Pet Training In General

“Dogs come when they’re called; cats take a message and get back to you later.”

-Mary Bly

GENERAL RULE:  If you have never believed that timing is everything,

you will after trying to train your pet.  Start early, be patient, be persistent and practice, practice, practice!

 IDENTIFYING ISSUES AND PROBLEMS:

If you yell at your pet for making a mess that occurred five minutes ago, much less an hour ago, they won’t understand.  If you say “good boy” for something that happened two minutes ago, they will like the praise but will have no idea what you are talking about.  You see, pets don’t have a moral compass to help guide them between right and wrong.  They make associations between things — between actions and reactions –- and they do so in very short spans of time.  Their rule of life is “go with the flow” unless trained to do otherwise.  After all, living in a house with people and furniture and kids and potted plants is not of their doing … right?

 Here, in brief, are the elements of successful pet training:

• Positive Reinforcement Rewards – Usually food treats, praise, petting or giving them a brief time to play with a favorite toy (including you!)
• Proper Timing – Immediate use of the positive reinforcement (seconds, not minutes) that ties desirable behavior to the reward.
• Shape the Behavior – Reward the pet for making a “good effort” to get them to move from, say, holding up a paw on the way to shaking hands.  Don’t just wait for the complete and perfect act.
• Focus – Concentrate on one desired training behavior at a time.
• Consistency – This means having only one set of commands and sticking to them.  “Sit” “Stay” “Off” “Come” “Heel”(or “let’s go”) “Down” (lie down), and “Watch Me” are common one and two-word commands to perfect with your pet.
• Punishment – Use sparingly and with caution – The evidence is not enough.  You must “catch them in the act” and act within seconds.  Let the “environment” rather than you deliver the punishment (can of coins shake, air horn, a spray bottle squirt) from out of the blue.  Otherwise, they will not associate their behavior with the punishment they receive.

 RECOMMENDATIONS:

• When using food treats, use small, soft pieces that will be quickly consumed with a desire for more.  Experiment on what works best.
• Maintain eye contact while giving the treat from your hand.  Don’t put the treat down on the floor.
• Accompany the reward with verbal praise in a happy tone of voice.
• Reward every time the desired behavior is performed and for an extensive period of time before slowly “cutting back” on the treats while maintaining the verbal praise. (Remember, the goal is to ultimately have the pet respond to voice commands.)  Occasionally offer rewards even after the behavior is fully entrenched in the pet.

 CAUTIONS:

• Punishment may erode the trust you have built up with your pet.
• “Guilty” looks coming from your pet are not “guilty” looks.  They are looks of submission (remember their lack of a moral right or wrong).  You may win the battle but lose the war.
• Never use punishment that causes pain.  It is morally reprehensible on your part and may result in fighting behavior by the pet … both to you and to others.

 SUMMARY:

Why is it that parents will blame the teachers when their children fail to learn, but when they become the teacher to their pets the fault usually lies with the animal?   

Almost any animal that hasn’t been traumatized, and many who have been traumatized, can be trained over time.  It takes a patient owner, using the proper rewards and voice commands to reinforce desired behaviors, and it takes both time and practice.  Punishments should be avoided if at all possible as it tends to erode the training behavior.  If punishments are used, make them “bolts from the blue” and not from you … and never physically punish your pet.

With time, dedication and consistency, you will have a happy and well trained pet.  If you have a cat … well, you will have at least tried!

Revised 12.24.08

jep