Doggone Etiquette —

Who, What, When, Where?

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

Do you have one big boss-person, or so many boss-people you don’t know who is the biggest? Which one do you listen to most often? If there are two or three of you dogs in the family, do you only pay attention when your very own name is loud and clear? Or do you only come running when it sounds like it might be fun and you don’t want to be left out. How do you feel if you are punished for something you didn’t do, when you know that Fluffy did it? While you are still a puppy, most honest mistakes you make will be forgiven as long as you don’t repeat them. But, if you are no longer a puppy, or are in a multiple canine household, brush up on Good Behavior 101 and avoid punishment.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:            

This is a great time of year to add a new puppy, or a new older dog, to the family. It may be a sign of spring that has many families picking up that perfect dog they’ve been planning for all through our crazy winter weather. Along with the pleasure of bringing the dog home, every family member needs to be on the same wavelength with regard to who, what, when and where involved in teaching the dog.                 

Let’s start with punishment. Only the one person who actually catches the dog in the act of a canine crime is the one to mete out the correction. That’s the WHO. Waiting a few minutes for the Big Boss to come on the scene, whether the crime is chewing a stolen shoe or lifting a leg on just about anything, would be too late for a correction. To get the message across to a dog, crime and punishment must be inseparable.   

WHAT is the actual correction and should at least attempt to fit the crime. We’re not talking about simple disobedience such as an imperfect “Sit” or “Heel.” What we’re referring to is totally undesirable behavior — digging up the garden, knocking over the garbage, stealing just about anything. Never hit a dog. It doesn’t work, and you could be bitten. Your tone of voice (and probably your facial expression) as you say, “No! Bad dog!” is enough of a distraction to stop the crime in progress. What you really want is for Rufus to interpret a sharp “No!” as “stop right now” or “don’t even think about it.” So the scene of the crime qualifies for both WHEN and WHERE.              

One further step that is beneficial to the owner as well as the dog is to follow a verbal correction with shunning. Don’t touch the dog; look at him, speak to him or even acknowledge those little paws that beg forgiveness. It gives you a bit of time to cool off. That’s one part of HOW. (Following serious crimes, I always recommend the owner take a shower!)

The other part of HOW is to be sure every member of the family knows what specific words to teach the dog in order to get the desired response. “Off” means “don’t jump up” whether it’s up on the sofa, or up on a person. Like all communication with a dog, it is a one-word command. Shouting “Oh, come off it” to a dog being a nuisance won’t convey anything at all to the dog. That brings up the all-important one word, “Come” which has to mean “come to me.” Another is “Down” which to Rufus only means he has to go “flat on the floor.” When he goes upstairs where he’s not allowed, and you shout, “Rufus, COME DOWN HERE!” you might just take a moment and try to understand how you have confused the poor dog!            

When each person in the family uses the same word to mean the same thing, your dear darling dog will comprehend your spoken language in no time. Let’s hope you do as well understanding his.

Until next time – BE GOOD!

- Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.