My knees have taken a beating these last few weeks. First, a big strong dog I did not know broke in through my slightly open front door and invaded my home. Next, a sweet young pup I do know bumped my worse knee and bent it backward. Both incidents were my own fault.
I don’t blame anybody but myself for the second—certainly not the pup. I do blame whoever raised and probably still owns the big dog who broke in for his blundering behavior. I don’t blame the dog. His people never taught him calm behavior when a human holds his collar. Does your dog know that skill? If not . . . read on!
What do we want?
We want the dog to allow a human to hold him by the collar (or harness), and we want the dog to stand or sit calmly until he is released.
We won’t use his acceptance against him by expecting him to stand or sit calmly if we do something to him or around him that he dislikes or fears. If the dog is fearful of having his nails clipped, for instance, we treat that as a separate issue. We won’t teach the dog to stand or sit calmly, then ask him to do that while we attempt to clip his nails.
▪ We always remember to reward the behavior of standing or sitting calmly while his collar is being held by a human.
▪ We always ask, “What’s in it for the dog?”
▪ We don’t decide what we think should be rewarding; we let the dog decide. (It’s not rewarding if the dog doesn’t feel rewarded!)
▪ The dog is often going to change his mind about what’s rewarding. Today, he finds hot dog pieces most rewarding. Tomorrow he may prefer to chase his favorite toy. He’s allowed to change his mind. Your job is to keep up with those changes!
How will you know if he feels rewarded? You’ll know. Hold out a piece of that chicken and see if he takes it with enthusiasm and comes right back for more. Take his favorite toy off that high shelf and show it to him. Does he dance with excitement and anticipation? When you toss the toy across the room, does he dive after and bring it back for you to throw it again? You’ll know when he feels rewarded if you pay attention to how he acts!
How do we teach it?
▪ Start with a dog who’s wearing a collar (or a harness).
▪ Start with you having ready access to an assortment of rewards—yummy bits of hot dog, cheese, chicken; the dog’s favorite toys, like a tug toy or a throwing toy.
▪ Stand or sit with the dog nearby. Show the dog what you’ve got. Give a few “free samples” to warm him up. Offer a food treat in the palm of your open hand; throw a favorite ball a few feet away; play tug with the dog for a few seconds.
▪ When the dog comes back for more—treat, toy, or tug—reward him with another helping of what you first gave him, or with one of the other choices. Use all the rewards in no particular sequence, so the dog doesn’t know what to expect next. He just knows it will be good! Or, if your dog shows a preference for one reward, repeat that reward. Do what works!
What you’ve got now is a dog who knows “the game is afoot” when you stand there with rewards on offer. Don’t overdo these training sessions—a few minutes at a time, as many times a day as you want, within reason. End on a success and “jackpot” if you wish (give multiples of food treats). Quit with the dog wanting more; don’t bore him with too many repetitions.
You haven’t yet touched the collar or harness; you’re asking only that he “comes back for more.”
▪ When you can see he’s interested, when he repeatedly comes back for more, it’s time to add in the hand part—not touching him at first, just reaching closer with your hand.
▪ Keep the reward in one hand and reach out with the other hand, or stash the treats and toys in a pocket or fanny pack so they’re easily accessible but not held in your hand. (You’ll work that part out with practice.)
▪ Does the dog move closer? If so, you’re making progress!
When you get to the point that your hand touches the dog’s collar (or harness), don’t take hold of it.
▪ Try first a light touch with one finger, reward the dog; then two fingers on the collar, reward the dog.
▪ Continue until all fingers on one hand touch the collar.
▪ When you finally do “hold” the collar, do it as lightly as possible, maybe with only one finger. Don’t put pressure on the collar (or harness) yet.
Eventually, yes, you will be able to wrap your fingers around the collar and hold it, which will inevitably put some pressure on the dog . . . but don’t attempt to move the dog or restrain him with the collar. That might cause the dog to pull away, and you don’t want that. You want the dog to remain in and return to that calm position—because the dog finds that behavior rewarding.
What’s your goal?
You want to dog to become so used to being rewarded for having his collar (or harness) touched, then held, that the dog will continue to stand or sit calmly while you hold the collar.
Eventually, you want to have another human (an adult or older child) go though the same slow process with the dog, and have the dog accept the same collar/harness-holding from that person . . . until you’ve gone through all your family members and close friends and they can all do it, too.
Expand the number of humans who do the training at places where you take the dog. For example, stop in at your veterinarian’s office for a non-medical visit at a quiet time (lunch hour for clinic staff is often a good choice—call and ask). Give treats, weigh your dog, then ask an available staffer to go through a few steps of the training under your direction with your dog.
Other options for adding more humans to the training process: your locally owned pet supply store, your dog training classes (before or after class, with your instructor’s permission, of course), your groomer’s shop, your neighbors, your friends. Make sure that anyone you ask to help understands what you’d like them to do—demonstrate first. Give the rewards to your dog yourself as the helpful human does the rest, so your helper has to concentrate on only one part of the task.
What’s the “command” for this behavior?
There isn’t one! The “cue” for this behavior becomes the human hand moving toward and eventually holding the dog’s collar. No words are necessary. You might want to “name” the behavior as you praise—”Good quiet,” or “Good easy,” or “Good calm”—but it’s not mandatory. It’s up to you!
Once your dog is successfully staying calm and standing/sitting still when you hold his collar, expand the training to his continuing that behavior as you take off and put on that collar or harness.
Don’t rush. There are many incremental steps to go through! Touch the collar, touch the buckle or snap closure, touch the tags hanging off it, touch all parts of the harness. Make sure your dog has success on every individual step, again and again, before you put the steps together.
Can’t handle the harness and the treats at the same time? Ask for help! One of your friends or family can give the rewards while you work with the apparatus on the dog. Say, “Treat” when it’s time to throw the treat, or “Ball” when it’s time to throw the ball. Your helpers need to pay attention and practice their good timing, so don’t forget to praise the helpers just as you would praise the dog!
Does it matter which position your dog chooses for this exercise? I say no, but that depends on the dog. Many dogs have learned Sit as a default position. They sit before you open a door to let them go outside, for instance. They sit to have their leashes snapped on their collars or harnesses. Those dogs often choose to sit while you reach out to and later touch their collars. That’s fine!
What if your dog chooses to stand instead? That’s okay, too. There may be more movement from a standing dog than from a sitting one, it’s true, but let your dog decide which works best for him.
When you play this particular “training game” really well, you may find your dog volunteering to have his collar or harness touched or held by coming to wherever you are and standing or sitting calmly near you. That’s a good sign. It’s your choice whether or not to respond. I’d encourage you to consider rewarding the dog’s “volunteer spirit” by keeping treats and toys close by or on your person so they’re easily available if you choose to let the dog earn them.
No matter how well you train your dog to stand or sit calmly while a human holds his collar, I still strongly recommend you practice one physical safety measure around your own dog and around dogs you don’t know, especially the big or bouncy ones. Keep your knees bent slightly. It’s a heck of a lot harder for a dog to damage those knees if they’re not locked tight, let me tell you!
