to Train and Enjoy Man’s Best Friend

This is part of a continuing series of free-lance columns that help explain how to deal with situations in our lives and/or how to make life more enjoyable.

Do you love dogs? When they jump on your furniture, leap on the dressed-up you and bark when you’re gone (as reported by the neighbors!), do they all make you wonder why you ever took in a puppy in the first place? Especially if your training efforts haven’t worked?

Don’t despair; there is hope. Your dog can learn to obey, be polite and still be your best friend.

Wedding Gift

Professional dog obedience trainers Dick and Enid Grossman, known as Dick the Nice Dog Trainer for the past 15 years, have been getting poodles, hounds, shepherds and a cross section of other breeds to behave so owners can handle them. The Grossmans’ interest in dog obedience was sparked 35 years ago when a mannerless boxer puppy was among their wedding gifts.

The Grossmans say proper training includes such disciplines as being consistent and firm. Most important, there must be one command for each exercise. Orders should never be interchanged. And it doesn’t matter what word you choose. It could be “applesauce” as a warning against running into the street or “chicken soup” to stop chewing on your clothes. “The important thing is the correlation to the correction. And sticking with it,” they said.

Believe it or not, you really can be the boss, because “the dog reacts to your hands, your words, your overall leadership,” the Grossmans say. The owner must set limits, make corrections. A vital part of the exercise is to lavish praise as your pet reacts positively to the patterning.

However, as the Grossmans point out, if you don’t mind your dog sitting on the couch, eating at the table just to keep you company when you’re alone, that’s your choice. But, they warn, don’t be mystified if your pleas to get down are ignored when company arrives. The change is too confusing for the dog to comprehend.

The Grossmans teach classes at the Recreation and Parks Department in Beverly Hills and in West Hollywood, and they give demonstrations twice annually at the Beverly Hills Kennel Club Dog Show. They recommend starting with a new puppy’s bathroom etiquette by getting a crate for your new arrival, just as a baby has a crib as a special place. An animal instinctively wants to keep its sleeping quarters clean.

After that, it’s what the Grossmans refer to as “puppy preschool,” which includes teaching your new pet to walk with a leash and to stay off the furniture. At the age of approximately six months, there is formal obedience training. Exercises include heeling, sitting, staying and coming when called, all on the first command.

Jumping up on you and others can be cut down to “by invitation only.” Again, it’s an issue of consistency. If you let your dog chew on your Levi’s, don’t expect a respectful distance when you’re dressed in formal attire.

A Crucial Role

This crucial rule of setting up habit-forming patterns needs to encompass all family members, because training cannot be successful without consistency.

One of the most difficult problems is excessive barking when your dog is left alone, which can become a nuisance when the neighbors start to urge you to get rid of your pet because of the noise. The Grossmans have a method which they say is harmless and involves a trigger spray of water with an adjustable nozzle.

Leave the house, but stand within earshot. When you hear barking, return and spray the dog, using a key word such as “quiet,” then praise the dog as the barking stops. Or you might leave the radio on. Dogs like the sound of human voices.

Patience is the password. If you own a hound, remember they have strong wills and may be more difficult to train. Among the easiest--and they prove it by winning most in obedience trials--are golden retrievers, poodles, shelties and border collies.

Most of the time, training makes an impact that can be crucial in emergencies. If your dog suddenly races through an open door, heading for the street, a command with the word you’ve chosen for this activity, even if its “applesauce,” can save a life.

It’s important to remember there is no one method for each person, dog or situation. It may turn out that you and your dog are not destined to be together, because your pet may require more space to roam or need more company during the day.

To be a dog owner means to be responsible for the welfare and behavior of your pet. “Although a dog is not a little person in a fur coat,” the Grossmans say, “it is possible to convert that poodle or hound or whatever mix you have into a well-behaved member of the family.”