Does your dog?

• Get on the couch and refuse to get off?
• Nudge your hand for petting when you’re reading the paper?
• Defend it’s food bowl and toys from you?

Then you need to put your dog on Work-Fare! Most of our dogs are on welfare and are bored with their modern, cushy lifestyles. Work-Fare is a system of "learn-to-earn" that can help every dog be better behaved. It is fun for humans and is a great way to strengthen your relationship with your companion. Best of all, Work-Fare is very simple to implement.

• Using positive reinforcement, teaching your dog a few behaviors and tricks. The most useful behaviors are Sit, Down and Come. Shake and Speak are fun tricks.
• Once your dog has learned a few basic behaviors, it’s time to add in the Work-Fare component. Before you do anything for your dog that he likes, such as a walk, a chance to play ball or eat dinner, he must first perform one of these behaviors.

For Example:

• Your dog is about to go for a walk and he sits before you put the leash on.
• You are going to feed your dog and he must come promptly to you before you provide his meal.
• Your dog wants to be petted, but he must lie down before you touch him.
• Once you’ve given the dog the cue for the behavior you want him to perform, do not give him what he wants until he gives you what YOU want! If he does not follow through with the behavior, walk away and come back a few minutes later and start again. Be patient and be willing to walk away, come back, and try again until he gets it right
• Make sure your dog understands the cue well before you start putting him on Work-Fare.

This technique works well with almost every dog, but most certainly with dogs that have issues around being pushy with people or who challenge humans for dominance. Requiring a dog to work for everything it wants in a safe and non-confrontational way establishes control. Responding to your cues helps build the confidence level of a fearful dog. He will know that he has a strong leader and knows his place in the human world.

A few other points to remember if you have a pushy dog are:

• The dog will sleep in it’s own bed on the floor.
• You go in and out of doorways and stairways first.

These two little things will help to remind your dog that YOU are the leader of the relationship and are subtle but highly effective ways of establishing your authority.