MANAGEMENT 101

Often when people get a new puppy, they eagerly sign up for puppy obedience classes and try to do everything right, but their puppy still chews up everything in the house and seems difficult to house train. That’s because new dog owners usually are not taught the simple idea of management. What exactly is management? Management is when you, the owner, decide what situations your dog will be in, and then you control the dog within those situations. For example, will your dog be in the living room when you have company? If so, will he be on a leash, in his crate, or staying obediently on his bed? Is he calm and well behaved enough to be free? Or maybe he needs to stay in the other room. Management is not obedience training. Obedience training is following commands. Dogs don’t have to be obedience trained to be controlled through proper management.

Dogs often receive too much freedom before they are ready for it, especially puppies. Young dogs and new adoptees should be kept on a leash, in a crate, or an exercise pen at all times, including in the house. So, if you are hanging out watching TV with your puppy, have him on a leash. When you go to the kitchen to get a snack, he comes with you on the leash. When you go to the bathroom, he comes with you on the leash. When you have to do something where it would be impractical to hold the leash, put him in the crate. It only takes two seconds with your back turned for him to get into the trash. If you’re getting ready for work, and he’s hanging with you off-leash, you won’t notice that he sneaked into your kid’s room to pee. You thought he was lying by the fridge while you were cooking, but a few minutes later you realize he’s destroying that new $50 dog bed you just bought. If you can’t hold the leash, the dog should go in the crate or pen. Simply do not allow your puppy or dog to practice bad behaviors. The purpose of management is to avoid setting your dog up for failure, while avoiding a lot of headaches for yourself. Although managing your dog is the most basic element of responsible dog ownership, it is important to work with a trainer to learn how to establish pack structure and then move on to obedience training and beyond.

Good management really comes down to learning to recognize and avoid potential problems. If you have a problem with your dog in a certain area when walking, don’t go to that area. If your dog is unruly around visitors, put the dog in the crate when you have company. Management is simply thinking ahead of the dog at all times. It is the simplest solution to avoiding problems and can be practiced without any specific training. Working through a problem like teaching a dog not to jump on visitors is a training issue. Keeping that dog away from visitors is the most basic way of dealing with the issue. That’s management. Obviously, many owners will want to progress further than simply managing their dog.

The most important thing you can do for your dog is to be consistent. Consistency is the basis for fair leadership, and allows the dog to keep his dignity because he knows what to expect. With proper management, there is no need for harsh corrections. Do not be in a hurry to give your puppy/new dog too much freedom. You are laying the foundation now for a lifetime of calm, gentle leadership.