TRAINING dogs & cats

The process is more about what the owner can learn

BY KASHA STOLL SIT. STAY. SHAKE.

For some pets, learning these tricks is easy. For others, well, not so much. According to local experts, the difference usually lies with the trainer. The real trick, which is often the hardest, is teaching yourself to understand how a dog or cat thinks. Once you do that, the rest is fairly easy.

Dogs: Establish a Clear Alpha

“Dogs have an innate understanding of who or how a leader acts in a pack,” said Diane Craig, owner and operator of Dog Dynasty Duluth. “We are human, and we tend to make ourselves subordinate. If you do that with a dog, you are in trouble.”

Before you say, ‘I don’t do that,’ consider this question: What direction do you move when a dog jumps on you or invades your personal space? The human tendency is to back up and allow the dog to fall off you. For a dog, that signals submission.

“The dog is asking, ‘are you going to allow me to enter your bubble when I want to?’” Craig said. You need to “push into the dog and make the dog go backward. Dogs must ask permission to enter your personal space at all times. Period.”

How does this translate into training? If it is mealtime, and your dog jumps on you and barks, the dog is demanding that you put food in the bowl. Craig said you should use this opportunity to prove to the dog that you are the alpha. Walk away from the dog and the food. Wait until the dog settles down, then go back and try again. Repeat the process as many times as is necessary.

“Dogs are great at problem solving,” Craig said. “They learn by cause and effect. They think: ‘Every time I go near her, she goes away. What happens when I stay back?’ Problem solved, and I didn’t have to utter a single word.”

Craig said if a dog pushes boundaries, it is usually because the owner has not provided a clear answer as to what is acceptable.

“If dogs don’t have a black-and-white answer to the questions they ask, they are confused. They don’t know what is allowed,” she said. “If they know, they are fine and settle in.”

Admittedly, some dogs have a strong personality and are harder to train than others. Dogs that want to be the alpha can be quite tenacious, stubborn and independent. Craig said it is important to assert yourself and maintain control.

“What happens when you have no control over your dog?” she asked. “They become aggressive.