Module 16: Training Dogs –

More on How Dogs Learn

Module 16 will explore the following topics:

House training your dog

Teaching commands
Four words to live by
How your dog reads body language
Grooming training

16.1 Introduction
Dogs learn through operant conditioning and there are certain
natural reinforcements you can use during training exercises
to help your dog succeed.

Remember that your dog will learn through the timing and
frequency of rewards, and from other pets and people, and that
dogs are not all the same.
All of these points (from Module 12) are extremely important
as you begin obedience training with your puppy or dog.

16.2 House Training Your Puppy

Any form of training your puppy or dog
undergoes requires patience, consistency and
positive reinforcement.

It will take four to six months for your puppy to be fully

house trained based on their growth, ability to learn and
urination control, due to excitement.

Some puppies can take up to a year before they are fully house
trained.

Size is usually a predictor with regards to the length of time

it may take to house train your dog. Smaller breeds naturally
have smaller bladders, with faster metabolisms. Therefore,
they require more trips outside.

The location your puppy or dog previously lived may also be a

factor in how easy it will be to break habits learned at
another location. During training, setbacks may occur.

You should begin training a puppy when it is 12 to 16 weeks of

age. At this stage your puppy has enough control of his
bladder and bowels to learn to hold his need for urination or
bowel movements.

Experts state you need to have a defined space for house

training, whether it is a crate, room or on a leash.
Your puppy needs to understand they must go outside to do
their business. Until the lesson is learned you limit the
amount of freedom your dog has to the rest of your home.

These steps should be followed:

Give your puppy a regular feeding schedule; do not leave

food out between meals.
First thing in the morning, take your dog outside.
Repeat this every 30 minutes to 60 minutes.
Take your dog outside after every meal and when he/she
wakes up from a nap.
Before you go to bed, take your puppy out.
Each time you go outside, take your puppy to the same
location to do his/her business. His scent will prompt
him to urinate.
Stay outside with your dog each time he does his
business, at least until you have your puppy house
 trained.
Always praise your puppy when he goes to the toilet
outside. A walk around the neighborhood is a great
reward.

Petting your dog, rubbing your dog in a favored area or taking

your dog for a walk about after he/she eliminates, are perfect
rewards.

You are using operant conditioning to reinforce the behavior

of holding their bladder until they are outside and toileting
in the correct spot.

Do not reward with a food treat. A treat may seem great at

first, but this can lead to an expectation i.e. if they
perform well by toileting outside and not in the house, they
receive food.
Now, there is always an exception to the treat rule. You can
use operant conditioning, but teach your dog or puppy that
they will not always receive a food treat each time they
eliminate outside. In other words, an occasional treat after
they eliminate outside is acceptable.

You also have to do your part in the training.

Follow the steps as outlined and make certain you are reading
your dog’s communications accurately. Accidents are common
when you do not allow your dog outside as often as needed. If
your dog is sniffing, circling, whining, barking or scratching
at the door, these are signs he needs to go outside.

If you have setbacks, do not stop the training or stop giving

rewards for proper behavior. Operant conditioning is about
providing rewards when good behavior occurs and ignoring the
inappropriate behavior. You do not want to negatively
reinforce the training you are trying to give your dog.
16.3 Teaching Commands
Part of obedience training is teaching your dog or puppy
commands.

The earlier you start to teach your puppy, the better. Your
puppy can start to learn inappropriate behaviors from the
minute it arrives in your home.

Remember, your dog is learning from you and any other pets you
may have.
If there are behaviors you do not want your puppy to adopt,
you need to put a stop to them appropriately. There will be
more in a later section about training out certain behaviors,
but for now we will concentrate on teaching some basic
commands.

How to Teach Sit

You need to be on the same level as your puppy, so either sit
on the floor or in a chair. Hold a treat close to his nose.
Get your puppy to follow the treat with his head as you move
your hand up. As his head moves up, gravity will take over,
his bottom will start to lower, eventually resting on the
floor. As soon as his bottom is on the floor, give the treat
to your dog. Immediately praise your dog. Repeat these steps
several times each day.

The next step is adding a second stimulus to get the response

you want. When you hold the treat, make certain it is at their
level so the dog does not try to jump. You also want to have
your hand closed around the treat, and held just high enough
that your dog will stretch his neck. As your dog sits, you
will give your dog the treat and say “sit.” You will then rub
your dog’s bottom and tell him “good sit.” This reinforces the
behavior you want your dog to have.

Repetition is imperative.
You want to repeat this throughout the day, as well as
throughout their training. Once you get your dog to sit
without a treat and just on your voice command, you will still
need to practice and provide praise. You can forego the treat,
but always make certain you tell your dog “good sit” every
time they sit on your command. You also want him to sit for
other activities.

At each feeding time make your dog sit by the food bowl. When
you are about to open the door to take him out to do his
business or to go for a walk, make him sit at the door. If
he/she gets up, make your dog sit again before you give a
reward. Your dog will learn that sitting at the door is a must
before he/she goes out, thus they receive a reward for going
outside as soon as the behavior “sit” has been completed.

How to Teach a Dog to Come on Demand

Teaching your dog to come when you say, “come” is a
culmination of previous techniques and guidance with the lead.

First, attach a lead to your dog’s collar. It should be light

in weight as you will want your dog to drag it around with
him. Once he is accustomed to the lead, pick up the end. You
will then follow him with the line on his collar; letting your
dog get used to the fact that he/she is attached to you.

You do not have to use the word “come” as a way to get your
dog to come to you. Many people have started using the word
“yes” along with treats to encourage their dogs to come
towards them. It is up to you. If you want to use “come,” then
you can say “come” when he starts to move towards you. Follow
the word by a treat and praise.
Let your dog walk backward or around, but each time he/she
faces you, use the word “come” and provide a treat when he/she
reaches you. Every time your dog responds the way you want
him/her to, while you use the word “come,” you need to praise
your dog.

Once your dog gets the point that there is a reward for coming
towards you, you can start to change the routine. Start
offering fewer treats when an appropriate response is given.
Instead, start increasing the pleasure of praise and
affection. Use the lead to give your dog a signal along with
the word.

You always want to provide just one word and not repeat the
phrase multiple times.
However, you can give a gentle tug to remind your dog that you
two are attached. This will get your dog’s attention back on
you, so he/she knows that you want him/her to come to you.

Always gently guide your dog towards you. Never use a swift or
harsh tug.
You also want to make certain that if your dog does not follow
your “come” command that you are not negatively reinforcing
the behavior to ignore you. A negative consequence or angry
response will affect your animal. You also never want your dog
to “come” and give him/her a punishment. It will confuse your
dog, but also it will teach your dog that if they come to you,
they might get hurt.

How to Teach Stay

“Stay” is an extremely difficult command and behavior to
teach.

Puppies are full of exuberance, so they like to move around

whether it is to follow you or to go and play. “Stay” can be
too difficult a command for some dogs when they want to be
close to you. There are some good ways to teach your dog to
stay. This is especially important as you do not want your dog
to chase a squirrel, bike or a car. You must ensure they are
safe at all times and will stop and stay at your command.

Make certain when you teach your dog how to “Stay” that you
train with important factors in mind. Your dog should
understand that the command is for their safety, and this
happens by you using the command when it is appropriate and
not when you just want to go to another room.

You can later train your dog to stay when you leave a room,
but for now, focus on keeping them safe with the obedience
command.

You will put a leash on your dog and have him sit in a
comfortable position next to you.
Next use a flat palm and wave it toward his muzzle as
you say “Stay.”
Step in front of your dog, wait to see if your dog
moves. Only wait for a few seconds, then step back
beside him and give your dog a reward if he did not rise
or move with you.
If your dog moves, simply take the position again and
tell him to sit. Give the “Stay” command along with the
hand signal. Move in front of your dog again.

Do not give your dog a reward if he moves.

This means you will not give your dog a treat, praise or
affectionate pat. You will just have him/her sit again and try
the hand signal with the phrase again.

Practice the same command throughout the day at different

times. Never forget to reward your dog when he stays. You can
praise him, give him a treat or offer affection.

You also need to teach him a release word that means your dog
can move again. This can be the word “Okay” or “Come.” You can
also use a signal such as a different hand waving motion,
perhaps a gesture you teach with the command “Come.”

How to Teach Down

Dogs love to jump but it is not always good behavior.

Your dog can also get into trouble if they are under your
feet. So, while it is difficult to teach your dog to hold in
the excitement, it is necessary. The posture you are asking
your dog to be in is submissive, which makes it doubly hard to
understand.

Always use a happy voice when you teach this command.

As you did with the sit command, hold a treat in your closed
hand and have your hand near your dog’s muzzle. When your dog
notices the scent of the treat, move your hand. You want to
move it towards the floor. Gravity will take care of your dog
to move lower as he/she follows the treat in your hand. You
will want to move your hand in front of him/her along the
floor, while the head follows your treat-filled hand. The body
will follow and he/she will stretch down.

When your dog is down, give him/her the treat.

Repeat the process.

Repetition will always make the appropriate response happen

again. If your dog tries to get the treat without going down,
simply shake your head indicating “No” and say “Nope” out
loud. If your dog breaks the position, start over again. You
should never push your dog down. Your dog will eventually get
the point that the treat is given when he follows what you
ask.

This is the operant conditioning part of training your dog

with commands. The repetition is also necessary to ensure the
lessons stay in their mind. Remember, you have to give the
treat as soon as the appropriate behavior is seen and repeat
the training frequently to ensure it holds.

16.4 Your Dog Reads Body Language

More than the words you say to your dog,
your dog is looking at your actions.

Every move you make during training is a gesture to your

dog. How they interpret that gesture will determine if they
stay in the training position you are currently working on.

Whenever you like a behavior, you must reinforce with a happy

response, such as “that’s good” while rewarding by touch or
treat.

You always want to provide proper positive reinforcement, as

this entices your dog to learn more.

16.5 Training for Grooming

Grooming is not something most dogs like.

They would rather play, be close to you and get affection.

Your dog will allow you to groom them with a brush, clip their
nails and even bathe them, because there is a reward in it for
them.

The trick is teaching the reward with the obedience you wish
to see.

Start off slowly with grooming.

Let your dog smell the utensils you will be using. If they are
new, there will be a new scent about them, which could affect
your dog. A good idea is to use treats to help overcome the
new scent. For a brush you could find a clump of hair that
came from your dog and rub it into the brush. By associating
the equipment with your dog they are more likely to accept the
new objects.
Ask your dog to sit. Ask them to stay. Start with the brush.
If they like it they will enjoy the attention. If not, you may
need to reinforce their still behavior, with your hands
petting and rubbing them.

Once the brush is learned, the next part is teaching your dog
to give you a paw. Like the other commands learned, repeat by
using the gesture you associate with the dog to give you
his/her paw. Usually you want to hold out your hand and place
your dog’s paw in it. Do this just a few inches off the
ground. Give your dog a treat.

Next time hold out your hand and wait for the paw to be placed
in yours. If this happens, give a treat. If not, do the
gesture again until the paw is placed in your hand. Keep
increasing the level of your hand and the paw. Always provide
praise or a treat. When your dog is ready, raise the clippers
and try to clip one nail. If they move away, be patient, wait
for the paw, praise, and then clip the nail. If they allow you
to clip a nail, reward your dog by saying “good” in a happy
voice and with a treat.

Soon your dog will realize you want their paw and they will
receive a reward for the process of having their nails
clipped.

Summary
In this module, you learned how to train your dog with
obedience training pointers, as well as how to start grooming
your dog.

You now realize that training your dog entails much work, with
necessary repetition of various stages.

You also know that if there are two parts to the commands or
behavior you want to see, you need to teach your dog the
proper response in stages.

Training your dog is about repetition, patience and

reinforcement of the behavior over a long period of time, not
just one training session.

You and your dog will train together, with positive

reinforcement, whether natural or through praise and treats.

You also know that you retrain your dog through reinforcing
proper behavior and ignoring bad behaviors.

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