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Re: Hunter getting a little mean
At 03:27 PM 6/17/00 -0700, you wrote:
Lori...I was
wondering, since your kids were about the same age as mine when you got
your pup, How did you explain the human vs. dog rules so they could
understand it?? I have talked with Austin (6yrs.) and he
understands the concept, but Krista (3yrs.) does not. Just looking
for a little info on a kids level.
Here's a thought off the top of my head as we're getting ready for
dinner,
Carol. I'm sure Lori will be able to offer some good
solutions, too.
We have a god-daughter that just turned four last month. We
taught
Marena when she was two and a half to command Iris to
"sit","fetch",
and "give" the ball to her.
Back then, Iris and Marena were about eye level with each other.
And
it was almost overpowering to Marena to have a dog, even Iris' size,
moving
around her.
We taught Marena to use a *deep* voice. When training a dog, you
can
use voice to reinforce what you want. High, sparkly voices are
encouraging;
deep, no nonsense voices command respect. Even kids can
understand
making a 'deep' voice, probably because they observe it in adults when we
get serious about them minding. Marena caught on right way even
at
two and a half.
Of course, it helps that Iris is obedience trained, but sit is one of the
first
and easiest things to teach (another post if you're interested).
"Give" is a really good command for puppies to learn while
they're young
so you don't end up in tussling matches over balls and toys. We
taught
our girls to 'exchange' their toy for a treat when we want them to
"give".
And "fetch" is pretty natural to retrievers. If you keep
reinforcing their
bringing back something to you with praise and/or treats, they'll
soon
start delivering items for you to play fetch with <s>
Other commands you can train for are "easy" or "stop
it", basically
meaning cease and desist. You, as adults, can train this
initially,
and then teach Austin and Krista to use the commands in a deep
voice when they've had enough of puppy antics.
It is so magical to watch Marena and Iris. Marena feels safe around
Iris because she can command her to do her bidding. Iris has a
throwing
machine and all she has to do is sit and fetch. They feel they have
mutual
power over one another...
Carol also wrote:
She just walked away
and I think that hurt his feelers but I think it might have helped.
Yes, it did help. Krista asserted herself as alpha dog with her
actions.
She told him in dog language with her body (they are very keen
observers
these furry guys) that the game was over...her decision, not his.
That
establishes alphaness.
Have a great weekend
everyone, Hope the weather is a wonderful where you are as it is in
Oregon today.
Typical Juneau weather here :-) 15mph winds and drenching
rain....
Linda
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Linda Shipman
Juneau, Alaska
Linda.Shipman@chezor.alaska.com
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