[nagdu] Defiant poodles running away from corrections

Wed Jun 24 02:47:20 UTC 2015

Hi,
Dogs don't just intuitively know that they're in trouble. They are
able to assess this by your tone of voice and your body language. That
is what dogs rely on most, probably more than words themselves.
Part of getting your dog to come to you reliably is using a consistent
command. By consistent, I mean consistent in pitch, tone, and the word
used. So if you train your dog to come to you with a higher pitch and
delighted tone of voice, which most people do and should, then of
course, your dog will respond to that. However, when you have a
scolding tone and a lower pitch, indicating anger, danger, threat, and
a sense of urgency, then you are warding your dog off. That word
doesn't mean the same thing in a different tone of voice.
I'm not saying you shouldn't be firm with your dog. Some dogs need a
firm tone of voice to understand you mean business. But being firm and
being threatening are two different things. And you have to establish
that difference with your dog. A dog will come to know the difference
according to what usually happens in association with your particular
tone of voice at the time.
I know it is hard to be cool and calm when your dog is getting on your
nerves or being naughty, but you don't want to alarm your dog or send
them the message that punishment is coming, or  something rewarding is
being removed. That is a reason to play keep away, and doesn't
motivate your dog to come running to you when you call.
And I shouldn't have to say this, but never yell at your dog. It
happens to all of us, we get mad because they've done something dumb
or annoying, and we yell. Okay. But don't make a habit out of it. Dogs
usually respond to yelling by keeping away from you. It raises the
sense of alarm, panic, and excitement, so it doesn't compel your dog
to listen to anything your saying. In my experience, dogs are more
receptive to a quieter voice, whether you choose to be gentle or firm.
Another thing you can do is use sound cues instead of verbal cues.
This means that rather than using your voice which changes with your
mood, use some sound, the clicker, snapping your fingers, clicking
your tongue, whistling, ringing a bell, whatever. Preferably, a sound
that isn't super common. A former friend of mine uses the clicker to
call her dog. She just clicks it 3 times in rapid succession, and her
dog returns to her.
I've taught many dog owners the trick of the sound cue because it is
far more reliable and consistent than your voice. The dog will only
associate rewards with that sound, and so they will have a better
response to it.
I personally snap my fingers twice, and the Golden Guy comes running.
I trained him to obey this sound cue from the 1st day I got him. In my
dorm at GEB, I would just snap twice if he walked into the bathroom or
sniffed around the garbage. This sound was distinct enough to get his
attention, and when he paid attention, I rewarded him with treats.
My father used the double snap with my siblings and I as children, and
it still works. It is a simple sound that no one questions. It means,
"let's go," and when you here it, you go. The same works for my dog:
he hears me snap twice, and he comes. Sometimes, I might have to do it
2 or 3 times, but it works 9 times out of 10.

Your body is also more tense when you are angry, obviously. Dogs see
that. They also check out your facial expression, the position of your
hands, and your posture. Are you leaning forward? Crouching? Standing
straight? Are your hands at your sides? Outstretched with palms
upward? Outstretched with palms facing downward? Are you gritting your
teeth? Are you showing teeth? Are your lips quivering?  All of those
things matter, and as your dog gets to know you, they know what your
body language is according to your mood. Be conscientious of that.
-- 
Raven
Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
www.1am-editing.com

You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
have or what you do.

Naturally-reared guide dogs
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs

On 6/23/15, Applebutter Hill via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Kerri,
> Go back on leash. Coming to you isn't optional.
> Donna & Hunter
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kerri Stovall
> via
> nagdu
> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 12:11 PM
> To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
> Cc: Kerri Stovall
> Subject: [nagdu] Defiant poodles running away from corrections
>
> Hi all,
> As most of you may know, my husband and I both received poodles from Pilot
> Dogs back in April. We have just begun to let them off leash in the house
> as
> of a couple weeks ago, and I do know that this is just the beginning of
> their learning process for house manners. So, my question is this. How can
> we keep them from running from us when they know we are unhappy with their
> behavior. Here's a little of an idea of what's happening. As I now
> understand more fully, poodles are barkers, and they will bark at anything
> they hear or see that they are interested in, so pulling shades down
> doesn't
> work because the shades are already down, but they bark mostly at audible
> noises, like the air conditioning unit rattling or something like that.
> It's
> not every minute or anything like that, but it's often enough and they keep
> it up long enough to get to interfering with things. So when we tell them
> quiet several times and it doesn't work, then we will try calling them to
> us, but of course they know they are not behaving so they run the opposite
> way, even if the word no is used for other things than barking, any kind of
> misbehaving they will run away from us when we want to call them to us to
> distract them. They also will try to play with us by jumping around just
> out
> of reach, when they know we are unhappy with them. So I'm wondering, is it
> time to go back on leash for a while? I want to be able to do instant
> corrections or whatever else I can do with my dog, and I'm not sure if Lee
> will be up for it, but I hope so, so that he can get a handle on it. They
> are stellar dogs when they're apart, but when together their come command
> needs a lot of work because alb they want to do is play. lol.  Now my dog,
> she will still run away from me even when Lee isn't home or when his dog is
> elsewhere in the house, if she knows that I'm about to get onto her for
> something. I never correct her for coming to me though, I make sure the
> come
> command is always rewarded instead of corrected. But I just want her to
> come
> to me so that I can distract her from whatever she's doing wrong. Any help
> would be great. Thank you to all.
> Kerri and Sadie
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
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