Training

Basic Obedience and Your Therapy Animal

Whether you are training your dog for competition or for better control around the house, there are certain procedures that, when followed, make that training easier to accomplish.

What do we mean by "obedience" in the context of a therapy animal? Basically, obedience, for our purposes, means that our animals are calm, friendly and controllable. Predictability, controllability and reliability, plus an attitude that inspires confidence in others, are qualities the ITA Animal Evaluators look for when they test your animal during the Therapy Animals Screening Test. It is necessary that your dog greet a stranger quietly, preferably sitting. Your dog needs to walk calmly at your side on a fairly loose lead and be willing to be touched thoroughly by a stranger. Your animal should exhibit no aggression when it encounters another animal that is neutral (passive) with its handler.

Some of these things can be a challenge for a young, outgoing dog who enjoys interacting with people and other animals. You need to understand how to encourage your dog in positive behavior while simultaneously discouraging negative or inappropriate behavior without having to be harsh or physically punish your dog.

This handout outlines some basic obedience skills that can help you achieve that goal. I will discuss some methods to communicate with your dog in such a way as to encourage and help your dog understand what you want.

Communication So, communication becomes the first order of business for dog training. How do you communicate with your animal so that it understands what it is you are attempting to teach it? I use small pieces of food to show my dog what I want from her. I move the food to encourage her to attain the position I want and then I reward her with the food when she has achieved my goal.

Consistency The second thing that is imperative for effective dog training is consistency. If I ask for a sit by repeating the word "sit" and showing the dog what "sit" means with food, and then rewarding the dog when its rear hits the ground, I have made inroads into teaching my dog to sit. However, if I use a different word, or say the same word several times, or fail to let my dog know when it has achieved my desire, then I wind up frustrated, my dog is unhappy because it knows it hasn't done something (it's not sure what), and I am in a lose-lose situation.

Timing The third component that is very important to animal training is timing. When I tell my dog to sit, I show my dog, by lifting its head, that I want is its bottom to hit the ground, I immediately give it praise just as its bottom hits the ground. Then I have timed my positive reinforcement so that it has meaning to my dog.

Right Equipment Equipment is necessary in order to train an animal. With dog training the usual equipment is a collar and a leash. Some of you prefer a harness to work your dog, but for training purposes, using a collar makes it easier to communicate to your dog what you are attempting to teach it. There are several collars that make training a little easier: slip collars (choke chains) made of metal, nylon or leather; prong or pinch collars or fur savers (a type of slip collar for coated dogs). Also you need a good leash (I prefer leather because it is easier on my hands) and some kind of a motivator. A motivator is anything that causes your dog to understand that you are happy with what he has done. I use food, such as sliced hot dogs or liver bait, and a toy, usuallly a tennis ball. The motivator is used to lure your dog into the desired position and then to reward it for achieving that position.

It is also important to know how and when to use correction. A correction is not punishment or pain, it is the level of compulsion necessary to get your dog's attention.The amount of compulsion needed may increase as the level of distraction increases. The following is a modification of the Volhard Canine Personality Quiz. Its main benefit is to tell you in a little more detail what you already probably know about your dog. High numbers in the prey and pack categories are ideal for obedience, but how you praise and correct the dog depends on the defense drive (fight or flight) scores.

Prey drive represents a dog's inclination and ability to hunt. Things like pouncing on toys, tearing toys apart, chasing cats, stealing food, barking in excitement, jumping, shaking toys, digging, burying, etc. are behaviors associated with prey drive. In training, a dog with strong prey drive will be motivated by toys and treats.

Pack drive represents a dog's social life. Mounting other dogs, cuddling, playing with other dogs, liking to groom or be groomed, liking people a lot, being unhappy when left alone -these are all pack behaviors.

The fight or flight drive represents how a dog will deal with stress. It is be harder to train a dog that responds to a correction by flight. This also indicates how dog-aggressive and people-aggressive a dog is.