Problem Dog Training - Part 2
Author: M.O.N.S. 4. Move your dog into the bedroom for overnight sleeping. This simple step has tremen dous bonding effects. Remember, in the bedroom, off the bed. Prob lem dogs do not belong on beds. You'll look like littermates—but you want to look Alpha, remember? If the dog jumps up on the bed, tie the dog to the foot of the bed.
5. Exercise is very important. Problem dogs usually don't get enough aerobic, sustained exercise, which is what they need to calm them down. Putting the dog out in the backyard for three hours is no solution—it isn't exercising, it's exercising and resting, or just resting, period. Use a leash and jog or run with your dog. Sometimes the dog can be made to run alongside a bike. Keep moving. A good guide: for a small dog, ¼ mile, no stopping, four times a week; for a medium- size dog, ½ mile, no stopping, four times a week; for a large dog, 1 mile, no stopping, four times a week. I'm not even asking you to run with your dog every day. And a mile can go by quite quickly. Obviously, if your veterinarian advises against exercise for your particular dog, you'll have to skip this step.
6. Whenever you leave home, leave the radio on—easy-listening music, not rock or talk shows. Stressed tones of voice usually keep dogs on edge, and talk shows feature people who call in with problems and stresses.
7. Feed two times a day, if possible in the early morning and the early afternoon. Place the food down and leave it ten to fifteen minutes. Leave the dog and the food alone in a quiet room. Then return and pick up the food even if the dog hasn't finished. Do not make a thing out of the dog not eating—you may be engaging in faulty paralan guage and encouraging the dog not to eat even as you try to get it to eat (see "Nutrition Notes"). This method of feeding keeps food in the dog's stomach during its waking hours, eliminating hunger ten sion and giving you more of a chance for a calmer dog.
8. Reevaluate the diet. In my opinion high-quality meat-meal-based rations surpass soy-based rations. Drop all people food from the dog's diet. Your dog knows it was your food and sharing it with him doesn't make you look Alpha. When your dog doesn't have problems, you can slip in some people food, but not now. Remember, little things add up—usually to big problems. And never, ever add anything to the food after you've placed it down—not because you forgot an ingredi ent, not because you want to encourage the dog to eat. The dog will simply learn to wait until something yummy is added, and again, you won't look Alpha.
9. Give absolutely no food treats for one month. Yes, that's right, zero treats! Owners often place themselves in a subordinate position vis-à vis the dog by giving too many treats or giving them in the wrong way. Stop for one month. If your dog's problems clear up and the month has passed, give one treat a day only if the dog sits. Never give a free treat carte blanche—make the dog do something for the treat. But nothing for one month. For more nutrition nuggets, see "Nutrition Notes."
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