Manners: Wait, Off, Quiet, and Drop It
It's really helpful if you can teach your dog to understand some variations on the basics of sit, stay, down, come, and heel. For example, when it's time to go for a walk you can call your dog to the place where her leash is hanging and ask her to sit and stay while you put it on. Most dogs are so excited about this part of their day that it's hard for them to stay still. Asking an overexcited dog to sit perfectly still while you put on your coat, get your poopscoop bags, put on your shoes, check for your cell phone, and so on, may result in your having to reposition her as she moves from the sit/stay several times. Instead, you can ask her to Wait, which means to remain in a specified area rather than in an exact position.
Teaching Wait
As discussed, the “stay” command means freeze in the sit, down, or stand position, and therefore is very restrictive. The “wait” command, though, allows your dog to move about, but only within certain areas. You can use it to keep your dog in the car or out of the kitchen. The only thing “wait” has in common with “stay” is that both last until the next direction is given — 20 seconds or 20 minutes later.
The Basics
Teach the “Wait” command at doorways first. Choose a lightweight door and estimate how wide your dog's front end is. Open the door about two inches more than that as you say, “Wait.” Stand with your hand on the knob of the partially open door, ready to bump the dog's nose with it should she attempt to pass through the opening. Be sure never to shut the door while correcting. Instead, leave the door open with your hand on the door handle, ready to stop attempted departures with an abrupt and silent bump of the door.
Work with your dog on a leash so that if your attempts to deter her fail and she successfully skips across the border, you can step on the leash and prevent her escape. Practice with lightweight doors until you feel confident that the timing and strength of the tap is appropriate to deter your dog. Then apply the technique at heavy or sliding doors.
Work with your dog at familiar and unfamiliar doors as a helper tries to coerce your dog to leave. Your helper can talk to the dog and drop food, but he shouldn't call your dog. As he remains on the opposite side of the door, engage in lively conversation to teach your dog that even when you are preoccupied, the “wait” command is enforced. When that lesson has been learned, you'll no longer need the leash.
Dogs Who Barrel Through Doors
If your dog waits but bounds through the door when released, mowing down anything in her path and dragging the unfortunate master gripping her leash, obedience is the last thing on her mind. This potentially dangerous situation must be resolved. To alter this behavior, after inviting her through a main door, command “Sit” immediately following her exit.
When she does it on a slack lead the first time through, start doing the same pattern with the leash dragging. If she obeys with the leash dragging, let her drag the light line, and finally try it off-lead. She should now usually proceed through doorways in a mannerly fashion, but surprise her with that “sit” command a couple of times a week to keep her sharp and attentive, and to maintain decorum.
Teaching Off
“Off” is a request that can be confusing for you and your dog. You're sitting on the sofa reading a magazine when your dog comes in and jumps up next to you. Your instinct is to say “Down,” while directing him off the furniture. Think about it, though: What should “down” mean to your dog? It should mean “assume a position of lying down until I ask you to do something else.” So when you say Down and push him away, you're sending a very mixed signal. That's when you need to remember to use the word Off instead. Off should mean “remove yourself from what you're on” or “get off of whatever you're jumping on.” To enforce the Off command, pull him off his target with the collar or leash and praise him the instant his feet hit the ground.
Teaching Quiet or Shush
It's nice when your dog barks at the door to alert you that someone is there. It's not nice when she won't stop barking — especially if your baby is trying to sleep or you're talking on the phone. Fortunately, teaching her to shush is simple. There are three ingredients to teaching your dog to be “quiet” on command.
If you've been trying to silence your dog by petting her or giving her a toy, stop. You may not even realize you've been inadvertently encouraging her excessive barking, so the habit can be tough to break.
Leash your dog and enforce the quiet nonverbally with one of the methods described in this section. Be on the lookout for opportunities to enforce — such as when she barks at your neighbor, a noise she hears in the distance, or just because she's bored.
When you are confident of your ability to quiet your dog at will, introduce the command. If you start saying “quiet” before developing a strategy, you're likely to get hoarse long before she tires of barking.
Feel free to praise and encourage your dog for appropriate barking, such as when an intruder is near. There is nothing wrong with a dog barking if you can silence her easily when necessary. But it isn't necessary for a dog's well-being that she be allowed to bark, so if you find virtually all barking disturbing or unacceptable, correct it.
There are a variety of ways to enforce quiet. If you have the leash in hand give it a quick jerk as she barks and briskly turn and walk away. Praise her for following (the leash offers her no other option) and taking her focus off of the thing that caused her to bark.
You can also carry Bitter Apple in a pocket-sized bottle to spritz her lip line in mid-bark. Have your foot on the leash and one hand on her collar to ensure an accurate spray, and praise her afterward. Never threaten her with the bottle. Be unemotional and keep it close at hand — but hidden — between uses.
No matter how you choose to enforce the quiet, follow the correction with a quick series of heel, sit, down, stay, and come commands. Not only will your dog be quite relaxed after a minute or two, her future inclination to overbark will be reduced exponentially.
How can I make sure not to get Bitter Apple in my dog's eyes?
Never spray bitter apple at your dog. Use it as the dog is chewing or barking, and press the bottle against her lip line before you depress the sprayer. Keep the Bitter Apple hidden in your hand, ready for use, and before taking the bottle out of hiding, grip your dog's collar with your free hand to ensure precise application.
Teaching Drop It
Use the “Drop it” command to teach your dog to release objects from his mouth or not to pick something up. Dogs typically learn this request when it's time to give up the tennis ball during a game of fetch. Once he understands it, though, you can use it to ask him to let go of a child's toy or anything you don't want him to have in his mouth.
Some dogs, and virtually all puppies, like to chew, carry, and mouth anything they can — hands, clothing, the leash, gravel, cigarette butts, landscaping timbers, tissue. Your first reaction may be to pry his jaws open to remove it, but if you do, he'll soon be prowling for another item to grab. Teaching “Drop it” will reduce his scavenging tendency.
When you notice him eyeballing a taboo item, give your command. Accompany the “drop it” command with a prompt jerk of the leash as you quickly back away and offer to play with an acceptable object. If that doesn't work, carry Bitter Apple so you can give a spritz along with your command.
