dog training

Set Yourself Up

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Fish in Seeweed – watercolor pens

In training our new dog to like her crate, I randomly place tasty treats inside and keep the door open. When we first got her, she refused to go in – most likely because it reminded her of the kennel where she lived with hundreds of other dogs.

But quickly, she grew to associate her crate with treats. Only happy things happened there: some peace and quiet, a warm bed and chicken jerky.

We can do the same for ourselves. We can create positive associations to activities and places that are good for us that we might not feel so great about right now.

There are a group of cyclists that ride by my community every morning around 5:30 a.m. Most likely, they don’t think Ugh, have to wake up early and go riding again. Instead, they might associate this activity with camaraderie, friendship, and a feeling of vitality.

The ultimate power lies in knowing how to train ourselves to be better.

 

Sunday Suggestion

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Having just adopted (another) pitbull mix dog, we realized she’s pretty wild. When we walk her around the neighborhood, people react with mixed reactions: delight, fear and a combination of both. She’s cute:

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However, she has a very loud, ferocious bark and it scares people.  Barking at our guests is absolutely unacceptable and we’re working on it.

Luckily, there are numerous effective resources on the internet:

Cesar Millan is always a surebet;

If your dog bites;

Teach your dog tricks!

Working with your dog is invaluable. There are no shortcuts. Believe me, it’s challenging and I’ve been tempted (more than once) to simply purchase a “shock collar” or something that will make it all easier. But I want her to be well-trained and reliable. I want to be able to control my dog.

So, it’s off to purchase more treats and do the work. Each morning, I play fetch with each to get their exercise in. As Cesar Millan says, their bodies need to be exercised so that their brains can work well!