I use the word “wait” a lot when I’m training. Wait to come out of the kennel, wait at the door, wait for food, wait to get your leash on…why?
You may have said, “respect”. True, it does build respect, but more than that, it builds patience. With dogs, patience is the key to all things CALM. If you can out play your dog at patience, then you can change their state of mind.
I’m not just talking about waiting 2 seconds before getting what they want, I am talking about waiting long enough that they forget what they are waiting for. That is when they truly relax. When I am trying to leash up 3 dogs, get my own hat and coat on, then gloves, and poop bags, often I find that my excitable dogs (a few minutes before) are now half asleep on the floor. They wait for ME to be ready. Usually this exercise begins when I am putting on my tennis shoes. They know something good is coming, but have also learned that they have to wait calmly or we don’t go anywhere. I out wait them!
So, I’m making this sound a little easier than it is to begin with. It will look more like this…you get your shoes, the dog starts jumping on you, you say “no” and put them in a down. You sit back down and start to lace up. The dog gets up and comes over to help you by licking your face and stepping all over you. You say “no” and put them in a down and say “wait”. This time they hold it for a whole shoe lacing before getting back up and coming over and sitting on your foot. You say “no” and put them back in a down and say, “wait”. And so it goes. Here’s the thing. They will give it up. You just have to beat them in the patience department!
Here’s the recipe. Repetition, Patience, and Perceverence. Give it a try!