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Bama-Rama
Training Method
Author, Sherill McGee Gilman
Whether training a new puppy or an older
rescue pet, you can teach them to be bowl friendly, toy friendly, dog
friendly, cat friendly, and people friendly all the while they are
learning their name, with just one easy method. I refer to this training
method as the; Bama-Rama Method", since several physical and mental
exercises are "Ram-packed" into one basic exercise. This is my own
personal training method, of which I have had great personal success.
This method may not be for everyone, so read carefully and decide for
yourself.
I will begin with the example of teaching food bowl non-aggression.
BAMA-RAMA, training method:
*** you will need 2 strong baby gates and a large stainless steel
shallow baking pan or a glass Pyrex, shallow baking dish.
1) Position the two baby gates in a doorway, one stacked on top of the
other, leaving 4 inches open space under the bottom gate for passing
under food/toy, and 4" space between the two gates for passing food/toy
through.
2) position your new chowkid on one side of the gates, while positioning
yourself on the other side with a tasty meal or treats. Make sure, it is
a desirable food or treat.
3) If training with other pets, they should be on the same side of the
gate as you. UNLESS... one of your pets is dominant or showing signs of
aggression. In that case, you place yourself on the side of the most
well behaved pet(s). Sitting in a chair, slightly higher than your pet's
eye level is desirable.
Example:
I have 2 very small dogs; Molly (9 lbs) and Princess Buttercup (aka,
PB)(15 lbs). When I introduced our new chow adoptee, Colonel (now 50
lbs) to our family, I had a real challenge with size difference. Colonel
HAD to be non-aggressive towards them, or it could cost the lives of my
two little ones. Colonel could hurt them without meaning to, if he did
not learn to be gentle with his new sisters. I began by sitting on the
same side as the weaker pets...my two small dogs. Colonel, the new chow
positioned on the other side of the baby gates.
4) Prepare to hand feed your pet(s):
Using a shallow pan as described above for a food dish. Fill the food
dish with tasty food.
It is key here to have a tasty, irresistible food they "drool" over! I
used raw meat, but you can use a mixture of canned and dry if you like.
They usually don't find plain dry food irresistible.
Hold the dish in your hands, because you
control the food, right? You may need to use a lid over the food to
prevent your pets from getting to the food prematurely. You will ask
your pets to "sit". The feeding does not begin until everyone is calm,
including yourself. If they walk away, that's ok. They will be back if
they are hungry or curious. The idea is for them to learn that YOU
control the food. Simply filling a food bowl and walking away does not
accomplish this. They don't get it?
5) Feeding:
Prior to giving each pet a bite of food,
call out their name. (Begin with
the most gentle of your pets). When I say "call"
I'm referring to the tone you use when you are calling them from a
distance. It is best they learn this phonetic rhythm of their name, than
to simply say their name in a
monotone fashion. Learning by tone, teaches them that when you call
them, there is a reward in store for them. Be consistent with however
you say their name. **However, never under any circumstance should you
ever vocalize your pet's name in a harsh or negative tone. Doing so
teaches them to avoid you when called. Never, use their name in a
scolding matter, such as when they have a potty in the floor. This will
teach them to sneak off to a private location of your home and potty on
the floor, while out of your site. Soiling the house is a different
training method and is addressed in another chapter. It's meal
time...Here is exactly what I do... Scoop a bite size of food with my
fingers, (use a wooden spoon, if there is a concern that your new pet
may take your hand along with the food). I scoop up a bite with my
fingers, call out PB's name
since she is the most gentle, wait for her calmness, then I release the
food very gently to her. *Yes, in the beginning, the other two wanted to
jump in there and take the food away from her. This takes time. Next,
when all is calm, I get another scoop of food,
call out Molly's name (she is
small) and do the same. Finally, I scoop up another bite of food for
Colonel, the chowboy. I call out
his name, holding the food through the opening left at the bottom of the
baby gates. I then, release the bit of food to him. He must take it
gently or I will retract the food. I repeat this method, in the
same order over and over until
all the food is gone. Consistency is a must. They quickly learn the
order of their names, and they learn when their scoop of food is coming
next.
6) Eating from the same pan:
After you have used this method for a while, you can determine if your
pet's are ready to move on to the next phase; eating from the same pan.
I fill the shallow pan with tasty food, set the pan on the floor,
sliding half of the pan through to the other side. This way both sides
can eat at once without being able to nip each other. If one pet growls,
then reel in the pan away from the grumpy pet. Go back to step 5, as
they are not ready for step 6.
7) They are ready for this step if all goes well with step 6, feeding
from one pan divided by the baby gate. Continue this step for a very
long time, until absolutely no aggression is shown. Feeding times during
training are two to three times per day. Divide a daily serving into 3
equal, but separate meal times during training. Regular feeding is twice
daily.
What have your pets learned so far? By this step, they should know their
name and be able to distinguish it from the names of your other pets.
They have learned that YOU are in control of the food. They have learned
to respect you and will most often show you more affection.
They have learned to be patient and to accept the other pets are a part
of their pack and must eat, as well. For those who were rescued from
starvation, they have learned that they don't have to worry about ever
being hungry again, provided you have fed them at the same time of day,
each day. If your goal here, is simply to earn your pet's affection, you
are well on your way. Also, allow them to give you licks. They may begin
with licking the remaining food off of your hands. This is the start to
winning your pet's love and affection. According to canine culture,
these wonderful sloppery, licky-kisses are all a part of a grooming
ritual that is done out of love and respect for the leader of the pack.
Welcome the kisses.
9) Toy aggression:
Use the same Bama Rama method for teaching your pets to share their
toys. The baby gate position is the same. Your position is different.
You sit on the side of the most aggressive pet. Or, more ideally would
be to have a partner on the other side of baby gate to help you.
In this case, the person of whom the aggressive pet likes the most, will
position themselves on the same side of the baby gate as the toy
aggressive pet. Using a favorite toy of the toy aggressive pet, pass the
toy to the person on the side with the meeker pet. Give a treat to the
more toy aggressive pet if he/she is being nice and sharing. Basically,
you will pass the toy back and forth and reward accordingly.
**IMPORTANT; do not grab the toy or force the the toy aggressive pet to
give up the toy. Using the basic command, "release" hold the toy down to
the floor (use a long spoon if there is concern of being bitten). Keep
repeating the command, "release" until the toy aggressive pet let's go
of the toy on his own. Then, pass the toy to your partner on the other
side, while you praise and treat your toy aggressive pet for sharing,
that is; if they did indeed they shared nicely. **Keep in mind, when you
retrieve the toy from the floor to do so in a calm manner.
Do not wave the toy or move it quickly in front of the toy aggressive
dog, lest he mis-read you and think you are playing with him. He may try
to grab it from your hand. Therefore, slow movements to retrieve the
toy, while the other hand is praising him for releasing the toy.
The only difference between toy aggression and food aggression is, we're
working with toys now and not food at meal time, but rather using treats
to reward them for sharing their toys.
This exercise may actually take longer to teach than the food aggression
exercise, due to the different look of the many toys you may be using.
10) Cat/other pet Introductions and People Friendliness:
For some reason your pet may not like cat's, other pets, or some people.
Using the baby gates stacked in a doorway, same fashion as before...
Keep your new pet on one side of the baby gates with your other dogs,
cat, or people of whom are disliked by your new pet (for some reason) on
the other side. Allow your new pet to view everyone else.
for Cats: Allow the cat
to be in view of the new pet. Rub the cat with a cotton cloth to get the
kitty scent on it, then place it on the same side of the baby gate as
the new pet. Your new pet will learn more quickly that kitty is a part
of the family...get used to it. **This exercise may take a very long
time.
For Introduction to other
family pets: Best done initially on neutral ground. But,
eventually they must all come home, so this exercise begins after the
initial introduction and after they have come home together. With your
new pet on one side of the baby gates and the other family pets on the
other, allow them to sniff each other. Be ready for praise with treats
when they behave nicely. **Always call out their name and give the "sit"
command before doling out a treat. Never give a treat to an excited pet,
lest you reward them for being excited.**
Be prepared beforehand with a pistol grip spray bottle of clean water
just in case there is an unfriendly confrontation and you need to break
up a fight. No need to "expect" a confrontation, in fact don't stress
over it, or your pets will pick up on your negative energy and make
matters worse. Just be "prepared" by having the spray bottle of water.
Think of this step in preparedness the same way you have thought to
place a fire extinguisher in your home. You don't really expect a fire,
but it's good to be prepared. The culprit of bad behavior should receive
a stern vocal command of, "no" along with your confident body language.
Simply stand up straight and over your pet to signal, "no". If that
doesn't not stop the naughty pet, then a stream of water from the spray
bottle, into the face usually gets their attention and they stop. It
does not hurt them, they just don't like water in their face and that is
the idea. Be extremely careful to not overuse the water spray method, or
it will serve only to agitate them and make matters worse. Each method
has to be judged on an individual pet basis. Your method(s) is only as
good as the overall result. Therefore, make it a point to evaluate your
pet's reaction to your every action. With each action we are looking for
a positive result.
**This text is copy written.
May not be copied or reproduced for commercial use, without the express
written consent by author, Sherill McGee.
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