Terry Ryan - The Toolbox for Building a Great Family Dog

The Toolbox for Building a Great Family Dog

Terry Ryan

Dogwise Publishing

A Division of Direct Book Service, Inc.

403 South Mission Street, Wenatchee, Washington 98801

509-663-9115, 1-800-776-2665

www.dogwisepublishing.com / info@dogwisepublishing.com

2011 Terry Ryan

Graphic design: Lindsay Peternell

Illustrations: Elaine Diedrich, Jackie McCowen

Some of this content has previously appeared in The Toolbox for Remodeling Your Problem Dog, The Bark Stops Here and Coaching People to Train Their Dogs. Used with permission from Terry Ryan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty:

The author and publisher shall not be liable in the event of incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance, or use of the instructions and suggestions contained in this book.

ISBN 978-1929242-795

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ryan, Terry, 1946 Mar. 5

The toolbox for building a great family dog / Terry Ryan.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-929242-79-5

1. DogsTraining. I. Title.

SF431.R9349 2010

636.70887dc22

2010041139

Printed in the U.S.A.

To Gus, a special agility dog.

More praise for The Toolbox for Building a Great Family Dog

I remember Terrys original Toolbox from way back whenus newbie trainers considered it the gospel! It was a succinct, practical guide for pet owners. I sat down to peruse the new, revised and expanded Toolbox and DID NOT PUT IT DOWN UNTIL I WAS FINISHED! It is an outstanding guide for dog people.

What consistently impresses me about Terry is her relentless determination to make training and behavior modification fit the needs of everyday pet owner. Terry has been an icon in the dog-training field since before I entered it in 1981, and is one of the most influential dog trainers ever. Never stale, never outdated, never ignorant of all the new developments in dog training and behavior. And she incorporates all the knowledge she gathers: drawing from biology, ethology, learning theory, wolves, chickens, dogs living in a dump in Mexico Cityyou name it. The result is a book filled with the best advice an owner could ask for.

The Feng Shui of Terrys brain is pure and healthy. She is able to organize all her vast knowledge into an efficient, tidy, uncluttered, relevant and useful book.

This book is as much a relationship-builder as it is a training manual. The exercises in the book inspires a dog-human partnership that is healthy, clear, humane and, most importantly, successful.

Sue Sternberg, author of Serious Fun, Out and About With Your Dog, Successful Dog Adoption, and a host of DVDs on dog behavior. www.suesternberg.com.

Okay, Ill admit it. After readingTerry Ryans The Toolbox for Building a Great Family Dog I just had to go to my bookshelf and dig up some of her previous books. Sure enough, this Toolbox combines new knowledge with tried and true advice from not just one, but three of Ryans classic releases. She has honored the flavor and structure of her previous work while infusing it with new energy and knowledge.

Simply put, this book is not only going on my bookshelf, it will be on my recommended reading list for new clients and K9 handlers.

Steve White, Police K9 Trainer

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I didnt plan to write this book. It sort of evolved on its own. Its predecessor, The Toolbox for Remodeling Your Problem Dog was published by Howell Book House in 1998. It was simply a documentation of what I was doing to help clients change inappropriate behavior in their pet dogs. Its been out of print for years. When Dogwise Publishing asked if they could reprint it, I hesitated, but eventually said yes. I explained, Its old, give me a while, it needs tweaking. Im not doing things exactly that way now-a-days.

Well, the tweaking turned into a major rewrite. One thing led to another. There was a lot I wasnt doing any more, including waiting for problems to happen and then trying to fix them. Ive taken a much more proactive attitude in the last decade, developing new puppy programs and pet dog foundation exercises to try to circumvent the problems people have been talking to me about for the last forty-something years.

The new Toolbox emphasizes setting the stage to allow a great pet to happen. It focuses on building a relationship with your dog, the home environment and life styles, in addition to training basic manners. You will see that I place particular emphasis on providing the proper home environment when it comes to living with a family dog. The chapter titles Ive chosen build a link between constructing a home and training a dogfrom making plans, to understanding the use of the materials, to building a foundation, and so on all the way up to the finishing touches.

Its an exciting time to be involved in dog training. Change is happening. Opinions, trends, and in some cases, even some of the science and terminology has changed since I got started. Ive dropped several terms from my vocabulary. Little by little Im phasing out terms like leadership and social hierarchy. These are valid concepts, but they are often interpreted and portrayed in ways that I personally feel areto be bluntnot good for dogs, not beneficial for people, and not helpful for society in general.

In the early1960s, when I first attempted to collect the complete dog training library, there were less than ten books (in English) on the topic. Now there seem to be ten different TV shows on training, let alone scores of new books, magazines, DVDs, internet lists, on-line seminars, and a growing variety of types of training equipment. How do we sort through all of this in the name of humane and effective dog training?

Well, one thing has remained constant and true. The experts have the real information. Those experts are the dogs. While it would be easier for us if dogs could talk, fortunately they do use a languagebody languagethe principal way in which they communicate. I have learned how to read at least some of what they express. So far, Ive just accumulated many more questions about dogs than answers, but some things are falling into place. Ive learned to take a multi-disciplinary approach in my attempt to understand and train dogs. Veterinarians, biologists, psychologists, ethologists, and many others outside of the dog training field have helped me realize the importance of the many independent variables you must consider to get close to understanding what makes each individual dog tick.

Lets first learn about the basic building blocks required to help construct a great family dog.

YOUR DOGS BEHAVIOR

Understanding your dogs behavior will make you a better trainer.

Many people think about dog training the same way they think about driving a car. I just want to get into the drivers seat and drive. I dont want to know all about whats going on under the hood. Just learning to steer, brake, and accelerate might be okayuntil something goes wrong that requires knowing more than how to turn the key and step on the gas pedal. I believe its the same with dogs. It helps to understand the inner workings of dogs if you are going to be able to train them effectively and coexist with them happily.