As the new year approaches there are some things you can do to improve your own life, as well as the life of your dog. Here are a few resolutions that can help you create a healthy, happy companion:
Work it out
Exercise, the new anti-depressant, is something that can have a major positive impact on both you and your dog. Dogs that regularly burn off their energy are more receptive to learning, as they’re more relaxed and confident. As many of us have experienced, the best exercise involves the mind and the body. Fido probably won’t learn to play tennis, but good games involve running around as well as concentration and problem-solving. Fetching, hiding and finding games are classic activities that most dogs will learn to love. Playing with other dogs is another great way for dogs to exercise. It also provides their people with entertainment and good social time. Living in a place as varied and beautiful as the Bay Area we have lots of options for walking and hiking with our dogs. I try to take a good hike every week with my dog. It helps keep us both strong and grounded.
Watch what you teach
So much of what our dogs learn from us is unintentional. Every time we give our dogs attention, whatever they happen to be doing at that moment is reinforced. If my dog barks at a passing car, chews on a shoe or begs at the dinner table, for example, there are few responses that won’t actually reinforce that behavior. Some of these behaviors are self-reinforcing, like when a dog barks at people walking in front of the house. In your dog’s brain, the barking resulted in the people going away, and thus, the next time people come by, there’s even more enthusiasm for the behavior. Even subtle behaviors that we reward – giving our dogs scraps of food when they give us those “sad” eyes, for example – can result in dogs that we’ve “trained” to be needy or rude. Completely ignoring the bad behavior is probably the best option for training. I often get up and leave the room (while coaxing any other people to come with me) when my dog misbehaves. A few minutes of social isolation can be a potent punishment.
Set your dog up for success
Although social isolation can be effective, it may not work if your dog doesn’t understand that there are more appropriate ways of behaving in the situation at hand. The best strategy is not to allow the bad behavior to arise at all. This requires careful planning. For young dogs, this means “puppy proofing” our homes, so that anything the pup might put his mouth on is an appropriate toy. I recommend having treats or a clicker with you at all times, so every time your dog does something you like, you can reinforce it. Just as with people, positive reinforcement is what it’s all about. Preventing self-reinforcing tendencies, like barking at the mail or delivery person, is also important. This might entail simply moving our dog to a different part of the house when you know people will be coming to the door, so your canine companion doesn’t have the opportunity to bark at them.
A more in-depth discussion of training techniques can be found in Jean Donaldson’s The Culture Clash. This is a book I re-read every time a new dog comes into my home.
Through exercise and training, we can learn to have deeper and more satisfying relationships with our dogs, helping us all to live better.
David Gordon is a dog and cat veterinarian at Mission Pet Hospital in San Francisco.
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