Dog training tips and lessons
When you adopt a dog, he or she may not know how to mind his or her manners but if you take some time and work with your newfound friend, with a little bit of practice, they can be the perfectly mannered four-legged friend you have always wanted. In the first lesson, we will learn how to work on sit, down, stay, and come. In the second lesson, you will learn how to keep your dog from jumping up, have your dog walk by your side on or off a leash, and use the leave it command.
Lesson One
The first thing you need to do before every training lesson is take your friend out for some exercise. A tired dog is a happy dog and he will be more concentrated on what you are doing.
How to teach your dog to sit on command
1. Make sure that you are in a place where there are little distractions so his or her focus is on you.
2. Hold your dogs leash in one hand and a reward in the other (the reward can be a dog treat or a favorite toy) now say the word sit and slowly move the hand with the reward over your dogs head.
3. Reward him as soon as his butt touches the ground
4. Now repeat steps until your hand does not have to go over his head to get him to sit down.
How to teach your dog to lay down on command
1. Get your dog into sit
2. Hold the reward in one hand and place your other hand gently on his back.
3. Now hold the reward in front of your dog’s nose and bring it slowly to the ground while your other hand is still resting on his back, this keeps him from feeling as if he can stand up.
4. Say down as the dog is starting to lay down
5. Reward him as soon as his stomach touches the ground
6. Now repeat these steps tell you no longer need to have your hand on his back.
How to teach your dog to stay on command
1. Place your dog in either a sit or a down (facing you)
2. Say the word stay as you step your right foot back
3. Bring your foot back to the start position and reward your dog
4. Keep repeating this process but gradually get farther away, tell you are able to accomplish a stay from a distance.
How to teach your dog to come on command
1. When working on the command, it is best that you have a second person’s help.
2. First put your dog in a sit stay or have a friend hold on to him, walk about eleven feet away then squat down so you are eye level with him.
3. Say his name, then the word “come,” while clapping your hands against your thighs.
It is important to make it a game, play a game of tug a war with his favorite toy or reward him with big hugs and treats as soon as he get to you.
Always end your lesson with his favorite game as a reward for all his hard work. It is best if you try to do a training session like this once a day to reinforce what he learned.
Lesson Two
How to keep your dog from jumping up
1. This lesson takes some patients because you will have to wait tell you dog decides to jump up on you. Do not tempt him to jump up for this is more likely to confuse him and will not work as well.
2. As soon as your dogs front feet touch you, look away from him and do not touch him. It is important to do this because he has learned how to use jumping up as a method to get you to pet and look at him. Pushing him off and saying bad boy is giving him exactly what he wants.
3. Once his feet are back on the ground, pet him and give him the attention he wants, but remember only when he is behaving properly.
When a dog jumps up it is normally a call for attention or exercise. Therefore, with some dogs, a good walk will do the trick.
How to have you dog walk by your side
1. Start by placing you dog in a sit on your right hand side.
2. Hold your leash so that your dog has a foot of slack, try to get rid of any tension in your body while still keeping a since of control
3. Say the command you want the dog to know means that he has to stay by your side (I say the words “with me” but that is up to you) then keeping tension out of your arm have him walk with you for four steps, then tell him to sit. If he stays by you, reward him.
4. Do these steps at least five times until he is keeping all his attention on you.
5. Now work on this every time you go on a walk to keep it fresh in his mind.
How to get them to leave it
A “leave it” command is a very important as it may save your pets life. Many dogs will try to eat anything that touches the floor no matter if it is poisonous or not. This is a command that can stop him from eating everything that has a scent.
1. First, place your dog in a down stay and say the words “leave it” as you place a toy or treat just outside of his reach
2. If he lunges for it cover it with you foot or remove it with you hand. Place him back in a down stay, say the words “leave it” and place the object in front of him.
3. Leave the reward there for only six seconds then say his release command (a release command is a word that tells him that he can stop fallowing the command, mine is the word “ok”) letting him have what was in front of him.
4. After he has grasped the concept of this commend you can replace the object that he cannot have with something that he can have.
Work on these lessons until you and your dog have it down.
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Madison at (951)795-3536
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maddy@maddysdream.org