Dog Training Sutras for Greeting New Dogs

Here are a few of my dog training secrets... I use these techniques every time I greet a non-human animal.  Even if I've met that animal 1000 times.  I even used this on an allegedly moody horse who kissed the top of my head.  Good thing I didn't know she was moody or I probably wouldn't have gotten that close.  By the way, the picture below came up for the google search "dog tao".

1) To be fully aware of all animals in an environment, their locations, and their state of being (excited, calm, scared, etc.) is a skill that all non-human animals excel at.  When you possess this skill, animals will have a more trusting time relating to you and will sense it right away.  

2) To enter someone’s home and to not make direct eye contact with their non human animals is the most respectful way to greet them.  This shows your compassion towards fearful animals, and your thoughtfulness towards the excited ones who run out of control.

3) It is not enough to not make eye contact when entering the home, you must also never walk in a straight line to or past the dog.  Straight line motion can trigger a fight/flight response because it is considered conflict seeking.  

4) For these reasons it is terribly unwise to teach children to greet new dogs by extending their hands towards their face.  It is much wiser for the child to stand still and wait for the dog to approach them.  

5) Upon greeting a new dog, recognize that your attention alone will reward it for whatever it is doing in that moment.  Excited dogs that jump on people received affection for it as puppies.  Fearful dogs that cower at unfamiliar voice or eye contact will feel slightly more comfortable if you do neither.

6) For dogs that jump on people, it is best to practice non-reactivity to the jumping.  Advancing towards the dog and retreating from the dog are reactions, and unconscious reinforcements towards the dog’s behaviour.  It is therefore best to turn your back towards the dog, then praise him when he’s not jumping if you don’t want him to jump on you.

7) For dogs that are fearful of people, it is best to show it your peaceful intentions by exaggerating no eye contact and non-straight line motions around it if you’re moving.  

Best way to calm down a hyper, anxious, or badly behaving dog.

What's the best cure if your dog is hyper, anxious, or one that seems to vibrate too fast for his environment?  

Put him on a disciplined regimine of vigorous exercise each morning, become hyper concious of how and when you say his name, and increase your expectations of him.

Vigorous exercise is not a romp at the park.  This is too much fun, so it's not work, it's play.  It will have a momentary calming effect, but it doesn't build your jedi calming power.  A long, loose leash walk with multiple obedience commands throughout the journey works much better at building your leadership skills (which equates to more skill at calming your dog).  You can ask your dog to sit before being leashed, when at stop lights, when you get close to his triggers (quirrels, german sheppards, etc.).  

Sometimes when our dogs are excited we say their name casually.. for example, "Benjy, shush.  Benjy Shush.  Benjy stop barking".... My feeling is that dogs associate a very powerful and positive response when they hear their name.  So, hearing their name actually equals a big reward for whatever their doing in that moment and tends to reinforce the bad behaviour.  This is the same if you try to calm your dog down by petting him.  Don't use their name when you want them to stop a behaviour.  A much more effective mehtod is to flash them a firm and unaccepting gaze of your eyes.  Once they stop you can decrease your intensity and tell them to sit (and expect that they do not get up)... this is what I mean by increasing your expectations of him.

When your dog has mastered the art of sitting and not getting up until you tell him, then the earth will ground him and this will help calm him.  Not to mention, it's a very effective way to train 'stay' without introducing anything cmplicated.  He stays when he's distracted...maybe he vibrates a lot, or pants heavily when he's learning to do this.  This is OK... he's being obedient when he'd rather be doing something else and you're well on your way.

The Convenient Pottie Break

This idea came from my wife.... when it's late at night, raining outside, or otherwise 'inconvenient' to get dressed and go outside to give your dog a pottie break, it just makes more sense to give this independence to your dog.   

When we care about our backyard and we don't want all those yellow spots, it also makes sense to pee on a single spot.  In this example we're using about a yard of astroturph that we're keeping on the deck.  You could also use a cardboard box (on the balcony of a condo, for example). 

Teach your dog to go outside, make his business, then come back inside... for a treat of course.

Watch how 10 week old Jersey demonstrates this for us...