Exercise R Us

Question:

The December Dog World Magazine has an article on the jumping dog problem. The animal control officer here said that you could string the invisible fence on your existing fence and it should keep the dog away from the fence.

Response:

Using rewards to train a dog not to jump over a fence would probably involve rewarding the dog for doing something incompatible with jumping the fence – coming to you, sitting, staying, lying down, etc.  This will work when you’re out there to watch her, but won’t help when she’s out in the yard alone, at least not until she’s somehow completely trained not to go over the fence.  Saying "no" also won’t work when you’re not there to watch her – dogs have a better understanding of safe (Mom’s not here to growl at me) vs. dangerous (Mom’s here to growl at me) than they do of good (stay in the yard) vs. bad (visit the neighbours!) If I were you, I’d look into ways of containing her better.  I know you can’t have her in the house, which is too bad.  If there’s any possibility of getting your landlord to put a taller fence around your yard, that would be a really nice thing.  Another thing you could consider is creating a more secure enclosure around a smaller part of your yard – enough for her to walk around a bit when you’re not out with her.  I know that in North America you can buy chain link panels that can be put together to form a kennel.   You’d want to make sure that your dog had access to shade, water, and shelter from rain. Of course, you’d want to spend as much time as possible with her outside of that kennel, training or playing with her in the yard and taking her for walks. There are other ways to keep the dog from jumping the existing fence – putting an inward-slanting extension on top, running electric wire over it (do you get that late-night commercial with "Feel the tingle?  She’s a’workin’!" in WA?) – but I don’t have any experience with those.  You have to consider that your 3-month puppy is going to be able to scale higher fences as she gets older, especially if she gets used to doing it. It would probably be helpful for you to consult with Barkbusters, as they’ve probably helped train a lot more outside dogs than most of the posters here. Good luck! Kristine & Oscar (respects fences, thank doG) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Our almost 3 month lab/rotty x has been jumping over the short side of our > neighbours fence! > I am in a rented accomodation so am hesitant about asking the owners to put > in a whole new fence so I am wondering what you think about training her not > to do it! > My neighbour says "Barkbusters" has recommended training by rewards and I > got the name and number from her so I can delve into this further.

Response:

Our almost 3 month lab/rotty x has been jumping over the short side of our neighbours fence! I am in a rented accomodation so am hesitant about asking the owners to put in a whole new fence so I am wondering what you think about training her not to do it! My neighbour says "Barkbusters" has recommended training by rewards and I got the name and number from her so I can delve into this further. Surely training her not to go over by saying, "NO!!" is better than rewarding her not to do it!  *Imagining myself rewarding her and Jessie wondering why on earth she is deserving a reward for um…just doing something else when she is NOT jumping the fence!!* I may sound dismayed but surely growling still works with dogs or is this ‘reward with treats’ a new wave way of training pups??????? Any ideas? KANGA

Response:

Hello kanga, > Our almost 3 month lab/rotty x has been jumping over the short side of our > neighbours fence!

Must be an awfully low fence. > I am in a rented accomodation so am hesitant about asking the owners to put > in a whole new fence so I am wondering what you think about training her not > to do it! > My neighbour says "Barkbusters" has recommended training by rewards and I > got the name and number from her so I can delve into this further.

I don’t know what barkbusters is, but it sounds like one of the companies that make a dog barking product. I don’t know what they are recommending, but I doubt they can help any more than the posters here. > Surely training her not to go over by saying, "NO!!" is better than > rewarding her not to do it!

That would depend on if you want to solve the problem, or fight with the dog for the next five years? If you want to train the dog, you’ll forget about trying to scold or punish her into not going over the fence. You’ll lose. > *Imagining myself rewarding her and Jessie > wondering why on earth she is deserving a reward for um…just doing > something else when she is NOT jumping the fence!!*

Imagine training your dog not to go over the fence. There is no way you can force the dog not to go over it. You will only teach her to pull your chain, and she’ll be running in the street. > I may sound dismayed but surely growling still works with dogs

Only if you are a dog. > or is this > ‘reward with treats’ a new wave way of training pups???????

I don’t approve of using treats, nor do I approve of using force, confrontation, punishment, force, or fear. I’m a dog trainer, that’s my job. I don’t bribe, force, or fight with my students, I teach them. > Any ideas?

Yes, I’ll copy and paste below, the information that you need to know. You’ll have to improvise a little on the technique to demonstrate to the dog to stay back from the fence. The same instructions will help with any other behavior problems you may have with her. I suggest you read the information in the Wits’ End Dog Training Method manual available for free at  http://www.doggydoright.com , it will give you plenty of information about how to properly handle and train your dog without confrontation. Let me know if you have questions, or need more help. The preliminary exercises in there will really help get her to be very cooperative. > KANGA

Teach her to back away from the fence. Use the sound distraction and praise techniques if you can observe her going within three feet of the fence. Introduce her to the fence by approaching it on lead and just casually walk over to the known escape route and the entire fence line. Create a sound, always alternating it’s direction and praise as you back up a few feet every time you approach the fence Don’t over do it, but do it till she automatically backs up when you walk her up to the fence. She may cut in front of you to guide you back from the fence, praise that thought, or any hesitation she shows as you approach it, and if she indicates a hesitation, praise and step back, she’ll be fully aware of what you want. Will she try to escape at a predictable time? Could you set her up by saying good by, and hiding out to observe her coming through the fence? Create a sound and praise as soon as her nose pokes through, and that may be the last of it. You can rig a trip wire that will cause a can to fall as she tries to go through. Be sure not to pull at all on her lead if you are putting her on lead to introduce her to the fence. Any time we interact in a behavior by telling the dog no, or physically restrain or correct him, we are becoming part of the behavior, either as a player or competitor in the dogs mischief. Using sound as a distraction must always be followed by immediate, prolonged, non physical praise. Interrupting a behavior with sound should never be associated with us, as in voicing no, or telling the dog to stop it. The behavior should not be distracted with any intervention. We want the behavior to begin again, so that we may have another opportunity to properly address the behavior with another sound and praise. That way, we can completely end a problem while the dog is thinking about it, and we are prepared to address the issue before it becomes out of control. The sound must never occur twice in a row from the same direction. In other words, if you snapped your fingers in front of the dog to stop him from chewing on your shoelace, you’d praise him for five to fifteen seconds immediately upon snapping your fingers. The behavior will hopefully resume, and the next sound of the snap of your fingers must come from behind the dog, or even from a friend assisting from across the room, from a soda can with a few pennies in it, or any source of sound (except our voice!), followed by prolonged non physical praise, until the dog is no longer thinking about the behavior or resumes it. The third interruption of the behavior usually gets the message across, and the dog will think about the behavior for just a moment before engaging in it once again for the fourth and last time… That split second thinking about engaging in the behavior requires praise. Do not react to it with a challenge of shouting no, or physically removing the temptation. That moment of thinking about resuming the behavior and the praise it earns him will validate the prior interruptions of that behavior. The dog then needs to test it out, to be sure that the same behavior will be dealt with in exactly the same manner. They will usually make a fourth attempt at the behavior, and if you follow through appropriately, he will learn not to do that behavior anymore. But only on the one shoelace! He must take that behavior to other instances to fully cease the desire for the behavior. The behavior will not be completely broken until he has taken the process of elimination to the second, third, and fourth opportunity to explore that behavior. And, even at that, you may need to repeat the process in four completely different places. That means that the worst behavior may need up to sixty-four properly timed interruptions and praise. Usually it happens much quicker than that. Breaking a behavior in this manner reduces stress, takes us out of the position of negative enforcer or competitor or playmate, and allows the dog to extinguish a behavior because he simply doesn’t get any satisfaction from it. The other secret is giving the dog a payoff for every time they look at you. Each time you notice eye contact from your dog, you must praise him orally, to prevent his idle mind from doing the devils work. DRAINING THE SWAMP, AND RELOCATING THE GATORS… J>>> "CUSTOM WILL RECONCILE PEOPLE TO ANY ATROCITY." G.B. Shaw. "I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives."                                              Leo Tolstoy Is it any wonder that the following sig file has generated more complaints to my personal email than any other controversial post I have made to date, bar none?:                                             caveat If you have to do things to your dog to train him, that you would rather not have to do, then you shouldn’t be doing them. If you have a dog trainer that tells you to jerk your dog around, choke him, pinch his ears, or twist his toes, shock, shake, slap, scold, hit, or punish him in any manner, that corrections are appropriate, that the dog won’t think of you as the punisher, or that corrections are not harmful, or if they can’t train your dog to do what you want, look for a trainer that knows Howe. Sincerely, Jerry Howe, Wits’ End Dog Training http://www.doggydoright.com Nature, to be mastered, must be obeyed.                       -Francis Bacon- There are terrible people who, instead of solving a problem, bungle it and make it more difficult for all who come after.  Who ever can’t hit the nail on the head should, please, not hit at all.                      -Nietzsche- The abilities to think, rationalize and solve problems are learned qualities. The Wits’ End Dog Training Method challenges the learning centers in the dogs brain. These centers, once challenged, develop and continue to grow exponentially, to make him smarter. The Wits’ End Dog Training method capitalizes on praising split seconds of canine thought, strategy, and timing, not mindless hours of forced repetition, constant corrections, and scolding.                   -Jerry Howe-

Response: