Dog Training Tips to Have Your Dog Listen in the Back Yard

What Happens When Your Dog Wont Come to Me in The Back Yard?

We were at a dog training session in Coral Springs yesterday and our client had a great question that we wanted to share with everyone.  “It always happens that whenever I need to get my dog in from the back yard, he never comes.  I really think he sees it as a game and finds it fun to run and have me chase him…”

See my dog way back there?  There is no way that I am getting him in the house any time soon...

The best solution is really simple.  What you must do is to teach (or re-teach) your dog to “come”.  This, like any learned action, will take about five weeks of continual work.  This is great, but you need something to get him back in the house between now and then.

Lets first understand what is really happening with you and your dog and then find a temporary solution.  

Right now, I bet here is what you are doing.  You walk outside and yell "come".  He doesnt understand what that means, but you have gained his attention.  You yell "come" again and become more animated.  He still stares at you, finding you an amusing distraction.  By now you are really mad.  You start yelling at him and walk towards him (thinking he will stay still for you to get him). Your dog sees that we are in a game of "follow the leader".  He starts running, you chase him, and he runs faster.

As you can see, this is a losing battle that you just cant win.  So what do you need to do to get him in the house if he doesnt understand "come"?  You must find a way where you will remain calm, disengaging, and not directly approaching nim.  If you do this, you will not be "telling" Wolfie that you want to play.

Here is what you do:  (I really love this little trick!)

• Put a long leash or rope on your dog when he is outside.  Let him run around with it so that he becomes used to it.  You want him to think it is normal and not pay attention to it.
• When you want to get him in the house, be very calm and slowly approach the end of the leash or rope.  The point here is that you are moving towards a point that is not near him. 
• You are not directly approaching him so you are not sending the "play" signal to him.
• If he begins to run, do not get crazy and chase him.  Continue to calmly follow the end of the leash or rope..
• If you need to, stand still for a moment.  Since your dog is in a “play more”, he might approach you to encourage you to join in the chase.  When he does this, he will bring the leash to you.
• Once you are at the end of the leash or rope, simply put your foot on it.  Now you have him.
• Pick it up (keeping your foot on it until you have it firmly in your hand).
• Give your dog the "come" command and give the leash a little tug until he is at your side.
• Give him the "walkies" command and calmly walk him back to the house.

Give it a try and I am sure you will love it.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in Coral Springs Florida and South Florida.

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Sometimes Dog Training Starts With The Family And Not The Dog

My dog is just crazy and doesnt listen.  I have taken him to dog classes and even sent him away for a week to a special “boot camp”.  He came back and was OK for a day and then went back to being crazy.  He doesnt listen, nips at people and won’t leave my kids alone.  What happened to “man’s best friend”?

As dog trainers, we hear this many times.  Yesterday I was at a new client and they asked me what is the hardest dog to train.  I told them that the answer is really quite simple.  It is almost never the dog, it is the owner or family.  Our dogs are often mirrors of us.  We must assure that we provide them with the correct image.  Here are some things that you should consider if you have a crazy dog:

What is the temperament of your family?  Are things always crazy and are people always running in and out?  This is providing too much stimulus to your dog and he is simply responding through dominance actions (barking/jumping) and heightened adrenaline.  If this is the case, place your dog in a quiet space if things are getting a little too crazy.  The back yard with some of his favorite toys is a perfect way to redirect his energy and focus away from you.

Make sure that your kids arent always playing or bugging your dog.  They might think it is fun, but it is only teaching him that it is always OK to demand play from anyone.  Limit play time to specific times of the day and only have them play with your dog in the back yard.  This will help your dog to understand where and when “crazy time” happens.  It will start to reverse the crazy behavior in the house because it just doesnt happen in there.

Never let your dog tell you what he wants you to do.  If he rubs his nose in your palm, don’t pet him.  If he brings over the leash, don’t go for a walk.  If he steals a sock, don’t chase him.  The more you let him tell you what he wants to do, the more he will ignore your commands and only demand things from you.  When you don’t give him what he wants, he will ramp it up to barking, jumping, and (sometimes) nipping.  None of these activities are things you should allow in your house and with your family.

If you want to be on the right foot to having a great dog, be calm.  Don’t run after him and yell and scream.  Don’t do what he is asking you to do.  Make sure that everyone treats the dog in the same way.  If you don’t want him on the furniture, you can’t let him on the furniture with your kids. 

I know this doesnt sound hard, but you would be amazed at how many of our clients had crazy dogs just because of the situations I have mentioned above.  Once we were able to rectify these situational issues, resolving any misbehavior of the dog was a piece of cake.  If you have any further questions about this, please feel free to contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in SouthFlorida.  

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Why do Dogs Sometimes Get Crazy at People in the Car

My dog is the greatest dog in the world until he goes for a car ride.  He just starts barking like crazy!  He barks at everyone as I drive down the street.  He doesn’t do this with people in the house, what’s happening?

I have seen this with so many clients of ours.  Let’s just say here is a picture of your dog in the back seat.  You are doing the right thing by constraining him so that he doesn’t fly out of control if you have to slam on the breaks.  So far you are doing great.  But still, he is constantly barking and is driving you crazy.  That is bad.  What is the problem and how can you fix it?

...The answer is simpler than you think and the explanation is just as simple.

Dogs are always very aware of dominance; who is the boss, who is the leader.  Who is the dominant one?  Who is in charge?  Look at this picture of your dog.  He is in his car seat that is elevated above the normal seating area which puts him in a raised position.  In the canine world, height is dominance.  Guess what?  You are sitting lower in your drivers seat while your dog is sitting high and mighty in his "dominance seat".  On top of that, you have given him an excellent view of everyone around the car.  He is dominant and he sees all these "other animals" (people) moving around the car.  Some of these "other animals" might even be walking towards the car which gives them an aggressive posture.

Don’t forget that you put your dog in the dominant role and he sees possible aggression towards his pack.  Barking, jumping, growling are all natural actions he could take to try and protect the rest of the "pack".  You put him out in front.  You told him that he was the one who had to protect you and the rest of the people in the car.  You did this by giving him height and dominance.  You elected him the "boss of you".

Now, what do you do?  The answer is simple.  Lower his height.  Find a doggie carrier that you can put on the seat or floor of your car.  Find a car seat that sits on the seat of your car.    All you are doing is lowering the height of your dog and lowering his requirement to be the "boss".  Also, make sure that you dont put him in the front passenger seat, unless you can turn off the air bag release.

This is a quick fix that seems to work over and over again.  Take away your dogs requirement for dominance in the car and your rides will be a whole lot nicer!  Please contact us immediately if you have any questions.  Please feel free to contact us regarding dog training questions at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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