Playfulness, high energy and high spirits are qualities we value in dogs. That is, until we realize the dog doesn't have an "off button," or a speed setting dial! You can develop these wonderful abilities with your dog, though, with enjoyable training and sensible management.

Humans tend to pay attention to problems that need fixing, which is not a good approach to dog handling. Instead, just as you raise a child with a good schedule and education for good habits, the dog needs from you an orderly life and education in good behavior that works. It's common for humans to actually end up teaching the dog that bad behavior works! This happens when the dog needs something-attention, mental or physical exercise, bowel or bladder relief, food, etc.-and gets it from the forgetful human by wild behavior. Voila, you've taught the dog that wild behavior works!

The antidote to wild behavior is to meet your dog's needs in an orderly way with schedule, training, and care. In this way, some of the wild behavior will never start in the first place. When it does, you and your dog will have developed the skills to communicate and function as a team-so you can prevent the dog from achieving any goals with the wild behavior, and the dog can recognize this outcome. Behavior that accomplishes nothing is less likely to be repeated. When you proactively remove most of the reasons for misbehavior and build in LOTS of reasons for good behavior, life is simpler and more fun than reactive dog training in which you're constantly trying to teach the dog to "not do this" and "not do that."

How to Set the Stage for Success

Dogs thrive on routine. Dogs need to know they'll get food and water at reasonable intervals, they'll get access to the potty area frequently enough that they won't suffer from trying to hold it too long, they'll get adequate exercise for their minds and their bodies daily, they'll get a reasonable amount of time with their people every day, they won't have to live in fear of danger or overheating or freezing or lack of breathable air…in other words, dogs need to feel secure. No promises we could make to dogs in words will provide this sense of security. We only accomplish it by being reliable, by showing our dogs day by day that they can trust in our care of them.

Meeting these needs requires scheduling. You can't feel when your dog needs potty relief. Expecting the dog to get your attention, convey the message, persuade you to stand up and take the dog to the right area--and to do all this before losing bowel or bladder control-this is an unreasonable burden to place on many dogs. Some dogs will get TOO good at it, and constantly push to go outside. How do you know when the dog needs relief versus when it's about exploring, playing, chasing a squirrel, or some other doggy priority? You don't. Scheduling potty opportunities for your dog frequently enough to meet the dog's needs (err on the side of extra trips rather than not enough trips!) is your best bet. Of course you'll need to give the dog extra chances when the dog expresses a sense of urgency, when the dog is ill, etc. That's all part of being someone the dog can trust.

Meals, exercise, training time and grooming need daily scheduling, too. You can shift the schedule around a bit, but only to a limited extent. Training won't work if it's skipped too much of the time, or if you fail to apply it in daily life. Exercise avoided means a dog who doesn't have a healthy outlet for energy. It can also mean increased injuries because the dog doesn't maintain the fitness level needed for exercise when the opportunity finally comes. Daily time devoted to training and grooming need not be long sessions, after the first several months to a year or so, but skipping them will lead to a wilder dog. And a dog who doesn't get meals on a reasonable schedule can become downright frantic. Dogs care a lot about food! Divide your dog's food into at least two meals per day to reduce wild behavior related to food.

Training establishes a relationship and communication with your dog. Most people need to take their dogs to training classes for several weeks (for the very easiest of dogs) to several months, to a year or longer. You and the dog learn together. If you've trained a dog in the past, it wasn't THIS dog. Every dog needs something different from you in training. Training methods for humans to use in handling dogs improve, and our skills require regular, correct practice. Too often, people firmly set their handling skills into bad habits by poor practice. A good class helps you get it right so that you're getting better with practice instead of worse!

Dogs need the experience of working alongside other dogs and humans in an orderly setting. Training class helps you provide a solid foundation for your dog's behavior. It also establishes you more as a leader in the dog's mind, because you're the one who provides the outings to class. Scout the class in advance by attending some sessions as an observer without your dog. Make sure the methods used are acceptable to you, the dogs are being prevented from traumatizing each other, and that dogs and people are actually learning. Training skills you want to learn with your dog include "Sit," "Down," "Stay" (2 minutes on sit, 10 minutes on down), "settle," walk on a loose leash, come when called, and take treats from your fingers without hurting you.

Every dog needs to learn to rest calmly in a crate. This can become a critical skill for your dog without warning at any point in life. Reinforce being in the crate with nice treats, and do not leave the dog in it for overly long periods.

Use daily grooming sessions to further condition your dog to handling. You want to be able to touch your dog anywhere on the body and have the dog remain relaxed. You want to be able to control the dog's mouth in order to look at teeth and to calmly remove something from the mouth. You want to be able to hold the dog in a cuddling manner and have the dog relax with this restraint.

For the first month of training, do two ten-minute sits each week, where you simply keep the dog in a seated position and gently put the dog back anytime the dog breaks position. One goal is to learn to watch closely enough that you prevent breaks from position in the first place. This is an assisted exercise, not a stay. Do three 30-minute downs of the same type each week. One day is down, the next is sit, the next is down, the next is sit, the next is down, and you can take weekends off. For complete instructions on the exercise, see the book "Dog Training for Dummies," by Jack and Wendy Volhard. This is called the Leadership Exercise. It's a gentle, nonconfrontational way of establishing leadership with your dog and also helps the dog learn how to behave calmly.

Teaching your dog to retrieve is the icing on the cake for some breeds, and downright essential for other breeds. There are a few dozen methods now for teaching the retrieve. Training doesn't have to be difficult or harsh. The best training for retrieving will be done a little each day over an extended period of time. Another key is not to damage the retrieving drive through other aspects of how you handle your dog (such as chasing a dog down and/or scolding when you remove a stolen item from the dog's mouth). Once you understand the retrieve, it's easy to teach, and well worth the slight daily effort.

How to Make it All Work for You

So much of avoiding wild behavior in the dog is achieved by stopping the wild behavior of the humans interacting with the dog! Let's look at dog behaviors people don't like, how people contribute to these behaviors, and how you can set the stage to avoid the problem.

Jumping on People
Dogs jump up to get closer to our faces and hands for affection and attention. People teach dogs to do this by petting them when they're on hind legs. Don't let anyone pet your dog when the dog is on hind legs. Then make sure the dog gets reinforced with good petting when the dog has all four feet on the ground! Use a leash if needed, but don't correct or scold a dog who is in the act of being friendly to humans. The result of that can be a dog who thinks being friendly is a bad thing, and humans are trouble!

Lunging on Leash
Humans have a natural tendency to keep the leash taut, transmitting tension to the dog's body. This causes the dog to pull against the tension for balance and to rely on the tension for feedback, rather than paying attention to you. Eliminate the lead tension and improve communication with your dog.

Going Berserk When You're Putting on the Leash for a Walk
Freeze! Hit your personal pause button and wait for the dog to get still. When you then start to move again, be prepared for the dog to start acting wild again. Freeze again! Repetition teaches. Learning to get ready for outings calmly is important, because dogs can hurt themselves and their humans with the zany leaping. If you ask for a "sit" before you put on the collar, and you're willing to wait as long as it takes (besides of course having taught your dog what a "sit" is), you'll get a seated dog, eager to be suited up and out with you!

Pushy about Play, Petting, Treats
The pushy, pesky dog is amusing, but only for a little while. Give in a few times, and soon you'll have created a monster. If the dog pushes you to play and you don't want to play, don't play. If the dog persists in bothering you, have the dog do a "settle" at your feet or across the room. Or have the dog do "doggy calisthenics" (sit/down/sit/down/sit/down with praise for each position), and repeat each time the dog comes back to get pesky, until the dog decides it's just not worth it. That won't take long! Caution: no doggy calisthenics for dogs who have orthopedic problems. No command of yours should ever cause pain for your dog.

Barking
For barking when you're home, use the come-when-called, with praise, petting, and then possibly food treats or retrieving to reward the dog. Call the dog as many times as possible until the dog decides to just quit the barking. This not only stops barking at the time, but also reduces the dog's overall drive to bark, by reducing the adrenaline rush the dog gets from it.

Swiping Your Stuff
Teach this dog to retrieve! Then every time the dog swipes something is a chance to practice the retrieve! This is a dog with great potential as a helper-around-the-house!

Dashing Out the Door
Always have your dog wait for the leash to be put on and then for your permission to step through house doors that lead to open areas. Do the same for car doors. If you find it no problem for your dog to dash out the back door into a fenced yard, let that be the only door you let your dog dash through. For all other doors, use a double-barrier system until the dog's habits of waiting for the leash and permission to exit are solid. This means you place an additional barrier between the dog and the door before anyone opens it. The dog is on leash first, or behind a baby gate, or behind a closed door in another room, or in a crate with the door latched, or securely held in an adult's arms.

Wild in the Car
For safety's sake, all dogs really should be restrained to ride in cars. Okay, most of us don't do this with our dogs lifelong. But until the dog behaves calmly in a car, do it. Use a crate or a doggy seatbelt harness, so the dog is not jumping all over the place interfering with safe driving. Chances are the dog will eventually learn to ride without leaping around, because this simple control establishes the habit.

Human Dog-Handling Maneuvers That Create a Calmer Dog

How you behave has a profound effect on how your dog will behave! This of course applies to everyone who interacts with the dog. Below are dos and don'ts of human handling for a calmer dog.

Freeze
When the dog is jumping around, you become motionless. When the dog puts teeth on your hand (or foot or other body part), you freeze your hand in position. Let it go limp if you wish-that helps you remember to relax. Movement from us fuels reactive movement in our dogs. Dogs are so much at the mercy of their own instincts, and when the person is jumping around, the dog's instincts are to jump around, too. Freeze your action to help your dog remember training you've done to help the dog override the wild instincts.

Move Slowly
When you move in the presence of an excitable dog, s-l-o-w your movements. Again, this gives the dog more opportunity to think and to apply trained behavior in place of unthinking instinctive behavior.

Your Voice
By cultivating your tone of voice as well as its volume and pitch, you can develop a skillful voice that serves as another tool to communicate with your dog. Make an upbeat tone part of retrieving and other exciting play with your dog. Make a calming tone part of stays, grooming and other calm activities with your dog. When you want the dog to move slowly or to hold a position, speak slowly. Most dogs have acutely sensitive hearing. Lowering the volume of your voice can help get your dog's attention.

Body Language
Body language speaks volumes to dogs. They often pick up on human body language that other humans do not notice. Watch yourself-use a mirror or reflective glass when available-to make the best use of your body language in communicating with your dog. Remember, words mean nothing to your dog except what you have, over time, established with your dog as the meaning of those words. When your body language contradicts what you are trying to say to your dog in words, the dog likely will follow your body language rather than your words. Many talented dog handlers have had dance training or other physical conditioning that develops body movement control.

Release/Rewards
Put the praise and rewards for your dog's behavior INTO the behavior, not after. Avoid explosive releases from Stays, Settles, and crate time by rewarding DURING the work the dog does. Bring the dog out of the restraint into a calm behavior-such as walking beside you on a loose leash--rather than a wild and rowdy release.

Leave the House Calmly, Return Home Calmly
When you leave the house, keep it low-key. Perhaps give the dog something to chew as you go out, to set the stage for relaxation. If you exercise the dog prior to leaving, allow time for the dog to calm down and get ready to rest before you go. Dogs sleep 14 or more hours a day, and that's the best thing for the dog to be doing when home alone. Help create the right tone for rest. When you return, come in calmly. Do not reinforce the dog for a wild greeting by using an excited tone of voice or giving attention to a dog who is jumping around. Avoid a big exercise session or meal immediately on your return.

Don't Encourage Predatory Behavior
Dogs get hurt chasing cats, wild animals, insects and other critters. They also hurt the critters, and they hurt the humans trying to hold onto their leashes. When you spot something your dog might want to chase, bring the dog's attention to yourself and to interesting things to do with you. Soon your dog will automatically look to you at sight of something other dogs would chase.

Never Chase Your Dog
Chasing dogs teaches them to run from humans, either in play or to avoid punishment. Too many dogs have lost their lives being hit by cars because of having been accidentally taught this behavior. Play games that bring the dog to you. Retrieving is ideal.

Don't Corner the Dog
One situation in which people tend to corner dogs is to get something back that the dog has swiped. Teach the dog to bring it to you instead. If you must get something from the dog before you've established this training, be gentle and reward the dog for giving you the item, even if you've just had to gently remove it from the dog's mouth. This is a really good reason to do that grooming and handling practice on handling the dog's mouth EVERY day, starting the day you bring your new dog home!

Never Fight with Your Dog
Humans have the advantage over dogs in thinking ability. Use your brain instead of physical force to deal with your dog. In the midst of a fight, the dog can't think, and the human isn't thinking clearly, either. S-l-o-w things down, use that magnificent brain of yours, and get what you need with creativity-and humor, whenever possible. Dogs appreciate a good joke.

Redirect Instinctive Behaviors Instead of Trying to Squash Them
Some behaviors are hardwired. Try telling a mother not to protect her child and see how far you'll get! Much of the instinctive behavior in our dogs is a mystery to the average human, so you're probably best off to figure it's pretty much all instinct. When the dog wants to do something you don't want, find a compromise. Figure out what behavior would satisfy the dog, teach the dog to do that behavior, and consistently redirect the dog into the compromise behavior whenever the temptation arises to do the behavior you do not want. Retrieving is one of the finest options for redirecting instinctive behaviors, especially the wilder instincts. Kissing can be a good redirect for nipping with teeth. Offering a paw to shake or a ball to toss is good as an alternative to jumping up on people. Spend some time thinking about what you would like your dog to do instead of the behavior you don't like. It's a great way to learn to live together.

Dogs Come in Kits

Dogs come down from heaven in kits that have to be lovingly assembled by the people on earth who care about them. We can make choices about breed and sex, choices that will give every dog the best chance of a home with someone who has the resources to fill that dog's needs. But the dog you bring home is only the starting point.

The dogs capable of the most work are also the ones capable of the most wildness when their working ability isn't properly directed. Such a dog can become the light of your life when the two of you become a team and develop smooth communication. What began as wildness can become power to fuel a great life together.