You need to invest a fair amount of time and energy to train a really reliable recall. One reason why owners are having problems with recalls is because dogs learn contextually, also called” place learning”. Lack of generalization is acutely evident in the recall. The park is a very different context than the home environment where most training sessions take place. Another explanation is that the dog does not associate the word “Come” with the act of returning to his owner. Remember, dogs do not learn words as cues very easily and are most likely responding to context and visual body cues when they follow your requests. It is possible to teach your dog to respond reliably to a verbal request, but it must be done in a specific sequence for the dog to learn.

Another reason is that the bar is simply set too high. Maybe you have practiced coming when called in your quiet, fenced back yard but nowhere else. A recall in a small, familiar space with little or no distraction is the equivalent of a Kindergarten recall while a recall at a public park or in the woods is the doggy equivalent of a Ph. D. There are many “grades” in between that must be mastered before attempting a higher level recall. The most common reason a dog may not return when called is that it’s never been rewarded. Worse coming may have led to punishment in the past. It doesn’t matter whether this punishment was intentional, such as yelling at your dog for coming too slowly, or unintentional, such as only calling your dog at the end of a play session, clipping on the leash and leaving the park or calling your dog and throwing him right in the bathtub, the result is the same. The dog has learned that coming to you when you call for him generally means bad news for him or at the very least, the end of fun. If your dog does not like to come to you when called it is a sign there is something amiss in your relationship or that your dog does not know what you would like him to do when you call him.

The good news is the solution is the same regardless of the reason your dog doesn’t come when called. Thoroughly teach him and then reward him for doing it. Reward him by letting go play again. It can take up to the age of 18 to 24 months to achieve a really reliable recall.

I integrate my recall training with every pleasant thing I care to offer my dogs. Dinner is a good one, handing out fresh bones to chew on. I set myself up so the dogs are away from me and interested in something, then I call and they fly to me. I have to actually work at trying to sneak away from them in the forest. I call them for a game, for a walk, for a car ride or for a cookie. Take advantage of all the opportunities right at your fingertips. You will be amazed how many recalls you can do in just one day.

Play come games, – dog games helps to create a good association to form a reliable recall, which is one of the things every dog needs to know. Every person in the family takes turns calling the dog and rewards when she comes. Rewards vary from person to person, and can include enthusiastic attention, a ball toss, food, and a toy and so on. The dog has to go to the person who called her, otherwise he’ll be ignored and no rewards happen. The dog learns to come to every family member and the game tires her out. Engage in chase games where your dog chases you.

Never call your dog to come if you can’t enforce it. Manage with a long leash, but avoid reeling your dog in as much as possible. Instead, step on the leash to prevent him from going where he wants to, wait until he gets bored, looks at you and (hopefully) comes when you call with an upbeat voice.

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It’s easier to teach your dog to shush when he is calm and focused. Therefore teaching your dog to “Woof” on cue is the first step in “Shush” training, this enables you to teach “Shush” at your convenience, and not at inconvenient times when the dog decides to bark.

First we have to teach this as a trick for a reward, like a treat.

Set up an accomplice outside the front door to elicit the barking so you can practice.

Say “Woof” (or speak, bark, alert) which is the cue for your assistant to ring the bell. Praise your dog profusely when he barks; maybe even bark along with your dog. This is a game; do not become frustrated, he will get it.

1. Your cue “Woof!” “Speak” whatever you choose you must be consistent.
2. Do something that will make your dog bark
3. Praise from you: “good! Wonderful!” after a few barks
4. Your cue “Shush”
5. Show the dog the food treat
6. The dog is distracted by the treat so stops barking
7. Get 3 -5 seconds of quiet during which you are praising “goooooooood Shush!”
8. Give the dog the treat he has earned after the 3-5 seconds of perfect quiet
9. Do it again from number (1) and gradually extend the length of time of the “Shush” up to a minute or two.
10. Do it over and over until your dog knows the game. It may take several sessions, so hang in there.

How do you know if he understands the game?
He knows the game when he “Woofs” on cue and doesn’t need the trigger anymore and he quiets on the first cue to “Shush” without you showing him the treat.

He still gets a treat though, that you have already placed in your pocket or next to you. But if he gets in even a muffled bark or two, say “Oh! Too bad” and start counting the “Shush” time from the beginning again. He needs to learn that barking during quiet time was a mistake that cost him his treat.

By alternating instructions to “Woof” and “Shush”, the dog is praised and rewarded for barking on request and for shushing on request.

Speak softly when instructing your dog to shush, and reinforce your dog’s silence with a whisper of praise. The more softly you speak, the more your dog will be inclined to pay attention and listen and therefore not bark. Use treats that are high value to your dog and that he does not usually receive. Make it worth his while to control himself.

You have to have the ability to yo-yo the dog back and forth between the bark and quiet in training sessions before you take it on the road for real situations. Barking is compulsive for many dogs so you have to build this up to actual visitor trials.

When you can turn the barking on and off anytime as a trick you can now start practicing in real life situations. The first few times may be rough and you may need to show the treat up front only if necessary. Or you can reprimand hopefully in your home, setting this up is the best option here. When the dog ignores you “Shush” cue, flatten him with the growliest, loudest “I said Shush” you can muster, even better get every family member to simultaneously do this. When the dog quiets “what a goooooooood super dog you are” in a very sweet quiet tone.

Something else that can help you with the “Shush” is to have the dog do a down-stay as well as being quiet. To earn the treat, he must remain on a mat near the door and keep his mouth zipped during the quiet period.

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Growling is one of the most misunderstood expressions in canines. Growling or snarling is not evil and it doesn’t necessarily always mean a dog is unfriendly. It’s a warning. Often growling may occur when a dog is in pain, playing, frightened, annoyed, or if it’s telling you “what you’re doing is really freaking me out. Please stop…or else.”

A dog that growls is actually a good thing. In fact you are more at risk with a dog that doesn’t growl than one who does. Growling is part of a dog’s communication. Growling is a signal that is used to say “back off” without injuring other pack members. Dogs use their communication system with all species even humans. The growl belongs near the top of a sequence in a group of signals called “Distance Increasing Signals”.

When dogs use “distance increasing signals” they are in fact telling you to “Go Away”.

Growling is a warning; it’s a warning that something is not right and must not be punished in anyway, otherwise the problem remains but the dog learns you dislike its growling, so bites instead. The problem of why the dog is growling is what must be addressed, so that problem can be removed and the dog no longer needs to growl or act aggressively.

When you punish a growl or other early warning signal, you may succeed in suppressing the growl, snarl, snap or other warning behaviour— but you don’t take away the stress that caused the growl in the first place. In fact you are increasing it, because now you, the dog’s guardian have become unpredictable, possibly angry as well. (Think Dog and not human).

Worst of all, and most significant, is if you succeed in suppressing the warning signals, you end up with a dog that bites without warning. The dog has learned that it’s not safe to warn, so it doesn’t.

You should not punish your puppy or dog for growling at you or at anyone else. Dogs that are chastised for their growling very often will show more serious behaviours later on.

Don’t be confused in these situations and do not take dog growls more personally than you should. Identify the cause and fix that, but don’t take away the dog’s communication.

Everyone expects a lion to roar, knows to stay clear of bears and not to play with snakes. We don’t call those animals evil or mean because they roar, chase or hiss at us.

To put growling into perspective let’s take a moment to review some of the ways in which humans express these emotions. We complain, yell at people, scream at other drivers on the road, argue, throw things, break things, slam doors, stomp up or down the stairs, make idle threats, punch walls, talk nasty about certain people or tell someone to take a hike (or substitute another 4-letter word). This is quite different than me pulling out a gun to shoot you because you cut me off on the highway. Being angry and being violent are some distance from each other.

Despite the vocal and often violent ways of expressing ourselves we’re quick to call a dog vicious or dangerous if it snarls growls or even attempts to bite us. While growling is a means of communication it does make people quite uneasy. Therefore, growling and snarling should be addressed immediately by consulting with your vet to rule out a medical cause and by hiring a professional behaviourist to help your dog overcome its fears.

Pay attention to what your dog is telling you, Listen with heart and compassion, treasure its growl and come to its rescue.

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Dogs are connected to their people and their daily routines. They know when the people wake up, when and where they do certain chores, and whether it is a workday or the weekend. How? It’s quite simple: dogs are creatures of habit and they take into account the habits of those around them, too. Dogs have a keen sense of sight and smell that helps them to monitor life around them — including the changes that come with pregnancy.

Pregnancy creates hormonal changes that affect your emotions, your routines, and even your scent. Some reported changes from Moms-to-be are; over clinginess, aloofness, protectiveness, excessive attention seeking, elimination related issues, anxiety (pacing, licking etc)

If you notice unwanted changes in your dogs’ behavior here are some things to consider.

• What exactly has changed? Has the dog’s behaviour changed, or have the family’s activity level and
  routines been disturbed? Is your dog reacting to changes in your behaviour?
• How is this behavior change being reinforced? Dogs do what works for them. Why and how is this
  behaviour working for your dog?
• When did this change begin? Is the behaviour new, or have you ever seen it before? If so, when?
• Could there be any medical reason for the change in your dog’s behaviour? Allergies, aches and pains, and
  illness make us cranky, and they affect our dogs in a similar way. Could this have a bearing on your dog’s
  behaviour?

Each pregnancy is unique — from one woman to another or from your first pregnancy to the next. And although most pregnancies bring with them a great amount of joy, even “normal” pregnancies can be stressful. Family pets often react to this stress, and if the family is dealing with a difficult pregnancy, that stress is multiplied — for everyone.

Consistent leadership and training help to keep companion animals grounded throughout this wonderful and stressful time. You have a great deal to learn and do prior to the arrival of the baby; the good news is Bark Busters offers a great deal of support and information to help you prepare your dog for life with kids.

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A dog’s adolescence is the time when everything starts to fall apart, unless you make a concerted effort to see it through to the stability of adulthood.

Your dog’s adolescence is a critical time. If you ignore your dog’s education now, you will soon find yourself living with an ill-mannered, under-socialized, hyperactive animal. Here are some things to watch for.

• Household manners may deteriorate over time, especially if you start taking your dog’s housetraining and other good behaviour for granted. But if you taught your pup well in his earlier months, the drift in household manners will be slow until your dog reaches his sunset years, when housetraining sometimes tends to suffer.
• Basic manners may take a sharp dive when puppy meets adolescence. Lure/reward training your puppy was easy: you taught your pup to eagerly come, follow, sit, lie down, stand still, roll over, and look up to you with unwavering attention and respect because you were your pup’s sun, moon, and stars.
• But now your dog is developing adult doggy interests, such as investigating other dogs’ rear ends, sniffing urine and feces on the grass, rolling in unidentifiable smelly stuff, and chasing squirrels.
• Your dog’s interests may quickly become distractions to training, so that your dog will continue sniffing another dog’s rear end rather than come running when called. (What a scary thought, that your dog would prefer another dog’s rear end to you!) All of a sudden he won’t come, won’t sit, won’t settle down and stay, but instead jumps up, pulls on-leash, and becomes hyperactive.
• Socialization often heads downhill during adolescence, sometimes surprisingly precipitously. As they get older, dogs have fewer opportunities to meet unfamiliar people and dogs. Most owners have established a set routine by the time their dog is five or six months old.
• If your adolescent dog does not get out and about regularly and only a few unfamiliar people come to the house, his de-socialization may be alarmingly rapid.
• Dog-Dog Socialization also deteriorates during adolescence, often at an alarming rate, especially for very small and very large dogs. First, teaching a dog to get along with every other dog is difficult. Groups of wild canids — wolves, coyotes, jackals, etc. — seldom welcome strangers into their midst, but that’s exactly what we expect our dogs to do. Second, it is unrealistic to expect a dog to be best friends with every dog. Much like people, dogs have special friends, casual acquaintances, and individuals they don’t particularly like.

Establishing leadership, creating rules and boundaries will pave the way through adolescence.

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Always keep the dog on a leash when outside of a fenced area. Deaf dogs cannot hear your voice, traffic, or literally any other noises to alert them to danger.

Start pairing hand signs with voice commands as soon as hearing loss is noted. Basic hand signs for sit come and down are usually all that is required. Sit can be a stop motion of the palm at the chest, down can be a downward motion of the hand from the chest to the waist and come can be a sideways arching motion from straight out in towards the chest.

Always be sure a deaf dog can see and smell you before you pet it to prevent it from snapping or startling from you.

Allow your dog to wake up naturally on his own. You could alert him of your presence by your scent alone. You can do this by wearing a signature perfume, for example. As you come home from work, or walk by your sleeping dog, the scent of your perfume will waft into his nose and he will soon awaken. After awhile, you can wake your dog up by walking up to him wearing your familiar and signature scent, touching him very gently, and popping a delicious treat into his mouth.

Next, establish a routine with him. Walk the same route everyday so he doesn’t feel the added anxiety of new situations. He will learn to anticipate the events of his everyday life because of this routine. Although it is indeed beneficial for dogs to be challenged by new surroundings, you should only slowly factor in novel encounters once you have established that he is comfortable with his new life.

Teach your dog touch is a positive thing. Touch every part of his body from his ears and muzzle, to his belly and the in-betweens of his toes. If you feel confident and comfortable with your dog, you could also run your fingertip along his teeth or open his mouth so you can look inside. This exercise prepares your dog to be comfortable with maintenance procedures that you will perform on him like nail clipping, teeth brushing, and also for veterinary visits.

You could give him treats as you are petting him. Next, give him a deep muscle massage by working your fingers firmly into his shoulder muscles and run your fingers from the top of his head to all the way down to his back. Do this several times. This exercise is very relaxing for dogs. Finally, lay him on his back calmly as you pet him in calming and comfortable strokes.

You will also begin training him and teaching him hand commands

You and all your family members have to learn not to do anything that will startle the dog. Things you might do that will startle your dog include: stamping on the floor to get his attention; waking him up abruptly like plopping down heavily on the couch when he’s sleeping soundly on it; and scaring him when he comes around a corner. Remember, you would want your dog to associate your touch with good things.

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