STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

this is very helpful for me too, pollyjean - thanks for sharing!

-- Edited by D on Monday 21st of March 2011 02:43:53 PM

small fry wrote:

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I have been calling him to me and having him sit and calm down. I would like not have to do that all the time. Thanks again

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I actually think this is the right thing to do - make him sit and calm down before you open the door (you might have to put a note on the door or warn guests that they might have to wait a minute while you get your dog to sit). Like most dog training exercises, it will be a PITA for a long time (especially if you don't have guests very often and he doesn't get much practice), but eventually he will automatically sit when the doorbell rings, especially if he knows there's a treat for him if he does it. 

While Cesar Milan is, himself, a good dog handler and trainer, I do not feel that he is good at translating those techniques into teaching other people how to handle their dogs. When he says "establish yourself as pack leader," many people interpret that to mean being aggressive and assertive with your dog. What he DOESN'T explain is that things like turning your dog on its back, staring it in the eyes, or other commonly used "assertive" techniques do not work for 99% of the people out there. You have to establish your pack leader role in other ways. The full explanation would be too much to go into here, but the basics are:

1. Food: YOU must control when your dog does and does not eat. This means your dog should not be on a free-feeding schedule. You must be the one to give your dog food every day, and the dog must wait until you give the okay before they are allowed to eat. This does not mean torturing your dog by making it wait 5 minutes with the food in front of it, but it does mean instructing the dog to sit, placing the food in front of it, and then giving it the okay. You must also remove the food at a time of your choosing - this generally means giving your dog 10 to 15 minutes to eat. If he/she is not finished in that time, you take away the food. At the next meal time, do not add the left over food to the next meal - just feed your normal amount. Eventually your dog will learn to eat the allotted amount in the time given. The exception may be for dogs that are not as food motivated as, say, a laborador. It is up to you to judge how much time your dog needs to eat - but try sticking to the 10-15 minutes rule for a week or so before extending the time.

This will establish your leadership role, as you are controlling the food source. Also, YOU should always eat before your dog. At the very least, have a small snack, then fix the dog's food. Once you have established your leadership role, showing the dog you are eating before it will not be as important.

2. Sleep - In a dog pack, who gets to sleep where is a sign of a dog's role in the pack. If you are having dominance issues, it is of UTMOST importance that you do NOT allow the dog to sleep on your bed. It is best to have the dog sleep in a crate. You can gradually move from the dog sleeping in the crate in a separate room, to moving the crate into your room, to, perhaps, one day allowing the dog to sleep on a dog bed next to your bed. Only if you have a very firmly established pack order and your dog does not ANY issues with dominance should you allow the dog to sleep on the bed. For the majority of dogs, however, sleeping on the bed should not be allowed.

3. Toys - As with food, it is up to you to control when a dog is allowed to play with its toys and when it is not. Place all the toys in a basket - the dog can select toys from the basket, but when you give the command "That's enough," the dog must relinquish the toy to you. You can train this by using treats or clicker training. With our Guide Dog training, we are able to do this without treats.

4. Precedence - By precedence I mean who goes in/out of the door first, who goes up/down stairs first, etc. When your dog wants to come in doors, it must sit/wait patiently until you give the "okay" for the dog to come in. When you come indoors with the dog, the dog must wait patiently for you to go in - It should not crowd you into the door.


These techniques will go a long way in your dog learning good house manners. With regards to jumping up on people when they come in, you will need to work on this in conjunction with your guests, but you can also start working on it with your family. Have someone go outdoors, ring the doorbell, and come in. Have them act very excited, while you keep the dog in a calming sit. Preferably a good 4 to 5 feet from the door, and reward the dog with treats as it is sitting calmly, and calmly saying "Good boy/Good girl"

You can also instruct your guests to do walk into the dog firmly, but DO NOT look at the dog, talk to the dog, or interact with the dog. The guest must keep walking firmly into the dog until the dog shows no more interest in the person - generally the dog will turn its head and body away. I would only recommend this with people who are experienced with dogs, and who you can trust to not make any eye contact or interact with the dog until the dog shows the required behavior. You should, however, ask your family members to use this technique any time the dog wants to jump up.

gingembre1 wrote:

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While Cesar Milan is, himself, a good dog handler and trainer, I do not feel that he is good at translating those techniques into teaching other people how to handle their dogs. When he says "establish yourself as pack leader," many people interpret that to mean being aggressive and assertive with your dog. What he DOESN'T explain is that things like turning your dog on its back, staring it in the eyes, or other commonly used "assertive" techniques do not work for 99% of the people out there. You have to establish your pack leader role in other ways. The full explanation would be too much to go into here, but the basics are:

1. Food: YOU must control when your dog does and does not eat. This means your dog should not be on a free-feeding schedule. You must be the one to give your dog food every day, and the dog must wait until you give the okay before they are allowed to eat. This does not mean torturing your dog by making it wait 5 minutes with the food in front of it, but it does mean instructing the dog to sit, placing the food in front of it, and then giving it the okay. You must also remove the food at a time of your choosing - this generally means giving your dog 10 to 15 minutes to eat. If he/she is not finished in that time, you take away the food. At the next meal time, do not add the left over food to the next meal - just feed your normal amount. Eventually your dog will learn to eat the allotted amount in the time given. The exception may be for dogs that are not as food motivated as, say, a laborador. It is up to you to judge how much time your dog needs to eat - but try sticking to the 10-15 minutes rule for a week or so before extending the time.

This will establish your leadership role, as you are controlling the food source. Also, YOU should always eat before your dog. At the very least, have a small snack, then fix the dog's food. Once you have established your leadership role, showing the dog you are eating before it will not be as important.

2. Sleep - In a dog pack, who gets to sleep where is a sign of a dog's role in the pack. If you are having dominance issues, it is of UTMOST importance that you do NOT allow the dog to sleep on your bed. It is best to have the dog sleep in a crate. You can gradually move from the dog sleeping in the crate in a separate room, to moving the crate into your room, to, perhaps, one day allowing the dog to sleep on a dog bed next to your bed. Only if you have a very firmly established pack order and your dog does not ANY issues with dominance should you allow the dog to sleep on the bed. For the majority of dogs, however, sleeping on the bed should not be allowed.

3. Toys - As with food, it is up to you to control when a dog is allowed to play with its toys and when it is not. Place all the toys in a basket - the dog can select toys from the basket, but when you give the command "That's enough," the dog must relinquish the toy to you. You can train this by using treats or clicker training. With our Guide Dog training, we are able to do this without treats.

4. Precedence - By precedence I mean who goes in/out of the door first, who goes up/down stairs first, etc. When your dog wants to come in doors, it must sit/wait patiently until you give the "okay" for the dog to come in. When you come indoors with the dog, the dog must wait patiently for you to go in - It should not crowd you into the door.


These techniques will go a long way in your dog learning good house manners. With regards to jumping up on people when they come in, you will need to work on this in conjunction with your guests, but you can also start working on it with your family. Have someone go outdoors, ring the doorbell, and come in. Have them act very excited, while you keep the dog in a calming sit. Preferably a good 4 to 5 feet from the door, and reward the dog with treats as it is sitting calmly, and calmly saying "Good boy/Good girl"

You can also instruct your guests to do walk into the dog firmly, but DO NOT look at the dog, talk to the dog, or interact with the dog. The guest must keep walking firmly into the dog until the dog shows no more interest in the person - generally the dog will turn its head and body away. I would only recommend this with people who are experienced with dogs, and who you can trust to not make any eye contact or interact with the dog until the dog shows the required behavior. You should, however, ask your family members to use this technique any time the dog wants to jump up.

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Oh God, I've broken every single one of these, plus the one relrel posted about not treating your dog like it's your child. I just can't help it - I feel like she's my baby!

I definitely need to implement these, though - my dog is very much the boss of me, and I need it to be the other way around.

Re: gingembre1
The fact that you mentioned guide dog training is very interesting. I never thought of looking to guide/assistance dog trainers as a source for regular pet/person relationships.  Very cool.