“Once upon a time, life was good,” says Barbara, a Boston dog owner that emailed the author for advice. “We got Chelsea eight years ago to be company for our older dog. Everything was great. They played together. We took them camping. We could leave them alone without fear of what we might find when we returned. Now, eight years later, our older dog, Chad, has passed away and we figured that Chelsea would love the company of another dog, so we got a puppy. Well Dylan is now 65 pounds and eleven months old and I can’t imagine life with two dogs being any worse.
"No only has Dylan not learned from Chelsea, but rather Chelsea seems to have regressed. She does few of the wonderful things we were used to; she came to us consistently when called, she would walk at heal, and I could get her to stay even when we were having meals. Now she is as obnoxious as Dylan. I have tried working with them, but with no success. If I try to work with one the other one butts in. I have even tried to lock one of them in the bathroom but all they do is howl. It seems hopeless.”
Barbara’s is a common problem, but one for which the solution may be easier than one would think.
Working Each Dog Separately
Dogs living with other dogs have a tendency to focus on each other and less on the humans. It is important for the owner(s) to bond and work with each dog apart from the other.
If more than one human is available, one can be working with one dog, say in the house or a particular area in the house, and one can be working with the other, say in the yard or a separate area. Taking the dogs for separate walks and working with them during the walks is another possibility.
Working the Dogs Together
The trick here is to secure one dog while putting the other one through his paces.
Start by attaching a leash to something stable, perhaps the leg of a couch; outside it could be a tree. Attach one dog to the leash within viewing distance—close enough so as to not feel left out, but out of reach of the other dog.
In the case of Barbara, she practices with Chelsea the “wonderful things” she used to do. She has her sit and stay. She works on recall and heel. After two or three minutes, Chelsea is leashed and Dylan is put through his paces.
The Training Sessions
In terms of verbal cues, low and slow equals control. During the training sessions, Barbara should use a different voice from the one she uses in everyday speech. This voice isn’t loud or angry; it demands a descending intonation and slow delivery.
If Chelsea has forgotten too much or refuses, Barbara should use a leash to help Chelsea to follow through when told to “come” or “sit and stay”. Chelsea should never be reprimanded for not responding to Barbara’s cues. If she doesn’t perform, then Barbara helps her to follow through and rewards her even though Barbara had to help her to be successful.
Not only should Chelsea be reminded that she can get positive attention for cooperating, but it is important that Dylan see her getting rewarded. Rewards can be in the form of praise, play, toys, or treats. It is suggested that the treats, toys, and play only be given during these sessions, i.e. the only time either dog gets a treat (high value ones such as cheese or pieces of chicken) is during these training sessions.
Barbara should ignore Dylan if he is carrying on about being out of the loop. These dogs need to learn that only the good will be rewarded. He doesn’t even get negative attention, in the form of chastising, for example.
Barbara works Chelsea about one to two minutes only. Now it’s Dylan’s turn. Chelsea is secured. Dylan’s regime might be a bit easier. But for the next two minutes, he needs to learn that two things are going to happen: one is that he will do the things he is told to do (and if he fails to do so, Barbara follows through and guides him to do what he is told to do) and two, he will get lots of love/praise for doing those things. After the two minutes are up, Barbara works Chelsea while Dylan is secured and so on.
Repetition is the Key
Working the dogs three or more times a day, for a total of about 15 minutes of total training per day per dog is sufficient. The repetition here and there throughout the day, not the length of time of each session, makes the process much more effective.
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