Dear Ollie,
I have been trying to train my high energy dog for weeks to
respond to the commands “Stay” and “Come”.
Last week, I was walking Bob; he saw a person and ran to the
other side of the street. Before you think that I am an irresponsible owner, let
me add that he was on his red leash and pulled with such force that it flew out
of my hand. He is very strong dog and gets just a little crazy around people.
I yelled “Stay”, and he stopped dead in his tracks. For a
moment, I thought I was experiencing great success. I was relieved that he had
made so much progress in his training that he did not dash into the street to
chase a car, bike or jogger. Even the neighbors came outside to witness this
spectacular show. There was a well behaved Bob quietly sitting on his haunches
sniffing the wind, doing absolutely nothing and going absolutely nowhere.
Of course, this
behavior required a special treat from me. So, I ran across the street to both
capture and reward him. This was I fantasized, what the instructor in obedience
class calls, a perfect training moment. Bob was happy to see me and let out a
series of little barks but still didn’t move.
Could my training have gone too far? Bob sat like a white
marble statue his head turning east in my direction. I rushed to him armed with
treats and gushing praise. And then I
saw it. My well behaved dog, Bob, was attached to a leash snared in a budding
red rose bush. He wasn’t well-behaved at all. He was stuck. What do I do with
Bob?
Signed,
Cynthia (a frustrated owner)
Dear Cynthia,
Well, what do we do with Bob? Bob is a very headstrong dog.
Of that, there is no doubt. Your friendly neighbors may refer to him as a
lovable lunatic or an outboard motor dialed to high. He is energy in motion and
everything interests him all the time. A high energy dog will keep on dancing
until he is calmed down. Does this sound like Bob? To train Bob requires
the perfect spot with no distractions
and no spectators. You need to be calm and forceful at the same time and this
training must occur while he is leashed and you are in command. Be sure that
you really run him before he trains and this may wear him down for you. Use
body language like a hand signal that is the same each time you command a
behavior from Bob. Dogs respond to both your body language and tone of
voice. The “Stay” command comes after
Bob learns to “Sit”.
Since I am only a dog and not a trainer, I don’t have the
expert advice you need to train Bob. I just know from experience what works for
me and my human. You can continue your training or check out a book on dog behaviors
and training from the library.
I’m thinking that you may need to double your vitamins just
to keep up with Bob. Not only that, remember, Bob is pretty smart. After all,
he fooled you.
No Bites. Kisses!
Ollie-Dog
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