What Is Management?
Management is creating a safe environment to make sure that your puppy/dog is set up for success, whether at home or out in public. Proper management means that your dog has the opportunity to learn good behaviors, while minimizing his opportunities to learn and/or continue to rehearse what we consider “bad” behaviors.
Why Is Management Important?
By enrolling in class, you have taken the first step towards a well behaved dog. The next step is to make sure that his opportunity for learning good behavior is endless, by controlling his access or limiting his ability to practice “bad” behavior. Management is YOUR responsibility. It is much easier to teach the behaviors you want from the beginning than it is to undo them later.
Proper management means:
- Keeping your puppy/dog from accessing garbage cans by putting them away or using a can with a lid
- Preventing your puppy/dog from jumping on people by keeping him on leash or behind a baby gate
- Closing doors to prevent your puppy/dog from stealing clothing/toys
- Using a crate or safe (puppy proof) area when you are unable to supervise
Management Tools
The tools you use to manage your dog’s behavior should not instill fear or become stressful. Here are some suggestions for helping your dog, especially in adolescence.
- Leashes – Keep your dog on leash when greeting people. Treats can be tossed on the floor at your dog’s feet when people enter (this promotes “four on the floor.”
- Gates/Crates – Keep your dog behind a baby gate or crated when visitors arrive or workmen are in the home. Confinement is a better alternative than jumping up or learning to use aggression.
- Your Mat – Teach your dog to lie on his mat while you are preparing dinner or eating. This is a better alternative to counter-surfing or begging for your food. We will teach this in class!
- Rip/Shred/Tear/Eat Toys – Provide acceptable outlets for a dog’s natural behavior of chewing. Hard toys don’t meet the needs of the dog’s natural scavenging instinct, and stuffed toys are no match! Natural chews, such as beef knee caps or hooves, dental bones, or frozen Kongs are a much better option than your shoes.
ALL DOGS CHEW! Give them the RIGHT chew toys from the start!