Week 5 & 6 [Weeks 2 & 3 Board & Train] Notes on Management and Maintenance

 Management tools are a way to give yourself a little break from training and hypervigilance. These are your physical management tools and their uses: 

 

  1. Crate:  Feeding your puppy or dog in the crate will usually make your dog or puppy view the crate positively.   Also, putting your dog or puppy in for a nap or sleep at scheduled times creates a nice pattern for them.  Puppies and young dogs want to be involved in everything, so they usually do not get the sleep they should.  This also gives the dog owner a break during the day. 

  1. Collar: (that does not come off or slip lead) A halter does not, as other trainers say, control the "bitey end" of the dog.  A halter also is not a great tool for preventing lunging, and it is possible for your dog or puppy to wiggle out of it. A well-fitted metal training collar, well-designed martingale, or slip lead makes walking outside much safer. NEVER LEAVE A TRAINING COLLAR ON WHEN NOT TRAINING, WALKING, OR CLOSELY SUPERVISING THE DOG OR PUPPY. 

  1. Leash that attaches to a collar (or slip collar configuration) that does not come off (this can be the cheaper clothe one when not training).  Having your supervised dog or puppy drag the leash around in the house can be useful if they are not fully trained.  It is easier to stop them and redirect them when they have a leash on. 

  1. Long Line: You can use this outside with dogs that are not trained off leash to have a bit more room to explore and have fun.    

  1. Slip Leash:  (NEVER TO BE LEFT ON UNLESS BEING VERY CLOSELY SUPERVISED AND/OR TRAINING). This is a safe collar to have when walking a dog in training so they cannot get out of the collar and bolt away if startled. NEVER LEAVE A SLIP LEASH ON WHEN NOT TRAINING, WALKING, OR CLOSELY SUPERVISING THE DOG OR PUPPY. 


Ways to work management at home: 

 

  1. Crate Rotation: It is good practice to have scheduled times when you crate your dog.  This helps with impulse control, prevents them from getting into something dangerous, and prepares them if they need to board at the vet's or somewhere else.   Separation anxiety can be a real danger when your dog or puppy does not know how to be alone. 

  1. Activity and Play: Play is something most dogs and puppies need during the day.  This helps satisfy some of their activity level.  Play also creates a great relationship between owner and handler.  If you build it up, you can also have a calmer dog or puppy during the day. 

  1. Downtime: All dogs can use just downtime.   Time to nap or just do nothing but laze around.  It cannot be all work, or all play all the time. 

  1. Outside: Long line or electronic collar is good to use on walks where there is space for them to wander a little (like a field), while keeping safety in mind all the time.   

  1. New Human Guests Coming In: Practice beforehand with your dog or puppy doing sit stays at the door or place as someone opens and/or knocks at the door before trying this with real guests.   Have a family member help you with this or look up certain audio files on YouTube. 


Ways to use commands and exercises for management: 

 

  1. Let's Go: Great for turning your dog towards you in many different scenarios. For instance, if your dog or puppy is going to the counter to beg or counter surf, you can call them towards you with the command “Let’s Go”, assuming you trained it well and correctly.  Also useful to move your dog away from other people, other dogs, and so on.

  1. Sit and Sit Stay: Also great for traveling around the house and yard.   I usually use it to sit them as standard practice at thresholds and in front of other dogs, especially during times of excitement. 

  1. Place Long Place: This works impulse control without you needing to crate your dog or puppy.  If trained well, you can do chores around the house while your dog or puppy stays on their place and out of your way. 

  1. Send to Place: The ability to send your dog away from you has value.   Keep practicing this so that in times of excitement or expectation you can send your dog or puppy away to his place.  It is another impulse control exercise as well. 

  1. Sit on the Dog:  Great to use when sitting down to supper, watching tv, later on out and about at a park.  If you use this a lot, then your dog or puppy will become more and more relaxed in different settings and scenarios.   


 

© 2024 Robin Rubin DBA Mannerly Mutts 

 

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