Activities

Things to do with your basenji. The list of recognized sports has grown a great deal over the years, and basenjis have proven they can compete in most of them. Pick a tab below; Bulletin articles from members who have done it are linked alongside the guides.

How Dogs Learn

An introduction to principle-based dog training. Read this before working through any of the discipline guides below.

By David Ryan, PGDip (CABC) CCAB, 4 October 2009. Reproduced with permission from David Ryan Dog Behaviour Consultancy. The Basenji Club of America does not endorse any particular trainer or product.

Dog breeds

First we must start with what kind of dog you have. All dogs come with the basic starter pack of genes - they instinctively know that food, company, and a tickled tummy are nice. Added on to that are the things your type of dog was originally bred for. Dogs find any instinctive behavior, the things they were bred for, fun to do.

Labradors revel in retrieving, Greyhounds get a kick out of chasing, and Collies get high on herding. That is not to say you cannot train a Greyhound to retrieve, but expect it to be more difficult than training a Labrador. Anything your dog has been bred for will be easier to train because they already like to do it. The down side: for the same reason, it can be very difficult to train a dog not to do something they have been bred for.

Mixed breeds get a mixture of behavior. This can actually be easier - for example, a Lab/Collie cross may like chasing after things AND retrieving them back. What types of behavior has your dog inherited?

What is a reward?

We are going to use rewards when training, but to do that we must know what is rewarding for your dog. Most dogs like food treats, stroking, and praise, but breed preferences might mean your dog would rather have a game of chase, or fetch, or a tug on a toy.

What does your dog like? If you decide on food treats, make it something extra special, not just ordinary dog nosh. We are expecting your dog to perform really well, so they should get a really good reward.

Right from wrong

Dogs learn the right way to behave by experience. What they are rewarded for, they do again. But you cannot tell them, "This sausage is for not jumping up at me when I came in just now."

They learn by associating what they are doing at the time with the reward. The best learning takes place if we can reward the dog the moment it performs the behavior we want. One second afterwards may be too late. So if we can arrange for the dog to be sitting quietly by showing them a piece of sausage, and then give them the sausage, they will understand that the reward is for sitting quietly, not for jumping up.

Fortunately, there is a way to extend the timing of the reward. Add a word as you give the reward - I use "Okay" - and your dog will learn that the word means it has done the right thing and the reward is coming.

Lure and reward

Now we have principle-based dog training. To teach a dog any behavior, we lure the dog into the behavior we want and then reward them. It will work for any behavior, provided we can think of a way of getting the dog into the position, or performing the behavior, we want.

Wrong from right

But what if they do the wrong thing? We take away not only the reward, but also the possibility of the reward. Put the reward away (back in your pocket, maybe), and then also take away your attention. Turn around, fold arms, look at the sky. Your dog does not exist. Then turn back around and try again with the treat.

If you add a different word - I like "ah!" because I never use it in any other context - it becomes a signal that the dog has done the wrong thing and will not be rewarded. Eventually the word alone will be enough.

The four stages of learning a new behavior

All dogs go through the same series of processes when learning a new behavior.

Acquisition. The dog learns that something new is happening. Raise a treat above your dog's head and say "sit". When the dog sits, drop the treat into their mouth. Your dog learns that if they sit when you ask, a reward follows.

Fluency. You practice until your dog sits immediately. These first two stages are usually quite quick.

Generalisation. The longest stage, often months. Your dog must learn that "sit" means sit, regardless of anything else. Sit means sit when you say it quietly, or quickly; when you are wearing a hat, or standing on one leg; when you are in the kitchen, or the vet's; when you are near, or far away. Your dog learns that nothing else matters but the word "sit".

Maintenance. Practice every now and then so your dog does not forget.

Attention span

Dogs have a short attention span and learn best with short, five-minute bouts of teaching several times a day. Start teaching a new behavior somewhere with no distractions. When your dog is fluent, introduce distractions gradually so that generalisation takes place. The quickest learning will take place when your dog can focus on you and the task in hand.

For example, start training in a familiar place like the living room, where there is nothing else to interest your dog. When they are fluent, take the training into the garden, where it will regress. Become fluent again before introducing more distractions like on a walk, and then take another step back to become fluent again. Finally, practice in as many different places as you can.

Punishment

There should be no need for smacking, hitting with a rolled-up newspaper, or any other barbaric practice. If your dog is misbehaving, ignoring it is the best thing you can do. If the behavior cannot be ignored, disrupt it in some way and prevent it from happening again. Train an alternative, acceptable behavior in its place.

Progression

You can progress by:

  • No longer having the reward visible.
  • Withholding the reward for all but the best performances.
  • Changing the reward: instead of a food treat, give praise or a game sometimes.
  • Rewarding intermittently: once every three, or five times, like a slot machine.
  • Doing all of these at once.

In a nutshell

  • Take into account your dog's genes.
  • Reward good behavior and ignore bad.
  • Disrupt any bad behavior you cannot ignore, and prevent it happening again.
  • Substitute an alternative, acceptable behavior for the bad.

You now have the knowledge to train any dog to do anything. Give it a try.

Further reading