Advice on giving double commands, ankle biting

[typerk]

From Adam of course...

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Why You Do Not Want to Give Double-Commands

- Ankle Biting

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Why You Do Not Want to Give Double-Commands

Never give a command that you cannot enforce. Another way of
saying this is: Always make sure that you have someway to enforce
your commands, until your dog is 100% conditioned.

When teaching new commands--or even enforcing commands that your dog
already knows--give the command only once... then make your dog do it.
(Just Do It, as Nike says!)

I don't advise repeating a command over and over again. Even for a
puppy.

Say it once. Don't get in the habit of issuing double, triple or
quadruple commands. You need to teach the dog the right way, from
the start:

Here is the chain of training:

Command - Action/Behavior - Praise - Release.

For example: Say, "Sit," once (command). Then make the dog sit.
(Action/behavior). Then say, "Good dog!" and give her a scratch
behind the ears. (Praise). Then say, "Take a break," or "Free".
(Release).

Then do it over again.

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Ankle Biting

Dear Adam:

I have a five month-old Maltese and I'm having a problem with him
nipping at my ankles and pulling on my pant legs. Also could I use
a pinch collar on him? He only weighs 4lbs. Thanks for any help
you can give me.

Regards,
Marie

Dear Marie,

By biting your ankles and pulling your pant legs, he is asking for
attention. I find it hard to think that he is trying to dominate
you at this age, so the behavior is probably more related to
attention. You need to eliminate this behavior verbal correction
IN CONJUNCTION WITH grabbing the scruff of his neck and giving a
firm pull.

If it's easier, use a prong collar on because the collar only
pinches the skin instead of constricting against the neck. While
they are very hard to find in conventional pet stores, they are
available online and can be found by typing "micro prong collar"
into a search engine. It will help you communicate with your dog
in a way he understands. However, it's unlikely