Debunking a Biting Myth

Let me first start out by debunking one of the most popular methods that I see being taught today by other dog trainers. The method is simple. The puppy starts biting you and you are to immediately say ‘Ow!’ in a loud and hurt voice and stop your play with the puppy.

If you want to get rid of puppy biting DO NOT do this method. It almost never works.

The psychology being taught behind this method is that when the puppy realizes that he’s hurt you that:

• He’ll feel bad and realize he has to be more gently next time and
• He’ll understand that when he bites you that his play time is over.

This concept could not be more wrong.

I love puppies. I think they are cute and great. What I don’t think they possess a lot of, though, is a moral compass. If your puppy realizes that he hurt you it’s likely that he doesn’t care. Not only that, it’s more likely that he realizes that he now has bigger power over you. He doesn’t like what you’re doing? No problem, he’s got a built in method for getting rid of you. All he has to do is bite you. He wants the toy instead of allowing you to have it? No worry, just give a bite and that owner is too weak to defend herself.

For those that think, “Well, the puppy will realize that he doesn’t get to have any fun if he bites you. Then he’ll stop.” Let me ask you, have you ever got up and walked away from a puppy that was biting your hands? What do you have at that point? You no longer have a puppy that is biting your hands, you have a puppy that is biting the back of your pant leg, jumping up to bite your clothes, and doing whatever else possible to nip you.

The bottom line is that this method is wholly ineffective for nearly every puppy out there. What you need is a stabilized approach that uses proper correction and proper motivation.

Stop Puppy Biting

In order to teach a dog that nipping is wrong, you need a correction that is three things:

1. Well timed.
   AS your puppy is biting you the correction occurs.
2. Meaningful.
   Turning your back on a puppy isn’t meaningful. Try a spray bottle when puppy is nipping. Use a leash correction. Experiment with what works best for your pup.
3. Followed by praise.
   You need to communicate to your puppy that attention and affection occur when nipping and biting aren’t happening. After the correction gets your pup to stop then you need to immediately praise.

In following this program you’ll find that most people can shave months off their puppy nipping problems.

Image Credit: Kyknoord

Me: So you are looking for help with obedience training. Is your dog obedient without a leash?

Client: My dog is a great dog. Yes, he listens to me off leash.

Me: So, does your dog come when called?

Client: Yes! He knows what come means.

Me: What about off leash in the front yard?

Client: Um…not so much. (On the off chance that someone claims that their dog comes when called every time in the front yard my follow up question is..)

Me: If he’s off the lead in the front yard and a distraction; dog, cat, bike, kid, etc. goes past…does he still come or does he go chasing off to say hi?

Client: Well….I can get him to come back if I yell enough.

Me: Okay, moving on. Does your dog stay when you ask him to?

Client: Oh yes, he knows how to stay on command.

Me: Can you be at a baseball game for your kid and have the dog lie down and stay while you run back to the car to grab something? Will he lie down and stay when you are in the front yard gardening and something interesting goes past? Will he sit and stay when someone rings your doorbell?

Client: Well, no. But he will stay if I’m standing 10 feet away and holding a treat…

Me: Can you go on a walk off leash and have your dog follow right next to you?

Client: Well..uh…no.

The point I’m getting at is that many people believe that their dogs are obedient and listen to them. The problem is that they’ve set such a low standard that their definition of ‘off leash obedience’ is a dog who will listen in the living room without any distractions.

My definition of off leash dog training is a dog who will listen to your commands nearly 100% of the time (no dog is perfect) with or without a leash and with or without real distractions. How many of you reading this have dogs who perform at that level?

I can tell you that in my years of dog training and having worked with over 1000 dogs I’ve helped a strong majority of my clients achieve that goal. The amount of people I’ve met in that time, though, who have achieved that level of obedience before going through one of my training programs is something I can count on one hand.

Nearly everyone I’ve ever met with a dog has taken the time and patience to train their dogs to do some things. Most people would also train their dogs to be obedient off leash as well….if they knew how.

And therein lies the rub. No one wakes up one morning and suddenly realizes, “Hey, I know how to get advanced obedience training with my dog!” Gaining this level of off leash obedience is best achieved by seeking out and finding experts. I’d never dream of re-building my transmission, I’d never even think of re-modeling my kitchen. These are things that I don’t know how to do and would likely screw up if I tried to attempt them on my own.

The same is true for this level of training with your dog. If you don’t know how to do it now you likely won’t ever know unless you enlist the help of those who have gone before you. That’s one reason my company and this website have been so successful. So few dog trainers are experts at this level of advanced obedience. Having said that, even the most novice dog owner can learn to achieve this type of training with their dog.

In order to train your dog to play dead your dog should first know how to lie down on command.

Start out with your dog lying down. Grab one of his paws to steady him in position. Then as you tell him ‘play dead’ (or whatever command you want) push him on the side of his head or body TOWARDS the paw that you are holding. By holding the paw on one side and pushing him from the other side you should be able to create a situation where the dog starts to roll onto his back.

Once he is on his back now you want him to hold that position. Slowly and calmly continue repeating ‘play dead’ or whatever other command you are using. You can even calmly dispense little pieces of treat into his mouth as long as he stays on his back.

If he moves from his position or hops up then you need to stop with the treats and immediately start over from the lying down position.

If your dog is going nuts over the treats, getting overstimulated by you holding his paw or pushing on him then more than likely you need more obedience training.

The foundation for most trick training is to first have a dog that listens well on command and can be relied on to pay attention despite food or other distractions.

I always encourage my clients to work on trick training AFTER they’ve done obedience training. Obedience training establishes proper relationships between dogs and owners and it is far more important than any trick you can teach. Essentially, don’t put the cart before the horse.

I say this because I’ve worked with many a dog owner who tells me, “My dog is great! She does all the tricks. She shakes, fetches, rolls over, plays dead, sits pretty and all the rest. I just can’t get her to come when called, walk properly on a leash, or stay like she should.”

I always wonder how much more success the owner would have had if they had put the effort into their obedience training that they put into their trick training.

For the purposes of this info, today, I’m going to walk you through steps on training your dog to fetch ASSUMING your dog already has drive and interest in chasing a ball.

Start out with your dog on a long line. I like a 20 foot leash for this. Hold onto the line with your off hand and hold the ball with your throwing hand. Wave the ball back and forth to get your dog interested in the ball. Toss it around, kick it around, etc. all the while not allowing your dog to get it as your off hand is preventing it with the long line.

Toss the ball close to you.

As the dog goes for the ball praise him.

The second he gets it immediately reel him in back to you like a fish. When he gets back get him to release the ball and then IMMEDIATELY toss it again for him to chase.

Many dogs learn not to fetch because they don’t think it is that fun. They get the ball and then they have to give it up. In doing so, they realize that fetch isn’t all that fun. In the beginning stages of training fetch I want the dog to realize that when he gives the ball up it actually makes the game better because you are likely to toss the ball right away.

After you’ve played for a bit collect the ball, get him interested and excited, and then put the ball away. You want to end your fetch session on a high note with your dog wanting more. In doing this it will build his drive for wanting to fetch the next time.

Another way to teach the dog to drop the ball when he brings it back is to play the ‘two ball game’. As you send him to get the first ball the next ball materializes from your pocket and you immediately show it to him and get him excited about it. As he comes back you entice him to drop the first ball so that he can get the next ball. As he drops it you toss the second ball away. As he goes to chase that ball you pick up the dropped ball and repeat this step.

In a nutshell you want a lot of energy, movement, and fun. You want to keep it fun and lively, never allowing the dog the drop the energy. You want to end it fun so that the lasting association that stays with the dog is that of always wanting more and always being ready the next time the ball comes out.

Catch The Dog In The Act-
Have you ever wondered how they train dogs in movies? For example, have you ever seen a dog in a movie yawn, hide their face, or do some other sort of interesting behavior?

Many of these behaviors are taught by ‘catching the dog in the act’. For example, if you hang out with your dog for long enough at some point he’ll yawn. The idea with this method is that as he starts to yawn you tell him ‘yawn’ or some other sort of command. As he does it you reward him with a treat. Catch him in the act enough times and most dogs will learn to do this trick on command.

With training a dog to roll over you can do the same thing. When your dog gets on his back and starts itching back and forth you can tell him ‘roll over’, give him a little nudge or push to help him get all the way over, and then reward him with a treat and praise.

If you do this enough most dogs will soon be rolling over on command.

Train The Behavior-
If you want to get to the finish line with this trick a little bit faster you can be more proactive with how you teach it.

Have your dog lie down. Take a treat and manipulate it in front of his muzzle so that he’s interested. Now start moving the treat in such a way that your dog starts turning his head and making the first motion of rolling over. As he starts doing that help him by pushing him, guiding him, rolling him, etc. until he makes it all the way over. When he does, immediately reward him with a treat.

As you continue and persevere with this method you’ll soon find yourself helping the dog less and less. This is good, you want the dog doing it of his own volition. Give it enough repetition and soon you’ll have a dog rolling over on command.

The Accidental Roll Over-
Training a dog to roll over can be so easy for many dogs. I’ve had many a client whose child took an hour or two and continually rolled the dog over while giving the command. The child wasn’t following any ‘playbook’ or formal training method. They were simply playing at getting the dog to roll over and in the end it worked, despite any formality in the training style.

So don’t over-think it. Sometimes the simplest way is the easiest way to get it done.

My adventures in this arena have taken me around the world. I’ve worked with clients in half a dozen countries and about half of the United States in helping them with their guard dog and protection dog needs.

This style of training is fun. It’s interesting. It’s unique.

Don’t even think about trying to do it unless you are working with a professional.

Having said that, allow me to present some more info on guard dog training:

Guard Dog Breeds- There are several breeds that are most often used for protection training. The most common would be the Belgian Malinois, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, and Doberman. Outside of those breeds its not uncommon to find the Pit Bull, Dutch Shepherd, Cane Corso, Presa Canario, American Bulldog, Bandog, Beauceron, amongst others.

The question often posed is, why are these breeds used more than others. The simple answer is that these breeds have been bred to have certain qualities that make guard dog training possible. Just as you aren’t going to use a Doberman for hunting ducks you also aren’t going to use a Labrador for guard dog training. The capacity just isn’t there based on traits that each dog was bred for.

Foundation Training- It is critical to have the highest levels of obedience training if you are going to protection train your dog. It is irresponsible and a liability to train a dog to bite, defend, attack, or protect on command if you don’t also have complete verbal control over your dog at all times.

This means that your dog, both on and off leash, will respond to your commands even under heavy distraction. Anything less is setting yourself and your dog up for problems.

Maintenance Training- Training a guard dog isn’t a ‘set it and forget it’ type thing. You’ll want to maintain your dog’s skills throughout his or her life. Ideally you can set up surprise scenarios where you call on your dog to protect you when your dog is least expecting it.

Guard Dog Gender- Both males and females can excel at guard dog training. Males tend to be larger, stronger, and more athletic. Females tend to be more nurturing and intuitive. Having said that, there are exceptions to these rules.
The most critical thing with guard dog training is that you employ a professional trainer who knows how to best mold your dog into the guard dog that you want him or her to be. A good guard dog should be part protector and part family pet and only a professional can help you achieve that.

Before ever talking about service dog training I always first start out by talking about service dog etiquette as there is a great deal of confusion out there.

When you are in public and you see a service dog the rule of thumb is ‘don’t do it or say it unless you would do or say the same thing about a wheelchair.

What do I mean?

If you see someone in a wheelchair would you ever ask to go pet the wheelchair or otherwise touch it? Probably not.

If you see someone in a wheelchair would you ever go ask that stranger why they are in a wheelchair? I know I wouldn’t. It’s none of my business and that person in the wheelchair probably has no desire to discuss their wheelchair with me.

Would you stare at someone in a wheelchair? Nope.

Would you make comments as the person in a wheelchair passes by like, ‘Look kids! Isn’t that cool that the person is in a wheelchair!’? I doubt it.

If you wouldn’t do or say those things to someone in a wheelchair then don’t do it to someone who is accompanied by a service dog.

That person with a service dog is dealing with a disability. They probably don’t want to talk to you about their disability. They’re just trying to buy groceries, get on their plane, or handle some other type of business. They don’t need to be interrupted every 2 minutes by someone who wants to touch, pet, or talk about their service dog.

Not only that, their dog is trained for a certain task. That task becomes much more difficult if people are constantly wanting to touch, talk to, or coo at the dog.

Now, if you are a person with a disability that is looking to do some service dog training or get a trained dog here are the main things to consider:

1- Temperament. You’ve got to have a dog with a good temperament. At my company we get many requests for help in training their current dog to be a service dog. Unfortunately, many of these dogs are highly anxious or aggressive. Now, through training, you can solve a lot of aggression or anxiety issues. Even so, you want to start with a dog that already has a sound temperament.
2- Obedience Training. One of the most important tasks for ANY service dog is to have high levels of obedience. Your dog is going to be going into highly distracting areas in public with lots of other people, sights, sounds, dogs, shopping carts, cars, and more. Your dog has to navigate that world while never breaking the heel position, staying when told, coming when called, etc.

3- Specialized training. There are some types of specialized training that some people can do on their own. For example, training your dog to pick up dropped objects, flick a light switch or other specialized training commands can often be accomplished on your own.

For more specialized tasks like leading around a blind person or detecting seizures of low blood sugar it is likely you’ll need help from professionals.

To me there are few things more amazing than the bond that occurs between a person and a dog when that dog happily goes about their duties of being a service dog.

Thankfully there are ways to fix dog chewing. Unfortunately, most people are too lazy or ineffective with their training methods to get it fixed. Don’t be that person. Follow these steps for success:

1- Supervision. One of the biggest problems people have with dog chewing is they give their dogs too much freedom before they’ve earned it. Note, dogs need to EARN freedom. If freedom is given without training you are in a great position for a $10,000 chewing bill.

This rule applies to both puppies and adults. If your dog, whatever the age, is prone to chewing then that dog shouldn’t have the freedom to chew. Simple as that. If you can’t be home during the day then you need to find a place where the dog can be safe and not chew. Perhaps that is a crate, a bathroom, a garage, a kennel run, or whatever.

Dog training is all about communication. When you are gone at work for 8 hours you can’t communicate a darn thing. You need to set your dog up so that chewing isn’t an option.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a forever thing. As you address the chewing issue you can gradually give your dog more and more freedom and end up with a dog that is able to be left out during the day. Rome wasn’t built in a day, though, and you aren’t going to be leaving your dog loose in the house or yard all day by tomorrow.

The same is true for when you are home, though. If your dog is chewing then what the heck is he doing alone in the family room for the last hour? Why is he allowed to sneak off into your kids room and grab toys?

A common complaint I’ve heard from dog owners is, ‘well, I can’t watch him 24 hours a day!’

My response is that you may have wanted to get a stuffed animal, then. Many dogs need 100%, not 80, 85, or 96%, supervision during their training period. Every puppy I’ve ever raised has either had a set of eyes on him or been in a crate until about 8-12 months of age. Period. As a result, I’ve never had anything destroyed in my home. That includes dogs that I’ve raised and the hundreds of dogs who have passed through my home for training over the last decade.

Now, because I’m so over the top with my supervision I typically get to a point by about 8-18 months where the dog doesn’t need any supervision. I didn’t start there, though, and neither can you. Your dog needs supervision until he’s proven that he doesn’t need it.

2- Outlets for energy and intelligence. Many dogs I meet are chewers because they have no outlets. They don’t get walked, they don’t get trained, they don’t get much attention.

What outlets do you provide your chewing dog? Do you get her out on a long enough walk? Have you done some training today? Have you played with her?

What about chew toys? Have you provided enough? And toys that are interesting enough?

Outlets need to provide for the physical exhaustion and the mental workout.

3- Correct chewing. I’ve got to tell you, the next time I hear a so-called professional dog trainer say that when a dog is chewing something bad you should simply replace it I think I might scream.

This new school style of training where you don’t correct the dog and simply redirect the dog is ludicrous.

You NEED to train your dog that it is 100% WRONG to chew your shoes, furniture, iPods, computer cords, etc. That may be a leash correction, spray bottle, or other. But if you hear a trainer tell you, ‘no, no, no. Don’t correct him! Just redirect him to something else,’ then you need to be running for the hills. That method doesn’t even work in theory let alone application.

In my training DVDs we talk about another form of correcting called chewing called K9 entrapment. It sounds devious….but it works. I’ll save that for the DVDs, though.

Apply this for dog chewing and you’ll be in great shape.

Dogs are naturally creatures who will bark. That doesn’t mean that it’s always a bad thing. There is no right answer to what is nuisance barking and what isn’t. Truthfully, it all boils down to what you as the owner have decided is okay.

For example, I allow my dogs to bark at people as they pass in front of our house. Part of the reason we have dogs is for protection of the home. I don’t, however, allow them to sit and endlessly bark at construction workers as they work in the street in front of our home or in the fields behind our home.

After deciding what is okay as far as dog barking and what isn’t it’s time to start altering the needless barking that you don’t want. The following outlines some of the major and most common forms of barking:

Bored Barking- This one makes me sad. I see this a lot with dogs that are left alone in the back yard for too long of periods. Often the dog isn’t barking AT anything; rather he or she is simply barking because of boredom. If I were left in the backyard all day every day I may find myself a bored barker as well. With a bored barker you may consider bringing the dog inside. Take him or her on more walks and pay more attention. Get out in the yard and play games. Hide things in the yard and encourage the dog to find them. Provide your dog with plenty of toys that are interesting and time consuming. There are myriad things that you can try but it all boils down to giving your dog more….

More attention…more exercise…more training…more training….more activity.

Don’t every forget. Your dog is an intelligent and living, breathing creature. You can’t just coop up an animal like that and expect that there won’t be behavior problems.

Nuisance Barking- I define nuisance barking as a dog who is barking for a reason.

Just…a very bad reason.

Nuisance barking is a dog who is barking at squirrels, barking at cars, reflections, cats, every noise, and every movement. Sure, the dog had a purpose to bark but it was just a lousy purpose.

This type of barking tends to stem from dogs who are anxious and/or don’t have much structure. A lot of dogs like this are screaming out for ‘micro-management’.

For those of you out there who have a boss you may be hearing the word ‘micro-management’ and it quite possibly may send chills up your spine. Many people hate to have small details force-fed to them.

One the contrary, most dogs love to be micro-managed. They just want someone to tell them what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. In the absence of such stimulation they get anxious and hyper-sensitive to their surroundings.

Many people know their dog needs a job but they just aren’t sure how to do it. Here is how. Micro-manage your dog. When you eat breakfast have him lie down and stay for a few minutes. When you go to your room to make the bed have him follow and sit while you do that. When you watch TV have him lie in his bed for an hour. Before you walk through a door have him wait. Have him walk perfectly on leash.

Basically, require him to do lots of things throughout the day. This occupies the mind and bring structure. Structure is the opposite of frantic and frenetic nuisance barking.

Most dogs who live like this for a while will soon enter into a structured state of mind and will self regulate. That way you don’t have to try to worry about micro-managing your dog for the next 10 years.

Aggressive Barking- Aggressive barking is the most serious and the most difficult to fix.,

Please see our page on how to fix dog aggression for more details.

In a nutshell, though, fixing aggressive barking includes three steps:

1. Obtain a high level of obedience. I’m not talking about sitting for a cookie. I’m talking about a dog who is highly obedient regardless of the distractions.
2. Use that obedience in situations where your dog barks aggressively. When he wants to bark and lunge at the dog on the walk have him walk perfectly instead. When he wants to lunge at the person coming through the door have him lie down and stay instead.
3. Correct the aggression when it occurs.

These aren’t the only types of barking I see, they just happen to be the most common. As with most dog training principles I preach so much of fixing dog barking relies on a solid relationship and healthy doses of obedience.

There are numerous benefits to training a dog to heel:

• Dogs are exercised better when both their minds and their bodies are working.
  Playing fetch, running around, and having a good time with your dog are all forms of good exercise. For the most part, though, those are only physical exercisers. Dogs are intelligent creatures and need mental workouts in order to be satisfied.

  Dogs that get regular ‘focused walks’ (where the dog is walking in heeling position) are much less likely to be destructive, anxious, aggressive, or develop other behavior problems.

  Note, there is a big difference between walking on leash and heeling. A dog in the heel position is right next to the owner, never leading, and paying attention.

• Heeling leads to leadership.
  As a dog trainer I can tell you that the biggest cause of problems I see with dogs are a result of a lack of leadership or poor leadership. Think about a child who doesn’t get good leadership at home. Think of an employee who sails without a rudder. Think about an athlete whose coach is a lousy leader. All of these examples point to the need for leadership.

  The same is true for dogs. In order to be happy, healthy, and balanced they need to know that they have a leader. Leadership is achieved through obedience training. As the dog learns to mold his behavior towards what you want the dog naturally assumes a follower role.

  One of the best things you can do to encourage a follower attitude is to teach your dog to heel. In the heeling position the dog literally and figuratively becomes a follower.

• Teaching a dog to heel combats other problems.
  Do you have issues with an aggressive dog who lunges at people or dogs? What about an over-excitable dog that wants to jump on people or rush to say ‘hi’ to everyone? Guess what? Your dog can’t do that if he heels properly.

  In order to train a dog to heel on command I teach what I call the ‘crazy man’ method. This involves using the proper training collar and, initially, making lots of directional changes accompanied by quick leash corrections as the dog ventures away from your side.

In doing this method the dog learns that he needs to pay attention because you are ‘crazy’ and prone to darting off here and there unless he’s paying better attention.