House Rules!

This year we have looked after dogs of all types, shapes and sizes, from Lhasa Apsos to Flat Coat Retrievers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers. The following information is based on our experience dealing with these dogs! I will keep things simple and deal with what I consider to be the essential house rules when having a dog in your house! If you are thinking of using our home-boarding service lookafteryourdog.co.uk then this will be a massive help, as your dog will understand exactly what is expected of him and will fit in even better to our homes.

Wait to be invited in! - This one is very common and sets the tone for everything else that happens in the house, the dog digs in using its four wheel drive and literally drags the owner to the door and then drags them into the house! So thinking about it, what does this say to the dog? Firstly it says the dog is in charge! You will do as you are told and follow me because that is what I want to do! Secondly it say's the dog will charge around the house in an over excited out of control way because that is how it entered the house in the first place.

Walk in quietly and respectfully! - So acknowledging the bad way we enter the house, lets do it properly from now on. Get a grip of your dog! You must have control of any size dog and be the leader of it! (See our walking the dog post later for guidance!) Approach the house with the dog walking under control at your side or behind you! NEVER AHEAD of you!

Make it sit at the door and be calm, when the door is answered, wait as long as you need to make the dog calm. Never enter the house until the dog is a calm state. you can accept a half sit or attempt at first and reward the effort, whilst seeking an improvement next time around. Don't expect a miracle first time and be prepared for months of work if needs be, but be sure it will come good when the dog understands the exercise and that it doesn't get to go in until its calm. Using a food reward inside the house will improve the behaviour faster and I would consider a chew reward, so that the dog can be led to an area and lie down calmly whilst it chews.

Don't be rude - Never let your dog charge around a house coming and going as it pleases. The dog should be under your control and led to the areas you want to introduce it to. Only when the dog is calm and relaxed should you let it off the lead and even then, confine it to the room you are in.

Because we have a number of dogs stopping at the house, excited behaviour may also encourage your male dog to mark (Pee to mark his territory after he smells another dogs scent!) inside the house. Fen the Border Terrier decided to Pee on my wife's new leather sofa, then I get it in the neck! As a side issue, this also means that you will have no control on the walk but that is covered by a later post!

Don't accept bad behaviour - An example of this was two Police Officers visiting a mansion to take a statement. As they were invited in the dog that was outside joined them and they all sat in the magnificent lounge with the deep white luxurious carpet. After a while, the dog got up and left a large deposit in the middle of the carpet before settling back down! Nothing was said by anyone and everybody ignored the steaming pile! The bemused Officers hurriedly finished as the smell was a bit rich! Both looked at each other thinking how accepting the family were to let their dog get away with that behaviour and as they left the householder said "Officers, you've forgot your dog!" True story, but it shows the unwillingness of both parties to acknowledge very bad behaviour, for fear of upsetting the other!

Wait for things! - Your dog should not expect things to be given them whenever they want them! Your dog should learn to wait until it is told it can do the activity or have the item, whatever it may be! Examples will be food (Dealt with in our feeding the dog post!) or treats. Your dog should do something before receiving these rewards and this is where your dog can be trained without it even knowing what you are doing! Even asking it to sit is training, so get out of the notion of having to do formal training sessions, use what you have and ask your dog to work for whatever you give it! Be creative, high fives, downs, a bit of heel work with the object in your hand to guide the behaviour, whatever you like with the item given as a reward for the behaviour!

Don't demand - Do not tolerate your dog walking up to you and staring at you, barking at you to do things for him, nudging your hand or biting you, pulling you somewhere, in fact anything dictated by your dog! You are in charge and it is you who decides what happens and when! If your dog comes to you to ask to go to the toilet that is different and to be encouraged, anything else NO!

Freedom! - Another example is the door. An open door should signal the dog to sit calmly and relax knowing that the walk is coming. I know it doesn't to most dogs, it means leap around like a nutter and crash into everything, but if you use the walk as the reward and the dog doesn't get it until it sits calmly you will find that it cottons on very quickly and will do as you ask. It will then be better behaved on the walk. (See walking the dog post coming later!)

Don't shout at people or dogs! - Your dog should be under your control and you are the leader. As the leader if you shout and get excited at people or dogs then don't be surprised if your dog joins in! If you are quiet and calm however, why should your follower dog be rude to other people and other dogs? I recently looked after a Cavalier King Charles called Molly and she is lovely, but she has got into a habit of barking incessantly at other people and dogs, even though she is approaching with her tail wagging and I am chatting happily with them! This behaviour has never been properly challenged and although improved, I have to correct her every time she meets people or dogs as it is rude behaviour on her behalf!

To correct it, always calmly disagree with the behaviour, don't get into a shouting match or she will think you are joining in! Touch the dog where you get a reaction, so some dogs might be sensitive on their neck, others their stomach or ribs, do something to distract the behaviour and then reward the quiet! Use the lead to give small corrections by tugging to the side to pull the dog off balance (Not upwards) or turn the dog around to face the other way. If this fails, then still do it every time to show your disapproval, but consider a higher correction; such as a spray collar, or an anti-bark collar. (See later post on training collars)

Don't beg! - Food to a dog is a very powerful thing along with mating! To a dog food is survival and if you allow the wrong association you could be in trouble. (See feeding the dog post later!) We often eat with our meals on trays on our laps and the new dogs cannot understand why they are not allowed to sit under our legs drooling and waiting for scraps. It is quite funny to watch my wife and children eating away whilst one by one, their leg raises and the dog is gently guided away until eventually it gets the message and goes and lies down! How powerful is this signal to the dog, that any ideas that you had about being the leader are totally misguided as you are not sharing food with the leaders! If you are thinking that this sounds cruel, watch your dog with its food or a really tasty treat or chew, does it come to you for affection now? No it lies down quite happily away from you until the treat is gone! Use food as a powerful tool and make your dog work for it but never let it beg from you or your guests!

Be the boss! - Whatever you may feel towards your dog and however much you want to treat your dog like a little child, you must always remember to be the boss! Everything happens when you say and how you say! Never let the dog nudge you into fussing it! Never let the dog jump onto your lap uninvited and never allow your dog to choose where it sleeps or when and how it eats! Never allow it to pull you round on the lead and never allow it to ignore you when you tell it to do something! NEVER!

That said, if you follow the above house rules, then when you decide to give your dog love and affection, it won't be misunderstood by the dog as weakness that it will need to protect, but exactly what it is, a chance to enjoy some quality time with no hidden agenda! Please feel free to contact me about any problems or issues you may be having, or have your say good or bad by commenting!