Dallas’s Go-Home Instructions!
Below, you will find links to 3 different handouts that will help guide you and serve as reminders for what to do! I also will have some specific tips for Dallas below as well! Be sure to read through these cheat sheets and ask any questions you may have! These documents will be repetitive to some extent and it is done purposefully to hammer out the most important points!!!
Obedience
Rules regarding obedience, how to work Dallas through his moments of not wanting to listen.
E-Collar
Guide to properly and fairly using the E-Collar for Dallas! Dallas’s working range is 15-30 in low stimulation environments.
Behavioral Correction
How to work Dallas through barking, proper treat taking, counter surfing and any naughty behaviors!
Loose Leash Walking (Heel)
Be Strict!
From the start of our walks (or even before we start our walks) we need to apply structure! If we give Dallas something to think about, Dallas knows what we want him to do and thus Dallas wants to do it more!
Utilize E-Collar & Turns
Properly timing our E-Collar correction and doing a turn quickly gets Dallas’s attention and significantly increases his ability to redirect (if he is having a reaction). If we are strict in our heel he is much more likely to work through the moment quickly!
If struggling, make it easier!
This is a common theme! If we are struggling, whether it’s Dallas unable to work through the moment, or us getting frustrated with Dallas, make it easier! For example, this can be by increasing the distance from what he is reacting to. We will always work back to that harder situation, but in order to reset and move forward, sometimes going back a little is necessary!
Barking, Counter Surfing, Naughty Behaviors
Be Strict!
Noticing a common theme? Dallas does what we let him get away with, as he just assumes it’s what we want! Being strict in our expectations for Dallas allows him to clearly understand what the rules are!
Follow Correction Process
1) Flag with “NO!”
2) Administer E-Collar correction or tug on leash.
3) If necessary, heel to calm.
Set it up on our terms!
If we only wait for these behaviors to pop up, we are only working on the correction part. We also want to teach Dallas in a positive way what we are expecting from him! This is how we get him to “want” to not jump, bark and counter surf!
Stairs
Be Positive!
Us being happy and excited for the stairs is always a great start to get him ready! This will read confidence for Dallas and will also help us keep our momentum up!
Utilize Our E-Collar
The stairs are something that new ones are still going to need some help getting worked through. When he starts to put on the brakes, say “heel” and utilize our e-collar while being excited and encouraging him!
Go Up and Down
When we get him to go up, we go right back down and continue to do the stairs until it’s not even a thought! That next time that we do the stairs, be ready to encourage him up them again! If we aren’t confident, either is Dallas and he will struggle!
Taking Treats
Enforce a Sit!
The most critical part is getting Dallas ready to take the treat from us! This requires him to be in a sit! If he tries to get up out of the sit, we have to correct this, as it is a guarantee he is going to try to bite our hand.
Reaching for it is a “NO!”
Just like a sit, him reaching for the treat is a big “NO!” His aggressive treat grabbing is strictly out of lack of impulse control (same with his barking). If we read these two cues (reaching for it and not holding his sit) we are setting him up for success!
Make him lick the treat!
The goal in this is to get him to come in to lick the treat to find it, rather than him blindly biting at it. This takes patience on our end, as we unintentionally teach him to bite at the treat when we drop it or still give it to him when he does bite at it. Setting this up on our own terms is key to continuing to advance the foundation set with his treat grabbing!