THE VERSATILE GOLDEN RETRIEVER

Part 5

No matter which venue(s) you choose for you and your Golden, building a relationship that promotes team work is essential.  Our goldens have a strong innate desire to please.  Success is more likely when you take the time to carefully mold that willingness in your dog to create a working relationship that demonstrates mutual respect.  Only if there is mutual respect will you and your dog truly become a team.

While my goal is to have a dog that works willingly and happily for me, I believe the dog must also recognize and respect my authority as the leader of this partnership.  My old fashioned approach to discipline is based on the principle that like young children, our dogs not only need limits, but feel more comfortable in their environment when they understand the ground rules.

Discipline need not be harsh and physical.  Rather, patience and consistency are key for me.

From day one, my pups learn that teeth must never touch the skin.  They learn that when I speak, they should listen.  They are not allowed to pull and drag me around when on lead.

That “spirit” within the dog is something I strive to not only maintain, but promote, so that my dog radiates confidence and willingness when working.   I do not believe that insisting my dog be a good canine citizen will break that spirit.  Therefore, I set limits to discourage behaviors such as jumping on people, pulling when on lead, etc.  At the same time, I strive to praise acceptable behaviors, thus encouraging repetition of these desired behaviors.  (The principle here is that a dog will attempt to repeat those behaviors that have elicited your praise.) 

If you and your dog are to become a team, the dog must recognize that you are worthy of his attention.  Any venue, whether it is obedience, agility, field, or the breed ring, requires a certain degree of focus and work ethic.  Therefore, as soon as I bring a pup home, I begin the process of encouraging my puppy to focus on me. 

ENCOURAGING ATTENTION/FOCUS IN THE YOUNG PUPPY

Providing plenty of SOCIALIZATION during the pup’s first months helps teach him that I will keep him safe in all situations and gives him the opportunity to develop confidence.  I take my pup along when I go to lessons, teach classes, etc.  Not only is the pup exposed to different places, smells and sounds, but he also learns to ride in the car, quietly spend time in his crate, greet other puppies and dogs in a controlled environment, interact with other people, etc.  Such excursions serve as an extension of our bonding process.  I am the constant factor and the pup sees me as providing the source of stimulation received during these outings.

FOLLOWING, both on and off lead, also serves to build confidence in the young puppy.  Place a collar and lead on the pup and take him to an area free of distractions (be sure the area you choose is also a safe one where you can easily get to the puppy if necessary).  Drop the lead and move around the yard, keeping the pup’s attention focused on you by talking to him in an animated tone, patting your leg, etc.  Stop frequently and crouch down to pet and praise your puppy.  This simple activity not only serves as a foundation for paying attention to you, but also teaches him to not fear having a leash attached.  He learns that a slight tug from the leash when it does not move freely is nothing to fear.   The same exercise can be done off-lead as you move around from room to room in your house. 

  Another building block for teaching the pup that he should listen and pay attention to you is to have your pup WALK TOWARDS YOU WITH HIS HEAD UP.  The timid pup learns there is nothing to fear while walking on lead.  He will build confidence as you use both your voice and a motivator (food or a toy) to reward his efforts.  The more energetic pup learns to focus his energy appropriately by keeping all four feet on the floor in order to earn a reward.  As the pup matures and we teach him to come to us, this activity helps establish that not only does he need not fear coming to us, but that paying attention to us and coming towards us can be a pleasant experience.

  While this activity can be done off lead as well, I initially do this on lead.  Simply stand facing your puppy and use a treat or toy to help him focus on you.  As you begin to walk backwards, hold that treat or toy at the level of the pup’s nose in a position that encourages him to walk with his head up.  The treat needs to be held steadily in position so the pup learns to keep all four feet on the ground while walking with his head up.  (Moving that treat upwards or “wagging” the treat up and down will often cause the pup to jump up and/or grab at the treat.)  Be sure to use your voice to talk to the pup in an encouraging and interesting manner so he learns that you are worthy of his attention.  The treat may be the reward, but your praise is the best reward for later training.  As you practice this fun exercise, be sure to reward the confident, head up response frequently.

Obviously this activity is helpful for those wanting heads up attention in obedience.  Yet, I have also found it helpful to practice for a bit prior to gaiting on lead.  My latest pup did not need encouragement to hold his head up when gaiting since he was already confident walking in such a manner.  The confidence taught by this exercise also carried over to other venues. The pup would eagerly look up to me, eagerly waiting to see what would come next.  In a short time my pup already had a solid, beginning foundation for wanting to pay attention to me, no matter what activity was to follow.

Through the years I have come to recognize the importance of PRAISE/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR WATCHING ME.  When I first started out in obedience years ago, several well known competitors recommended programs designed to teach stationary attention (having the dog watch you when sitting in heel position).  While stationary attention exercises can be helpful, the issue for me is that often times passive attention is elicited from the dog, particularly as the time between rewards increases.  However, active attention (ears up, bright-eyed attention) is the ultimate goal.  It is easy to teach a dog to “Watch” you when you hold a treat in your hand.  Only time and a solid working relationship between you and your dog will promote that active attention.  It is for this reason that I now place more emphasis on encouraging focus in daily routines. 

From day one, if my puppy chooses to look at me, I meet his eyes and hold that contact for several seconds.  At the same time, I will talk to the dog.  It is not necessary to say “Good Watch”, but rather just to acknowledge the pup somehow with your voice.  When the pup is very young, I may just say something simple such as “Well, look at you!” and as time progresses I will tease, “Are you making sure I am doing this correctly?”.  The point is, it doesn’t matter what you say, only that you verbally acknowledge the pup when he looks at you.  Initially the young pup may get up and come towards you when you talk to him.  That is fine.  He is then rewarded with a pat or a scratch behind the ears.  He learns to associate this physical gratification as resulting from looking at me.  Gradually the pup will hold that eye contact for longer periods.  The pup learns to focus on me at an early age with no formal “Watch” training.

Use wisely those daily activities that encourage the pup to focus on you.  After you prepare his meal, have the pup sit or stand as you hold his food bowel, encouraging him to look at you before you place his meal in front of him.  If you ask the pup if he needs to go outside, pause for a second rather than immediately walking towards the door.  Again, encourage that few seconds of eye contact.  Take these small opportunities to show the pup that you are his pack leader, the person who provides for his comfort, safety, and stimulation -- and that you are worthy of his attention.  Acknowledging the pup when he looks at me instills a desire for him to willingly choose to focus on me.  Remember, if you want your pup to pay attention to you and to learn to focus on you, then you must focus your attention on him when working with him.  This need not require a specific training session.  It can be done a minute here and a minute there and still instill that desire in your pup to focus on you.

Just as it is important that you provide time for you pup to have your exclusive time and attention without the presence of other dogs, it is also helpful to provide PLAY AND GAMES THAT PROMOTE ATTENTION and focus from your pup.  Toss a toy or ball for him.  As he brings back that toy and looks towards you, meet his gaze and talk to him.  When he arrives with his treasure, spend a few seconds petting him and physically playing with him.  Play is an important element of establishing that working bond between you and your puppy. 

Terri Arnold, a well respected author and obedience competitor, has a fun ATTENTION GAME that I like to use with young puppies.  (In fact, this game can be used to re-focus a dog’s attention when in working situations.)  Hold a treat in each hand, elbows bent and held towards your shoulders.  Have the pup sit or stand in front of you.  (When the pup is very young, I sit on the floor to play the game.  As the pup matures, I will sit on the couch as he is on the floor and as he continues to grow, I will gradually stand up to play the game.)   The first few times the game is played, I will move the treat held in one hand in front of my nose.  When the pup looks at me, I praise and reward with the treat.  Replenish the treat and hold your arms in the original position.  The pup will look from hand to hand, knowing a treat is hidden there.  The INSTANT the pup looks to your face (almost as if to say, “Hey, how come you are not giving me that goodie?”), praise him (“Yes” or “Good”) and reward with one treat.  As you continue to play the game, the pup will learn that whenever he looks at you, that “Cookie from Heaven” will come his way.  This game provides one more way to teach your pup that you are worthy of his attention.

I hope some of these simple activities help you establish a solid foundation for working with your puppy.  As always, these are just some the things I am using while encouraging my pup to learn and explore the different working venues.

Stoney is now 9 months old….time marches on all too quickly!  He has shown a few times in the breed ring and we are pleased that he is learning the ropes while at the same time being a willing and confident worker.  Stoney is also actively working on his heeling skills and maintains his attention and heel position quite well for his age.  We work on flexibility and his learning to respond to my movements (in agility) when moving through jump standards (without a bar…we have not started any jump training yet)  He is very “birdy” and loves to retrieve.  As soon as the weather warms a bit more so I can get into the water with him, we will work on starting some swimming.

  I am always open to ideas for additional articles.  If there is a specific skill or area of training you would like me to talk about, please feel free to let me know.

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