Whether you live with two dogs or eight, it's likely you feel surrounded and overwhelmed at times. Between our 3 resident dogs, there are sometimes 2 or 3 foster dogs also here and I have learned a few tricks for maintaining the sanity. Besides using a really good it's yer choice game with food or treats, it can get crowded in a split second, I move on instead to a name recognition game.
I start this training out by playing the sharing game. I usually use yogurt, canned dog food, or peanut butter, but if they all know the game, sometimes the treat for the day will be corn (don't worry, no one is allowed to grab the cob) or dog ice cream, and say each dog's name before letting them have a few licks or bites. When someone gets pushy or tries to get some out of turn, I take the whole treat away.
Do not try this with dogs that become aggressive toward other dogs when food is present!
This, in turn, can be then used for other things like going outside. We have a small space that only has room for the door to open/close so everyone rushing out is never a good idea. Using it's yer choice, I wait until everyone is sitting before I open the back door. If someone is too impatient, I take my hand off the door and wait again. If it takes several tries, or someone is very stubborn that time, I then start to use the name game to release them outdoors. If one of the dogs frequently makes mistakes, I work on their name release skill separately before asking them to perform it in the group again.
There are all kinds of ways you can be an animal advocate, even if it's to help a dog better understand what a human expects. Rescue, Foster, Adopt
I start this training out by playing the sharing game. I usually use yogurt, canned dog food, or peanut butter, but if they all know the game, sometimes the treat for the day will be corn (don't worry, no one is allowed to grab the cob) or dog ice cream, and say each dog's name before letting them have a few licks or bites. When someone gets pushy or tries to get some out of turn, I take the whole treat away.
Do not try this with dogs that become aggressive toward other dogs when food is present!
This, in turn, can be then used for other things like going outside. We have a small space that only has room for the door to open/close so everyone rushing out is never a good idea. Using it's yer choice, I wait until everyone is sitting before I open the back door. If someone is too impatient, I take my hand off the door and wait again. If it takes several tries, or someone is very stubborn that time, I then start to use the name game to release them outdoors. If one of the dogs frequently makes mistakes, I work on their name release skill separately before asking them to perform it in the group again.
There are all kinds of ways you can be an animal advocate, even if it's to help a dog better understand what a human expects. Rescue, Foster, Adopt
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