Dear Old Trainer: You wrote about the "hold" command, and how to teach it. You said it was an important command, but I didn't understand how you teach it. If it is that important, will you please explain it again?
Missed It, Merced
A: It is, and The Old Trainer will.
The point of the Hold command, Missed It, is to give you control over your dog, no matter how far away he may be. It teaches the dog to stop what he is doing and stand still until you tell him to move.
The exercise involves three parts. After you have walked long enough for the dog to calm down a little, (1) say his name and give the command, "Hold." At the same time (2) tug on the leash to force him to stop. When he does, (3) pet him and praise him.
Walk another 10 yards or so and repeat the three steps, then resume the walk. Go through the exercise four or five times. On the return, do the same thing. Make the exercise a part of every walk. At some point the dog will stop the minute he hears the command without the tug on the leash. Give him lavish praise when he does.
Continue this training every day, and extend it to times when you are in your yard or the dog park and he is off-leash.
Remember -- always pet and praise him when he does it. Anytime he ignores the order, put him back on the leash and resume the training.
Dear Old Trainer: I just lost my beloved Corgi, George, who was 14. I expected his lifelong pal, Henry, a 7-year-old Corgi, to be sad, but he seems to be totally unaffected. I don't understand how he just goes on with his life as if nothing happened. Is that normal?
Puzzled, South Lake Tahoe.
A: It is for a dog, Puzzled.
Dogs, unlike humans, are experts in the art of living in the present.
Humans cannot master this trick. In fact, a case can be made that most people spend every minute of their time attempting to avoid the present. The eminent Dr. Samuel Johnson made that argument.
"No mind is much employed on the present," Johnson said. "Recollection and anticipation fill up almost all our days."
Why humans find reminiscence and expectation so irresistible is not known, but it is undeniable. Where was your mind before starting this column? On the immediate task before you or on the old love you once knew? Or the new love you dream of meeting on a warm summer night?
It is a rare week that does not bring a movie or novel or TV series about traveling to the future or reliving the past. It is a human preoccupation that may arise, as The Old Trainer suspects, from the attempt to deal with the pain that is a part of so many lives.
In any event, dogs do not suffer from this condition. They live in the present, with little thought for the past. They give unconditional love, and that requires all their time.
Henry is concerned with watching you and reading your body language. With taking a walk or playing with his favorite toy. With crawling onto your lap for some love.
He is far too busy enjoying life and loving you to worry about the past. So don't worry about Henry. Just be glad you have him, and make sure he is as happy as he makes you.
Send Questions for The Old Trainer to: theoldtrainer711@yahoo.com.
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