So just how do you use this method?

Congrats, you guys. You're lookin' good!

Under-socialized puppies are about to come flooding into rescue circles via the big Missouri centered fight bust, and rescuers are going to be faced with a special task: Making up for lost time. Workers on the ground at Humane Society Missouri - where 500+ dogs are being held including 100-some puppies - are reporting that the challenge of cleaning so many pens means little or no time left over for helping new puppies learn the good skills they need to help them grow into well-balanced adult dogs, and that can present an obvious problem.

We met 'the challenge' when we brought Elvessa home from the bust dog batch that landed in Oklahoma this summer. Elvessa had one other sibling when she was seized and a sweet but very stressed mama dog. At just seven weeks old, she was full of piss & vinegar and she was willing to assert her boss-dom on dogs five times her size - Yikes. Needless to say we worried about her future. Time to call up a special foster home with a very special dog with a very special focus: She puts bold, pushy puppies in their place. Lily impressed us years ago when we watched her break up a squabble between two of her own puppies - And they listened. She's since helped us knock down the egos of some surprisingly scrappy little hellions and put them on the path to CGC-style manners. In a very real sense, she's helped to save a number of lives and create some wonderful Ambassadogs. What would we do without our Bitchy Queens?

If you rescue or run an adoption program at a shelter, brassy female dogs can be your best ally to whipping manner-less young pups into shape. Thanks to them, pups that may not otherwise look like good adoption candidates can make a turn-around.

When we turned Elvessa over to Jane and Ron, we told them, "Don't get attached" ... Just in case that little pup was outside of the norm. They've heard it before. But after a five week check-in this past weekend, we heaved a sigh of relief: Elvessa was taking Lily's lessons to heart. That, and all the intense socializing Jane and Ron have given her with every kind of dog they could find. She greeted our dogs with calm interest and she offered an appropriate play style this weekend. A miracle - No more Cujo Puppy. Because she's drivey, she may not be an easy dog to own and she's not going to be a dog-park dog, but in the right home that relishes rules, she'll be a little Smarty Pants Super Star.

In addition to hooking under-socialized pups up with a surrogate no-holds-barred mama dog, Vessa's foster parents set up house rules from Day One. Nothing in Life is Free kind of rules, And they stood firm. Jane used to teach middle school and she told me, "What's a pit bull after dealing with a roomful of eighth graders?"

We don't have any blow by blow video of the first days of Vessa's Boot Camp, but we're pretty sure it was loud and that there were times when Jane and Ron wondered if they should intervene. We're glad they didn't! We're told Lily held Vessa down when she had temper tantrums and even dinged her faced with a mama-style correction, then rewarded her for good signals by giving her what every puppy wants: A happy playmate. Through a combo of tough-love lessons and positive reinforcement, Lily is teaching this under-socialized fight bust pup how to be a real dog. Thank you Lily!

How loud does it get? This here's a video of our Sally, teaching a young female - also from a fight bust - to cool out on the spazzy-slam play style. In a couple of days, once the pup shows due respect, Sally may initiate some play on her terms. Maybe. It's fascinating what we can learn from watching our pit bulls socialize other pit bulls --- and a classic reminder that, yes, they're still dogs.

I'm wondering what you think regarding "Reversing Attention on Demand" in the NILIF method.... My Lucy doesn't demand attention, but she does demand to give affection with kisses. She will do a very thorough cleaning job on your face (or in my boyfriend's case, since he is going bald and shaves the rest of his hair - she cleans his whole head). She also demands to cuddle. I certainly love her kisses and cuddles, but is that the same as demanding attention? She will try to insist on sitting between my boyfriend and I but if we actually want to sit next to each other on occasion we do make her sit elsewhere. It may take a few tries to get her to do it, but she will always do it (and pout about it!)

I snapped this not-so-nice photo of a stressed little boy-dog when things were at their worst for him a few days ago. I want to remember this moment.

He didn't come from a cruelty case. He's a locally rescued dog who's still unwinding from several weeks of Good Intention Overload.

Let me tellya! His original rescuer didn't know it at the time, but by taking a drivey little never-had-nothing orphan and then lavishing heaps of freebies on him - free affection, free praise, free treats and snuggle time in her bed - she created the most insufferable BRAT.

Terrifically-Spoiled dog had lots of love on tap but no rules and not a leader in sight. His baby brain couldn't handle the freedom, the excitement, the non-stop vending machine of Life's biggest party. So, like a triple-latte-tanked teenager with a paw full of mom's credit cards, he (understandably) made all kinds of bad decisions, which got him ejected from one foster situation to another to another...to another! All told, this dog was said to be in eight or nine different addresses in ten weeks time. Just imagine.

o here he is, in our program now, making us slightly nuts (well, much less nuts than HE was a few days ago).

We'll ride it out. There will be rules. There will be structure. You will not snark dogs, chase cats, bounce off my body or otherwise get what you think you deserve. We'll ignore you when you holler, beg, cajole, YODEL for attention, and if you persist - Yes, Little Stinker - we will zap you with the squirt bottle and walk away ... entirely unimpressed. Gasp.

We're cold as ice, baby.

You are no longer a six figure rock star bouncing from one terribly exciting situation to the next. You are just a cadet in our bootcamp. We don't care how cute you are - Your pleading eyes will not move us to feed your addiction to frenzy.

Life will be perfectly boring, and you'll be forced to rest, ponder, breathe - come back down to earth, already. When you get out for stretches and exercise, you'll have to work for everything. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. When you're ready to play with dogs again, you'll be grounded and sane - Not spastic and defensive (not surprising, spazz boy got into some scraps before he came to us). You'll look to your new leader(s) and we'll coo - very quietly so it doesn't excite you - "yes. good boy." But only when you do the good stuff.

And when we get to the other side of this, you will be truly adorable, and the world will wonder how such a fabulous dog ever ended up homeless.

Sigh. We'll fool everyone - I promise.

Wish us luck. Here's some good Nothing In Life is Free information in case your dog has had access to too many credit cards in your home. And our own personal 'bible' for teaching rules to a new dog.

He won't be put in a position to snark at dogs until it's very clear that he knows what the rules are and who his boss is. He's not leash reactive, btw, but we're told he did some snarking during dog-play ... Which only means someone let him get too excited with the wrong dogs and before he was ready to handle that kind of excitement. If he were leash reactive, we'd start working on the 'leave it' command and as well as 'look at me' distraction work in preparation for group classes.

No kidding! Thanks for the timely reminder. Pit Bull owners seem to need it more than anybody. Combo of smart dogs, ridiculously cute "sad face", and poooor widdle peeboo syndrome = a desperate need for NILIF!

It wasn't until he tore up her favorite shoes that she finally conceded that mom might be right. I was as sympathetic about her stupid shoes as I am when Kreacher tries his sad face on me to entice me to share my dinner. Tough love in parenting and pibble-rearing. Just call me a big ol' meanie ;-)

Our pooooor weeeeeedle misunderstood peeboo growled at my husband on her first day because he had the audacity to enter our home. The kindest thing we ever did was practice NILIF with firm consistency and give gentle praise for a job well done. Today I have an amazing dog and a breed ambassador.

Humans need to remember that dogs are not little people in hair covered suits..even though Pitties may come as close to that as I've ever seen. lol.

I have three..and NILIF has HAD to be part of my life with them. We had an issue with our prima donna pup and toys and not so great behavior w/the others..but he's learned the rules now and I've had no further trouble with toys/snarking. And they get their treats for a job well done. That's really it..they need to know that they have to work for it. LOL..works for human pups too.

I've had the problem of "bounce off the people" too, and have found that the best method of out training this behavior is to turn away, or twist away or walk into the dog..when they find consistantly that they miss the mark..or that people aren't giving them something to bounce off of they tire of the behavior. Although, lol..they ARE tenacious about it. Like fine wine..it takes time.

The essence of NILIF (as in all training, really) is that whatever the dog wants is what YOU control and the dog learns that she is not in charge.. So if Lucy wants to give you kisses, you should require that she do something for you first (could be sit/ stay/down.. whatever. ) It almost doesn't matter what you ask her to do. Another useful component is to teach her a word for the behavior, and put her behavior on cue ("give kiss"). Then you can only allow her to do the behavior when you give her the cue.

Pit bulls are well known for being pushy with their affection. Everyone has a different tolerance for that (I'm not a big fan of frantic kissing from dogs to be perfectly honest!). You and your boyfriend should have a discussion to decide if you're okay with it or if you'd like a little less pushiness from her in this area and if so, you can create some rules around it. Your company may find it kind of icky, which would be a good reason to work on this. Expect that your dog will try even harder to get your affection for awhile if you decide to change your ritual around this, since essentially you've set this behavior into motion by allowing and encouraging it.

Sometimes frantic kissers are showing little bit of insecurity (Do you still like me? huh? huh? Do you still like me?) and if that's the case with your girl, acting like a leader by setting up some rules can actually help her feel more confident since teaching her how to work for the reward of affection will give her a way to prove to you how absolutely wonderful she is. Don't feel bad! These dogs love to work. Asking them to follow rules is very satisfying to this working breed. Giving freebies is like giving someone a college degree without asking them to go through the work of college - it means less. So asking your girl to work in exchange for your attention will cement your relationship even more.

She's getting it now b/c I'm training - wait for it - calmness. Calmness with a big yoga breath in between letters of that word. Incidentally, my trainer told me Audry, my little jumping gem, is, um, rude(!?). What? B/c we're working on competition obed work right now, it became much more apparent. sigh. Poor Audry. No more begging, no more jumping on Coal. She has a call to front and then must heel before entering the arena and all done calmly with no bounces or head butting my hand. sigh.

I find it odd that everyone thinks it's Coal who is so 'hyper'... as they say. He's also higher drive but always with a ball in his mouth and very careful and thoughtful as to where his body is in relation to me. His tail wags all the time (like hers) but his feet stay on the ground though his tail feels like a lead pipe and leaves bruises. I don't feel the tail but others comment on it - even the decoys in schutzhund work. Funny how perceptions are so different due to sizes in dogs. Audry is 40#. Coal is 89#. She's cute when she jumps. He doesn't jump. Wonder why I'm having to train calmness with Auds now. eye roll.

Nothing in Life is Free

Undesirable behavior can be caused by many things, including undetected illness. No behavior modification program should begin without first taking the dog to a veterinarian for a complete physical examination. While you're there, give your vet a printed copy of this page and ask if it would be an appropriate technique for you to try. The NILIF program is an accepted standard in dog training/behavior but it is not, and is not intended to be, a substitute for an in-person, professional evaluation of your dog's behavior. This technique is intended for dogs in good health and of sound mind and stable temperament.

The NILIF program is remarkable because it's effective for such a wide variety of problems. A shy, timid dog becomes more relaxed knowing that he has nothing to worry about, his owner is in charge of all things. A dog that's pushing too hard to become "top dog" learns that the position is not available and that his life is far more enjoyable without the title.

It is equally successful with dogs that fall anywhere between those two extremes. The program is not difficult to put into effect and it's not time consuming if the dog already knows a few basic obedience commands. I've never seen this technique fail to bring about a positive change in behavior, however, the change can be more profound in some dogs than others. Most owners use this program in conjunction with other behavior modification techniques such as coping with fear or treatment for aggression. It is a perfectly suitable technique for the dog with no major behavior problems that just needs some fine tuning.

ATTENTION ON DEMAND

The program begins by eliminating attention on demand. When your dog comes to you and nudges your hand, saying "pet me! pet me!" ignore him. Don't tell him "no", don't push him away. Simply pretend you don't notice him. This has worked for him before, so don't be surprised if he tries harder to get your attention. When he figures out that this no longer works, he'll stop. In a pack situation, the top ranking dogs can demand attention from the lower ranking ones, not the other way around. When you give your dog attention on demand you're telling him that he has more status in the pack than you do. Timid dogs become stressed by having this power and may become clingy. They're never sure when you'll be in charge so they can't relax. What if something scary happens, like a stranger coming in the house? Who will handle that? The timid dog that is demanding of attention can be on edge a lot of the time because he has more responsibility than he can handle.

Some dogs see their ability to demand attention as confirmation that they are the "alpha", then become difficult to handle when told to "sit" or "down" or some other demand is placed on them. It is not their leadership status that stresses them out, it's the lack of consistency. They may or may not actually be alpha material, but having no one in the pack that is clearly the leader is a bigger problem than having the dog assume that role full time. Dogs are happiest when the pack order is stable. Tension is created by a constant fluctuation of pack leadership

Positive Reinforcement Dog Training

Positive Reinforcement

One way to explain positive reinforcement training is giving a reward for good behavior (that reward can be praise, petting, treats, toys or just attention). This means that the behavior the dog exhibits at the moment he is rewarded will be more likely to occur in the future.

Positive reinforcement encourages your dog when he is doing something right. This is a way of communicating your wishes to your dog - they want to please us we just need to learn how to tell them what we would like them to do!

These lessons will show you how to teach your dog to pay attention, understand your signals and how to let him know when he is right. Positive reinforcement will help you to build a strong relationship with your dog based on trust and cooperation. This training allows you to assume the role as the leader in your relationship with your dog without force. These lessons and tips will show you how to teach your dog that being attentive to you will give him access to the things he considers important - food, play, toys, walks, other people, other dogs, car rides, swimming, belly scratches. You can use all these things as rewards for paying attention to you. By using the things you provide for your dog on a daily basis you can establish yourself as a caring and loving leader.

So get yourself some great treats and toys for your dog and read on!

Your Tools & Commands
Teaching Attention, The Bridge, The Lure, The Target

The following lessons will give you the tools to teach your dog the behaviors you desire such as sit, down, leave it, stay and house training too.

Set your dog up for success! It is the trainer's job to make the exercise a success, not the dog's. Once he is well trained, you can expect him to obey you and execute the commands you give him, but in the meantime, while you are in the training process, you must create the success. For example, you could help by minimizing distractions, using treats to increase motivation, trying a different tone of voice, etc.


Before you begin, you must first decide on the commands you will teach your dog. You will use a combination of hand signals and command words to tell your dog what you would like him to do. You will use a Bridge word or sound to indicate to your dog that he has done what you asked. You will give a Reward to reinforce the desired behavior. You will use a Release word to let your dog know when he has completed the command and can relax.

Choose one word for each command and use that word consistently. It is important that the whole family uses the same word for each command to effectively communicate with your dog.

For example, if you say the word "sit" to teach your dog to move to a sitting position and the word "down" to tell your dog to lie down, and someone else says "sit down" to tell your dog to move into a sit position, you will confuse your dog and make the training process take longer. Be precise.

The Bridge - a word or sound that means "You are right!" The Bridge is used at the exact second your dog does what you want. By teaching your dog a bridge word you can communicate to your pup more precisely what you are asking him to do. Some examples of good Bridges are the words "Yes", "Good" or a clicker.

The Lure - use a lure to show your dog what to do without using your hands or a leash to push/pull him into position. Hold a treat or toy in your hand and let your dog see it. You can use a lure to lure your dog into a position or to look where you would like him to look.

The Target - train your dog to Target your left hand.