Christmas Scheduling and Dog Books (#SFWApro)

So my week was less productive than I’d planned, due to having to do more dog-wrangling when TYG needed to concentrate and couldn’t handle any barking. Then yesterday, the local chapter of TYG’s (coed) frat had its annual party, and we were the hosts. So Friday was all prep, with no chance to work or post.

So I’ll talk dogs instead. I checked out a bunch more books from the local library, but after reading a couple, decided I’d probably be just repeating instructions—there’s only so much to say on the topic, it seems.

Both dog books—IMAGINE LIFE WITH A WELL-BEHAVED DOG: A 3-Step Positive Dog-Training Program by Julie A. Buellano and CESAR’S RULES: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog by Cesar Milan and Melissa Jo Peltier covered a lot of ground I didn’t need covered. Not that this is their fault—discussions of which dog to pick and where to find one are obviously useful, it’s just that we’re well past that stage. Both books use a lot of anecdotal examples, but I think the Milan book went a bit heavy in that direction—which is to be expected from a TV celebrity I suppose (it may reflect that he wants people to understand his show is about rehabbing dogs with serious problems, not ordinary training). The Buellano book gave good advice on basic training (“Sit” “Go into your crate” “Stay”) which I’ve begun practicing, even though we’ll be taking them to class in the New Year.

Reading the books also got me thinking. Most dog books emphasize that it’s about training the owner as much as the animal, and I found several useful tips for my own behavior, confirming what I’ve read elsewhere:

•Be consistent. If I don’t want Trixie or Plush One doing X, letting them do it sometimes and not others will not train them properly. This is one TYG and I have to work on, so we’re both enforcing the same things.

•Stay calm. Don’t get angry. Show affection and enthusiasm when praising the dog, so it’s sincere. All good advice I think.

•When the dog pulls on their leash while walking, don’t tug against them, just stop moving. That way they learn the only effect of fighting you is no fun, no exploring. I’ve been doing this with Trixie and it seems to work, though of course it’s tougher when she wants to race after another dog, or a squirrel.

•Positive reinforcement works best, negative reinforcement can be effective (walking away or ignoring the dog when she’s misbehaving), punishment is a poor third choice.

•Give the dogs lots of exercise. I’m thinking I’ve given Trixie too little—starting Monday I’ll try 30 minutes in the morning, a brief walk at noon for pooping, then another 30 minute walk after work. That’ll actually result in less time spent walking, though if I start walking Plushie too, eventually, that will change (there’s no way I can walk them together because I can’t hold too dogs and scoop poop)

Some advice ain’t gonna fly though. The Milan book recommends that I control all our play interactions—ignore when my dog wants to play and wait until its on my schedule. That makes a certain amount of sense (it would make work a lot smoother) but I don’t have the strength of mind for it.

And some I just don’t care about. There’s a lot of advice in both books about leading and steering dogs when you walk, which I gather is supposed to help reinforce my standing as Leader, plus make it easier to control them. But I honestly don’t care which direction Trixie wants to walk, so I’m fine with letting her set the pace (I also have to move faster that way, which is good). Of course, she’s under seven pounds, so I can easily scoop her up if there’s a problem—I may have to change tactics with the Plush One.

Now we’ll see how I do putting all that fancy talk into practice.