Training Information & Helpful Tips

Pack Leadership

Being a pack leader is very important. This doesn't mean dominanting your dog into submission or beating the personality of your dog. It is simply a style of leadership that reinforces the natural tendencies of a dog. Dogs need structure. They have a ranking system similar to a military unit that provides structure and the who, what when and where of every situation. By gaining your dogs respect as a pack leader training will be much easier. The best trainers in the world teach and talk about pack leadership. It is not something to be ignored. Here are a few basic rules of pack leadership:

1. Be a fair leader! - A puppy cannot be expected to know a command until it is properly taught. Do not punish a dog or puppy for something it cannot know is wrong. This includes going potty in the house! It is your fault that you were not paying close enough attention. (See Crate Training below).

2. Be a consistent and firm leader! - A dog must know what to expect from you. Be consistent (use the same words, the same tone of voice and the same pattern for training) and be firm. Expect that your dog comply to a command once given (and of course, once they understand the command). Adult dogs many times will develop behavior problems due to lack of being consistent. We work so hard when they are puppies, but then slack off. Dogs must always have a refresher course in pack structure, obedience and leadership.

3. Employ the NILIF philosophy! - NILIF (Nothing in life is free) is a philosophy of dog training. It is not in itself good pack leadership but it supports it. Dogs in the wild do not get something for nothing. They must respect the pack leader to get groomed, they must help in the hunt to get their dinner, etc. In the same ways, we should expect our dogs (and puppies) to hold this same value to be true. We only show affection when the dog or puppy is doing what we want them to do. Being calm, relaxed and attentive is a good time to show affection. If we show affection when a dog or puppy is being afraid or tense we are only rewarding that state of mind. So expect them to do and behave as you want before sharing affection. The same with food, we expect all of our dogs to sit and wait patiently for their dinner. If you feed RAW then you know how hard that can be for a dog!

4. Use Basic Pack Structure technique! - What does this mean? Well, it means don't ignore the little stuff. A dog must earn it's right to be alone in the house. All our dogs will be tied to a waist for the first 6-9 months of their life when they are out of the crate. This way I know where they are and what they are doing. We have yet to loose a sock, shoe, couch or anything else to a puppy or dog being bored. They simply can't do it when they are tied to you. And by being next to you they learn to watch where you are going, how you want them to behave and it enforces that you are in control of their whole life. Don't allow a dog to walk in front of you, then they are leading. Our dogs wait for us to walk out of a door or inside before they are allowed to go out. They must wait to be invited into the car, etc. Don't allow your dogs to sleep on your bed, your child's bed, or the furniture. In fact, our dogs are not allowed in our bedroom or the children's bedroom at all. Things like this seem trivial, but add up.

Crate Training

For a house dog - crate training is essential. The dogs learn how to respect the house, have a NILIF (Nothing in life is free) mentality and are house-broken quickly. Crate training in the beginning can be stressful for the new owners, but if done correctly is not very stressful on the puppy (although it may sound like it!). Dogs are naturally den animals and like to have their own space to be by themselves and away from the pressures of life.

Crate training begins with a daily routine. Dogs, like children, need routine and a definite pattern to optimize learning. Here is a routine minus what times to start and stop:

Wake up and Immediately take puppy out to preferred potty area.
When puppy goes potty, praise hiim or her lavishly.
Bring the puppy inside to play for a short period of time (will vary with each dog)
Take the puppy outside to go try to go potty again (always use the same command)
Bring the puppy in to get a drink of water and have breakfast.
Immediately after eating/drinking take the puppy back outside to go potty.

If the puppy doesn't go potty after going outside, put the puppy in the crate for 10-15 minutes and try again.

This is an important step, the puppy learns that if it goes potty then it gets to play, eat, etc.

Repeat these steps throughout the day.
The hardest part of crate training is the night-time. When the evening comes, begin to withhold water for about 30 minutes to one hour prior to bedtime. Take the puppy outside to go to the bathroom one last time. Put the puppy in the crate. I find, that if you put the crate at nightime in a room that is away from family activity it works best. I also find that covering the crate with a towel works wonders.

Whatever you do - do not take the puppy out of the create when they are crying or whining. It will reward the wrong behavior. Just make sure that the puppy isn't whining cause it has to go to the bathroom! Never leave a puppy in a crate longer than it can naturally hold it's bladder!

Crate sizing is also important. While puppies will rarely ever soil the crates they are put in, they will if they are too big. A crate is a perfect size when they can stand up and turn around. If you buy a big crate for when the puppy will be a dog - then block off the back of the crate so that it does not become a potty area!