A loving approach to dog training

A loving approach to dog training

In collaboration with our friends at Avocado Green Mattress

A seasoned dog owner knows a lot, such as that the neighborhood dog park has a tricky social policy system, that hell doesn’t have anger like a bored husky, and that every dog ​​has its own funny habits, favorite places to sit and difficult behaviors. The final piece is where Tamar Geller comes in. Geller, a dog trainer and the founder of The Loved Dog, leads a training session by focusing less on commands and more on making sure each puppy has what it takes to be loved, safe, and engaged, engaged.

At the center of Geller’s method? Communication. She wants you to sit down with your dog and ask, “What can I do for you?” While your dog may not be able to express himself with words, you can gather a lot of information about what makes him comfortable by presenting options , pay attention to your natural choices and offer what best suits your two needs.

A Q&A with Tamar Geller

Q What are the basic needs of dogs to feel comfortable, safe and happy? A

The first thing you want to understand is the basic needs of dogs. I’m not talking about the basics of food and shelter. I am borrowing Tony Robbins’ concept of core human needs and applying it to dogs.

1. 1. Certainty. In other words, security and predictability. People like it, dogs like it. Routine is good.

2. 2. Diversity. Too much predictability and dogs get bored. And when a dog is bored, they’ll give themselves projects like digging, barking, and chewing to ease the boredom. So you want to answer the question: “How can I safely create space for diversity?” You can take your walk at the same time every day, but take different routes. Or you have a variety of toys. Or you can buy them the same brand of food but give them different flavors: beef, lamb, chicken, salmon. Teach them to be fed, but not to the minute; they eat at different times, or sometimes from the bowl and sometimes not, or they have to play hide and seek to find their dinner. Don’t force them to do anything.

3. 3. Love and Belonging. You want the dog to feel love and belonging. That they are part of your family. They want them to know, “I will take care of you. You’re very important to me. You fit in here. ”

4. 4. Significance. Let your dog feel that he is brilliant. I want you to see what your dog is naturally good at, acknowledge them, and help them feel special. It’s like your kid brings home a drawing from preschool and you say it’s great and put it on the fridge. Turn any natural habits they have into skills.

5. 5. Growth. In order for a dog to thrive, it must learn and grow. Teaching them language is a great way for them to grow. So when they do something, or go somewhere, or see someone, give that thing a word. Name it what you would show a toddler a color and name it yellow, green, red. “Drink” when you drink, “couch” when you go to the couch, “eat” when you eat, “leash” when you put you on a leash while walking. Start by teaching your friends ‘names and their friends’ names and their favorite places. If you give him words, you will create an environment of growth where the dog can understand you better when you talk to him.

Q What is the best way to furnish your home for your dog’s comfort? A

Think about the little details that make us comfortable or uncomfortable.

Give them a place. I like it very much when dogs are with us on our sofas and in our beds. For me it is part of treating them as a family, not an animal. But when people don’t like it when the dog is lying on couches and beds, or when the dog moves too much or takes up too much space to be comfortable, I teach people to give the dog a litter or a towel give them that you can lay on the couch or in bed and teach them that it is theirs. It’s not about possession, it’s about habit. Just as we humans have a place on the couch or a chair at the dining table, we want our dogs to have a comfortable area. Dogs are social animals so keep this location close to your location.

Make sure your dogs aren’t uncomfortably hot or cold. I love when my house is very, very cool, so I leave the A / C on. But sometimes when I call my dog ​​to hug her, I feel her ears to see if she is cold. A dog’s body doesn’t give you this information; You have to feel their ears. When their ears are cold, I cover them with a warm blanket. You want to think about whether your preferred temperature is comfortable for your dog. And if not, can you put the fan on it to cool them down? Can you cover them with a blanket if they are too cold?

Choose detergents, fertilizers and fragrances carefully. The dogs run barefoot on our floors and lick their feet. The detergents you use on your floor can land in your stomach and potentially cause problems. It’s the same thing with fertilizers in your yard and anything else you use to kill bugs. Candles and diffusers can also be a problem. Humans use fragrances to mask their dogs odor, but many fragrances and essential oils can be dangerous to dogs. Make sure what you use is healthy for them.

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Q How do you find out your dog’s unique likes and interests? A

Dogs have a love language just like us. The love language of some dogs could be game, game, play, and the love language of other dogs could be food. Maybe it’s with you on the couch or in bed. Maybe it is the only dog ​​in your life and he doesn’t want to play with other dogs or interact with other dogs.

When I meet a dog, I get to know him and start filling in his likes and dislikes as if he were a person who could fill out a questionnaire. Do you like toys Yes sir. Okay what kind of toys do you like? Plush toys, chew toys, pull toys or throw toys? Which of the plush toys do you like? The one with the squeaker? The one with the longest legs? Which toy is most valuable to you? Which are less exciting? You can do this with food, treats, activities, friends.

One of the mistakes people make is adopting what a dog should like. You toss a ball to the dog for it to get and it won’t bring it back, or if it brought it back, it won’t let go of it. He prefers to play tug of war with it. And then the person tries to fetch. When you develop a relationship with someone, you want to see what they like. You’re not going to take someone to sushi if you know they don’t like it and then blame them for not liking the food. So if your dog comes and plays tug of war and doesn’t want to fetch, don’t do him wrong about it.

{“Sizes”: {“Mobile”:[[300,250]],”Tablet”:[[300,250]]”Desktop”:[]}, “targeting”: {“pos”: “rightrail”}, “adUnit”: ” / 55303442 / ros”} Q How do you minimize negative feelings such as stress, fear and loneliness? A

I want people to think about what gives their dog pleasure and what gives them pain. When I speak of pain, I am speaking of emotional pain.

If you see that your dog is stressed out when you want to leave the house – when you put your shoes on, when you put your perfume on, anything that signals you are going to leave – then I want you to start doing other things to do to help your dog enjoy going out of the house. I want them to see this moment beyond, “Oh shit, the house will be quiet. Nobody will be here. “You will turn this around. Before you leave, for example, you can let your dog sit and stay while you organize a treasure hunt for treats or toys around your house. And when you close the front door behind you when you leave. No one will be here.” , release them to search. You set up your routine so that they can only play a treasure hunt when you leave the house. You condition them to look forward to your departure because they can play their special game They stop thinking of leaving the house as leaving behind and instead associate it with the anticipation of finding their treasure.

This technique will be unique to each dog. You can apply it to any stressful event – just be sure to use a reward that your dog really loves.

Tamar Geller is a behavioral expert and founder of The Loved Dog. Their training method is based on teaching dogs basic life skills, such as: B. Making mindful decisions as part of a human family and teaching their human parents the connection through obedience. Geller is the founder of Operation Heroes and Hounds, which connects veterans with shelter dogs, and Another Chance for Love, which do the same for juvenile prisoners. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Loved Dog and 30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog.

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