Housebound Dogs (6 page)

Your dog can serve as that extra set of hands you've needed. Teach him to carry a laundry basket or small bundles or parcels. Train him to bring in the newspaper or chunks of wood for the fireplace. He can drag bags of leaves or lawn clippings to the curb or the compost pile. All this just for some praise, a few treats, and the satisfaction of working!

1. Start with something small, interesting, and easy for your dog to carry. One of his favorite toys is an ideal starting point. Put the object on the ground and tell him to “get it,” or use whatever phrase you like to have him take something in his mouth. (This assumes that he already knows such a command.) Start walking and call him to walk with you. If he drops the toy and starts to walk away from it, stop walking and tell him to “get it.” Don't start walking again until he has the toy in his mouth.

2. Once he understands that you want him to walk with the toy in his mouth, you can name this new behavior by saying, “Good carry the toy.”
When you've walked a few yards, stop, tell him to “drop it” (again, assuming that he has already learned this command), and reward him with a treat. Then start again.

3. Have him practice the “carry” command by carrying toys on walks, into the house after an outdoor play session, or from one room to another in the house. After a couple of weeks of carrying toys, give your dog something different to carry. You might choose a newspaper, a plastic bowl, a paper bag with some apples or potatoes inside. It will probably take more encouragement to get him to carry these because he will not be familiar with the textures and the scents may not be as appealing as that of his toys. So reward him lavishly with praise and treats until he is comfortable carrying odd-tasting and unusually textured objects.

4. Once he will carry whatever small objects you ask him to, move on to training him to carry heavier or awkward objects, such as a laundry basket. Start out with an empty basket, then gradually add some laundry to it until he's skilled and comfortable with it. Now he's ready to carry the basket around the house for you as you put away clean laundry or pick up dirty laundry.

“Find it” is a useful command for your dog to know. For example, when your cordless phone rings, you can tell her, “Find the phone,” and she'll go get it and bring it to you.

1. Put several different objects in a group on the ground or floor. They should be of a size that your dog can easily pick up in her mouth. Show your dog an object that she already knows by name, such as one of her favorite toys, and say the object's name. Let her sniff it, then place it with the other objects.

2. Stand back a few feet from the objects with your dog sitting at your side. Tell her to “find” the designated object and send her off toward the objects.

3. If she brings you any object but the designated one, do not take it from her. Just send her back to “find it” again. (If you take the incorrect object from her, she may just keep bringing you one object after another willy-nilly. You want her to learn to distinguish objects from one another.) When she brings you the right object, reward her with a treat and praise.

4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 several times, asking your dog to find a different but familiar object each time. Replace some of the objects in the group with new ones to keep the game challenging. Remember to let the dog see and sniff the designated object as you call it by name before you place it with the others.

5. When your dog has mastered this task, ask her to find one of the toys in the group without first giving her a chance to sniff it. For example, with the dog at your side, tell her to find the tennis ball. She'll probably understand that she is supposed to look for it among the group of toys, but will she know which toy is which? You want her to learn to recognize specific objects by name, so keep sending her back until she brings you the one you want. Be patient and encouraging and reward her with praise and a treat when she brings you the right toy.

Can another pet provide companionship and comfort for the dog who must spend hours alone each day? In general, yes. As pack animals, dogs welcome the company of other animals. It doesn't even need to be another dog, but it should be a mammal he can interact with. Goldfish in a bowl won't help much.

However, another pet won't be much comfort if the two (or more) have to be kept separate because they don't get along. Before adopting another pet to keep your stay-at-home dog company, ask your veterinarian or an animal behaviorist for advice on choosing an animal with a temperament that will complement your dog's personality. And remember, a companion animal cannot substitute for time spent with you; just because your dog has company during the day doesn't mean that he — and the companion animal — doesn't need your time, attention, and love when you are at home.

When you bring home the new pet, there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that the introductions are civilized.

1. When you bring home the new pet, have someone on hand to keep the pet outside while you go in and greet your dog as you normally do. Once your dog feels she has had a fair share of your attention, then bring in the new pet. Do so with a minimum of fanfare. Plan to spend the next several hours with the pets as they get to know each other.

2. Keep your dog by your side so you can easily reach out and stroke her and scratch her ears while you are petting or holding the new pet. Speak
in low, calm, and encouraging tones to both pets.

3. Let the pets interact and sniff each other, but stay close by to quell any aggression. If the new pet is also a dog, one or the other of the dogs will show submissive behavior, although not necessarily the one you would have thought. This is okay; the animals must determine their own “rules of the pack.”

4. Do not expect the pets to share. Make sure the new pet has his own dishes for food and water, his own toys, and his own bed. Do not take any of these away from your dog to give to the new pet. Treat your dog with respect and consideration during this transition, and she is likely to accept her new housemate much faster.

Dogs are pack animals; they enjoy having company. With patience and the proper introductions, you can adopt companion animals for your dog. They'll keep each other company during the day while you're away
.

The mission of Storey Communications is to serve our customers
by publishing practical information that encourages personal
independence in harmony with the environment
.

Edited by Jeanée Ledoux and Nancy Ringer
Cover illustration by Jeffrey Domm
Cover design by Carol J. Jessop (Black Trout Design)
Text illustrations by Rick Daskam, except pages 1, 9, and 32
     by Jeffrey Domm
Text production by Leslie Noyes

Copyright © 2000 by Storey Communications, Inc.

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Printed in the United States

                 
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kephart, Paula, 1950–.
              Housebound dogs / Paula Kephart.
                        p. cm. — (A Storey country wisdom bulletin; A-270)
              ISBN 1-58017-362-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
             1. Dogs. 2. Games for dogs. I. Title. II. Series.
    SF427 .K38 2000
    636.7'0887—dc21
                                                                                                    00-052680