Joplin Humane Society

Maybe you don’t mind it when an affectionate pup jumps up to lick your face. After all, this is a dog’s way of greeting someone he loves. And maybe your Mother doesn’t object if Beans curls up on the sofa for a snooze. But whatever the rules in your house about these matters, Beans should be taught not to do them for the sake of other people who may not like them. Once you have taught him to obey when you tell him to get down, you can then let him do what you like in your own home. But at least you’ll know he will mind you in the homes of other people.

There are several ways of teaching him these particular manners. But none of them will work unless you are very strict. If you let Beans jump up on you one day, then punish him for jumping up on you the next day, he will never understand which you want. So once you start to train him not to jump up on you or the furniture, stick to your guns until he obeys.

One method of teaching him is to see that he understands the meaning of the word “down,” as explained on page 50. When he understands this command, you can use it if he jumps up either on people or furniture.

Another method is to teach him the meaning of the word “sit.” To do this, put Beans on a leash in the house. Walk a bit, then stop, holding the leash in your left hand. With your right hand, press down on Beans’s back near his tail, saying “Sit:” He may resist, but push firmly until he is sitting. If he stays there a few seconds, that’s very good for the first lesson. Pet him for this, and praise him.

Now start walking again, repeat the stop, say “Sit,” and push down on his back until Beans sits again. Keep repeating this until he sits each time you say that word, without your having to push him down. Don’t let him lie down. If he tries to he down, push up his front feet until he’s in the sitting position, and repeat “Sit.” He should stay seated as long as you stand beside him.

When he’s learned this much, take off the leash and let Beans walk around by himself for a minute, then say “sit.” If he doesn’t, go to him and push him down. Repeat the command until he sits whenever you order him to. Then walk around him while he’s sitting. He will want to follow you, but keep telling him to sit, until he stays seated.

After he’s learned this, you can walk farther away, ordering him to sit. Finally, he should stay seated no matter how far away you go nor how long you stay away. Give him a reward of a bit of food when he does this. He will soon learn to stay seated until you say “O.K.,” or whatever word you will use to tell him he can move again. But remember . . . patience.

Once he understands them, you can use the words “sit” and “down” to stop him from jumping up on people. If he still persists in this bad habit, you might try the following: As soon as he jumps up on you, quickly raise your knee under his chest and push him off balance so he falls down. Do this very fast. It won’t hurt him. But he won’t know that you have done it. He will only know that something unpleasant happens to him every time he jumps up on you. And soon he’ll stop jumping.

If he persists in sleeping on the sofa in spite of your commands to get down, you can try one of two things: If he is a large dog, ask one of your parents to set a mousetrap. Place this in the chair or sofa he likes. When he jumps into this, the trap will go off with a noise that will scare him, although the trap itself won’t hurt him.

If he’s a small dog, the trap might catch a paw. So instead of setting a trap, balance a large tin pan on the edge of the chair, so that when he jumps into the chair, the pan will fall with a clatter. One or two experiences with this horrible noise, and Beans should be cured of chairs for life.

The most effective way to break him of these two jumping habits, as any other bad habit, is your firmness in never letting him jump up on you or the furniture. This means never. It also means never let your friends permit him to do this. Later, after he’s learned his lessons, you can permit him to do these things if you wish.

Next to housebreaking, the problem of a puppy’s chew. ing up valuables seems to worry parents the most. But compared to housebreaking, this really is a simple problem to solve.

From the very first day you bring Beans home, give him his own toys. These need not be expensive. A rag stuffed with smaller rags and knotted together makes a fine doll. An old leather belt, with the buckle removed, makes a good pulling toy.

Don’t give him old socks or shoes to chew on. He will find it hard to tell the difference between the old ones you allow him to play with, and your new ones which he must not touch. A hard-rubber ball or a chocolate-scented bone bought at a pet shop or ten-cent store will keep him busy for hours. And this is just what you must do . . . keep him busy with his own toys in his own pen. This will keep him happy during the time when he is left alone. It will also keep him away from the temptation of your Dad’s hat, your sister’s gloves, or your Mother’s nylons.

When you let Beans out of his pen to play in the living room or in your room, bring one or two of his own toys with you. If he then starts to chew up a nice fat pillow or your favorite catcher’s mitt, take this away from him with a sharp “No!” Give him one of his own toys immediately, and pet him when he chews that. You’ll have to watch him, of course, no matter how many toys he has. A puppy that is teething will sink his teeth into anything he can find. So it’s up to you to see that those little teeth can’t find anything valuable-at least until Beans is grown-up enough to know the difference between a bone and a bedroom slipper.

One important thing to remember about his toys: do not give him any soft-rubber or sponge-rubber toys. It is too easy for Beans to chew o$ a piece of such rubber and swallow it. This sticks to the inside of his stomach and call make him very sick. Give him only hard-rubber toys, and then only when you’re playing with him. And be careful of toys with “squeakers” in them. He might swallow the little whistle.

If you remember these general rules, you are now ready to begin to teach Beans his house manners. Now that he is housebroken, the next thing he must learn is not to bite, even in fun; not to jump up on people or furniture; to come when called; to go to bed when he’s told to; and not to whine or bark when he’s left alone.

Even as a pup, Beans will nip at your fingers when he’s playing with you. Very seldom does a puppy bite in anger. Biting and chewing are two of his greatest pleasures at this age, and he simply does not understand that what’s fun for him may hurt a person or another animal. The way to get him to stop biting is to make him realize that his teeth can hurt.

Starting when he is several months old, you can teach him this fact in this way: every time he nips you, press his cheek in between his teeth and jaws with your thumb and first finger. Then hold out your other hand and tempt him to snap at it. When he does, he will bite down on his own cheek instead. If you do this faithfully, saying “No! No biting!” in a firm but not a loud voice, he will soon learn that trying to bite your hand only hurts him and makes you cross. Being sensible, he’ll stop biting every time you tell him to.