In the past I have been told that to stop Cudjo from jumping on people, I would have to squeeze his paws, knee him in the chest, push him away or yank him down by the collar. Having experienced this, you'd think the dog would either have to be brain dead or downright stupid to continue jumping. Well, the truth is, he is just a dog and who really knows what a dog is thinking anyway?

So, I sat down and tried to analyze his behavior. Maybe he is finding the kneeing, pulling and yelling somehow exciting? Was I reinforcing the bad behavior in some way? Perhaps he thinks we are playing? Possibly the jumping and licking are his ways of saying, "Hi!" Maybe he thinks I want him to jump because he has some bizarre idea that he is supposed to jump and then I'll play with him.

Maybe, in the end, he is just a dog and who really knows what a dog is thinking anyway? So, what if I taught him to jump on command, while making it more pleasurable for him to keep all four paws on the floor? I'll give him a quick pat and a boring "good dog" for jumping and a super jackpot for staying off of me. I could give him handfuls of food, special massages and lots of praise. Once he learned to jump on command every time I ask, then I would no longer give the command!

So, I did and he did and he now greets me in a civilized manner!

My next project was to get Cudjo to stop pulling my shoulder out of its socket every time we go for a walk. I noticed if I pulled him, he pulled away, (which hurts my feelings, because he pulled away from ME). If I pushed him away, he came to me. If I pulled harder, it stimulated his aggressive response to whatever he happened to be looking at, but if I let him go, he instantly stopped.

I began to wonder if he was associating the pain of the "pop" with me and then wanted to stay away. Then again, he is just a dog and who really knows what a dog is thinking anyway? I wondered if his pulling behavior was simply a natural reflex, like when the doctor taps our knee with that little rubber hammer and our leg jerks up.

Rather than pulling harder, I began to speculate. What if I did something different?

I decided to put him on a 50 foot long line to give him more room, letting the line drag so I wouldn't be tempted to hold too tight. This would also reduce the tension he might feel coming from me. If he gets too close to something dangerous, I can just step on the leash. To counteract the pain associated with the leash pop and me, I made sure only fun things happened around me - toys, food, petting, and praise. Within three days Cudjo was a changed dog!

A few weeks later, Cudjo invented a new game of, "Steal mommy's shoes, chew them and then run away when she yells and chases me."

Now my first instinct was to "squeeze his paws, knee him in the chest and yank him down." But a cooler head quickly prevailed. I began to think about his chewing behavior. It is a normal and naturally satisfying activity for a dog. But why did he like to play "keep away?" And suddenly I realized that I taught him to! By paying attention to him and yelling and chasing him, I had made it into a fun game. He doesn't speak English, so he doesn't understand that I was saying, "Come here you rotten horrible dog, so I can yank out all of your teeth and then tape your mouth shut." He probably thought I said, "Oh, mon ami, run with the wind, you wonderful, glorious creature and by the way, whatever you do, don't drop my shoe!"

Then again, he is just a dog and who really knows what a dog is thinking anyway? I thought, all right, I am too lazy to put my shoes away, so what are my other options? Why not teach him to retrieve my shoes for a cookie? By entering the game and directing it, I can control it and we can both have fun. It worked and I found that by doing these sorts of stimulating games, this actually helped when teaching the more formal retrieving exercises in Open and Utility!

After months of this, I began to realize that if I consistently ignored all of the "bad" behaviors and gave attention exclusively to those behaviors I liked, it would be more rewarding for him to do only those things and he won't be practicing the inappropriate behaviors anymore.After all "Practice makes perfect," for the good as well as the bad.

Of course, I knew he might do improper things in certain circumstances, but I realized that I could easily keep him focused on me and desensitize him to various stimuli, all the while teaching him that I am the best thing that ever happened to him. And we can go and have a great time - or maybe only I'll be the one having the fun. In the end, he is just a dog and who really knows what a dog is thinking anyway?

So, yes, I have decided to beat my dog...with my brain.

About the Author

Pam Dennison graduated from Glassboro State College as a Fine Arts major. She lives with 5 rescued dogs (2 Border Collies, 2 Shetland Sheepdogs and 1 All-American), and she started training in 1992. She has been Assistant Instructor in group obedience classes since 1996, and she's been Head Instructor since 1997. She's also a member of both the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. She trains her own dogs for competition obedience and herding, and she's earned 3 titles thus far. She also competed in the Eastern Regional United States Dog Obedience Championships held in Bethlehem, PA in 1997.

Author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training; Bringing Light to Shadow: A Dog Trainer's Diary; How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong: A Roadmap For Rehabilitating Aggressive Dogs; Click Your Way to Rally Obedience and Civilizing the City Dog.

Purely positive methods. Private and group lessons, behavioral problems, competition, clicker training, all using operant and classical conditioning. Visit http://www.positivedogs.com or email pam@positivedogs.com.

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