Say Please!

Does your dog freak out at the sight of its leash? Does it run around and act crazy when guests arrive? This is often rehearsed behaviour that has become hardwired responses to anticipating a walk, an outing or attention from visitors. It can be remedied, but it takes consistency and time to make a dog’s behavior change 180 degrees. If you want your dog to see the leash and be still enough to get it clipped on him, teach him to sit down. If you don't want him to maul your guests, get him to sit or "say please" before he receives ANY attention. If you want him to to wait calmly before you leave the house for a walk, then teach him something incompatible with jumping around. You can't let your dog rehearse crazy making skills and expect him to behave calmly!

To begin training calm leash behaviour, bring out the leash and show it to the dog, then take a treat up to his nose and lure him into a sit position. When his butt hits the ground release the treat and reward calmly. If this takes a while, just wait it out. DO NOT get over excited, you are here to calm him down and teach him appropriate behaviours. Each time you handle the leash lure him into a sit and treat. Do not give him a command! The key is to get him to show good behavior with absolutely no verbal cue. When he starts to offer a sit or is at least calm enough to easily clip the leash to his collar, fasten the leash and repeat the exercise. You may have to do this every time you walk him...waiting it out each and every time, as not to reward him for excited and crazy behaviour by taking him out while in an unmanageable state.

Take the leash in your hand and wait for him to offer a sit. If it is taking too long gently pull up on the leash and get him to sit using a bit of leash pressure. Do this often enough that it is becoming common place for him to do this in the house. Eventually, you can take him to the door and teach him the same thing. It might be harder to get his focus when he is almost out in the “real” world with distractions, but be patient and wait or help him into a sit so that he can be rewarded. Then you can take him out to the yard and play with him a bit, whenever he comes to you for a treat encourage him to sit before he is rewarded either by petting or by treats. Again, wait it out for him to offer it, but if you have to, pull up gently on the collar and apply a bit pressure. If you pull his head up, his butt should go down.

Next get an accomplice to help you. Once he is sitting for you and assuming the dog isn't human aggressive in any way, leash the dog and get the second person to enter the yard. Don't let the other person come close until he is seated and teach him to sit and wait patiently for his treat from the guest! If the dog is really excited you may have to pull up gently on the leash until he calms down and apply a bit of leash pressure to help him. It is okay to pull him into a sit, but don't pull him back from the person, this will just make him want to pull forward more. Simply pull his head up and his butt should eventually go down. Again do not give a command, lure him into a sit position and reward the position with praise and treats. It is imperative that the “command” is nonverbal and should be the act of calming down that gets him the treat or the attention.

Plan set ups, use as many people as possible to help you. Ask friends to come to the house and ignore the dog until it settles down. Make sure you set him up to succeed by having him on a leash when they arrive. Don't give the dog any attention, good or bad, just reward when it offers a sit. This will teach the dog that it can earn the things that it wants, like attention and walks by offering good behaviours.