Training
Dogs, Horses and Children are all the same;
They all need lots of love and kindness, but clear guidelines, consistent handling and masses of time.
Jester our dog is a very loveable Welsh Springer Spaniel. He is now 2 years old and according to doggy people that means that he is an adult and responsible for his actions. He loves to play, go for walks and meet other dogs; which means that if you take him for a walk he wants to greet everyone- even if they are wearing immaculate clothing.
Jester's training has included 'house training', come, sit, stay, heel etc. He has always known that some parts of the house are out of bounds, and is now learning how to be alone at home without getting anxious. He is also learning how to greet people dogs and little children while keeping all 4 paws on the floor.
Training tricks include having a half eaten hot-dog in your pocket and a squeezy bottle of lemon juice.
Here in Norway Jester is not allowed off the lead from April until August, which is a long time to be restricted; so we have found a solution. Jester runs along side a bicycle, this works fine as long as there are no dogs or friends to greet up ahead as he then accelerates pulling the bike along with him!
Jester has finally learnt how to stay at home alone. The lemon juice deterrrent for barking and a dried pig ear to keep him busy have enabled me to leave him. Fantastic news for us!
Flying
We have now moved to England. Jester had to fly for the first time, quite a traumatic experience, but actually he was quite relaxed when we picked him up from the airport. When we arrived we had a lot of boring things to do, sort schools house etc.
Training
So Jester went to stay at a gundog training kennels. He learned some basic manners and he still remembers them now. I no longer have to have hot dogs in my pocket. It was money very well spent as he is so much more obedient unless of course he meets a cat.
Dog food
I have recently heard that raw chicken bones are OK for dogs. So, now if I buy a chicken and remove the breast and legs I can give him the backbone, needless to say he loves them and his teeth are cleaner too.
Language
Dogs, horses and sometimes children have a non verbal language. This means that if we are to understand them then we need to learn their language. This applies to dogs, horses and teenagers. Monty Roberts has written a lot about a horse language, you can look him up. To you and me this means that all the non verbal cues that we give off are easily picked up by our pets or children. So, don't try to train any of them when you are cross, stressed or in a hurry! Find a nice relaxed time to teach them.
Consistency
It is easy to relax once your dog is fairly obedient, however it is mega important to keep up the training, so every now and again we check that Jester's recall is quick and obedient. I do have to keep reinforcing the good behaviour, otherwise it gradually slips....
Last Updated: 20 April 07