The Puppy Diaries: Raising a Dog Named Scout by Jill Abramson Page A
Authors: Jill Abramson
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Scout happily followed Diane inside.
Diane spent most of the next two hours talking to Henry and me. Scout watched us attentively and was occasionally called upon for a demonstration. During that first consultation, we learned several invaluable lessons.
Diane was particularly insightful about the importance of positive reinforcement. Every time Scout did something we didn’t like, we had been using stern voices and telling her “No.” Instead, Diane said, we should focus less on correcting her negative behavior and more on rewarding her positive behavior. “Concentrate on what we want,” Diane told us. “Don’t give attention to what we don’t like.”
Scout gets her first lesson from Diane Abbott
Diane also introduced us to the use of a training clicker. When Scout responded in the way Diane wanted—such as looking at Diane when Diane spoke her name—Diane marked the behavior with a click from a red and yellow plastic clicker. Then she immediately gave Scout a treat from a little pouch that she had attached to her belt. It was filled with bits of chicken, most of them no bigger than a fingernail. Using the clicker and her treats, Diane quickly succeeded in getting Scout to respond to a number of different commands. She offered rewards for every bit of good behavior and suggested that we do the same, even if the treat was just a piece of kibble.
When Scout jumped up on us, Diane urged us to turn to the side and look away. Better to ignore Scout for a few seconds rather than scold her, and then get her to sit, followed by a click and a reward. When Scout nipped too hard during play, Diane suggested that we say “Ouch,” put our hands up, and stop play. Then, after a few seconds, we should resume playing. Diane explained that this is how puppies play with their littermates. When one gets hurt and squeals, play stops for a bit and then continues.
Diane also said she thought Scout might have become bored with her toys and suggested that we get her a Kong, a cylindrical rubber chew toy that can be smeared with peanut butter or filled with puppy treats and put in the freezer. “It can really keep dogs busy,” she said. “It’s fun and interesting for them to work at getting what’s inside.”
At mealtime, Scout had the bad habit of barking loudly as we prepared her bowl. Fortunately, Diane had a cure. She suggested that we ask Scout to sit before we put her bowl down and then reward her patience with a piece of kibble. “Nothing is free anymore,” she said. “Always ask for a sit before you feed her. Then give a click and a treat.” When we tried this approach the next time we fed her, the barking stopped immediately.
Diane, who believes that small amounts of human food are good for dogs, gave us a list of approved and forbidden ones. Yogurt, already in Scout’s diet, was fine, along with carrot chunks, cheese, and a number of other foods. On the verboten list, because they could poison a dog, were grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and, oddly, nutmeg.
This advice, of course, ran contrary to Henry’s human food ban. But after hearing more about Diane’s commonsense attitude toward food and seeing Scout’s eager response to Diane’s tiny bits of chicken, Henry
declared that Diane had changed his mind. In the wake of Diane’s visit, our pack leader’s rules underwent a rapid evolution. In no time, they changed from “No Treats Whatsoever” to “Treats at Special Moments” to “Treats Basically All The Time Unless Scout Is Biting You.” I was thrilled, of course, and secretly I hoped that one day Henry would let me return to the stove.
Without being pushy, Diane also suggested that we sign up for her next puppy kindergarten class, a package of eight sessions on Tuesday nights during which Scout would learn basic commands and socialize with other pups about her age. At the beginning of the consultation, we had talked with Diane about our plan to introduce Scout to New York, and now she told us
Diane spent most of the next two hours talking to Henry and me. Scout watched us attentively and was occasionally called upon for a demonstration. During that first consultation, we learned several invaluable lessons.
Diane was particularly insightful about the importance of positive reinforcement. Every time Scout did something we didn’t like, we had been using stern voices and telling her “No.” Instead, Diane said, we should focus less on correcting her negative behavior and more on rewarding her positive behavior. “Concentrate on what we want,” Diane told us. “Don’t give attention to what we don’t like.”
Scout gets her first lesson from Diane Abbott
Diane also introduced us to the use of a training clicker. When Scout responded in the way Diane wanted—such as looking at Diane when Diane spoke her name—Diane marked the behavior with a click from a red and yellow plastic clicker. Then she immediately gave Scout a treat from a little pouch that she had attached to her belt. It was filled with bits of chicken, most of them no bigger than a fingernail. Using the clicker and her treats, Diane quickly succeeded in getting Scout to respond to a number of different commands. She offered rewards for every bit of good behavior and suggested that we do the same, even if the treat was just a piece of kibble.
When Scout jumped up on us, Diane urged us to turn to the side and look away. Better to ignore Scout for a few seconds rather than scold her, and then get her to sit, followed by a click and a reward. When Scout nipped too hard during play, Diane suggested that we say “Ouch,” put our hands up, and stop play. Then, after a few seconds, we should resume playing. Diane explained that this is how puppies play with their littermates. When one gets hurt and squeals, play stops for a bit and then continues.
Diane also said she thought Scout might have become bored with her toys and suggested that we get her a Kong, a cylindrical rubber chew toy that can be smeared with peanut butter or filled with puppy treats and put in the freezer. “It can really keep dogs busy,” she said. “It’s fun and interesting for them to work at getting what’s inside.”
At mealtime, Scout had the bad habit of barking loudly as we prepared her bowl. Fortunately, Diane had a cure. She suggested that we ask Scout to sit before we put her bowl down and then reward her patience with a piece of kibble. “Nothing is free anymore,” she said. “Always ask for a sit before you feed her. Then give a click and a treat.” When we tried this approach the next time we fed her, the barking stopped immediately.
Diane, who believes that small amounts of human food are good for dogs, gave us a list of approved and forbidden ones. Yogurt, already in Scout’s diet, was fine, along with carrot chunks, cheese, and a number of other foods. On the verboten list, because they could poison a dog, were grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and, oddly, nutmeg.
This advice, of course, ran contrary to Henry’s human food ban. But after hearing more about Diane’s commonsense attitude toward food and seeing Scout’s eager response to Diane’s tiny bits of chicken, Henry
declared that Diane had changed his mind. In the wake of Diane’s visit, our pack leader’s rules underwent a rapid evolution. In no time, they changed from “No Treats Whatsoever” to “Treats at Special Moments” to “Treats Basically All The Time Unless Scout Is Biting You.” I was thrilled, of course, and secretly I hoped that one day Henry would let me return to the stove.
Without being pushy, Diane also suggested that we sign up for her next puppy kindergarten class, a package of eight sessions on Tuesday nights during which Scout would learn basic commands and socialize with other pups about her age. At the beginning of the consultation, we had talked with Diane about our plan to introduce Scout to New York, and now she told us
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