What Papillon Training Experts Advise About Roughhousing and Teasing
Believe it or not, positive teasing exists, and from a papillon training point of view, it can be a lot of fun for both owner and dog. Teasing can even build a puppy’s confidence by gradually making predictable the weird things that people do. Non-stop teasing, together with the malicious type, are different; they are no-nos beyond doubt.
Some strangely “confidence building” teasing include temporarily keeping or hiding the toys or treats from the pup, or restraining or hugging the dog, spending a few seconds making scary faces or making up weird dances in from of the dog, but then praising the dog with a consistently used “Good boy/girl” then offering a treat. The bottom line is that the dog’s acceptance of your unexpected actions is reinforced by the reward, leading to a dog that is generally more confident. But note that there are appropriate moments for playing unpredictable, and there also need to be moments for being the calm and assertive master-leader; do not overperform one to the detriment of the other.
Puppies need to prepare to take in a good amount of teasing now and then. For example, without the preparation, whats a dog to do when chased by a child screaming with outstretched arms? Besides, dogs in general understand and participate in chases on the condition that they are aware it is not harmful to them.
Based on what we know in Papillon Training, how can it be known if a particular afternoon of teasing is already overboard? After a few bouts of dog hugs, or of the monster-walk chasing, try standing a good distance from the dog while asking it to come over for a treat. If the dog approaches with all signs indicating a good-natured reaction (head held high, tail wagging), then the dog has taken the game well. If its otherwise, then the dog approaches with wariness, if not fear, as shown by the licking of lips, the lowered head and tail, then the lying down or rolling over when you asked for him to sit.
What’s to be done now? To repair the damage, get the dog to come to you by reinforcing its approach primarily through treats. Note that the deceptive thing about teasing is that it can grow harmful or beneficial, which is why it makes sense checking always, say every fifteen minutes, that your puppy is having a good time.
Control during games is worth discussing here. Here is one test to know if you have control of the dogs. At any time, you only ought to need one or two papillon training commands to get your puppy to stop playing and lie down calmly. But if this is not possible, there is too much deformative roughhousing with your puppy.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
