As many of you may already know, I have retired from hands-on training. My assistant of many years, Ashleigh Morris, took over all my classes in 2006 when I got sick and has been doing a wonderful job. Although I’m much better now, I decided it was time to retire (other than writing these articles) and let the younger generation continue on, having far more energy than I possess. However, it dawned on me the other day that perhaps I should enroll in one of Ashleigh’s classes.

True, I still know how to train a dog. True, I have dogs in my house who are trained. However, I’m ashamed to admit that I have fallen into the “little dog trap.” I started fostering a small Yorkie with neurological problems. Her diagnosis is somewhat unknown. She has an enlarged liver and walks like she’s drunk; but since she’s been with us and lost some weight, she is now showing some spunk in life. We don’t know if she will be with us for months or years, which is one of the reason adopting her is difficult. Plus, we have fallen in love with her little tenacious Yorkie ways. She makes us laugh.

Now back to the confession part, I haven’t trained this little dog. After all, she’s cute, she’s little, and the poor thing is disabled. Gotta give her a break, right? Wrong! The biggest mistake people make when they bring a dog into their home is to feel sorry for their past and delay or avoid training because they want the dog to just “relax” and have a nice life in a loving home. The problem with this is many dogs will look around and say, “Hey no one here is in charge. I better take over and keep this place in line.” This is not something we want our dogs to think—large or small.

Realizing the other day that I had been amiss in not training this little Yorkie, who has proven that although she walks like she’s drunk she is actually quite intelligent, I decided to embark on a training program for her. When one thinks of training, we usually refer to the basics of sit, down, stay, come, and walking on a loose leash. I immediately realized that the “basics” weren’t so basic for this little dog. When your balance is a problem sitting, down, and walking next to someone can actually be quite challenging tasks.

It instantly became clear that luring this wobbly little girl into a sit was not going to work. I knew she could sit, because I had seen her do it, so I decided to just wait and reward her every time she sat. It worked, sort of. She learned to sit, but only in one spot, in one room, and she has to walk away from me, turn around, and then sit in the spot. OK, that’s a start.

Then I fell into the next trap that many people do when training. Since the sit took so much time, I started to justify my lack of training. “She’s good dog,” I told myself. “She does what I need,” I defended to the trainer within. “She goes outside and uses the bathroom … most of the time. Besides, when she does pee inside it’s not that big of a puddle.” Justification. “She comes when I call her … most of the time.” Rationalization. “She knows how to fetch a toy.” See? She’s trained—delusional. “She can even figure out how to get her toy out of a big cat bed with a hole in it when the hole is on the top. She’s a freakin’ genius.” Assuaging my inner trainer.

Making excuses for our dogs, does not excuse us from training them properly. This genius of a Yorkie has me trained wonderfully. She barks obnoxiously to get me to throw a toy. I ignore her until I can’t take it anymore and throw the toy, teaching her that the more annoying you get the more likely you get what you want. Great! By not using a crate when I go away and giving her excuses when she does pee on the floor, the problem only grows. She only does this when I first come home, so a crate would solve the issue … “but then she’d have to be in a crate all day and that seems so cruel.” Good grief! Every excuse that I used to get so frustrated with clients for using, I’m doing! Sigh. How did I become this person? How did this tiny little ball of fur, turn me into someone who makes excuses for her dog instead of training?

Life has a way of putting situations in your path to show you that you don’t know it all. As someone who has always had medium to large dogs, I get it now all you small dog people who I nagged over the years. I get it, but I still hold true to my principles of training. These little guys need to be put down on the floor and trained.

Training shows dogs that there are rules; that listening and following instructions leads to good things. They may be little, but they have big brains and thoughts. Training helps put those thoughts to good use instead of mischievous ones. Food toys, challenges in finding toys (hide toys under a blanket and let them use their digging desires and noses to find toys and treats), and training basic skills will making living with a little dog even more enjoyable.

There are new classes starting at the Dog Spot in the Fork Union Community Center in January. Sign up now and make your New Year’s resolution to train your dog—large, medium or small. I just might see you there! Happy New Year!