TALKING DOG: Use trust, positive perks to train dog

One of the simplest, most successful means to teach a dog to be well-behaved and to maintain a great relationship is to always, always be the "good guy." Before any formal, positive training begins, your dog should understand that everything he enjoys in life is provided by you and that close to you is always the safest place to be. These two uncomplicated concepts become the foundation for a great relationship between dog and human.

For your dog to grasp the first concept, you must be able to recognize what he considers to be the positive perks in his world. Some can easily identify the most obvious — the dog loves to chase the ball, enjoys a good scratching behind the ears and is clearly pleased when we put down the food bowl. Not so obvious may include going in or out a door, having access to the room you are in and taking a walk around the block. The more things you can identify as positives in the dog's eyes, the more you have to work with. In addition, effort should be put into teaching the young dog to enjoy things that he may not, without exposure, find rewarding on his own. For example, taking the time to teach a dog to fetch a ball, catch a Frisbee, tug on a toy or enjoy a playful game of "I'm gonna getcha!" gives the owner a larger variety of reward options when higher levels of training begin.

Gaining and maintaining easy control begins with providing your dog with the perks he enjoys only when his behavior is that which you like and wish to encourage. Long before formal training begins, you can simply choose to open a door for your dog to go in or out of when he keeps all four paws on the floor, is quiet and is patient. The same goes for putting down the food bowl. As you repeat this process, a pattern begins to emerge, which the dog grasps quickly — things he wants and enjoys in life are given to him when he is calm, silent and still.

The second concept is paramount in having a great relationship with the dog — you must be trustworthy, and safe to be around. It is impossible to maintain this kind of relationship if you are a punisher. Physical corrections — spanking, muzzle grabs, collar or scruff shakes, leash pops, alpha rolls, etc., define the human as a person to be wary of, and being close to that person may result in correction. This doesn't mean, of course, that the dog will never get close to the human again; dogs are eternal optimists, after all. But it does break down the trust, and the perceptive dog may choose to move away from the human when the person's behavior is disturbing. In addition to losing trust, this puts the human at a huge disadvantage when the dog is off leash.

Dog owners seem to be under the impression that if the dog does something "wrong," or doesn't obey a command, that it must be punished. The modern dog trainer, relying on scientific studies and extensive research into modifying behavior in any animal species, knows that it is far more effective to simply withhold something the dog favors.

Lisa Moore's pet-behavior column appears once a month on the Weekly Pet Page. Write to her in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352.