Make it a Game

I came across an important message tonight. I believe, all too often, many of us do not keep this in mind. "Life is short. Play with your dog." Often, in dog training, we say "Make it a game." In order to make training fun and engaging for your dog, you need to be able to make it enticing. How ready and willing would YOU be if someone asked you to do something monotonous? Dogs are indeed very much like children and therefore seem to learn wonderfully if we make a game out of a new behavior. There are no harsh corrections or punishments for being wrong. There is no bending the rules or changing criteria. Stick to the rules of the game and play it well! The way I view it is that your criteria, whatever you want your dog to do that will get him the reward, that is the rules he has to play by. Don't play by the rules, you don't get what you want. Making training a game makes everything exciting. Learning becomes fun when we think of it less as work and more as play.

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." -Michael Jordan

In the great words of this basketball player, it's about enjoying life.Training with your dog is not about drilling the dog endlessly. It isn't about working the dog until they get so bored that training becomes something they wish to avoid. If you make a game out of it for your dog, most dogs would be absolutely thrilled for "training" time. I, personally, want to have a relationship with my dogs, in which I pull out the training treats and get ready to teach something new and they're rearing to go. I want each of my dogs itching to have their turn in playing the game with me. When you stop focusing on the details and focus on the fun, learning becomes easy. This of course does not go to say that detail is not important. But, we have to look at things from our dogs' perspectives as well. How do we learn? How does learning become enjoyable to us? The same goes for a dog. Just because they are animals different from us, does not mean they don't enjoy learning in the same way.

A quick and easy example I'd love to add is a problem many people have. Many of us have dogs that jump up to greet us. Why? Simply put, it's normal dog behavior and reinforcing. Whether you praise and pet a dog when they jump or yell at them to "GET DOWN" or, my preferred word "OFF", you are still reinforcing the behavior. Instead, let's come up with a rule. The game is keeping four paws on the floor. If your dog jumps, that's against the rules and you simply turn around and ignore the behavior. Ignoring a behavior is much more effective than counteracting with anger or frustration. The more boring you are, the less entertaining the dog finds you, and his idea of the game "jump up for attention" is no longer fun. But, if we keep all four paws on the floor or even sit, all of a sudden the dog is lavished with attention and given what he wants. He has followed a simple rule of the game and because he did so, he now gets what he so greatly desires. Your attention!

Although the rules may be different for different behaviors, rules can be made and just about anything can be turned into a game. You can use games to work on impulse control, increase drive and excitement, teach your dog to respond to cues quicker and to enjoy being with you and becoming a great pet, sports competitor, or whatever you desire your dog to be.

So, the next time you're wondering why your dog may not be responding to training or may be leaving "work" think of why she is doing so. What is it about this that makes her choose something else over you? Are you not being exciting enough? Is it work or is it play? Make it a game and play with your dog. Because, truly, life is TOO short.

Socialization

We hear it all the time, but what does it really mean? What are the specifics of socialization and how do we go about it? When and how often? With whom and what? Socialization is one of the things I myself consider very crucial in dog ownership. Not to mention, does it allow your dog to gain confidence, but it makes every day interactions for your dog much more pleasant. Too often, I see dogs who are under socialized. These dogs lack knowledge of calming signals, they fail at communicating and this causes more grief than enjoyment. Dogs who are not socialized shouldn't be labeled aggressive. Many dogs are simply fearful of the world around them and the things in it because they have not been given the chance to understand how wonderful it can be. Often we hear that we also have to be careful taking our puppies places because we don't want to expose them to serious dangers such as parvo. I am no veterinarian by any means, however, I do think a balance can be achieved. Instead of walking around the pet store, carry your puppy and allow careful interaction with dogs your trust and people who understand your cautious behavior in keeping your puppy safe. Many things involving socialization can be incredibly simple. Just allowing different people to hold your puppy and give them treats, that you pick and bring along, can make a difference in teaching your dog that people are wonderful and nothing to be feared. Allow your dog to see children in strollers and people in wheelchairs. Let your puppy be greeted by people in hats and those carrying umbrellas. Each and every one of these interactions can positively impact your puppy if he or she is given the opportunity to see how fantastic people, that look different, can be. From the dog perspective, there are also many things you can do while still keeping your new puppy safe from contracting illnesses. Many of us have friends with dogs. Allow for careful and supervised play sessions with other dogs you feel are puppy friendly or dog friendly. Try to let your dog have the chance to interact with all kinds of dogs. From large and small to fluffy and hairless, young and old to dark and light furred, allow for several positive interactions. Not only will this let your puppy meet all kinds of dogs but chances are, he will interact with several different personalities. Growling from other dogs also should not be reprimanded all the time. Dogs use vocalizations along with body language to communicate. If your puppy interacts with another dog that growls and gives a warning, hopefully, the puppy will understand that this is just a warning and that vocalization like this should be respected. Not only are these interactions fun, they give your puppy her building blocks for communication.

"In fact, the socialization gives us the tools to fill our evolutionary roles. They are our building blocks." -Warren Farrell

Socialization is what teaches our dogs how to read others and interact in the world. When the world is less scary and people as well as other dogs are fun, dogs enjoy being out and about. It makes learning an interesting process and teaches dogs to offer behaviors and make choices. It ties in with teaching dogs that failing is okay and a perfectly acceptable part of life. This doesn't mean one shrinks away, shuts down and gives up. Failure means that there's simply something different required and that trying something new may yield a better result. It teaches dogs not to give up.

Just like with children, it's important to teach our dogs to be social. It makes interactions very enjoyable and allows you to have a much wider variety of things to do with your dog. This makes life much more fun for both you and your dog and allows your dog to build a rewarding relationship not only with you, but with those around him.