POSITIVE TRAINING

Published Monday, August 18, 1997



Animal Crackers: Positive training, positive results

Katie Ward

Remember when you were a kid and you created your first work of art after figuring out
you were to color with the crayons, not eat them? Your parents displayed your art on the
refrigerator for all to see. That's because there was a certain amount of learning involved in
your effort, which they were so proud of. There's a similar work of art in my kitchen
created by my 'kid', my dog Chaucer. Chaucer's work of art is a special, plain brown
paper bag laden with an assortment of sticks, bark, and pieces of nature. It, too, was
created through a learning process. Go ahead and laugh. You won’t think it so ridiculous
when I explain my newest experiment in puppy training.



Standard operating procedure for training dogs has always been praise for the positive.
Even when you correct inappropriate behavior you then follow with praise. Based on that,
my plan from the beginning with Chaucer was to accentuate the positive and totally
eliminate the negative in certain situations.

One day Chaucer decided it would be great fun to trim up our arborvitae by chewing off
the lowest branches. As he grew in size, so did the space under the trees. He was so
proud of his efforts. The only hitch was that this row of arborvitae had been my other dog
Melodie’s hideout. We called it Fort Melodie. While I was protective of Melodie's space,
I knew I couldn't respond in anger and frustration. Not this time. Instead, I praised the
heck out of him with each branch he brought in. I petted him, told him how smart he was
and showed the branch to my husband for further praise. Then I picked up a Charlee
Bear treat and rewarded Chaucer for his efforts. As I did that, I placed the branch in "his"
very own bag telling him just what I was doing. The bag now sits on the kitchen counter in
back of the microwave so he can see it.


By not scolding him for bringing things to me, I didn’t have to deal with chasing him around
the yard and prying his jaws open to get the 'contraband'. A year and a half later, Chaucer
has outgrown his puppy ways. The arborvitae look just fine and the yard stays pretty clear
of branches and twigs. Our 'training' sessions were a success and Chaucer's behavior as a
young dog is proof: Chaucer parks himself next to my chair patiently waiting for me to look
at him. There, in his mouth is a treasure. It may be a coupon, a misplaced grocery list or a
small invoice that blew off the counter. All that matters is that he get my attention. And
when he does, his tail starts to wag and he proudly drops the item in my lap. Then he
waits for the praise and the treat and struts off to his next adventure.



There is a serious side to this story and another lesson to be learned about training. While
the house was being oil-stained last week some of the cedar boards had to be replaced.
While the work was being done some sharp pieces of wood broke off the siding. I looked
outside and was horrified to see Chaucer with a large piece of cedar in his mouth. It was
partially covered with the gray oil stain. I realized if he chewed on that piece he could
make himself very sick. I opened the screen and walked out into the yard calmly, in a
cheery voice, saying, "Well, look at you! You found yourself a beautiful piece of cedar
that’s painted up so nicely. Aren’t you a smart boy." It took only seconds before he
dashed over to me and dropped the wood at my feet. I smothered him with praise as I
picked up the piece, took him into the house, grabbed a handful of Charlee Bears and
placed his trinket into his bag. He was so excited he tore off to find Melodie and pounced
on her with glee. I sat back with some glee as well figuring I'd just saved myself a trip to
the vet.





The lesson to be learned here is that no matter how well your dog performs during training,
it is necessary to have some errors. Errors teach your dog the difference between right and
wrong -- between eating the crayon and drawing with it. If a dog doesn’t learn the
difference between right and wrong it really isn’t trained and could eventually make a
serious mistake that could cost it its life.

When Chaucer and I were in obedience school he required far more praise than
correction. I concentrated more with his
training than any other dog I’ve owned. It was necessary to pick up on every right move
and praise him exuberantly and to
make his corrections very light so he wouldn't freeze in his tracks.

A year and a half later, I consider our 'twig' training experiment 100% successful. Why?
Because of the bond of trust that I have established with Chaucer. To this day I
occasionally break off a tiny piece of a branch and give it to him with his treat. He's grown
to trust my judgment about right and wrong and he accepts it unquestionably. Just like
those beautiful Picassos you created when you were a kid, the bag of sticks and twigs
represents Chaucer's ability to learn and his pride in doing so.

Smile for the day

Sometime in July a pair of beautiful yellow and black butterflies showed up in our yard. It
was a delight watching them flit around every day. One day I noticed one of them was
missing. I was sad at the thought that this beautiful creature had lost its mate. Several days
later, while Chaucer was basking in the sun, I noticed the remaining butterfly fluttering over
him. It grew more bold with time and soon was landing on Chaucer’s back. He'd just lay
there and look at it, putting his head back down to doze. Their relationship continues to
this day. Chaucer’s only objection is when the butterfly lands on his head. Now, when I
let him out, I keep an eye out for his beautiful yellow and black buddy. (We're
attempting to get some video for the non-believers.)

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