| Dear Mr. Katz: | | | | 1. Wait until he really starts whining and barking |
| I have a 6 month old German Shepherd named | | | | loudly. Then use the Bridging technique as |
| Thor. Having read your book, I applied your | | | | described in the book (No, NO, No) and go back |
| techniques to him and he responded very quickly, | | | | and correct him with the collar. Leave the pinch |
| to my surprise! | | | | collar on, but keep the tab with you. Hook the tab |
| He is quite good at a sit-stay and down-stay now, | | | | on the collar, correct the dog, then take the tab |
| which is very, very useful. I do have one problem | | | | off and walk away. Please note that you'll also |
| that I couldn't fix with him though. | | | | want to later practice putting the tab on the dog, |
| Here are the circumstances and the problem: | | | | feeding him a cookie, then taking the tab off, so |
| Thor lives outside in a dog kennel/pen thing, I | | | | that the dog does not come to associate wearing |
| walk him every day and play ball with him and | | | | a tab with a correction. |
| always make sure he has food and water, I brush | | | | 2. If Tip #1 doesn't work, pick a time when your |
| him and I spend a lot of time with him. But | | | | neighbors are away. Ignore the dog. Wait until he |
| whenever I leave him, he sits and whines for half | | | | finally settles down and is quiet... then wait another |
| an hour! He just won't be quiet! And if I go back | | | | 2 minutes. Go back to the dog and let him out. |
| out to make him stop, as soon as he sees me, | | | | Your goal is to teach the dog that being quiet will |
| he's quiet... but as soon as I leave, he starts | | | | get him what he wants. |
| whining and barking again, so I just ignore him, but | | | | 3. Simply ignore him. Eventually he will learn that |
| it has gotten to be such a problem that the | | | | this behavior does not product the results he |
| neighbors have started to complain about it. I | | | | desires, but it may take a couple of weeks. Also, |
| don't make a big deal out of leaving him or | | | | increase his daily exercise regimen, substantially. |
| anything. I just say 'Bye Thor' and leave. | | | | You may also experiment with changing his dog |
| Can you help? | | | | food. |
| Christina Hathaway | | | | Different things work for different dogs when it |
| Dear Christina: | | | | comes to this behavior. Unfortunately, there is no |
| Welcome to the wonderful world of German | | | | quick cure-all. |
| Shepherd ownership. | | | | That's all for now, folks! |
| Here's what you can try: | | | | |