pictures of HIM! *laughing*'

Even my mother-in-law, who is a small-dog person, felt compelled to say, "your dogs are well-behaved." That is synonymous with Russia calling America "comrade" and meaning it.

BUT a Mama's Monday is not supposed to be just bragging, it is supposed to be about training so here are some of the things I did with him while we were there.

Nanook is pretty far along with his obedience training, but I did have to remind him to sit down, lie down, stay while we were there. There were a few times when he got up to sniff an interesting bush without permission, and I had to rein him in and remind him of what his job was at that moment. Two or three times I left him in a down/stay while I walked away to do something, but I kept one eye on him the whole time. He got praise and a cookie when I released him from the stay BUT I made certain that I didn't release him when I first got back to him; sometimes I waited 30 seconds, or 15 seconds, or a minute and a half...it's important to be consistently inconsistent with releases so that your dog doesn't begin predicting the release and getting up before you say he may.

I also had to reinforce the stay command when folks came up to say hello to him. A gentle hand on his collar and a "stay/leave it" as they approached reminded him that he's supposed to let them come to him, not the other way around.

When it comes to walking on leash, in a stressful situation like that Nanook usually reacts by staying close to me. That makes working him on loose lead very easy, since he's not trying to pull forward or away. I think the best way to ensure that your dog looks to you for support and protection in scary/new situations is to rigorously defend your leadership role in the household hierarchy. Also, being a strong leader for your dog means your dog can be more CONFIDENT in scary situations, because he will trust you to handle any challenges. Nanook stays close to me, but he walks confidently, his tail is carried in a relaxed fashion and he doesn't cower or slink. Being the leader doesn't mean you need to be cruel to your dog, at all - but there are certain things that a pack leader does that you should be making sure YOU are doing, and not your dog.

Here's a short list:

1. Eat first and own all "treasures". The pack leader in a pack environment gets first pickins of everything. Your dog can wait until you are done with dinner before he gets his. In fact, I bring Nanook out to dinner at friend's houses and restaurants and make him lie down next to my chair while I eat. Any nudging, whining, or acting up gets his "eheh" noise, but if he behaves for the meal he gets a few bites when I'm done as a reward. We started this when he was a puppy - and if you decide to give it a try, be prepared to spend a dozen meals correcting pop-ups and reinforcing the down/stay with a few rewards given DURING the meal - you want to gradually lengthen the amount of time between rewards as your dog is maturing so that eventually he is getting nothing until the end, but most puppies can't handle a very long period of expectation - they get too anxious/excited.

Toys and games belong to you. You decide when to play, and at the end of a game the toy is yours again - make a point of keeping the toy.

2. Ignore bids for your attention. Only give your dog affection on your terms, not on his. If he's pawing at you, leaning on you, jumping on you - ignore him. When you feel like it, then give him a hug - but make sure you call him to you for the hugs - don't go to him. This also holds true for when you get home after being away and first thing in the morning.

3. You determine where the pack goes, and what the pack does. A lot of folks say you should be going first through doorways and narrow hallways etc, but I don't necessarily buy it. Instead, I give permission to Nanook and Pooka. So they can go down the steps in front of me, but both of them had better look at me first and wait for me to say "okay" before they head out or in, or they're going to have to do it again, and they know it.

If you haven't trained this, start on leash, and open the door without saying anything. If your dog tries to go forward, hold him back with the leash. Don't say anything, just hold him. You're waiting until he turns to look at you. When he does, praise him and say, "Okay!" then let him go out. It's important to be consistent - do this through every doorway, every time you go in or out, and eventually even off leash when you open the door the dog will stand and look at you until you tell him he can go out. More than just a leadership skill, this is also a good safety tool - having a dog that bolts through doorways can be dangerous to the dog, and to people coming to visit you! At least if your dog is 140 lbs like mine...

4. Don't maneuver around your dog. Your dog should be maneuvering around you. So if he's lying down in the middle of the doorway to the kitchen and you need to check on your potroast, walk straight at him. He should be paying attention to you, as the pack leader, because you might have a job for him. Unless he's dead asleep, he should move out of your way. If he doesn't, keep both feet on the ground and shuffle right through him until he moves. Just keep pressing forward in the shuffle until he gets up and out of your way. Don't kick him or anything like that, but just shuffle gently through him. He should get the picture. If I can shuffle through Nanook, anyone can do it.

5. Reinforce all good behavior with rewards and praise! Your dog lets you know when he's happy with you - he wags his tail and pants his tongue and his ears relax...be consistent and clear with your happy body language so he knows when he's done something right. You don't have to be effusive, (although I usually am), your dog is capable of reading you better than you can read yourself and he'll know exactly how you're feeling.