Doggone Etiquette—

Teacher’s Pet

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

If you are an older dog, say 2 years of age or more, you will already have learned lots of things that your VIPeople have taught you. But all of you dogs learn a lot on your own without the help of any teacher. For instance, remember the time you stood up on your hind legs and put your paws on that little table to swipe a cookie — and all the books came tumbling down on top of you? Yes, indeed! That kind of thing is a self-taught lesson and I hope you learned not to do it again! There are plenty of these “self-taught” episodes in which you take pride, like figuring out how to open the fridge and help yourself. (You also learned that it is something you only do when no one’s at home.) Maybe we should have a look at all this teaching/learning stuff from your VIP’s point of view.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:            

Teaching a dog is half — no, it’s most — of the fun of owning a dog. That interaction of the effort you put into trying to get your idea across to a nonverbal animal, and that (brainy) animal’s reaction, is both frustrating and rewarding. The bright-eyed dog, eager to learn whatever he’s being taught, is a delight to any owner, and quick to become a teacher’s pet. To be a good teacher, however, the owner must always keep several things in mind. Our verbal language is confusing at best, so the first rule is to stick to a single word from you, tied to the reaction you want from the dog. To confuse your end of the job somewhat, the command is often two words but said as one; i.e., when you hide a toy and tell Rufus to find it, the command “FIND-it” is said as one word.      

The dog that responds correctly to everything you ask of him may be a perfect pet, but he may also have learned that he always gets treat rewards as pay for a job well done. Tip to owner: It is okay to start a new lesson using very small treats, but best to gradually eliminate them. Your smile and pleasant voice are sufficient rewards for a good dog.     

Then there’s a confounding aspect of the “classroom” dog. This is the dog that was Teacher’s Pet at obedience school, but at home will have nothing to do with that basic education. He seems to have filed it all under “forget.” Out walking, you say, “Heel” and Rufus tugs or wanders as far as the leash allows. You meet a friend and tell Rufus to “Sit” whereupon he leaps up to greet the friend! He’s gazing at the stars and your command of, “Rufus, come” falls on deaf ears!

Your dear doggie has also learned the art of ignoring. You ignore him when he’s begging to go for a walk and you’re busy. Maybe he doesn’t accept it the first time you say “No” when he wants to share your sandwich. You ignore him and he goes away. So you might as well admit it — he learned how not to obey you by simply ignoring you! (This trick could also be a carryover from his teenage phase.) The easiest way to handle it is to eliminate commands when the dog is off lead, and go back to basic training on lead — with lots of praise and smiles — and keep practicing. Put Rufus through the entire basic obedience routine before you go for a walk, when you come back, any time in the house, on the deck, in the yard, on the way to the car … well, you get the idea.

If you’d like to see some “perfect” dogs, there will be thousands of them in New York City next week. Lots of single-breed specialty shows are scheduled over the weekend, and then February 14 and 15 are the two days of Westminster where all the dogs are American Kennel Club Champions. Every detail of this super event, including a judging schedule, is online at www.westminsterkennelclub.org/2011/show/WKC_2011_judging.

On Valentine’s Day all the Toys, Hounds, Non-Sporting and Herding breeds will be judged. On Tuesday the Terrier, Working, Sporting breeds, and Junior Showmanship, will be judged. And that evening the one-and-only Westminster Best In Show Dog will be chosen!

Until next time — BE GOOD!

—Bardi