Bonding with Your Dog: A Trainer's Secrets for Building a Better Relationship

303 Pages·2009·8.84 MB·English

by  Victoria Schade

BONDING
WITH YOUR DOG
In loving memory of Zeke (11/11/98-10/13/08)
BONDING
WITH YOUR DOG
A Trainer's Secrets for Building
a Better Relationship
VICTORIA SCHADE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I agonized over these acknowledgments for weeks. Stared at the blank page for
hours. Started and stopped writing them a few dozen times.
Then I diagnosed myself: gratitude paralysis. There are just too many people
who have influenced, inspired, supported, and encouraged me to thank all of
them adequately, but I'll try.
To my wonderful clients, both canine and human; my fellow trainers whom I
dare to call "peers" (particularly Colleen Pelar and Robin Bennett); the Lunch
Bunch; my dear friend Jennifer Buckley, who ran out of exclamation points
expressing her approval of an early draft; my editor, Elizabeth Kuball, who
curtailed my use of exclamation points; my practically perfect parents; and the
rest of my family ... thank you.
To my husband, Tom, who weathered every writer's-block-induced tirade
without flinching, and still wanted to give me a kiss after the storm passed ...
thank you.
And finally, thanks to Zeke and Sumner, who patiently waited for me to stop
staring at the computer and put my own advice to good use.
CONTENTS
Foreword xi
Part I: All about Bonding
1 What Isthe Bond? 3
Relationship Quiz: How Strong Is Your Bond? 8
Introducing the Bonded Dog 12
Mutual respect 14
Trust 16
Regard 17
What a Strong Bond Can Do 18
No bad dogs 18
Sweet freedom 19
How touching 19
You drive me crazy 20
Is It Ever Too Late to Build a Bond? 22
2 Ways We Accidentally Undermine the Bond 27
Love You till It Hurts 33
Fido, Have Your People Call My People 35
Work It Out 36
The Schoolyard Bully 38
Sir! Yes, Sir! 40
Will You? Maybe? Please? 41
On Second Thought ... 42
Pre-K to Grad School in Just One Week! 43
White-Glove Service 44
May I Speak to a Manager, Please? 46
3 Bonding and Body Language 49
Touch-Aversive Dogs: Hands Off, Please! 49
Body Language Basics 53
The body as a whole 53
Head 55
Tail 62
Feet 63
4 Privileges vs. Rights 65
Privilege #1: Full Household Freedom 65
Privilege #2: Access to Guests 68
Privilege #3: Field Trips 76
Privilege #4: Off-Leash Freedom 79
Part II: How to Build the Bond
5 Building Block #1: Training for Life 87
DownStay 89
Coming When Called 96
Go to Bed 100
Leash Walking 106
6 Building Block #2: Be Predictable but Unpredictable 117
Walk around the Clock 118
Ways to Be Fetching and Playful 121
You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours 122
Magic-ball fetch 125
Rapid-fire fetch 126
Dogs Cannot Live by Biscuits Alone 127
Say What? 129
7 Building Block #3: Praise! 131
Bathroom Behavior 132
Walking 133
Recall Approach 135
Everyday Obedience 136
Checking In 137
Stopping Naughty Behavior 140
How to Praise 143
8 Building Block #4: Playing to Win 147
The Body Games 148
Evasive Maneuvers 154
Refugee from cat-land 156