Problem Dog
Roger the Red Setter is a fun-loving dog, who is also headstrong, easily excited and frantic around guests. Roger rampages through the garden, breaks plants, digs holes, barks incessantly at parrots that visit his backyard, and will not respond to normal commands. Don visited Roger and his family to advise them on how to control Roger’s bad habits.
Dogs vary in personality enormously, both between breeds and within a breed. Many dog training techniques will not work for all dogs. Don employed several techniques, including those used by internationally acclaimed horseman Pat Parelli, to gently correct Roger’s inappropriate behaviour.
To start training, find something that will hold the animal’s attention. For Roger, Don used a tennis ball in the backyard. Don recommends using a clear, firm voice when speaking to a pet in training. He was careful to always pronounce the pet’s name in a neutral or positive tone. Don recommends using the command ‘sit’ to help dogs break their barking habit. As the dog relaxed and momentarily stopped barking, Roger was rewarded with play – a throw of the tennis ball and praise. With each repetition, Don waited for a longer non-barking period before he would throw the ball to the dog.
It is also important that the family co-operate in a pet’s training. An animal should never be teased, especially with its training prop – in this case, the tennis ball – or it will quickly forget good manners. When the pet is poorly behaved, try to ignore it and respond quickly when good behaviour resumes. Dogs cannot cope with two levels of training at once, so pet owners need to deal with one problem at a time.
