A Dog Trainer’s Pet Peeve:
Dog Owners Who Reinforce Unruly Behavior On-Leash.
–by Dee Hoult
IT’S SATURDAY afternoon and all the puppies are just arriving for puppy class. There are puppies of every breed, size and temperament. There is one truth that all the puppy owners share: they can’t wait to play with all the other pup- pies. What’s cuter than a whole room of puppies greeting each other, wild with enthusiasm, pulling at the end of their lit- tle leashes ready to interact with new canine friends? The owners enter the classroom week after week with their puppies dragging them through the door, lunging with joy towards another puppy and then finally, with tail wagging a mile a minute, the puppies initiate play. Sometimes the puppies get tangled in each others’ leashes and other times when they can’t get to each other fast enough they bark, hopping up and down at the end of their lead. What seems like such an innocent scene is one of my biggest pet peeves. From 10 weeks of age, puppies are already learning that
pulling on-leash is reinforcing. If they pull hard enough against their leash, they’re allowed to interact with other dogs. The pup- pies quickly learn that other dogs are more interesting than their owners. By allowing baby dogs to participate in this kind of behavior, owners are encouraging the exact type of unruly behavior that they say they do not want. Dog owners come to class to prevent or solve behavior problems like a dog who can’t walk down a street because it’s always pulling, or a dog who gets
so excited to see other dogs it soon becomes a burden. Yet it is you, dear dog owner, who has taught your dog that this behavior is allowed, over and over again. So which is it? Do you want your dog to be unruly on-leash? Or did you come to class because you actually did want a well- trained dog? Make up your mind already.You can’t have it both ways. From the moment your
puppy comes home, you’re either going to choose to raise and train a focused, obedient and respectful dog who waits for your command to engage in playtime with other dogs. Or you’re going to choose to allow your puppy to do what- ever he wants, whenever he
wants, while on-leash. My mantra? You get what you reinforce. Keep that in mind even during that super cute puppy stage. It’s up to you to train your puppy to meet your expectations of his adult behavior. My advice is always to reserve playtime with other dogs for off-leash time only. When your dog or puppy is on-leash, teach him that it’s his job to pay attention to you by reinforcing interactions with you instead of what’s going on around him. After he’s done his job on-leash for you, you can let him off-leash to enjoy the company of dog friends – when he’s earned it.
Dee Hoult, MBA, CDBC, CPDT, CTDI is a certified dog trainer and owner of Applause Your Paws in Miami. She may be reached at 786.529.7833.
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www.TheNewBarker.com
Spring 2017 THE NEW BARKER 61
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