Bonding with Your Dog: A Trainer's Secrets for Building a Better Relationship

by Victoria Schade

Overview

The human-canine bond: a relationship steeped in love with equal parts mutual respect, trust, and regard

In this groundbreaking book, professional dog trainer Victoria Schade reveals that a successful relationship between you and your dog isn't about establishing yourself as the pack leader, but about building a meaningful bond. She explains how this bond forms the core of your entire relationship; if it's lacking, it's the primary source of any frustration you may be having with your dog.

First, you'll take a quiz to help you gauge your current relationship with your dog. Next, you'll learn the building blocks for creating a positive, mutually rewarding bond-from granting privileges to being unpredictable to offering ample praise and playtime. You'll discover how a bonded dog:

• Listens to obedience cues
• Wants you in her sightlines, even in intriguing environments
• Doesn't escape through open doorways
• Understands and follows your house rules
• Wants to be close to you and work with you
• Truly trusts and respects you

Whether you share your heart and home with a puppy, an adolescent, or a senior dog, it's never too early or too late to build a bond to last a lifetime-and this book shows you how.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620455692
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/01/2009
Pages:	226
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Victoria Schade is an APDT Certified Pet Dog Trainer and owner of Good Dog! Obedience Training. She received a Maxwell Award from the Dog Writers Association of America for her training video New Puppy! Now What? and hosts the training segment on the Animal Planet show Faithful Friends.

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Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Part I All about Bonding

1 What Is the Bond? 3

Relationship Quiz: How Strong Is Your Bond? 8

Introducing the Bonded Dog 12

Mutual respect 14

Trust 16

Regard 17

What a Strong Bond Can Do 18

No bad dogs 18

Sweet freedom 19

How touching 19

You drive me crazy 20

Is It Ever Too Late to Build a Bond? 22

2 Ways We Accidentally Undermine the Bond 27

Love You till It Hurts 33

Fido, Have Your People Call My People 35

Work It Out 36

The Schoolyard Bully 38

Sir! Yes, Sir! 40

Will You? Maybe? Please? 41

On Second Thought ... 42

Pre-K to Grad School in Just One Week! 43

White-Glove Service 44

May I Speak to a Manager, Please? 46

3 Bonding and Body Language 49

Touch-Aversive Dogs: Hands Off, Please! 49

Body Language Basics 53

The body as a whole 53

Head 55

Tail 62

Feet 63

4 Privileges vs. Rights 65

Privilege #1: Full Household Freedom 65

Privilege #2: Access to Guests 68

Privilege #3: Field Trips 76

Privilege #4: Off-Leash Freedom 79

Part II How to Build the Bond

5 Building Block #1: Training for Life 87

Down-Stay 89

Coming When Called 96

Go to Bed 100

Leash Walking 106

6 Building Block #2: Be Predictable but Unpredictable 117

Walk around the Clock 118

Ways to Be Fetching and Playful 121

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours 122

Magic-ball fetch 125

Rapid-fire fetch 126

Dogs Cannot Live by Biscuits Alone 127

Say What? 129

7 Building Block #3: Praise! 131

Bathroom Behavior 132

Walking 133

Recall Approach 135

Everyday Obedience 136

Checking In 137

Stopping Naughty Behavior 140

How to Praise 143

8 Building Block #4: Playing to Win147

The Body Games 148

Evasive Maneuvers 154

Refugee from cat-land 156

The Brain Games 158

Find the Toy 158

Find Me 162

It's Tricky 165

Not All Play Is Constructive 169

Wrestling 169

Slap the Puppy and other hand games 171

Chase 172

Play It Again, and Again ... 173

9 Building Block #5: Time for the Tricky Stuff 175

The Squirrel Game 175

Amazing Discoveries 183

Get Lost 186

One, Two, Three, Let's Go! 190

Wild, Wonderful 191

10 Building Block #6: Don't Forget Your Sense of Humor 193

Laugh a Little 194

Frustration Is Inevitable 197

It's Not Rocket Science 200

Index 203