How dogs learn

Dogs learn by association. If they are rewarded for good behavior, they will continue or increase doing it. With every new interaction, ask yourself if you are reinforcing behaviors that you want repeated. If your dog barks and you say ‘quiet’, ‘no’ he just learned he gets your attention for barking. It is much easier to ignore or redirect bad behavior than try to change the unwanted behavior in the future. From day one if he jumps on you, turn your back or walk away. Make sure he receives attention when he corrects himself or sits.

Your new dog will be learning what is expected of him and how to communicate with you. Pay attention. If he is pacing around at night, he probably needs to go outside. Praise him if he looks to you for direction, especially while on leash. He is not pulling on leash, chasing a squirrel or jumping on a passerby if he is looking at you.

The outside world

We live in an urban environment and our dogs must be walked to do their business and to have fun. Teaching a dog to avoid leftovers on the street and to walk politely on leash is critical to his safety and well-being. The best reward for loose leash walking is to keep walking, remind him by talking to him when he is offering this great behavior. When he does not eat half-eaten hamburger, give him a grand reward. “Good boy” is not enough for that level of restraint. A couple soft, smelly treats that break easily go a long way on a walk.

For his safety, do not let your dog off leash if you are not 99.9% sure you can call him off a squirrel, the mailman or your neighbor’s toy poodle. Do not assume every person wants their dog approached or that every dog is friendly. Educate yourself on body language so you know when to avoid or get out of situations. Respect your neighbor who knows their dog is unfriendly; he is being responsible and avoiding an injury to your dog. Please do not be offended if a passerby seems uncomfortable around your dog, not everyone in the world loves dogs.

Some dogs need some extra help walking outside and the process can be frustrating and time-consuming. Do not be afraid to use a piece of humane training equipment to help you, it will give you more opportunities to praise for good behavior and will get your dog much needed exercise.

Teaching your new dog old tricks

Resist the temptation to get your dog excited about going for a walk. Instead, remain calm and teach him to "sit" when you put on the leash. Bending over a new dog can be very intimidating to some dogs, help him feel more comfortable by approaching from the side until he learns good things happen when he allows you to do so. Begin using a word such as “yes” to pinpoint the right behavior and always follow with a reward. Rewards can be Kongs, his food, walks, playing with you or other dogs; games such as fetch or tug; treats; toys; petting; cuddling on the couch with you or hanging out with your friends at a BBQ. He should get these rewards after he does something good and you say “yes” so he learns that listening to you earns him all of life’s rewards.

Say “yes” and reward every behavior you want repeated even if you didn't tell him to do it. He will learn to offer more and more good behavior without always needing to be told what to do. Prevent bad behavior by giving him something else to do like play with his dinner out of the Buster Cube or Kong with a tiny bit of peanut butter around the edge when guests sit down for dinner. There will be times he needs to be told his behavior is inappropriate. When it is, a simple ‘uh-uh’ or ‘ack’ can stop him. Ask for a ‘sit’ and then reward.

With all of this, success is based on consistency and rewarding the behaviors you want. Avoid the temptation to say words over and over again; your dog will only learn to tune you out and it will slow down the learning process.

Does your dog enjoy petting?

Ways your dog tells you he enjoys
being touched are:

• Low sounds almost like ‘mmmm’ during petting session
• Eyes closed or semi-closed and ears relaxed
• Leaning in or on you or moving closer to you
• Laying down on his side or stretching
• Licking your face
• Wagging his tail

Signs he is not enjoying the attention:

• Looking or moving away
• Placing his head on the area you are petting
• Getting up and leaving the room
• Eyes wide open and tense body
• Ears back or unrelaxed Growling (could be a bigger issue)
• Not accepting food or toys
  

Does your dog play well with others?

• If there is running, chasing, tugging, rolling or jumping with: lots of movement and little growling or play growling (quick 'grrr' 'grrr')
• When the dogs are at the same dominance level and neither is threatening with low growls, snarls, high, erect tails or hackles raised (Coren, 2000; Fogle, 1992; Milani, 1986)
• If rough play incorporates each dog swapping positions during activity, one dog does not always remain on top of the other
• Look at the whole body, ears aroused (not erect), tail neutral with wide wags, body not continuously forward or stiff, eyes moving and face relaxed (Coren, 2000; Wright; 1999)
• Sniffing, play bows and quick moves forward and back indicate normal play behavior