Finally, plenty of wonderful methods for training dogs exist, and I have endeavored to share many of them with you. Throughout the book, I have reinforced the use of positive reinforcement. Granted, positive reinforcement doesn’t necessarily mean being nice, it simply means adding something that your dog finds reinforcing, such as cookie or toy, and, although other options exist, I think you will find positive reinforcement serves you well in most instances.
Whether you start with a puppy, junior, or adult dog, the same principles of training apply because behaviors are shaped by repetition and by building each lesson on the previous one, step-by-step. The length of time a dog can train or the rate at which he learns will vary depending on his age, temperament, energy level, history, owner involvement, and so forth. Consider, for example, that a training session for an eight- or ten-week-old puppy may be two or three minutes several times a day. Yet, a five- or six- month-old dog can usually work for ten or fifteen minutes several times a day, whereas a high-drive, high-energy dog will most certainly need more than a ten-minute stroll around the block!
My hope is that this book will inspire and help you to build a zany, happy, mutually loving and respectful human-canine relationship. Most of all, I hope to make training fun for both you and your dog. After all, if there’s no joy in it, what’s the point?
As you read, no doubt you will come across some ideas that you love and others that seem questionable or downright nutty. You may find that some tools, techniques, and solutions will work for you and that some will work better for others. That’s okay. As you build your own mosaic of knowledge, your job as a responsible dog owner will be to sort through the myriad training techniques and pick those that work successfully for you and your dog. It is my hope that, by the end of the book, you have lots of options to choose from and you can tailor your training methods to fit your dog’s specific needs. Section I: In Your Kitchen
1: Safe Introductions
J’mee and Jake—A Tale of Two Terriers
Rescued dog J’mee is an adorable scruffy white terrier mix.
Scruffy white terrier mix J’mee was an owner release—surrendered to a California animal shelter in 2011 because she was “too energetic” and “bullied” the family’s older dog. An all too familiar story of a first-rate dog surrendered and destined for an uncertain future through no fault of her own. With an abundance of tears, the owner relinquished J’mee, left abruptly, and never looked back.
All smiles and exuding uncontrollable glee, Jake, an intact terrier mix, was picked up roaming the streets of Perris, California, in 2014. How long the one-year-old dog had been on the streets is anyone’s guess. If he once had a home, he had been gone a long time. His ratty, matted coat, and skin-and-bones physique suggested a scavenger’s life. Jake had no collar, no tags, no microchip, no ID. Zip. Zero. Nada.
Adopting a shelter or rescue dog can seem like a roll of the dice. Rescuing a terrier (or two!) can add additional elements of risk simply because of the breed’s wide range of characteristics, which run with individual variations throughout the terrier clans thirty recognized breeds. Generally speaking, terriers tend to like people, but many have little tolerance for other animals, including other dogs—and especially other terriers.
Bred to “go to ground,” hunting vermin is a vocation and a passion for many terriers, one that has been passed down through the generations. Characteristically feisty, terriers enjoy a good scrap but a willingness to fight is different than a bad temperament. Rescuing a terrier or terrier mix requires a savvy owner who understands these pint-sized, full-of-spunk dogs. My parents, despite my cautious advice, knew J’mee was perfect. They shelled out the adoption fee and sprung from the shelter the unbelievably cute two-year-old mix.
A recipe for disaster? One might assume so. After all, high-energy dogs are not the best match for senior citizens (even very active senior citizens), and terriers can be the quintessential high-energy dogs. Overall, my parents lucked out. J’mee bonded almost instantly to my parents, but she remained a bit worried and uncertain for the first weeks. Her sensory system appeared overwhelmed by new owners, a new home, and new sights and smells. Car rides remained traumatic and were accompanied by uncontrollable shaking and trembling. Possibly she was experiencing flashbacks from the car ride that betrayed her trust and left her abandoned? She knew Sit and Down, and she was housetrained, crate trained, and lap trained. But she did have a few naughty habits. This frisky girl may never have gone to ground like her ancestors, but she has the terrier’s characteristic quick spirit. She notices all comings and goings of people, cats, and dogs. She fancies sitting at the window watching for passersby—preferably ones walking a dog—at which time she screams through the doggie door at 70 mph (112 kph), racing from one side of the house to the other squealing and barking until she chases away the “trespassers.” Once mission accomplished status has been satisfied, she resumes her position at the window to restart the “game.”
More problematic, she is an escape artist. She cannot be trusted off leash in any unsecured environment. She will take off if she gets loose and will keep on running until she is long gone out of Dodge. A gates-closed-at-all-times policy, coupled with patience, positive training, and consistent reinforcement have allowed her to make progress; however, not yet and possibly never to the point of being off leash in an unsecured environment.
Two years after rescuing J’mee, my now 84-year-old parents rescued Jake. Despite his renegade street-dog existence, the one-year-old terrier mix is a charmer. The happiest of happy dogs, Jake is an affectionate extrovert, inquisitive, and adventurous with a big and enjoyable spirit. His pedigree is unknown, but in keeping with the terrier’s classic characteristics, he is energetic with a delightful sense of humor but more mischievous than feisty. Half terrier. Half backhoe. Jake loves to dig, dig, and dig some more. A highly prized manicured lawn now resembles a land mine of brown patches and potholes. Yet, Jakey, as he’s affectionately called, stole the hearts of everyone, especially his canine sibling J’mee. The two terriers are thick as thieves. Head over heels. And holy smokes, how they love to run! Watching the two of them posture, then suddenly take off zooming across the yard, darting around trees and under bushes makes you laugh so hard tears stream down your face.
Of course, it was not quite love at first sight. J’mee needed to show Jakey the ropes, and it took a few days of jockeying and posturing and a few snarky moments for the two dogs to establish the ground rules and be comfortable living together. Today, they are inseparable—eating, playing, and sleeping together. Jake is simply the perfect canine companion for J’mee, and vice versa. The situation easily could have been disastrous, but sometimes life has a way of delivering the right dogs at the right time to the right people.
Jake, rescued by the same couple who rescued J’mee, is an affectionate, happy terrier mix.
Thanks to careful introductions, Jake and J’mee are now inseparable companions.
Introducing a New Canine Family Member
Ideally, adding a second (or third!) dog to the family should be well planned out, with a good deal of thought directed toward a compatible canine buddy to your existing dog. Should you get a puppy or adult dog? Small or large dog? Male or female? Energetic or low-key personality? Do you really want another dog just for the sake of having another dog? Some owners get another dog as a companion for their existing dog. That’s all well and good, and for Jake and J’mee the situation worked out well. Unfortunately, there is no way of guaranteeing in advance if that will be the case. Not every dog will want to live with other dogs.
Then there are those times when life doesn’t work out as planned. Sure, you never