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Rules and notions of dog behavior

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Why you must redirect your dog's attention and behavior

Dogs run in packs, just like wolves. They interact socially with members of the group they live with. Even if dogs are capable of vocalizing, most of their communication is done with facial expressions, smell, body language, and occasional body contact. These types of communication are innate and are extremely important to establish social hierarchy.

This hierarchy insures survival of the species, as well as harmony within the group. Each pack has a dominant, or "alpha" dog. The alpha dog detains the privilege of being first at accessing the food source, as well as the best resting spot. To a degree, dogs consider humans as members of the pack. Consequently, if the dog does not respect your social tendencies, problems are likely to arise. If a young dog does not receive a clear message, he will attempt to climb the hierarchical ladder and steal your position as "top dog".

The dog's place within the family

In order to prevent this from happening, the owners must show their "dominance", or leadership, early on in the puppy's life by showing him his position within the family hierarchy. The dog must respect all family members, especially children and grandparents. It is therefore essential that all members are being perceived as top dogs. Dominance is not something you impose by force, but rather something you obtain when you establish good structure with the help of obedience training.

To become a good master, you will have to obtain the same privileges that a top dog gets in nature:
  • The dog must direct his attention to the leader on demand.
  • The leader controls the food supplies, and therefore eats first; underlings watch and wait for their turn.
  • The leader controls interactions within the group.
  • The leader is in front when there are displacements.
  • The leader wins all games and combats.
  • Every dog must accept being touched by the leader.
  • The leader controls the territory.
  • The leader holds the place of choice to rest.
  • The leader chooses the places to defecate.
  • The leader shows the group what to do, how, when and where to do it.
All family members must use the same procedure

It is important to use the same procedure for establishing position within the hierarchy, that is, the same words and the same gestures each time you use a given command. This will facilitate comprehension of the commands.
  • Never allow your dog to understand that it's ok to jump on you, but not on another person. Do not take for granted that the dog will make the difference.
  • Do not confuse your dog with ambiguous commands, such as one person in the family saying "REX, STAY", and another saying "REX, DON'T MOVE". There is a good chance that the dog will not react to the command.
Establish with your family the working parameters for the training. Decide together which words you will adopt for the commands, as well as what you allow your dog to do in the house and outside, and what is "off limits". The dog emulates the master's attitudes. Always remain positive and motivated. Your dog will sense your feeling. If you are stressed and confused, the dog will follow suit. Your training sessions should focus on amusing moments, fun times; this way, the dog will integrate everything in an atmosphere of relaxation and pleasure. You need to keep your dog motivated to learn.
Socialization

A puppy is not completely socialized at adoption. If you do not see to his socialization, he could display behavioural problems at a later time. Lack of socialization is the prime cause of a dog fearing other animals, neighbouring dogs, humans, even the environment. Fear is one of the major causes of aggressive behaviour in dogs. Consequences of a defective socialization are irreversible, and confirm the importance of primary socialization in the evolution of the puppy. The ability of the puppy to adjust to his environment is directly proportional to the quality of the socialization that he gets. Socialization involves continuous adaptation to a constantly changing environment. A puppy must be exposed to everything he is likely to experience during his adult life and be sensitised to it. The more life experience a puppy has, the more appropriate his reactions will be to stressful situations. Bring your puppy everywhere and let him encounter a variety of people and noises. The experiences must always be positive and reassuring ones. It is always possible to socialize an older dog, but the process takes much longer and is referred to as "desensitisation"
The indicators for good and bad behavior

Key words and reinforcement signals or cues are important to let the dog know that an action is good or bad. In this manual, we will use the following indicators:

'BEEP & TREAT: Sound reinforcement: sound signal coming from the collar (key signal no 1) followed by a food reward. The sound must always be followed by the reward.

"HEY!" Verbal warning: to be used with or without the short spray (key signal no 2)

Procedure requires that each command have its corresponding hand gesture. The dog learns to recognize and associate all variations in your voice with the corresponding commands. However, the task of your dog becomes easier if a gesture is associated with it. At the beginning of obedience training, your hand signs are used as a lure, because you are holding treats in your hand. This lure serves to help you obtain correct posture from your dog. When the dog gets the idea, the lure is removed progressively without stopping the use of the gesture. A command reinforced with a gesture accelerates the learning process.
Positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement increases the probability that the desired behavior will reoccur in the future. For maximum efficiency, the dog must really want the object of positive reinforcement. Food is a favorite one because it's easy to manipulate. However, touch (massage) and play are also used as alternate forms of reward. The sound signal is used just before the dog receives a food reward. Positive reinforcement with food treats is often impossible to deliver at the precise moment when the dog shows the behavior you want. The sound signal will help you to communicate your satisfaction to your dog in a precise manner. Here is a revealing example: You are training your dog to catch a Frisbee; when the dog succeeds, he hears "the signal" from the collar; he quickly understands that the idea is to catch the Frisbee!

Timing is very important when you apply positive reinforcement. The reason for using sound (key signal 1) becomes very clear. You must reinforce punctual behavior immediately. If you wait a couple of seconds after the desired behavior has you could be inadvertently reinforcing the behavior which immediately follows the one you are targeting. For example, you tell your dog to "SIT". He obeys, but you wait until he gets up to emit the sound signal. In this case, instead of reinforcing the command "SIT", you would reinforce standing up since this is the last action he accomplished at the very moment he hears the signal.

The main advantages of the sound option on the Spray Commander are :
  • The dog hears the sound signal even from a distance.
  • The sound signal remains the same in any given circumstances.
  • The sound signal differs completely from other sounds in the environment.
For more information on positive reinforcement and the use of sound, please refer to the list of suggested books on www.clickertraining.com
How to reward

During the early stages of training, the dog is rewarded after each good action. The best way to increase the quality of results is to decrease the quantity of food given at mealtime by 50%, and compensating by giving him the difference during training sessions. Therefore, prepare a schedule, and decide how much food will be given during training and at mealtime. Conduct the education sessions before a meal.

Intermittent reinforcement: Once the dog understands and masters a command, do not show him the treat before saying the command. Surprise your dog with a reward. From now on, the dog should not get a treat each time. In order to insure stability in your results, periodical reinforcement with food treats will be done from now on, and this, throughout the dog's life.

Variable reinforcement signs: This will help to inculcate positive behavior. We recommend using many different kinds of treats, according to the dog's performance. Variable reinforcement is more efficient to improve behavior than a predictable one. Once the desired behavior has been learned, you can reinforce the best responses with special treats, which will in effect improve the dog's best performances.
When do we stop using the sound ?

When the dog can execute commands, the voice can be used as sound reinforcement. You may now gradually stop using the collar. The principle resembles that of a child's first bicycle, equipped with training wheels that you remove once the child has acquired balance. Spray Commander supports and facilitates the dog's education. The first thing to do is to condition the dog to a new reinforcement sound, that is, your voice. You may use a short word, not often heard in conversation, such as "GOOD!". As you do with the sound signal, a treat may follow the use of "GOOD!" until the dog realizes that "GOOD!" is the verbal equivalent of the collar beep.
When to use the spray

Dog training comprises two parts which often lead to confusion : the part dealing with behavior problems, and the other one which aims to create the desired reaction in response to a command. A pet that "HEELS", "STAYS" and "SITS" can also dig up your flower beds; and a dog that doesn't jump on people or destroy your property may have never heard a command in his life. The spray can be used in two distinct contexts : obedience training, and re-education of problem behavior.
  • Obedience training
    A dog that doesn't understand a command should never receive the spray. However the spray can be used when the dog has wrongly learned that obedience is optional and when he is distracted. Once the dog demonstrates that he understands a command by executing it properly in different contexts, you may use the citronella spray only when he doesn't listen.
  • Re-education
    During re-education, use the citronella spray each time the dog displays problem behavior, but avoid using it if the dog shows signs of stress or fear.
Verbal Warning

A verbal warning aims at reducing the possibility of having unacceptable behavior recurring in the future. The verbal warning "HEY!" is used just before the spray is released from the Spray Commander collar. Even without the spray, this command is used as a warning: if the dog doesn't cooperate immediately, he will surprised by the short spray. The effect of surprise doesn't have to be painful to be efficient. In fact, the spray is very gentle, and calibrated only to put an end to a negative action, which can sometimes be difficult to accomplish when relying only on a verbal warning. After having used the "HEY!" + SHORT SPRAY" combination a few times, the "HEY!" warning should suffice to redirect your dog's attention, because he will not want to get another spray. The verbal warning, coupled with the spray, is a truly innovative approach in the field of canine education. This technique, quick and efficient, gently shows the dog the difference between right and wrong. Efficient attention redirection assists learning without provoking pain.

The harmless Spray Commander device, combined with the Multivet training program, will assist you in reaching your training objectives without inflicting any pain, fear, or verbal violence on your dog. This form of interruption has proven to be very effective and creates long-term results. Moreover, the spray can be used at a distance and holds no negative side-effects for the dog.
Generalization

Practice commands in many different places where there are plenty of distractions. Go to the park, or to a place where the dog is likely to be distracted to consolidate the commands. It is important to simulate situations where the dog is not likely to listen. The objective behind generalization is to show a dog how to successfully execute a command anywhere, in any situation. A dog in the generalization stage has not yet completed his training. Therefore, when you introduce your dog to a new environment, expect that he will not perform as well and as quickly as in the comfort of your own home or backyard. Use new environments to show the dog that he can perform as well in any environment as he can at home.

The more you practice a command with various people in different places, the faster the dog will generalize the response. It's not enough to make the dog obey you. You must make him love obeying you, and the dog must be duly rewarded. If you abdicate your vigilance by giving a command and then giving the dog the prerogative to ignore it, the dog will receive the message that it is acceptable to ignore a command.
The play period

It is important to play with your dog by doing something that you both enjoy. Try to avoid leaving your dog alone and idle. Not only will you prevent many behavior problems, you will also develop a quality relationship, and tight complicity with your dog, all this while you are having fun! If the dog knows that there will be a play period after training, the dog will volunteer for training with pleasure. There are many popular dog games : "FETCH AND GIVE" is the best one, closely followed by "HIDE-AND-SEEK", and "FIND THE FOOD".

Dogs need exercise to maintain their good mood and health. Exercise allows the spending of excess energy, and prevents behavior problems. A dog needs at least 10 minutes of exercise, twice a day. These exercise periods can occur during a training session, or by taking a walk. Periods of exercise should be integrated to your daily routine. If the dog is always left in the house, chances are he will be bored, and will begin to destroy objects in your house for lack of something interesting to do.

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