In the early stages of training, or when the lure of distractions may be over-whelming for your dog, you can make your own life a little easier by using tethers to back up your dog’s place on his mat. You can also use tethers in outdoor situations to ensure the safety of your dog. Using …
Teaching your dog to settle during meal times has lots of positive side effects. It keeps your dog from begging at the table, or scavenging underneath it for dropped morsels — or away from your kids, who might sneak vegetables from their plates and into your dog. It has an added relationship benefit, as leaders …
Ahh, the settle command. This command, once mastered, is your dog’s ticket to freedom. It means that he can be contained in a designated area without actually being contained by a physical barrier. Instead of being locked away from the action when you have visitors, he can be part of it, or at least a …
There are so many ways that the wait command can help your dog stay safe. From dashing through doors or gates, to bolting from cars or crates, your dog can really put himself in harm’s way if he doesn’t know to wait and rely on your infinitely better judgment about whether it’s okay for him …
The wait command is one of the most versatile and useful commands you can teach your dog. Not only will you use it as a leadership tool and to instill your dog with self-control, but also, in virtually endless practical ways, it make life with your dog easier, safer, and more enjoyable for both of …
Your Relationship Affects Leash Walking Like practically every other aspect of training your dog, the relationship you have with him affects how he walks on leash. Is he attentive to you, or more interested in everything else? Does he drag you toward things he wants to see or sniff, while you trail helplessly behind like …
Long-line walking teaches your dog to respect your leash. You’ll be walking your dog in a large square, stopping at the corners, nothing more. For this exercise, you’ll need your dog, wearing his training collar, and a 15-foot leash. He should be pottied before you start. On this train, your dog is the caboose, and …
Long-line Walking – Teach Your Dog to Go Your Way Read More »
Your basic 6-foot leash is what you’ll be using in your everyday life with your dog. It’s perfect for neighborhood walks, trips to the vet, and anywhere you need to control your dog’s movement in close proximity to yourself. Now that you’ve spent some time playing the follow me game and teaching your dog leash …
So far, you’ve been teaching your dog to respect and pay attention to you and your leash. If you’ve done all the exercises, your dog should be walking pretty nicely by your left side with slack in the leash. Based on the theory that dogs will move away from discomfort and toward comfort, walking nicely …
The recall, or teaching your dog to come to you when you call, is arguably the most important thing you’ll ever teach your dog. Undoubtedly, you want your dog to come to you when you call every time, not just when he wants to. It takes time and commitment to teach your dog a rock-solid, …
As mentioned previously, dogs are very context-specific animals, so just because your dog understands “down” in the kitchen before mealtime doesn’t mean he’ll understand it on the front stoop. He’s really not trying to tick you off; he just doesn’t understand the command or its relevance in a new situation, until you teach him. Take …
Getting stimulus control of behaviors is a fancy way to say that your dog responds to your cues or commands with the correct behavior. There are two basic ways that you can communicate your commands to your dog: verbal or visual. Because people are verbal, we tend to teach verbal commands. Because dogs are visual, …
Compulsion, or physically (not forcefully) positioning your dog, can be used to back up commands originally taught using luring, or to teach the behaviors if you don’t want to use luring. As with luring, you’ll use the command one time as your dog is getting into the position. Remember to CR/ treat if you’re using …
With luring, you’ll use a treat to lead your dog into the positions. When luring, be sure to keep the treat pinched between your fingers, so you can control it until the right moment. Keep the treat close to your dog’s nose and move it at the speed your dog can and will follow it. …
Before you start teaching your dog the positions, set yourself and your dog up for success by preparing the environment with everything you need. In addition to preparing the environment, prepare yourself. Your dog should understand the meaning of his conditioned reinforcer (CR) before you start. If he doesn’t, go back and play the eye-contact …
Controlling and training your dog is relatively easy in comparison to trying to control and train the humans in the world. It’s particularly difficult when they seem determined to undermine your efforts to make sure your dog is a polite and well-behaved member of society. “But I Don’t Mind” You’ve seen them; they’re the people …
How to Stop Others from Rewarding Dog’s Jumping Up Read More »
By now, you probably realize that it’s not enough to just stop your dog from jumping up on people. You have to give her something to do instead of jumping, too. During the training process, avoid giving your dog the chance to make the mistake of jumping up, and insist that everyone who interacts with …
You need to teach your little jumping bean what to do instead of jumping. During the process, you have to do something to keep him from being successful in getting his feet on people. Controlling Jumping at Home If your dog is like most pet dogs, he spends the majority of his time at home. …
Like so many of the things that dogs do that people find unacceptable, jumping up is a normal part of canine communication and interaction. From the time they are identifying as dogs at three weeks old they use jumping up as a way to solicit things they want, and as a way to play and …
Teeth on skin, especially those needle-like puppy teeth, are not only painful; they can also cause serious injuries and infections, even from apparently minor wounds that occur during play. First Line of Defense With puppies particularly, you want to use the least amount of force or punishment that will accomplish your objective — in this …
Dogs’ interactions with each other often involve their teeth. They use their teeth to play, to threaten or discipline, to control, and to some extent to communicate. Just because using their teeth is natural for them doesn’t mean we have to accept them biting or nipping us. Whether their intent is play, communication, or discipline, …
