Teaching Your Dog to Wait for His Food Bowl

February 13, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Teaching Your Dog Table Manners

Teaching a Dog to Wait for Food — Good boy! He’s waiting as the food bowl lowers.

Does your dog gobble his food down before you’re able to put his food bowl on the ground? Check out our tips and video focused on teaching dogs to wait for meals. Polite behavior is a good thing!

Why Does This Happen?

When you’re hungry, you’ll inhale your meal the moment the plate hits the table. Dogs are the same way plus they never read the pet parent guide for polite dog manners so let’s teach them. If your dog is a resource guarder, meaning he guards his food bowl, then teaching him to wait for meals is a huge plus. Not only is teaching dogs to wait for meals polite behavior, it also teaches hyper dogs how to calm themselves.

How to Teach Your Dog Table Manners

It’s pretty simple to teach. All you need is a food bowl with a few treats in it and your dog. Remember: When your dog tries to mug the food bowl, it goes away. When he waits, he’s rewarded with the bowl on the floor with treats.

Lower the food bowl slowly toward the ground. If your dog tries to get the treats, pick the bowl up so he can’t get the treats.
Try again and lower the bowl again. Same boundaries apply. If your dog mugs the food bowl, it goes away.
You’ll notice your dog sitting or lying down. This is not required, but he may choose to perform these behaviors instead. He’s trying to figure out what will make the food bowl lower. Plus, “sit” and “down” keep your dog’s nose out of the bowl so it’s a win-win.
Now, you can ask your dog to “sit” or “down” before lowering the food bowl. It’s up to you. Personally, I prefer the appearance of the food bowl as the cue for polite meal behavior.
Practice each meal and make sure the entire family is on board. Consistency is important.

Check out this video, which demonstrates how to teach Sobek, my Rottweiler, polite meal behavior. You’ll notice him hopping when I pick up the food bowl. He’s getting a tad frustrated and hence the hopping. This is the first time I taught him this behavior.

VIDEO: Teaching Dogs to Wait for Meals

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How to Stop Bullying Behavior

February 10, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Interrupting Puppy Play

Bully Dog — The top puppy is bullying. Notice her straight lines and stiff body.

As pet parents, it’s our duty to protect our puppies and dogs. Be your dog’s voice is my motto. Dogs can’t speak, but we can. Yes, bad things happen in life, but that doesn’t mean we should allow bullying to happen. Honestly, watching your dog, or someone else’s dog, being bullied is cruel. By saying or doing nothing, you’re saying it’s okay so let’s chat about how to interrupt puppy play.

Are Puppies Having Fun?

If you’re not sure, pick the “top” puppy (puppy on top of the other puppy) up and hold her waist high. If the bottom puppy jumps up and wants to continue playing with the top puppy, then puppy play was fun. If the bottom puppy runs away, then the top puppy was being a bully. Remove the bully from the playgroup. If not, she will chase down this puppy again, or pick another one, and bully her too.

RELATED: Appropriate Puppy Play

How to Stop Inappropriate Play

When you recognize bullying behavior, step in immediately. Time is of the essence here.

Puppy Being Picked On

If your puppy is being picked on, pick her up and hold waist level. Don’t forget to tuck her tail under her because a bully will jump up and try to pull her tail too.

Bully Puppy

For bully puppy pet parents, it’s best to pick up their puppies and remove them from the play session. Bring her outside the play area, attach her leash and go for a long walk. Trust me, allowing your bully puppy to continue playing will not cure her naughty behavior. It will make it worse. Plus, it’s not fair to the other puppies. Before you think I’m judging, I’ve been that pet parent before — Stella Mae is a bully. We tried puppy playtime, but she insisted on pinning and chasing. I removed her within seconds. Instead of relying on puppy play to exhaust her, I brought her on walks.

You can teach bully puppies to play nicely. However, it’s best to partner with a professional dog trainer. It’s not easy as you think. 🙂

Be your puppy’s voice!

More:
How to Train a Puppy
Top 10 Puppy Training Tips
Surviving the First Night with Your Puppy
Complete New Puppy Checklist

Training Dogs Polite Greeting Behavior

February 9, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Stop Your Door-Dashing Dog

If your dog thinks the door threshold is the Indy 500 line, then check out these door-dashing dog tips. Plus, check out demo videos that teach large and small dogs.

What is Door Dashing?

Door dashing is about excitement on the other side. Dogs can’t wait to see what’s happening. Have you seen children piling out a doorway, trying to get into Chuck E. Cheese or Disneyland? That’s door-dashing at its finest. 🙂

Door dashing has nothing to do with aggression, mate seeking or dominance. This is totally unproven. If your dog barks and lunges at guests coming through the door, this is totally different than door dashing. This sounds like defensive aggression, meaning he is afraid of what’s coming through the door.

RELATED: Dog Aggression

Teaching Polite Door Manners

It’s all about consequences. If you push or rush toward the door, it closes. If you move away from the door, it opens — voila! Dogs pick up on this quickly too. Even the best door dashers can learn polite manners within minutes.

Opening and Closing the Door

Before we start, let’s chat about opening and closing the door. Never close your dog’s nose in the door. This will teach him to be afraid of the doorway. By slowly closing it, you’re keeping the door from opening further. Close the door as your dog moves his nose from the open crack. If your dog’s nose remains in the crack of the door, hold the knob to prevent the door from opening further. After a few seconds of sniffing or patiently waiting for you to open the door further, your dog will walk away. He knows it’s not working. This is a good thing since your dog is learning that door rushing is not working.

Rewards

Most dogs love playing in the yard, going for walks or having guests visit so they get super excited about going through a door. Use this excitement as a reward! If you want, you can toss a treat just outside the open door for a super nice reward.

Front Door Precautions

Living in an urban area, about 40% of my clients don’t have backyards so they reward with walks. Plus, door dashing happens when guests come over when dogs wait for the moment to dash through the door and romp the neighborhood. Yikes! When practicing polite greeting manners using the front door, make sure your dog is leashed.

Adding a Cue

When teaching polite door manners, you can use a verbal cue, such as “wait” at the door. Think of a “wait” cue as a pause button when your dog remains with you until released. Personally, my cue for “wait” at the door is my hand touching the doorknob. Then, I say “yes” or “OK” to release them. Now, you can say “wait” if you like. It’s up to you.

How to Stop Your Dog From Door Dashing

Practice each step until your dog will wait patiently for the door to open all the way.

Place your hand on the doorknob. If your dog rushes toward the door, remove your hand from the knob. Note, the door has not opened yet. Most dogs will launch toward the door when you touch the knob. 🙂
Now, slowly open the door to leave a tiny crack. Keep practicing until your dog moves away from the cracked door. Once he ignores the opening door or moves away from the door as it opens, say “yes” or “OK” and open the door.
Open the door further, working in small increments. When your dog waits, moves away from the door, sits, lays down or whatever, say “yes” or “OK” and let him out in the backyard.

Door-Dashing Dogs: Tips for Small Dogs Video

Personally, I find teaching polite greeting manners a tad more difficult with smaller dogs. Small dogs can fit through small door cracks and between your feet so it’s probably best to leash them during the first steps.

Teaching Door Manners to Big Dogs Video

Larger dogs are pretty easy to teach polite door manners. If you’re unsure, leash your dog during the first steps.

Happy training!

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Stop Your Dog From Biting on His Leash

February 9, 2015 by Fanna Easter

How to Stop Leash Biting

How to Stop Dog From Biting on Leash — “We don’t want to go home yet!”

Watching a dog, or puppy, using his leash as a tug toy makes me giggle. I know it’s frustrating so I’ve compiled causes and dog training tips to prevent leash biting.

Causes and Tips

When dogs pull on their leashes using their mouths, they are usually overly excited. Now, a few dogs will bite and tug on their leash when frustrated. I’ve witnessed this during group class. The pet parent is chatting away with her neighbor and her pooch is saying, “Um, I want to keep playing” or “I just sat and laid down. You missed it. Where’s my treat?” Sometimes, dogs will stand still and chew their leashes. This usually happens with puppies and adolescent dogs. They’re totally bored. 🙂

Frustration

When teaching your dog skills, stay with him through the process. If you become sidetracked by a chatting neighbor or an adorable puppy, still click and treat your dog for good manners using the below tips.

RELATED: Parking Your Dog

At home, when dog training sessions are done, say “all done” and put away your clicker and give your dog the rest of the treats. Basically, you’re asking your dog to punch out so he can go play or relax.

Excitement

Click and treat your dog when he lets go of the leash. By rewarding this behavior, your excited dog will learn two things: it pays to stop biting the leash and self-control.

RELATED: Teaching Dogs Self-Control

When your dog starts leash biting, stand still and refrain from pulling against the leash. When you become quiet, dogs will usually become quiet too. Bingo! Reward good behavior. If you pull the leash, fuss at your dog. Your dog will continue to become more excited, which means stronger leash biting.

Start a game of touch. This gives your dog something else to do with his mouth instead of leash biting. Plus, jumping into a fun game redirects excited dogs and puppies from the leash.

Sometimes, dogs will bite and tug on their leash when it’s time to turn around and go home from a fun walk. Wait until your dog stops biting the leash and click. Then, toss several treats ahead of you. Once your dog eats his treats, say “let’s go” and click/treat for loose leash walking.

VIDEO: Leash Biting

Happy training!

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How to Train a Puppy to Give Items Back

February 4, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Teach a Puppy to Give

Puppy Trade Game

Train a Puppy to Give Items Back — Teach your puppy to trade the sock for a yummy treat. willeecole/Deposit Photos

Puppies were not born with nor read, the pet owner’s guide to polite manners so it’s important to teach them the trade game. Would you give up the $100 bill you found at the park? Probably not. 🙂

Trade Game

When puppies or dogs find something, they intend to keep it. Guarding resources is a natural instinct. The more you have, the more likely you’ll survive. Plus, puppies and dogs will pick up items, such as socks, to instigate play like chase. Oh, it’s tempting to chase a puppy with your sock. We panic and think, “Oh my god, they will swallow it!” and we continue chasing. Not fun huh?!

Instead, teach your puppy or dog how to trade instead. And say goodbye to crazy chases around the dining room table. 🙂

RELATED: Resource Guarding

How to Teach Your Dog to Give Items Back

Whenever your puppy or dog picks up a sock, shoe or a child’s toy, instead of chasing him, try:

Stop moving. Your puppy will probably stop moving too. He’s not sure what’s going on.
Walk to the refrigerator and select a yummy treat. These treats must be yummy. They should behoove your puppy to trade the smelly sock for something better.
Approach your puppy. If she runs away, stand still.
Say “trade” and show her the yummy treat. She probably smells it already, but thinks the treat is for you and not her.
Remain still and wait for your puppy to drop the sock. If she continues running with the sock, your treat needs to be yummier. She’s saying, “Nah, I would rather keep my stinky sock instead.”
As she drops the sock, say yes and toss the yummy treat in the opposite direction of the sock.
When she runs for the treat, pick up the sock.

Now, you’re not rewarding your dog for stealing socks. You’re rewarding her for giving it up.

VIDEO: Teach Your Dog the Trade Game

Taking Items From a Puppy’s Mouth?

On rare occasions, such as a puppy snatching up a cooked chicken bone or medication, I would remove it from her mouth. Now, as I explain to my puppy people, don’t make this a habit. If you do, your puppy will learn to swallow an item quickly, usually as you approach. She knows you’re going to take it away!

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