Well-Trained Dog

Over the course of the last 30 years, dog training has undergone enormous
changes. When we started training dogs in the late 1960s, dogs
were hauled around on choke chains and jerked every which way without
any clue of what was expected of them. They did get trained, but it wasn’t
pretty.
We felt that there was an inherent unfairness in “correcting” a dog that had
no idea why he was being corrected. There had to be a fairer way — a way in
which the dog is systematically taught a command without the use of sheer
brute force.
At that time, the use of food in training was considered anathema, and
when we introduced food in the teaching process, the dog training community
promptly labeled us heretics. Today, the use of food in training is considered
de rigueur. As a result, training has become user-friendlier for you and
your dog.

As a gift to yourself and your dog, as well as your family and your friends and

neighbors, train your dog. Doing so means sanity for you, safety for your dog,

and compliments from people you meet. Make him an ambassador of goodwill

for all dogs. Your dog has a life expectancy of 8 to 16 years. Now is the

time to ensure that these years are mutually rewarding for you and your dog.

This book shows you how to teach him to be the well-trained dog you want

him to be. Believe us, it’s well worth the investment.

Identifying a Well-Trained Dog

A well-trained dog is a joy to have around. He is welcome almost anywhere

because he behaves around people and around other dogs. He knows how to

stay, and he comes when called. He’s a pleasure to take for a walk, and he can

be let loose for a romp in the park. He can be taken on trips and family outings.

He is a member of the family in every sense of the word.

The most important benefit for your dog is your safety, the safety of others,

and his own safety. A dog that listens and does what he’s told rarely gets into

trouble. Instead of being a slave to a leash or a line, a trained dog is truly a

free dog — he can be trusted to stay when told, not to jump on people, to

come when called, and not to chase a cat across the road.

For more than 30 years, we have taught dog training classes, seminars, and

weeklong training camps. We listen carefully when our students tell us what a

well-trained dog should be. First and foremost, they say, he has to be housetrained. After that, in order of importance, a well-trained dog

is one who

• Doesn’t jump on people
• Doesn’t beg at the table
• Doesn’t bother guests
• Comes when called
• Doesn’t pull on the leash

Note that these requirements, with one exception, are expressed in the

negative — that is, dog, don’t do that. For purposes of training, you need to

express these requirements in the positive so that you can teach your dog

exactly what you expect from him. (See Chapter 10.) Here is what the new list

of requirements for a well-trained dog looks like:

Sit when I tell you.

Go somewhere and chill out.

Lie down when I tell you and stay there.

Come when called.

Walk on a loose leash.

The “Sit” and “Down-Stay” commands are the building blocks for a welltrained

dog; if Buddy knows nothing else, you can live with him. Of course,

your Buddy might have some additional wrinkles that need ironing out, some

of which are more matters of management than training . He may enjoy landscaping, as do our Dachshunds, who delight in digging holes in

the backyard and can do so with amazing speed and vigor. Unless you’re willing

to put up with what can become major excavation projects, the best

defense is to expend this digging energy with plenty of exercise, training, and

supervision. Another favorite pastime of some dogs is raiding the garbage.

Prevention is the cure here: Put the garbage where your dog can’t get to it.

One of our Dachshunds learned to open the refrigerator by yanking on the

towel we kept draped through the door handle and to help himself to anything