Last night I finished retyping the next Christmas letter that mentions our 1973 Family Christmas present—a poodle named Gabrielle—affectionately called Gabi. Gabi cost me a year of savings so at that price I wanted a really good dog for the kids. The pictures shows the tail end of Gbai with her 3 pups.
A dog training class was being offered in Christiansburg so I signed up. Once every week for 10 weeks Gabi and I went to school. Dogs of all sizes and shapes were a pattern of their owners. They were all on leashes to keep them under control. Gabi was intimidated by the large dogs and didn’t get too close to them. Our first lesson was to teach them the meaning of “no.” Our instructor took us through a demonstration of “how to’s.”
We held a doggy treat between our middle finger and thumb and as soon as the dog went for it we snapped her nose with our index finger and said, “no!” Of course she was not allowed to get it. Our home work for the next week was to teach our dog the meaning of “no.”
After saying “no” I’d gently hit her nose. After a few times of this, I’d say “okay” and let her have the treat. Then I told her, “good dog” and patted her affectionately. So all week long we practiced, “no,” “okay,” and “good dog.” A week of this was really effective. Throughout the 10 weeks these words were repeated many times. Gabi learned how to “sit,” “heel,” "stay," “fetch,” and other commands I don’t recall. She was one of our best dogs!
We also used a “choke collar.” Animal activists would probably disapprove of this. It had a slip ring and was put around the dog’s neck so every time she pulled too hard, the leash would tighten around her neck. When it tightened, you would say “no,” and then release it so as not to hurt her. [Of course you don’t choke her, but she did learn that it hurt.] Soon she learned there were consequences for bad behavior. She also learned there were rewards for good behavior. If she didn’t listen, she got a tap on the nose, or the leash would tighten around her neck. In a short time she learned the meaning of those commands. When she started to chase another dog, cat or just running off, a stern “No!” brought her to a screeching halt. I’d praise her for listening and hopefully have a handy treat in my pocket.
All of this was going through my mind as I listened to Bill Myer on the radio telling listeners how to discipline and reward their children.
I suggest that you and your dog [you may have to get one] sign up for a training class. This will do two things: 1. It will reward you with an obedient, happy dog that will make you a very proud owner. 2. It will train you to be an effective, loving and caring parent. You will have obedient and happy children. Remember to teach both your children and dog the meaning of ‘No,” “Okay,” and “Good girl/boy.” So now go get a dog and enjoy the rewards of good training.
Gpa G.
We held a doggy treat between our middle finger and thumb and as soon as the dog went for it we snapped her nose with our index finger and said, “no!” Of course she was not allowed to get it. Our home work for the next week was to teach our dog the meaning of “no.”
After saying “no” I’d gently hit her nose. After a few times of this, I’d say “okay” and let her have the treat. Then I told her, “good dog” and patted her affectionately. So all week long we practiced, “no,” “okay,” and “good dog.” A week of this was really effective. Throughout the 10 weeks these words were repeated many times. Gabi learned how to “sit,” “heel,” "stay," “fetch,” and other commands I don’t recall. She was one of our best dogs!
We also used a “choke collar.” Animal activists would probably disapprove of this. It had a slip ring and was put around the dog’s neck so every time she pulled too hard, the leash would tighten around her neck. When it tightened, you would say “no,” and then release it so as not to hurt her. [Of course you don’t choke her, but she did learn that it hurt.] Soon she learned there were consequences for bad behavior. She also learned there were rewards for good behavior. If she didn’t listen, she got a tap on the nose, or the leash would tighten around her neck. In a short time she learned the meaning of those commands. When she started to chase another dog, cat or just running off, a stern “No!” brought her to a screeching halt. I’d praise her for listening and hopefully have a handy treat in my pocket.
All of this was going through my mind as I listened to Bill Myer on the radio telling listeners how to discipline and reward their children.
I suggest that you and your dog [you may have to get one] sign up for a training class. This will do two things: 1. It will reward you with an obedient, happy dog that will make you a very proud owner. 2. It will train you to be an effective, loving and caring parent. You will have obedient and happy children. Remember to teach both your children and dog the meaning of ‘No,” “Okay,” and “Good girl/boy.” So now go get a dog and enjoy the rewards of good training.
Gpa G.
1 comment:
If parenting could be as easy as dog training...We'd all be happy pups.
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