Pixie with Nigel Durnham, bravely going where few dogs have gone before.
Everyone wants a Pixie. Pixie of Powai. The dalmatian’s gentle manner, friendliness and congeniality make her a textbook pet. She’s all sweetness as she walks beside daddy Glenn Durnham, always off the leash. She probably reads Enid Blyton in her free time and sings with bluebirds.
Makes you want to have a pet, Pixie does. But it’s like the gliding of the swan; you can’t see the furious peddling underneath. Not literally, of course. Pixie’s perfect manners are the result of constant attention and patience the Durnhams (Glenn, Chanda and Nigel) shower upon her.
Training is no one-shot job where a trainer whips (sometimes literally) commands into a dog. It’s a continuous process. To make a Pixie, you need to teach her manners and remind her to use them constantly. Put patience, consistency and repetition in a bowl, blend together and apply liberally. You learn much more if you listen to your dog.
Pixie taught Glenn what motivates her. He never raises his hand on her —– all he uses is a low voice, treats and a ball. “I got Pixie when she was 45 days old,” says Glenn. “I didn’t want to enter her in any competition, just wanted a dog that was controllable, obedient, friendly, confident and well-socialised. I feel it is cruel and unsafe to have a disobedient dog. I can take Pixie anywhere I go and she listens to whoever takes her for a walk.”
Glenn puts his success with raising Pixie down to patience, attention, realisation of a dog’s needs and behaviour. But the magic ingredient is that no good deed goes unrewarded — especially when it occurs voluntarily. Something that is not a “command”. This builds the dog’s self-esteem. “Reward doesn’t necessarily have to be a treat,” says Glenn. “It could be a kind word or petting.”
To do this, you need to constantly pay attention to the dog’s behaviour in the early days. “When she was young and we went to the garden, Pixie would get tense when some dog came close to her,” he says. “I noticed that the hair on her back would stand and she would freeze. I would talk to her till she relaxed. Now she just walks away from tense situations and I praise her every time she does that. While walking on a busy street, I talk to her [in a low voice] and praise her when she stays close to me and ignores other dogs.”
So that’s how Pixie earned her freedom. It’s the greatest gift you can give any dog — they don’t care for sparkly collars, rides in fancy cars or noisy chew toys. But you can’t just get a Pixie; you have to earn one.
Source: http://www.punemirror.in/article/2/2013101620131016094801937df7e3067/How-to-make-pets-like-Pixie.html
