Life After Training
Vocabulary & trouble shooting commands used by CapeWest:
Here - this means to come to the feet of the human saying the command. What this does not mean is come within 10 feet of the human saying the command. This is important daily reminder training to the dogs so that they don't get lazy and only come so close to the human.
Leave It - is used to tell the dog to leave something alone, this can be a human, another dog, dinner, a sox
Sit - sit means butt to the ground till commanded to be released, this is a more advanced skill but one we work on often. Dogs sit with just that one word and when released "ok" then they know they can move. We don't use stay, sit means stay.
No - has two different tones there are nice no's and no! Can you hear the difference? So can they. Use a nice no, for things that aren't that big of deal and you can quickly control. Use a stern no for things that are a big deal, for example nipping at other humans/dogs.
Free - is a release word. Word toward your dog isn't relased from a sit or the place board till you say free
Kennel - this is the word we use when telling the dog to get in their out door or indoor kennel. When using this command the most important thing to create is a mind set, the dog doesn't have choice, its going in their kennel. Training at CapeWest takes longer then most dog trains offer and that is because we want to training dogs to make good choices on their own rather then out of rear or because they will be rewarded. We train the dogs to make choices that their humans will be happy with, like getting in the kennel when asked. Our own dogs are the best at this and every time we have people over they see how nicely they kennel and they are impressed. We love on the dogs once they are in their kennel nicely. Our lives are to busy to be chasing a dog to get in a kennel because you are already 5 mins late for work. A dog that knows a sold kennel is worth its weight in gold. If your dog starts to runaway from you when asked to kennel, don't chase the dog. Command the dog to sit, get a leash, put the leash on the dog and walk the dog to its kennel & love on the dog once its in.
Place - This is a command to used to tell a dog to get on place, place is an elevated surface typically square, it can be a dog bed or a cot, you can find suggested brands in our helpful finds below. Place training allows for out of kennel controlled time for a dog to know it has a place. They can sit or stand on place, the just can't leave place & if the do a nice no and redirecting them back onto place should work. You should build up on the dogs time span it spends on place, start with getting a load of laundry in while the dog stays on place and build up from there. Move the place board around the house and bring it when you are doing choirs outside and have the dog stay on place while you take the trash out, or water the flowers. This is great life training for the dog.
When a dog doesn't respond to the command the first time say "no' avoid repeating the command it just ignored.
Commanding a dog is as much of mind set as it a statement. When giving dogs command one must remind themselves the dog doesn't have a choice, its going to do what I say.
Suggested Products:
Place Boards
Order on the smaller size: https://catooutdoors.com/collections/board-plank/products/cato-board-dog-place-boards
https://khpet.com/collections/dog-products
Dog food: Discuss with Heath the Protein/Fat Ratios https://www.inukshukpro.com/
Dog Brush - especially for our doodle owners: https://a.co/d/74lSsIf
Ourdoor Dog Kennel: We suggest something tall enough for you to walk in to clean. These work for the Speck's who are all over 5'8". We suggest a roof. Don't forget to cement or pave the bottom to aid in the dogs health.
Dog's love schedules and routines!
Dogs are opportunist, if you give them an opportunity to take advantage of a situation, they will.
Dogs sleep 18-20 hours a day. Providing them with a crate to relax and enjoy their rest safety is very comforting to them. This is also the safest place for them when we experience tornado warmings. Should one hit, you do not want your dog loose or even walking on leash as the debris can hurt them.
Recommend Accommodations
Dogs who have completed & owners wish to keep up the training habits formed at CapeWest should limit the time a dog is able to make its own decisions to just during daily exercise time 15-20 mins. Dogs left unattended or given space to make decisions for longer this amount time during the day will not look to a human as their master and make their own decisions. To avoid dogs making their own decisions we suggest a crating a dog at night, when its not behaving and during the day when it can't be supervised. We suggest a 4' by 8' cemented bottom outdoor dog kennel, or simlar size.
If we were asked what are the 3 things every well behaved dog owner should have this is what we'd say
In door and out door crate for life. Our four dogs of ages 2-11 years old sleep in kennels and are in kennels we are not home or when people come over. This doesn't allow for anyone to escape, do damage to our home or themselves and allows for proper use of the restroom. We have always had an out door kennel space that provides safety from the elements, shade, water, fans etc. The bottom of a dogs outdoor kennel should be cemented our use paver (which are actually cooler then cement) to protect your dog from the bare grounds that could spread dieses. Cementing/paving the floor reduces the dogs ability to dig out. We have 2 1/2 acres and when we let our dogs out sure they pee and sniff for a minute but they come right back to the door where they know its safe and secure. Having an outdoor kennel allows them security in knowing they will be ok in this controlled area & doesn't allow the dog to make its own choices daily. An obedient dog looks to human to make good choices. When a dog a left to roam free, it doesn't need the human. Apart of dog training and have obedient dogs for life is reducing the amount time a dog is allowed to make its own decisions. Ourdoor kennels also provide dog owners a bit of freedom to go take day trips knowing that the dog can use the outdoor bathroom when needed and the dog will be just fine outside. We do bring our dogs inside when temperature are below freezing of over 101.
A place board - this comes in hand when the door bell rings, tell the dog to place. When you are vacuuming and the dog lays on the rug you need to clean. When you are making dinner and the dog lays in front of the oven. Having and elevated place board where the dog can hang out and know its there outside of kennel is very important.
Leashed - a solid short 5 feet or less dog leash for walking. Retractable leashes allow for uncontrolled walks. We recommend a solid leash allows for human to be in control during walks.
What about dog toys?
For puppies and obedience dogs we suggest Kong products. They last and they don't make noise. We recommend having 3-4 toys that are kept under lock & key by the humans and are used specifically for play time on place. We haven noticed that if the dog has 10 toys that it can access at any time, the toys don't be come fun any longer. When the human control the accessibility to the toys, they become fun. We keep toys in a plastic bin and give them out on occasion. This makes them extremely fun! We don't suggest any dog toys that might resemble an item in your house you don't want the dog to have. For example, we don't use balls or tennis balls often b/c our son plays baseball and we don't want the dog thinking every baseball is toy. Much like if you get the dog a toy that looks like a shoe, it will most likely eat your shoe. This is another reason why we like Kong products they don't resemble things dog shouldn't have.
Gun Dogs - should have controlled fetching time with bumpers. This can happen a few times daily but encouraging the same behaviors you'd want to see on a hunt, sit, stays, watches the bumper, human points and says name to be released, dog fetch bumper then is encouraged and rewarded with a happy voice/tone when returning.