Dog Training Tips : How to Train a Puppy Not to Bite
Agility Tricks
I love food and like to do tricks for my mom. I have been in two movies becasue I learned to do these tricks. One was called "Dogmatic" and the other last year was a Disney movie called "Murder she Purred. If you see them, look for me. In Dogmatic, I mostly run with a pack of other dogs but I do get to jump over a big flowerbed in one scene and I did it real good!!! I played a German Shepherd Guard Dog in the Disney movie. I had lots of scenes in that one, including chasing a cat. I had to do things on command like opening a door and then standing still,,good thing I had been trained.
Most of the actions you see dogs doing in movies are just a bunch of simple tricks. If you learn these tricks, maybe you can be in a movie too. My mom says these tricks are good exercise for me too.
By teaching your dog to do each trick, you can have him/her capable of being a movie dog (or just a fun pet).
Some of these tricks help the dog in other sports such as agility and in obedience. Likewise, agility work can be incorporated into movie work. For example, dogs that can jump obstacles can be taught to jump in and out of moving cars, leap over people or other dogs, or jump in and out of windows. A-frame work can be used to teach the dog to go over fences or other high obstacles and dog walk training can be used to teach dog to walk along narrow walls, etc. The circle obstacle with the hole covered with saran wrap can be used to teach the dogs to jump through a window.
This list doesn't include tricks such as retrievals which are used often in movies or bite work. Bite work should only be done by a trained handler as you must do it properly to be effective. None of these tricks require special equipment. They are meant to be fun for you and your dog. This list includes some instructions on how to do them but there are many ways to teach the same trick. Use the one that works for you and your dog.
PLAY DEAD/BANG
Agility Use: to get dog to down on table if you are having problems with this obstacle
How: With dog in sit or stand stay, point finger and pull hand up while saying bang. This action is similar to the down hand signal. Dog must lie down on side with head down. You may have to do in stages - down and side.
CIRCLE
Agility Use: to improve corners and turns and weaving - helps increase flexibility
How: With dog in stand stay in front of you, give "circle" command and entice dog with food treat or toy to turn in circle. Don't encourage to "chase tail'. Give reward when dog turns fully. Gradually give command from greater distances. For distance, it helps to put reward on end of pole and use to get dog to turn in circle.
BOW
Agility Use: before doing agility, this is a good stretching exercise. Can also help on down contacts
How: With dog in stand stay, handler in front of dog, with reward (food treat) in hand. Move both hands in towards dogs front paws (above paws) while saying "bow". As dog extends head down for treat in a bow position, reward. This trick is eventually down at a distance and can be down from the side with a single hand command.
CRAWL
Agility Use: Helps dogs who will not go through tunnel
How: Dog in down stay. Hold treat in right hand with left hand on dog's withers (farther back on large dogs). Move hand with treat up and down (short movements) while saying crawl. As dog moves forward, hold him/her down with hand on back. Move treat hand away from dog so dog has to follow to get treat. Reward initially after any movement and then require longer distances. If dog has trouble crawling, this can be down under someone's legs or under a solid chair or low agility table.
BACK UP
Agility Use: positioning dog at start, repositioning if dog slightly overruns weave poles, general control
How: Handler in front of dog. Step into the dog, move hands towards dog in a pushing motion (palms up facing dog). Dog will have to move backwards as you move into it. Reward with "good back" as soon as dog takes one step. Best way to reward is to toss treat into dogs mouth. If you let him take it from your hand it is hard to get distance on this one. Leash can be used to move dog back if he has trouble. Wall keeps dog straight. Gradually stop moving towards dog as you give the verbal command and hand signal. When learned properly, the dog will back away from you in a straight line for extensive distance (depending on comfort zone of your dog).
TOUCH/TARGET
Agility use: use to send your dog to an obstacle or to encourage touching contact
How: Train this one by first having dog touch a piece of paper stuck to the wall. Take dog to wall, command "touch" or "target" and touch the paper. When dog jumps up and touches the paper, reward her. Then place an object on floor and send dog to "touch or target. Reward when dog moves to object and touches it.
TURN OUT LIGHT
Agility Use: same as target - a fun trick to do that helps dog learn to go away from handler and touch or manipulate an object
How: Hold treat at light switch (make sure dog can reach the switch when on back legs. For short dogs, place on sturdy table at light switch). Give command "turn out light" or "light off". When dog jumps up to get treat make sure her paws hit the switch. Reward with "good light off/out", or whatever your command was. Gradually start to stand away from switch and send dog. Toss treat when dog jumps up and paws at light. You can also teach this by placing the treat on the switch so dog has to knock it off. This method may, however cause the dog to use the mouth to hit the switch more than the paw so it is preferable to hold the treat in the hand.
JUMP OVER DOGS
Agility use: Practising jumping obstacles, socializing with other dogs, being handled on obstacles from both sides
How: This is an interesting trick to do once you have a group of dogs that meet certain qualifications:
Get along (ie non aggressive with each other)
Keep a still down stay
Good at jumping low obstacles
If you have this combination, this trick can look very impressive. First start with pairs. Have one dog in a down stay with the handler holding the leash short and a treat in hand if required. The other handler gives the "over" command and while on leash has the dog jump the one who is down. Repeat in opposite direction to get dog used to jumping on both sides of handler. Then switch dogs. When the pairs are reliable, put up to 6 dogs in down stays about 3 feet apart (depending on size of jumper). One dog (on leash to begin) jumps all of the other dogs. This is repeated several times for each dog and then they change places until all dogs have had a turn jumping.
WALK UNDER
Agility Use: apart from teaching a long stretch exercise which is good for warming up, there isn't too much related to agility in this one but its fun and looks good.
How: Same qualifications for dogs as Jumping Dogs. Once all of the dogs can bow and hold it, line up dogs very close together and give the "bow" command at same time. Tell dogs to "stay" - handler holds treat close to keep attention. You need to use a very small dog such as a terrier for the next part. While the larger dogs are in bow position, the small one starts at one end and walks under their rear legs. Trick is to keep the large dogs from lying down. This takes great concentration and muscle control by the large dogs.
WEAVE HEELING
Agility use: improves flexibility
How: Start heeling off leash. Have a treat in both hands. As you step with right foot exaggerate the step and bait dog under your leg while saying "weave". Dog is to walk under your leg to your right side. Then as you take the left foot step, repeat to left side. Continue as you move forward. This trick takes time to learn and if you have a large dog it can be more difficult. The trick is to keep the dog weaving in and out under your legs. Once you have this one, you can combine it with the next trick (circle me) into a complete heeling pattern.
CIRCLE ME
Agility use: circles improve turns and keeps dog focussed on handler. May help in direction changes
How: Start heeling with treat in hand. Bait dog while saying "circle me" and draw the dog around your body so dog is completing a circle around you. Remember to continue to move forward while doing this. Make it lots of fun and get dog to skip around you. This is a fun trick - not an obedience exercise. Change direction until dog can circle you in both directions. When you've got this down to a fine art, do two circle me's, 2 weaves, repeat, repeat. Then make up different combinations. For example: circle me, circle me, weave, weave, circle me, circle me, bow (and then reward). Note that this can takes several weeks to get or your dog may pick it up very fast.
BOOK ON HEAD
Agility use: balance
How: Find a book that is suitable to the size of your dog. Balance book either on head between ears, on withers or on muzzle. This depends on your dog's body shape. Hold the dog still with left hand and place book with right. Hold book while saying "stay". Eventually remove both hands (slowly) until dog is balancing book. Count to 3 and remove and release and reward. Idea is to increase time the dog holds the book. The ultimate is to have the dog come while balancing the book. This is a hard one so don't expect instant success.
GO THAT WAY
Agility use: sending dog to a location
How: The object is to tell the dog to go in a certain direction and she will move wherever you point. First use a bait (can be food or toy). Place three baits - one directly in front of you about 10 feet away, one along the same line (10 feet away) to the right and one to the left. Dog is in sit or stand beside you on long line (or flexi). On command "go that way", point to the treat you want the dog to go to. If dog has trouble, toss a treat in that direction to get her started. Reward when she moves correctly. If the dog goes wrong way, stop her with the long line and direct again. Continue to give the command until there is success. Once dog picks up first treat point to the next one and say "go that way", and so on. The dog must pay attention and move in the direction you are pointing to. Eventually you will start to give commands when the dog is in a position away from you. For example, send your dog to the left (may have to toss a treat.) When she gets there tell her to "down" or "sit". If she does it, walk in and reward. Alternate commands until your dog will obey from longer distances.
Most of the actions you see dogs doing in movies are just a bunch of simple tricks. If you learn these tricks, maybe you can be in a movie too. My mom says these tricks are good exercise for me too.
By teaching your dog to do each trick, you can have him/her capable of being a movie dog (or just a fun pet).
Some of these tricks help the dog in other sports such as agility and in obedience. Likewise, agility work can be incorporated into movie work. For example, dogs that can jump obstacles can be taught to jump in and out of moving cars, leap over people or other dogs, or jump in and out of windows. A-frame work can be used to teach the dog to go over fences or other high obstacles and dog walk training can be used to teach dog to walk along narrow walls, etc. The circle obstacle with the hole covered with saran wrap can be used to teach the dogs to jump through a window.
This list doesn't include tricks such as retrievals which are used often in movies or bite work. Bite work should only be done by a trained handler as you must do it properly to be effective. None of these tricks require special equipment. They are meant to be fun for you and your dog. This list includes some instructions on how to do them but there are many ways to teach the same trick. Use the one that works for you and your dog.
PLAY DEAD/BANG
Agility Use: to get dog to down on table if you are having problems with this obstacle
How: With dog in sit or stand stay, point finger and pull hand up while saying bang. This action is similar to the down hand signal. Dog must lie down on side with head down. You may have to do in stages - down and side.
CIRCLE
Agility Use: to improve corners and turns and weaving - helps increase flexibility
How: With dog in stand stay in front of you, give "circle" command and entice dog with food treat or toy to turn in circle. Don't encourage to "chase tail'. Give reward when dog turns fully. Gradually give command from greater distances. For distance, it helps to put reward on end of pole and use to get dog to turn in circle.
BOW
Agility Use: before doing agility, this is a good stretching exercise. Can also help on down contacts
How: With dog in stand stay, handler in front of dog, with reward (food treat) in hand. Move both hands in towards dogs front paws (above paws) while saying "bow". As dog extends head down for treat in a bow position, reward. This trick is eventually down at a distance and can be down from the side with a single hand command.
CRAWL
Agility Use: Helps dogs who will not go through tunnel
How: Dog in down stay. Hold treat in right hand with left hand on dog's withers (farther back on large dogs). Move hand with treat up and down (short movements) while saying crawl. As dog moves forward, hold him/her down with hand on back. Move treat hand away from dog so dog has to follow to get treat. Reward initially after any movement and then require longer distances. If dog has trouble crawling, this can be down under someone's legs or under a solid chair or low agility table.
BACK UP
Agility Use: positioning dog at start, repositioning if dog slightly overruns weave poles, general control
How: Handler in front of dog. Step into the dog, move hands towards dog in a pushing motion (palms up facing dog). Dog will have to move backwards as you move into it. Reward with "good back" as soon as dog takes one step. Best way to reward is to toss treat into dogs mouth. If you let him take it from your hand it is hard to get distance on this one. Leash can be used to move dog back if he has trouble. Wall keeps dog straight. Gradually stop moving towards dog as you give the verbal command and hand signal. When learned properly, the dog will back away from you in a straight line for extensive distance (depending on comfort zone of your dog).
TOUCH/TARGET
Agility use: use to send your dog to an obstacle or to encourage touching contact
How: Train this one by first having dog touch a piece of paper stuck to the wall. Take dog to wall, command "touch" or "target" and touch the paper. When dog jumps up and touches the paper, reward her. Then place an object on floor and send dog to "touch or target. Reward when dog moves to object and touches it.
TURN OUT LIGHT
Agility Use: same as target - a fun trick to do that helps dog learn to go away from handler and touch or manipulate an object
How: Hold treat at light switch (make sure dog can reach the switch when on back legs. For short dogs, place on sturdy table at light switch). Give command "turn out light" or "light off". When dog jumps up to get treat make sure her paws hit the switch. Reward with "good light off/out", or whatever your command was. Gradually start to stand away from switch and send dog. Toss treat when dog jumps up and paws at light. You can also teach this by placing the treat on the switch so dog has to knock it off. This method may, however cause the dog to use the mouth to hit the switch more than the paw so it is preferable to hold the treat in the hand.
JUMP OVER DOGS
Agility use: Practising jumping obstacles, socializing with other dogs, being handled on obstacles from both sides
How: This is an interesting trick to do once you have a group of dogs that meet certain qualifications:
Get along (ie non aggressive with each other)
Keep a still down stay
Good at jumping low obstacles
If you have this combination, this trick can look very impressive. First start with pairs. Have one dog in a down stay with the handler holding the leash short and a treat in hand if required. The other handler gives the "over" command and while on leash has the dog jump the one who is down. Repeat in opposite direction to get dog used to jumping on both sides of handler. Then switch dogs. When the pairs are reliable, put up to 6 dogs in down stays about 3 feet apart (depending on size of jumper). One dog (on leash to begin) jumps all of the other dogs. This is repeated several times for each dog and then they change places until all dogs have had a turn jumping.
WALK UNDER
Agility Use: apart from teaching a long stretch exercise which is good for warming up, there isn't too much related to agility in this one but its fun and looks good.
How: Same qualifications for dogs as Jumping Dogs. Once all of the dogs can bow and hold it, line up dogs very close together and give the "bow" command at same time. Tell dogs to "stay" - handler holds treat close to keep attention. You need to use a very small dog such as a terrier for the next part. While the larger dogs are in bow position, the small one starts at one end and walks under their rear legs. Trick is to keep the large dogs from lying down. This takes great concentration and muscle control by the large dogs.
WEAVE HEELING
Agility use: improves flexibility
How: Start heeling off leash. Have a treat in both hands. As you step with right foot exaggerate the step and bait dog under your leg while saying "weave". Dog is to walk under your leg to your right side. Then as you take the left foot step, repeat to left side. Continue as you move forward. This trick takes time to learn and if you have a large dog it can be more difficult. The trick is to keep the dog weaving in and out under your legs. Once you have this one, you can combine it with the next trick (circle me) into a complete heeling pattern.
CIRCLE ME
Agility use: circles improve turns and keeps dog focussed on handler. May help in direction changes
How: Start heeling with treat in hand. Bait dog while saying "circle me" and draw the dog around your body so dog is completing a circle around you. Remember to continue to move forward while doing this. Make it lots of fun and get dog to skip around you. This is a fun trick - not an obedience exercise. Change direction until dog can circle you in both directions. When you've got this down to a fine art, do two circle me's, 2 weaves, repeat, repeat. Then make up different combinations. For example: circle me, circle me, weave, weave, circle me, circle me, bow (and then reward). Note that this can takes several weeks to get or your dog may pick it up very fast.
BOOK ON HEAD
Agility use: balance
How: Find a book that is suitable to the size of your dog. Balance book either on head between ears, on withers or on muzzle. This depends on your dog's body shape. Hold the dog still with left hand and place book with right. Hold book while saying "stay". Eventually remove both hands (slowly) until dog is balancing book. Count to 3 and remove and release and reward. Idea is to increase time the dog holds the book. The ultimate is to have the dog come while balancing the book. This is a hard one so don't expect instant success.
GO THAT WAY
Agility use: sending dog to a location
How: The object is to tell the dog to go in a certain direction and she will move wherever you point. First use a bait (can be food or toy). Place three baits - one directly in front of you about 10 feet away, one along the same line (10 feet away) to the right and one to the left. Dog is in sit or stand beside you on long line (or flexi). On command "go that way", point to the treat you want the dog to go to. If dog has trouble, toss a treat in that direction to get her started. Reward when she moves correctly. If the dog goes wrong way, stop her with the long line and direct again. Continue to give the command until there is success. Once dog picks up first treat point to the next one and say "go that way", and so on. The dog must pay attention and move in the direction you are pointing to. Eventually you will start to give commands when the dog is in a position away from you. For example, send your dog to the left (may have to toss a treat.) When she gets there tell her to "down" or "sit". If she does it, walk in and reward. Alternate commands until your dog will obey from longer distances.
Train Your Dog Yourself
Think of it - a well-trained, manageable pet in just a few weeks! You and your dog won't have to leave the house to go to obedience class or call in an expensive professional trainer, you will find easy-to-follow directions on the following pages on everything from HEEL to STAY. This method is easy enough to use that you will be able to teach your dog one new item each week. Follow these step-by-step instructions, and your dog will love you for it. And, it is all free!
Beginning training sessions should be in a safe area with no distractions. After you and your dog have finished this "course" and he has the commands down pat every time, try moving the sessions to a park so he will eventually learn to follow commands despite any distractions.
You should only concentrate on one new command per week. Once you start your dog's training, you will need to practice the new command for at least fifteen minutes every day. After adding a second command, practice both every day. And so on. It won't take long for your dog to forget these new things if you don't keep practicing. Not all dogs learn at the same pace, so don't feel discouraged if you need to practice each command for two weeks instead of one.
Getting Started
Beginning training sessions should be in a safe area with no distractions. After you and your dog have finished this "course" and he has the commands down pat every time, try moving the sessions to a park so he will eventually learn to follow commands despite any distractions.
You should only concentrate on one new command per week. Once you start your dog's training, you will need to practice the new command for at least fifteen minutes every day. After adding a second command, practice both every day. And so on. It won't take long for your dog to forget these new things if you don't keep practicing. Not all dogs learn at the same pace, so don't feel discouraged if you need to practice each command for two weeks instead of one.
Your dog wants to make you happy, and he will quickly do what you want once he knows what it is you want him to do. The way for him to know it is what you want is to praise him every time he does it - even if you had to put his body in the right position or he did the right thing on accident. In the beginning, your praise should sound hapy and excited and include lots of nice petting.
The commands you give should be said in a commanding voice - just slightly louder than normal, very authoritative and stern, and in a slightly deeper tone than normal. "Sit!" means sit down right where you are and do it immediately. Saying "sit?" means please sit - that is, if you feel like it - okay, when you get around to it - maybe?
When you say come in your most authoritative voice and he runs through the front yard of three neighbors before coming to you, do not say no, yell at him, or sound mean. He came, so praise him. The last action is the only one he will relate to your praise or lack of it - the only one that he will think made you happy or mad.
All commands must be enforced. Dog training is not for a lazy person. In the beginning, each command will be given at the same time that you literally put his body into the position that you want. When you think he knows the command, try it with the verbal command alone - once. If you have to give the command a second time, it should be done at the same time that you physically put him into position. Otherwise, he will think that he can either obey or not, or that he can take his own sweet time to obey.
Anything that you have been allowing a dog to do in the past that you want to change now will take longer than if you start with a new puppy that does not yet have any bad habits. A six-week old puppy can learn to sit, come, stay, get off, and heel in a matter of days. Stay takes longer with the really young ones because they are usually only not moving when they are sleeping or chewing on your good slippers. But, a dog of any age can and will learn all of these things if you are persistent, you sound authoritative when you give the commands, and you praise him as soon as he does it right.
First, raise your hand and repeat after me. "I swear that I will never leave the training collar on my dog except when actually training him or taking him for a walk."
Obedience training requires a special collar. This is called a choke-chain collar and is meant to "choke" the dog for a matter of seconds to tell him that he can't continue to do what he is doing, and to release quickly - this doesn't actually hurt him. When the collar is put on incorretly, the "choke-hold" will not release at all. Even if the collar is on correctly, he could be choked to the point of injury or death by something in the house or yard if he is wearing the collar without supervision.
The collar must form a circle with the loop continuing to the right at the top. (You can test this by doing it incorrectly on your own arm to see the difference.) The leash attaches to the loop. With the leash attached to the collar loop, hold the loop at the other end of the collar and allow the collar to drop down through the loop. With the leash on the right, put the collar over the dog's head. You need to be sure that the collar has about 2 inches of extra length once it is on. The collar links should be as thick as needed for your dog's size. Thin links will do fine for little dogs, but a very large dog needs very thick links so the choke chain collar won't break if he decides to run after another dog someday.
The training lead or leash should be about 6 feet long.
You may want to have some healthy treats on hand.
Stay
Have your dog sit next to you in the heel position. Once he is not excited and is settled down into a relaxed sit, "push" your open hand directly in front of his face as you say stay, and take two or three steps to get right in front of him. Just the action of a hand seeming like it was going to hit him in the face (do not actually make contact!) will shock him and almost push his butt farther onto the ground long enough for him to actually stay put. Only make him stay for a few seconds - not giving him time to move, and say good boy!. He did it. Each time you do this, you can increase the time a little, but don't yet increase your distance. And, don't look him in the eye because it will make him want to leave the position.
After your dog is able to stay nicely for a minute or two, you will start to increase the distance. Stand a little farther back, next time going farther back, and farther still the next time.
Stay will become old hat to him, boring, and easy as pie. Then, put your hand in front of his face while saying stayno, sit, and push your hand in front of him again while saying stay. After making him stay for just a short time, say good boy!Walking around him while he is in the stay position does several things. It definitely makes him keep an eye on you - and you do want him to pay attention to you during the entire training session. Also, this lets him know that he is safe in the stay position - that he doesn't have to be afraid of someone that comes up from the front, side or back of him. and walk all the way around him. This one may cause him to try to get up and go with you. If he attempts to get up, say no, sit, and push your hand in front of him again while saying stay. After making him stay for just a short time, say good boy!
Walking around him while he is in the stay position does several things. It definitely makes him keep an eye on you - and you do want him to pay attention to you during the entire training session. Also, this lets him know that he is safe in the stay position - that he doesn't have to be afraid of someone that comes up from the front, side or back of him.
Now, the down-stay. Have your dog sit on your left. Say down. Then, say stay! as you push your hand in front of his face. While still holding the leash, take a few steps around to stand in front of him. Don't forget to end with good boy!. Continue this as you did the sit-stay, getting farther and farther away. After he is doing really good at staying in the down position, walk around him while he is lying still. Later, you will even be able to walk over him, showing him he has nothing to fear in this vulnerable position.Eventually, you will be able to be any distance from him and he will stay for as long as you need him to.
Heel
Let's begin heeling.
Hold the leash tightly with your right hand, and let it be loose in your left. With your dog on the left side of you, say heel, give the leash a quick tug as you start walking, and say good boy! as soon as he starts moving. Keep walking - different directions - different speeds - all the while saying heel with a quick tug of the leash and saying good boy! every time he stays with you. You might have to tug heel, tug heel, tug heel, three times or so before he gets near your heel area and you say good boy!. If his mind starts to wander, his attention will go back to you the first time you make a turn and he doesn't. Left turns are great - walk almost into his head, kind of pushing it and him with your leg while saying heel and good boy! It won't take long at all for him to realize that he has to pay attention to where you are at all times. This is the essence of heeling - paying attention. After he seems to be getting the hang of go straight and making left turns, throw in a right turn. Yeah, he will not be expecting this, and he will probably need to tug heel, tug heel, tug heel before he gets to hear good boy! Keep this first session down to about 20 minutes of actual heeling. Finish up with an extra happy and excited good boy! and lots of petting and hugging. This is the signal that this session is over. And, now is when you healthy training treats on hand. What about tomorrow?
A dog has a very short attention span. You will need to have a heeling session once or twice a day for 15 minutes everyday for the next week to get him to remember what to do.
Your dog may get the hang of this early and improve more and more each day. Or, your dog may be one of the tougher ones and will need a full week - or even two - to really catch on. If your dog is one of the "slower" ones to catch on, it may actually be that you are not being consistent enough, or not saying good boy! like you really mean it, or you are not tugging hard enough to get the message through. It may not be his fault.
Down
Down is not to be used when he is jumping up on you - that is off (which we will get to later). Down will mean to lay down. And, don't say "go lay down," as that is another command still.
Get your dog to sit. If he is sitting next to you, reach over and push your arm from behind his front legs. As you say down, slowly and gently force his legs forward, and his body will go down to the ground. It should not take much effort on your part since it is a natural reflex for him to move his own legs once they are being botherred. As soon as he is in lying on the ground, say good boy!. He will probably pop right back up. That's fine because he did lay down. If you prefer, you can have him sit in front of you. Grab both of his front legs, down by the bottom, and gently pull them out toward you as you say down. Say good boy! as soon as he gets all the way down. Each time you give the down command, try to have your own body less stooped or bent over. If you continually are bent over when you give a command, he may not respond later when you give the command from a standing position.
After your dog does know what down means and he usually does it on command, you may have to get his attention sometimes if he is distracted. With him on your left (looking at that cute little poodle walking by a few yards away and not wanting to change position now while she's watching), bend down and give the leash a quick snap down and to the right. This should get him in the down position quickly.
When this session is over, you can give him a healthy treat.
Down is used for your dog to lay down right where he is when you say it - immediately - as part of the obedience training session. Go lay down is used outside of the obedience training, comfortably and relaxed around the house or yard. Go lay down means go pick a good spot yourself for yourself, take a little time if you need to, and eventually lay down.
Stand
Stand is a necessary command for the show or obedience ring. And, it can also be quite useful around the house or yard, like for having him stay standing while you bathe him.
Have your dog sit on your left. As you say stand, pull his leash forward with your right hand and move your left foot forward like you are going to start heeling. Say good boy! as soon as he stands up.
Here is another way to have your dog stand. Have him start in a sit and bend down to him. As you say stand, pull his leash forward just a little while you push your entire left arm backward from just behind his front legs. Your pushing backward should make him stand up. Good boy!
When this session is over, you can give him a healthy treat
In the show ring, your dog is required to stand while being touched all over for inspection. Once your dog stands on command, have a family member touch the dog so he can get use to it. The person's hand should start by going slowly toward the dog's face and stopping briefly in front of the nose so the dog can smell the hand. The person then rubs his hands down the dog's sides, down each leg, down the tail, and then goes back up to pet the dog's head. (In the ring, the judge would also open the lips to see the dog's teeth.)
Sit
Even with a puppy as young as five or six weeks old, he will learn to sit after only a day or two of you putting him into a sitting position while saying sit if he gets praise each time.
Sit training is easiest with the choke chain collar and leash.
Have your dog at your left side. Say sit as you pull up on the leash with your right hand, and gently "push" his rear end down with your left hand. With most dogs, the "push" needed will only be a gentle guiding. As soon as he is in the sitting position, say good boy!, good boy! Do this several times, and he will understand what sit means. If you have a very large dog that just grins at you when you try to push is rear end down, you will need to get a little tricky. You could (1) stand in front of him (facing him), say sit as you lift his face up with your hands and start to walk toward him (almost into him) and push his head back just an inch or so. The combination of his head going up and back and his body starting to go back to avoid you walking into him may "push" him right into a sit position. Good boy! Or (2), you could stand to the right of him and say sit as you really pull up on his leash with your both hands. His butt will "fall" to the ground. Good boy! This sounds mean, but this will all happen in a matter of seconds and he won't be hurt at all. In fact, it will be such a shock to him that you will probably never have to do it again.
You may help the sit command along by giving him a healthy treat and saying good boy! Treats are too distracting to use while heeling.
From now on, you will begin each heeling session with the dog in a sitting position, and you will tell him to sit every time you stop. "Heel" said outside of going for a walk actually means for him to immediately come sit next to your left heel.
Come
This is a fun one, and possibly the most important command you can teach your dog.
"Come!" means to come immediately and sit right in front of you. ("Come here" in a loving, questioning voice means that he is allowed to come to get a hug in a minute or so - at his own pace - when he wants to. For this kind, you can even start down on your knees.) Before he is trained, you may find he is running all over the yard before he comes to you. Never, never, never tell him no or scold him when he DOES come to you or he will think that is what he did wrong!
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up a few feet. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. If he is coming slowly, repeat come over and over excitedly. As soon as he gets an inch or so from you, loudly say sit!. Technically, he has not come until he is right in front of you and sits, so don't say good boy! until he sits. Practice this way for a week. If the sessions are going well, you can back up more and more each day until you are at the end of the leash.
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up to the end of the leash and hold your arm out in front of you - making you 8 or so feet away. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. If he is coming slowly, repeat come over and over excitedly. You may even have to pull on the leash a few times to keep him coming quickly. As soon as he gets an inch or so from you, loudly say sit!. Good boy! when he sits. Practice this way for a week.
If he is not coming quickly enough or is not coming without extra pulls on the lead, change the pace with this next one.
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up to the end of the leash. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. When he gets up and starts toward you, run backward as you excitedly repeat come. As soon as he gets an inch or so from you, loudly say sit!. Good boy! when he sits. Practice this way for a week.
Now you will need to extend your training lead. Either buy a 20- or 30-foot-long training lead, or tie a 15-foot-long rope onto the loop handle of your 6-foot-lead.
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up to the end of the 20-foot-long training lead. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. This is a long way, you may have to keep repeating come excitedly - and you may also have to pull on the lead a few times to keep him coming quickly. When you stop and gets a few inches from you, loudly say sit!. Good boy! when he sits. Practice this way for a week.
Don't forget to give him a healthy treat.
In the end, he should be able to come directly to you immediately and sit in front of you no matter what he is doing or how far away he is.
Off
Off is the correct command when a dog is jumping up on you or the couch. If your dog has jumped up on the couch, literally push him off while saying off. If he is small enough, you can just pick him up and put him on the floor. As soon as he is off the couch, say good boy!. If you have allowed him to get away with this in the past, it may take many tries before he learns it. And, once he learns that he can't jump onto the couch without being told to get off, he might stay on the floor and put his front legs on the couch. It's up to you if this will be acceptable or if you want him to keep his paws off the couch also. If so, take both his paws in your hands, push them gently toward the floor while saying off, and say good boy! as soon as his feet are off the couch.
Your dog likes to jump up on your dress with muddy paws just before you leave for the office. But, he is only trying to give you a hug or get some attention, but he has to learn that this is not acceptable. As he is jumping up, turn your body away from him while saying off! He should then simply sit down, at which time you immediately pet him on the head and tell him he is a good boy! He wants your attention, not your back! Even if he has already jumped on you, turn away.
Or, since you already know that he will jump up on you, you can try to beat him to the punch. As he starts to jump up, put your hand out quickly and pet him on the head and start to bend over. This action would encourage him to stay off or to sit. This is an acceptable position for him to be in when he first sees you in the morning or when you get home at night. If he is sitting patiently waiting for you to pet him each time, go greet him quickly with by petting his head (while saying good boy! or hello!) or bending down to take his paw and saying good boy! or shake. He won't see the need to jump on you to receive a greeting if you greet him first.
A third method is to stick your knee out and say down! if you see him starting to jump up. Jumping up into your knee is not comfortable. If he is really large, you might have to push him off you. When he is off you, say good boy!.
Continue either of these actions until he actually stays off, then give him extra praise and some petting and saying good boy!. This may start him jumping up again because he may get excited, so you continue the same method until he really gets the idea. Eventually, you will be able to tell him to get off anything or anybody from any distance.
To reinforce all of this, it is best to always have your dog sit before you greet him or give him a treat or anything else. This way he will soon learn that he won't get any of these things unless he does sit nicely and calmly. (Some people take it even farther and teach their dogs not to eat any dogfood, or even human food, until they are sitting and given a command to eat. This prevents them ever taking poisoned food from a bad stranger.)
Beginning training sessions should be in a safe area with no distractions. After you and your dog have finished this "course" and he has the commands down pat every time, try moving the sessions to a park so he will eventually learn to follow commands despite any distractions.
You should only concentrate on one new command per week. Once you start your dog's training, you will need to practice the new command for at least fifteen minutes every day. After adding a second command, practice both every day. And so on. It won't take long for your dog to forget these new things if you don't keep practicing. Not all dogs learn at the same pace, so don't feel discouraged if you need to practice each command for two weeks instead of one.
Getting Started
Beginning training sessions should be in a safe area with no distractions. After you and your dog have finished this "course" and he has the commands down pat every time, try moving the sessions to a park so he will eventually learn to follow commands despite any distractions.
You should only concentrate on one new command per week. Once you start your dog's training, you will need to practice the new command for at least fifteen minutes every day. After adding a second command, practice both every day. And so on. It won't take long for your dog to forget these new things if you don't keep practicing. Not all dogs learn at the same pace, so don't feel discouraged if you need to practice each command for two weeks instead of one.
Your dog wants to make you happy, and he will quickly do what you want once he knows what it is you want him to do. The way for him to know it is what you want is to praise him every time he does it - even if you had to put his body in the right position or he did the right thing on accident. In the beginning, your praise should sound hapy and excited and include lots of nice petting.
The commands you give should be said in a commanding voice - just slightly louder than normal, very authoritative and stern, and in a slightly deeper tone than normal. "Sit!" means sit down right where you are and do it immediately. Saying "sit?" means please sit - that is, if you feel like it - okay, when you get around to it - maybe?
When you say come in your most authoritative voice and he runs through the front yard of three neighbors before coming to you, do not say no, yell at him, or sound mean. He came, so praise him. The last action is the only one he will relate to your praise or lack of it - the only one that he will think made you happy or mad.
All commands must be enforced. Dog training is not for a lazy person. In the beginning, each command will be given at the same time that you literally put his body into the position that you want. When you think he knows the command, try it with the verbal command alone - once. If you have to give the command a second time, it should be done at the same time that you physically put him into position. Otherwise, he will think that he can either obey or not, or that he can take his own sweet time to obey.
Anything that you have been allowing a dog to do in the past that you want to change now will take longer than if you start with a new puppy that does not yet have any bad habits. A six-week old puppy can learn to sit, come, stay, get off, and heel in a matter of days. Stay takes longer with the really young ones because they are usually only not moving when they are sleeping or chewing on your good slippers. But, a dog of any age can and will learn all of these things if you are persistent, you sound authoritative when you give the commands, and you praise him as soon as he does it right.
First, raise your hand and repeat after me. "I swear that I will never leave the training collar on my dog except when actually training him or taking him for a walk."
Obedience training requires a special collar. This is called a choke-chain collar and is meant to "choke" the dog for a matter of seconds to tell him that he can't continue to do what he is doing, and to release quickly - this doesn't actually hurt him. When the collar is put on incorretly, the "choke-hold" will not release at all. Even if the collar is on correctly, he could be choked to the point of injury or death by something in the house or yard if he is wearing the collar without supervision.
The collar must form a circle with the loop continuing to the right at the top. (You can test this by doing it incorrectly on your own arm to see the difference.) The leash attaches to the loop. With the leash attached to the collar loop, hold the loop at the other end of the collar and allow the collar to drop down through the loop. With the leash on the right, put the collar over the dog's head. You need to be sure that the collar has about 2 inches of extra length once it is on. The collar links should be as thick as needed for your dog's size. Thin links will do fine for little dogs, but a very large dog needs very thick links so the choke chain collar won't break if he decides to run after another dog someday.
The training lead or leash should be about 6 feet long.
You may want to have some healthy treats on hand.
Stay
Have your dog sit next to you in the heel position. Once he is not excited and is settled down into a relaxed sit, "push" your open hand directly in front of his face as you say stay, and take two or three steps to get right in front of him. Just the action of a hand seeming like it was going to hit him in the face (do not actually make contact!) will shock him and almost push his butt farther onto the ground long enough for him to actually stay put. Only make him stay for a few seconds - not giving him time to move, and say good boy!. He did it. Each time you do this, you can increase the time a little, but don't yet increase your distance. And, don't look him in the eye because it will make him want to leave the position.
After your dog is able to stay nicely for a minute or two, you will start to increase the distance. Stand a little farther back, next time going farther back, and farther still the next time.
Stay will become old hat to him, boring, and easy as pie. Then, put your hand in front of his face while saying stayno, sit, and push your hand in front of him again while saying stay. After making him stay for just a short time, say good boy!Walking around him while he is in the stay position does several things. It definitely makes him keep an eye on you - and you do want him to pay attention to you during the entire training session. Also, this lets him know that he is safe in the stay position - that he doesn't have to be afraid of someone that comes up from the front, side or back of him. and walk all the way around him. This one may cause him to try to get up and go with you. If he attempts to get up, say no, sit, and push your hand in front of him again while saying stay. After making him stay for just a short time, say good boy!
Walking around him while he is in the stay position does several things. It definitely makes him keep an eye on you - and you do want him to pay attention to you during the entire training session. Also, this lets him know that he is safe in the stay position - that he doesn't have to be afraid of someone that comes up from the front, side or back of him.
Now, the down-stay. Have your dog sit on your left. Say down. Then, say stay! as you push your hand in front of his face. While still holding the leash, take a few steps around to stand in front of him. Don't forget to end with good boy!. Continue this as you did the sit-stay, getting farther and farther away. After he is doing really good at staying in the down position, walk around him while he is lying still. Later, you will even be able to walk over him, showing him he has nothing to fear in this vulnerable position.Eventually, you will be able to be any distance from him and he will stay for as long as you need him to.
Heel
Let's begin heeling.
Hold the leash tightly with your right hand, and let it be loose in your left. With your dog on the left side of you, say heel, give the leash a quick tug as you start walking, and say good boy! as soon as he starts moving. Keep walking - different directions - different speeds - all the while saying heel with a quick tug of the leash and saying good boy! every time he stays with you. You might have to tug heel, tug heel, tug heel, three times or so before he gets near your heel area and you say good boy!. If his mind starts to wander, his attention will go back to you the first time you make a turn and he doesn't. Left turns are great - walk almost into his head, kind of pushing it and him with your leg while saying heel and good boy! It won't take long at all for him to realize that he has to pay attention to where you are at all times. This is the essence of heeling - paying attention. After he seems to be getting the hang of go straight and making left turns, throw in a right turn. Yeah, he will not be expecting this, and he will probably need to tug heel, tug heel, tug heel before he gets to hear good boy! Keep this first session down to about 20 minutes of actual heeling. Finish up with an extra happy and excited good boy! and lots of petting and hugging. This is the signal that this session is over. And, now is when you healthy training treats on hand. What about tomorrow?
A dog has a very short attention span. You will need to have a heeling session once or twice a day for 15 minutes everyday for the next week to get him to remember what to do.
Your dog may get the hang of this early and improve more and more each day. Or, your dog may be one of the tougher ones and will need a full week - or even two - to really catch on. If your dog is one of the "slower" ones to catch on, it may actually be that you are not being consistent enough, or not saying good boy! like you really mean it, or you are not tugging hard enough to get the message through. It may not be his fault.
Down
Down is not to be used when he is jumping up on you - that is off (which we will get to later). Down will mean to lay down. And, don't say "go lay down," as that is another command still.
Get your dog to sit. If he is sitting next to you, reach over and push your arm from behind his front legs. As you say down, slowly and gently force his legs forward, and his body will go down to the ground. It should not take much effort on your part since it is a natural reflex for him to move his own legs once they are being botherred. As soon as he is in lying on the ground, say good boy!. He will probably pop right back up. That's fine because he did lay down. If you prefer, you can have him sit in front of you. Grab both of his front legs, down by the bottom, and gently pull them out toward you as you say down. Say good boy! as soon as he gets all the way down. Each time you give the down command, try to have your own body less stooped or bent over. If you continually are bent over when you give a command, he may not respond later when you give the command from a standing position.
After your dog does know what down means and he usually does it on command, you may have to get his attention sometimes if he is distracted. With him on your left (looking at that cute little poodle walking by a few yards away and not wanting to change position now while she's watching), bend down and give the leash a quick snap down and to the right. This should get him in the down position quickly.
When this session is over, you can give him a healthy treat.
Down is used for your dog to lay down right where he is when you say it - immediately - as part of the obedience training session. Go lay down is used outside of the obedience training, comfortably and relaxed around the house or yard. Go lay down means go pick a good spot yourself for yourself, take a little time if you need to, and eventually lay down.
Stand
Stand is a necessary command for the show or obedience ring. And, it can also be quite useful around the house or yard, like for having him stay standing while you bathe him.
Have your dog sit on your left. As you say stand, pull his leash forward with your right hand and move your left foot forward like you are going to start heeling. Say good boy! as soon as he stands up.
Here is another way to have your dog stand. Have him start in a sit and bend down to him. As you say stand, pull his leash forward just a little while you push your entire left arm backward from just behind his front legs. Your pushing backward should make him stand up. Good boy!
When this session is over, you can give him a healthy treat
In the show ring, your dog is required to stand while being touched all over for inspection. Once your dog stands on command, have a family member touch the dog so he can get use to it. The person's hand should start by going slowly toward the dog's face and stopping briefly in front of the nose so the dog can smell the hand. The person then rubs his hands down the dog's sides, down each leg, down the tail, and then goes back up to pet the dog's head. (In the ring, the judge would also open the lips to see the dog's teeth.)
Sit
Even with a puppy as young as five or six weeks old, he will learn to sit after only a day or two of you putting him into a sitting position while saying sit if he gets praise each time.
Sit training is easiest with the choke chain collar and leash.
Have your dog at your left side. Say sit as you pull up on the leash with your right hand, and gently "push" his rear end down with your left hand. With most dogs, the "push" needed will only be a gentle guiding. As soon as he is in the sitting position, say good boy!, good boy! Do this several times, and he will understand what sit means. If you have a very large dog that just grins at you when you try to push is rear end down, you will need to get a little tricky. You could (1) stand in front of him (facing him), say sit as you lift his face up with your hands and start to walk toward him (almost into him) and push his head back just an inch or so. The combination of his head going up and back and his body starting to go back to avoid you walking into him may "push" him right into a sit position. Good boy! Or (2), you could stand to the right of him and say sit as you really pull up on his leash with your both hands. His butt will "fall" to the ground. Good boy! This sounds mean, but this will all happen in a matter of seconds and he won't be hurt at all. In fact, it will be such a shock to him that you will probably never have to do it again.
You may help the sit command along by giving him a healthy treat and saying good boy! Treats are too distracting to use while heeling.
From now on, you will begin each heeling session with the dog in a sitting position, and you will tell him to sit every time you stop. "Heel" said outside of going for a walk actually means for him to immediately come sit next to your left heel.
Come
This is a fun one, and possibly the most important command you can teach your dog.
"Come!" means to come immediately and sit right in front of you. ("Come here" in a loving, questioning voice means that he is allowed to come to get a hug in a minute or so - at his own pace - when he wants to. For this kind, you can even start down on your knees.) Before he is trained, you may find he is running all over the yard before he comes to you. Never, never, never tell him no or scold him when he DOES come to you or he will think that is what he did wrong!
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up a few feet. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. If he is coming slowly, repeat come over and over excitedly. As soon as he gets an inch or so from you, loudly say sit!. Technically, he has not come until he is right in front of you and sits, so don't say good boy! until he sits. Practice this way for a week. If the sessions are going well, you can back up more and more each day until you are at the end of the leash.
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up to the end of the leash and hold your arm out in front of you - making you 8 or so feet away. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. If he is coming slowly, repeat come over and over excitedly. You may even have to pull on the leash a few times to keep him coming quickly. As soon as he gets an inch or so from you, loudly say sit!. Good boy! when he sits. Practice this way for a week.
If he is not coming quickly enough or is not coming without extra pulls on the lead, change the pace with this next one.
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up to the end of the leash. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. When he gets up and starts toward you, run backward as you excitedly repeat come. As soon as he gets an inch or so from you, loudly say sit!. Good boy! when he sits. Practice this way for a week.
Now you will need to extend your training lead. Either buy a 20- or 30-foot-long training lead, or tie a 15-foot-long rope onto the loop handle of your 6-foot-lead.
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up to the end of the 20-foot-long training lead. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. This is a long way, you may have to keep repeating come excitedly - and you may also have to pull on the lead a few times to keep him coming quickly. When you stop and gets a few inches from you, loudly say sit!. Good boy! when he sits. Practice this way for a week.
Don't forget to give him a healthy treat.
In the end, he should be able to come directly to you immediately and sit in front of you no matter what he is doing or how far away he is.
Off
Off is the correct command when a dog is jumping up on you or the couch. If your dog has jumped up on the couch, literally push him off while saying off. If he is small enough, you can just pick him up and put him on the floor. As soon as he is off the couch, say good boy!. If you have allowed him to get away with this in the past, it may take many tries before he learns it. And, once he learns that he can't jump onto the couch without being told to get off, he might stay on the floor and put his front legs on the couch. It's up to you if this will be acceptable or if you want him to keep his paws off the couch also. If so, take both his paws in your hands, push them gently toward the floor while saying off, and say good boy! as soon as his feet are off the couch.
Your dog likes to jump up on your dress with muddy paws just before you leave for the office. But, he is only trying to give you a hug or get some attention, but he has to learn that this is not acceptable. As he is jumping up, turn your body away from him while saying off! He should then simply sit down, at which time you immediately pet him on the head and tell him he is a good boy! He wants your attention, not your back! Even if he has already jumped on you, turn away.
Or, since you already know that he will jump up on you, you can try to beat him to the punch. As he starts to jump up, put your hand out quickly and pet him on the head and start to bend over. This action would encourage him to stay off or to sit. This is an acceptable position for him to be in when he first sees you in the morning or when you get home at night. If he is sitting patiently waiting for you to pet him each time, go greet him quickly with by petting his head (while saying good boy! or hello!) or bending down to take his paw and saying good boy! or shake. He won't see the need to jump on you to receive a greeting if you greet him first.
A third method is to stick your knee out and say down! if you see him starting to jump up. Jumping up into your knee is not comfortable. If he is really large, you might have to push him off you. When he is off you, say good boy!.
Continue either of these actions until he actually stays off, then give him extra praise and some petting and saying good boy!. This may start him jumping up again because he may get excited, so you continue the same method until he really gets the idea. Eventually, you will be able to tell him to get off anything or anybody from any distance.
To reinforce all of this, it is best to always have your dog sit before you greet him or give him a treat or anything else. This way he will soon learn that he won't get any of these things unless he does sit nicely and calmly. (Some people take it even farther and teach their dogs not to eat any dogfood, or even human food, until they are sitting and given a command to eat. This prevents them ever taking poisoned food from a bad stranger.)
When Should I Start Training My Puppy?
If you have a puppy, you must start training early, but do it gently.
Your puppy has to have confidence in you before he can begin learning. Remember that puppies are like children - they have growing bodies, short attention spans, and will only learn things when the conditions are right and when they understand what it is you're trying to teach them.
That said, the earlier you start training dogs, the better. More specifically, it's best if you start "socialization" from 8 weeks, simple commands like "come" and "sit" from 12 weeks, and more intensive training at 5 to 6 months.
While some early training can be started as soon as you bring your puppy home, the optimum time to begin obedience training is somewhere around 9 to 12 weeks of age.
Keep in mind that training can cover a broad range of topics - I'm not suggesting that you begin training your puppy at 8 weeks of age for agility competitions! Your training should start off with the basics - teaching him "No!" and beginning house-training.
Socialization skills are next - experts tell us the best window for your puppy to learn socialization skills is between 3 and 16 weeks - that's the best time to insure that your puppy grows into a well-adjusted adult.
And remember, socialization isn't about teaching him the right fork to use at the dinner table - it's about giving your dog the self-assurance to deal correctly with any social environment he finds himself in is one of the most valuable and lasting lessons you can teach him.
A well-socialized dog will interact well with all types of people and situations, even those he has never been in before. With appropriate social skills, your dog will show little or no fear of most objects, people or other animals, and even if startled, will recover quickly and won't panic.
Bottom line, a well-adjusted dog is one that is comfortable in a variety of situations and surroundings. He may be excited in a new setting, but not fearful. The key here is to create positive experiences as you expose your dog to more and more new situations.
Even training your puppy for 5 - 10 minutes per day as soon as you bring him home will make a big difference in the social skills and adaptability of your puppy.
Keep in mind that puppies have very short attention spans, so keep your lessons short and fun. How short an attention span? That depends on the age of the puppy, his breed and how mature your individual puppy is - but a good rule of thumb is to keep the training sessions within that 5 -10 minute range.
Depending on your puppy's age and maturity level, sometime between 3 and 6 months of age you should be moving the training into the area of the basic commands such as Sit, Heel, Down, etc.
It's important you have realistic expectations about your dog's capabilities at this point - I don't expect a puppy to be responding to the basic commands with any degree of regularity until they've reached 6 months of age.
Your puppy has to have confidence in you before he can begin learning. Remember that puppies are like children - they have growing bodies, short attention spans, and will only learn things when the conditions are right and when they understand what it is you're trying to teach them.
That said, the earlier you start training dogs, the better. More specifically, it's best if you start "socialization" from 8 weeks, simple commands like "come" and "sit" from 12 weeks, and more intensive training at 5 to 6 months.
While some early training can be started as soon as you bring your puppy home, the optimum time to begin obedience training is somewhere around 9 to 12 weeks of age.
Keep in mind that training can cover a broad range of topics - I'm not suggesting that you begin training your puppy at 8 weeks of age for agility competitions! Your training should start off with the basics - teaching him "No!" and beginning house-training.
Socialization skills are next - experts tell us the best window for your puppy to learn socialization skills is between 3 and 16 weeks - that's the best time to insure that your puppy grows into a well-adjusted adult.
And remember, socialization isn't about teaching him the right fork to use at the dinner table - it's about giving your dog the self-assurance to deal correctly with any social environment he finds himself in is one of the most valuable and lasting lessons you can teach him.
A well-socialized dog will interact well with all types of people and situations, even those he has never been in before. With appropriate social skills, your dog will show little or no fear of most objects, people or other animals, and even if startled, will recover quickly and won't panic.
Bottom line, a well-adjusted dog is one that is comfortable in a variety of situations and surroundings. He may be excited in a new setting, but not fearful. The key here is to create positive experiences as you expose your dog to more and more new situations.
Even training your puppy for 5 - 10 minutes per day as soon as you bring him home will make a big difference in the social skills and adaptability of your puppy.
Keep in mind that puppies have very short attention spans, so keep your lessons short and fun. How short an attention span? That depends on the age of the puppy, his breed and how mature your individual puppy is - but a good rule of thumb is to keep the training sessions within that 5 -10 minute range.
Depending on your puppy's age and maturity level, sometime between 3 and 6 months of age you should be moving the training into the area of the basic commands such as Sit, Heel, Down, etc.
It's important you have realistic expectations about your dog's capabilities at this point - I don't expect a puppy to be responding to the basic commands with any degree of regularity until they've reached 6 months of age.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)