Doin’ What Comes Naturally: Making Training Fun

Since 1985, I have had a therapy dog in my office visiting clients and making them feel at home. Some are certified and formally trained and others are simply naturals at loving the people they meet. All are greeted with delight by almost all clients.  
Currently, we own Cove’s End’s Oakley Anderson, and her mama, Bliss. Both are Portuguese Water Dogs, often referred to as “the Obama dogs.” Both are very well trained and very sociable. Oakley’s soft, black, wavy hair is soft to the touch, and Mama Bliss has a short, black afro that makes humans jealous. Both are gentle and loving. Oakley is a ball of energy. Bliss is very calm.
Many clients ask me how I train the dogs. It takes love, time and skill.
A remarkable clicker trainer named Sue Ailsby taught me that we can take advantage of what a dog does naturally, and turn it into tricks.
Bliss is a retired champion and has been awarded ribbons for her performance in agility (doggie gymnastics) and water Olympics (doggie swim team). Oakley has had many lessons and was awarded a ribbon for outstanding puppy training by the American Kennel Club. But mostly they relax, and this they do very well indeed. They love to run on the beach in winters. They also love to run on a hot beach, a rainy beach, a dark beach, a windy beach. They love to romp with each other, sharing a tug toy and getting good exercise.  They love to catch a ball that I throw for them. Oakley will retrieve a slipper and climb on the lap of a client.
But here in Cape May County, a dog must be well behaved, even in the winter. To earn the privilege to run on their beloved beaches, Oakley and Bliss had to learn to come when called, even from the seductive stink of rotting fish. How to train that? Both are softies for cuddles, smiles, loves and treats so each gets a big smile and a “Good girl!” from me, coupled with a microscopic treat I carry in a tin that they recognize by smell and sight. And this is how my easily distracted beach dogs have learned to become reliable off leash on the beach. So the lucky canine ladies get the fun of running on the beach in winter.
Train what is easy to train: To take the easy approach to training, here are four questions Sabina Hower and me concocted. They help you to get an edge on training by understanding your dog better. Ask yourself:
1.    It is natural and instinctive for my dog to ___________________
2.    My dog will get up off the floor if he/she can _______________
3.    My dog will lose concentration if ____________________________
4.    My dog will become scared if _______________________________
What to do with your answers? They enable you to take the Training Advantage:
1.    Behaviors that are natural or instinctive for your dog are usually easier to train than those that feel foreign. Although Whitby is a water dog, he is not happy in the cold water, was traumatized by snapping turtles, and waves scare him. But on the beach, he feels safe and thrilled to be alive. It is ever so much easier to train him if he is thrilled to be able to learn.
2.    Like for you, me and husband John, certain “treats” work better than others for each dog. Some love food, others clickers, others stuffed toys … if you figure out what your dog loves, you can help him love to learn. Whitby is a people dog. He loves praise, smiles, wide, open arms, and … food. Any treat, no matter how tiny, thrills him. Cheerios give us lots of mileage with no cooking and few extra calories. So, Cheerios it is.
3.      We all get distracted by things that seduce us to attend to them.  “Be more interesting than the environment” Sabina teaches her assistance dog trainees. You can bank on losing your dog to distractions that captivate his or her ability to focus. Know your enemy. If you can’t control the behavior, you must control the situation. Whitby will actually leave the extraordinarily heady perfume of rotting clams for hugs, smiles and a cheerio.
4.    Scare your dog and watch one of two extreme behaviors happen: either your dog will withdraw or become “macho.” In either case, training is much harder. So, it pays to avoid fear arousers. The waves frighten Whitby. Maybe he fears that the ocean contains snapping turtles like our farm pond did. If he has to learn to swim, I must leave extra time, engage in good coaching, and set modest goals. Fear arousers are hard to overcome.
To consider: What makes it easy for you to learn things? Do you enjoy working for treats? Why or why not?
To explore: There are many sites about therapy dogs and dog training. One is http://www.tdi-dog.org/.
Judith Coche, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist trained in animal and human behavior. Find her at The Coche Center, LLC. Reach her through www.cochecenter.com.