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I ask this question because my mutt and I started a new obedience course tonight. We took a year off to do agility, but I want to work on heeling and other things with him for a few months.

I am a big fan of hiring a personal dog trainer or enrolling in a group obedience class taught by a trainer.  Although I know I can train a dog on my own, there are so many benefits to working with a trainer. You get to hear new ideas first hand and have someone there to work on specific issues your dog might be having. Plus, if you are taking a group class, your dog learns to work amongst many distractions. It’s also a lot of fun for a dog lover like me, just because it’s another excuse to hang out with a bunch of dogs and other crazy dog people.

I have worked directly with about eight different trainers, and they have all taught me something new. I have never hired a trainer to work one on one with Ace and I, but I think it would be a great idea for help with certain “issues” such as curing Ace’s ball obsession.

How about you, have you hired a dog trainer? Did you enroll in a group class or work one on one with the trainer? How beneficial was it?

Email your dog-related question to me at Lindsay@thatmutt.com, and I’ll post it for others to answer.

(Image from tripleldog.com)

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This is part one of a two-part series on how I trained my mutt during the first two weeks he came to live with me. Click here for part two of the series.

Ace came to me kennel trained (supposedly) and housebroken. I was very happy to adopt a mutt that wouldn’t have any accidents and wouldn’t mind going in his kennel. I knew he didn’t know any commands and hadn’t walked on a leash before. These were minor issues because I knew I would be able to train him on my own.

This is what Ace learned in two weeks: His new name (he was previously named Junior), sit, down, stay, wait, come and heel (continuously working on this one). But more important than these commands, he learned to practice patience, that he is expected to follow rules and limitations, to contain his excitement, to think (at least a little) before acting, that furniture is off limits and that it’s OK to accept a human as a leader. He literally went from a hyperactive pup to a mature teenager in about two weeks.

Of course it is not possible to entirely train a dog overnight, in a matter of weeks or even a year. Training is a lifetime commitment to our dogs. What I am saying is my mutt made incredible changes in a very short amount of time because I didn’t give him any slack. I am highly influenced by Jon Katz and Cesar Millan. Before adopting my mutt, I did my research and found the dog that was right for me, but I also read some new books by Katz and Millan about dog behavior and training. I started training Ace the moment his leash was handed over to me.

Here’s what I did:

1. Rules and limitations were established immediately and enforced.
2. I made sure to always play the roll of a leader (with my mutt the follower).
3. I committed to exercising my mutt every day.
4. I gave him short training sessions every day.

I had to drive an hour out of town to pick up Ace when I adopted him. Ideally, I should’ve taken him for a run before I even put him in the car. Instead I drove him to my town and immediately walked him in one of our parks. Ace of course was terrible on his walk, pulling and basically strangling himself out of excitement and anxiousness. At exactly a year old, this was the third walk he’d been on in his whole life. Still, he needed to let out some pent up energy (a year’s worth).

I immediately began teaching Ace commands, but before he had those down, he was already learning the rules of my apartment. The first time I brought him inside, he had to sit and wait while I entered first. This was before he understood the sit command, so I put him in that position and did not let him in until he was calm. Then he had to lie down on a rug and observe the room from there. He was kept on a leash, and I had to sit with him for a few minutes so he would stay. He was not allowed to run around smelling the place or to chase my cat, Scout. Scout was not restrained at all and was free to come check Ace out at his own comfort level. Ace did not have the same privilege to approach Scout.

Ace was used to no discipline and doing whatever he wanted. When I went to meet him in his first home, he was jumping on and off the couch as I sat on it, trying to climb into my lap, putting paws on counters, grabbing towels off shelves, etc. He was a dog that had never been given exercise, training or discipline. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted and that had made him and his humans miserable.

Once he came to live with me, things were different. Ace always went in his kennel when I left. He did not get to come out until he was quiet. All furniture was off limits. He wore his leash in the apartment for at least two days so I could control him. At night he either slept in his kennel or on a blanket on the floor. He did not get to eat or go outside until he was sitting calmly. Once we were outside, we didn’t go anywhere if he pulled. If Ace pulled, I stopped until he was sitting at my side. The first time I brought him outside, we literally stopped at least 20 times. Neighbors were watching me and it was embarrassing. It took several tries to get out the door and several tries to get down the stairs because all of his life Ace was used to barging through doors and knocking people over. By the second time I brought him outside, he already knew to sit and wait calmly.

It was simple exercises like these that helped Ace learn how to behave. It wasn’t obedience commands, although we went to work right away on those too. It was consistently enforcing rules without yelling or getting upset. Tomorrow I plan to share how I began training and exercising Ace from day one (Click here for part two).

The photo is of Ace the day I brought him home. It was hard to get him to hold still for a picture back then.

Does your dog come when called, only to run right up to you and dart away again? Or does she come to you and run by you? Or maybe she just totally ignores you, or comes if she feels like it. Here are 10 things to consider while training the recall:

1. Teach your dog that come means “come and sit in front of me.”
It’s not good enough if Ace runs to me when I call him, and then immediately runs away again. In a controlled recall, the dog will come when called and then sit. It is simple to teach a dog to do this. When you call your dog, don’t praise her until she is sitting in front of you.

2. Only call your dog when you are 90 percent sure she will come.
I don’t call Ace unless I know he will obey. If I let him get away with ignoring me, he will learn that listening to me is optional. Don’t give your dog this option. Only call her when you know she will respond, or if you can enforce it immediately. She might have to be on a leash or a long rope, or inside the house when you practice the recall, but that’s better than trying to teach a dog that already thinks she can do whatever she wants.

3. Only call your dog when she will get something positive.
Ace usually doesn’t like going in his kennel, so when it’s time for him to go in it, I don’t call him first. Don’t call your dog just because you want her to come to you. If she hates having her nails trimmed, don’t call her first. Just go and get her. Save practicing the recall for things your dog loves, like a walk, food, a car ride or your attention.

4. Never call your dog and then punish her.
I am guilty of scolding my dog when he finally ran to me after I’d called him five or six times. I was so angry at him for not coming fast enough. However, it was my own mistake in the first place for calling him at a time when I could not enforce the recall. It sounds obvious, but never show anger or frustration when a dog isn’t responding quick enough. Not doing anything at all is better than yelling at a dog.

5. Keep dog treats in your pockets at all times.
My mom almost always has dog treats in her pocket, and her springer comes when called 95 percent of the time or better. If you can give your dog a treat every time she comes, she will be more likely to always listen to you.

6. Find that one thing your dog loves and use that.
If your dog is obsessed with a tennis ball like my mutt, then use that when you are practicing the recall. Use whatever it is that your dog will come for no matter what, whether it’s food, a toy, your attention, going for a walk or a car ride.

7. Never chase your dog.
No matter what, do not chase your dog, even when you aren’t practicing the recall. If you chase your dog, she will learn that running away is fun! If anything, run in the opposite direction and she will most likely end up chasing you. Until your dog will come reliably, just keep her on a long rope.

8. Make it a game.
If I call Ace and then run in the other direction screaming “Wooo hoooooo!!” he is guaranteed to come running after me, drool flying and tail wagging. It’s not that I have to do this every time, but playing this game now and then means Ace will associate the recall with fun and games. Try something like this with your dog. Get her to chase you, or call her name and then hide in another room. Really make a big deal when she comes to you. My boyfriend and I will play catch and call Ace back and forth between us. Try this with your dog, whether you use a ball or not. Call her back and forth between yourself and a family member or friend. She will love all the attention.

9. Think about your tone of voice.
With Ace, I have to either use a firm, serious voice or a really excited voice to get the best response for the recall. People often make the mistake of calling their dog too softly or with a high-pitched voice. Does this sound familiar? “Come here baby! Come here! Come to Mommy!” Others sound too mean. Just be aware of your voice. Usually, a relaxed, serious voice is best, but every dog is different.

10. Don’t stop practicing.
Even once your dog comes 95 percent of the time, keep practicing. 

How do you practice the recall?

(Photo by canadasmountains.com)