If the dog becomes afraid of your bad mood, s/he will not learn anything new. S/he’ll only learn to be wary and not trust you. Dog training classes and a good trainer can help you improve your behavior which will translate to success with your dog.
Furthermore, you must make sure that your praise is fast enough to be accurate. Otherwise, you may reward behaviors that you don’t want. Imagine, for example, that you are teaching your dog the “sit” command. S/he sits for just a moment, but by the time you praise and reward him/her, s/he’s started standing back up. In this case, you are rewarding the standing behavior, not the sitting behavior.
Furthermore, you must make sure that your praise is fast enough to be accurate. Otherwise, you may reward behaviors that you don’t want. Imagine, for example, that you are teaching your dog the “sit” command. S/he sits for just a moment, but by the time you praise and reward him/her, s/he’s started standing back up. In this case, you are rewarding the standing behavior, not the sitting behavior.
Click the clicker device, then immediately give the dog a treat. This creates a positive association with the click sound. Later, that sound will “mark” a behavior as correct so the dog knows that s/he did something right. When the dog performs a desired behavior, make the click sound, then give him a treat. Once s/he’s performing that behavior consistently, you can give the behavior a command name. Begin tying the command and the behavior together with the help of the clicker. For example, before you ever teach your dog the “sit” command, give the click sound, a treat, and praise when you find him/her sitting. When s/he begins sitting just to get the treats, start saying the word “sit” to get him/her into position. Pair it with the click sound to reward him/her. Eventually, s/he will learn that sitting in response to the “sit” command will earn him/her a click reward.
Make sure everyone uses the exact commands your dog learns in training. S/he doesn’t speak English, and can’t tell the difference between “sit” and “sit down. ” Using those terms interchangeably will only confuse him/her. Because s/he won’t make a clear connection between a single command and a single action, his/her response to the command will be hit or miss.
Consider how long it takes to chew a hard treat versus a semi-moist treat like “Bill Jack” or “Zuke’s Mini Naturals. ” Treats about the size of a pencil eraser head are enough to get the positive point across, and you don’t have to wait long for your dog to eat it.
As the dog learns the command, phase out the high value treats and bring them back as needed to advance your training, but always give him/her praise.
Do not throw a ball or toy. This only teaches him/her that if he barks, s/he’ll get you to do something s/he wants. Don’t yell at the dog to be quiet, as this rewards him/her with attention.
Use praise and your “happy voice” to encourage him to move toward you.
Ask someone to help with off-the-leash training. You can play “ping pong” and take turns calling the dog to each of you.
Don’t ever correct, yell, yank or in any way make coming to you a bad thing. You can undo years of training with one bad experience. Never do something your dog won’t enjoy after giving a “come. " Though you may be tempted to give the command when you need to give him a bath, trim his nails, or cleans his ears, the “come” should always lead to joy. [1] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source If you have to do something your dog won’t like, just go and get the dog yourself instead of giving the command. Praise the dog along the way for being calm and accepting of the task. You can use treats, of course.
Don’t rush the training on this command. It’s too important to do half-heartedly.
You also want a command to let the dog know that it does not have to be right next to you all the time. Something like “free” is one way to phrase it, but the idea is that the dog can do what it wants and is not under command until you give it one.
When you lean over to reward him for the “come,” include grabbing the collar in your hand and petting around the neck as you give him his treat. [2] X Research source Once in a while, but not always, the leash should be attached when you grab the collar. Also, you can always attach a short leash and let them “free” again. Leashes should mean fun things are about to happen and we get to go places. There is no room for harsh corrections.
Dogs have excellent hearing — far better than ours. A fun twist on this command is to see how quietly you can whisper and have your dog respond. People will think you are the “dog whisperer” when you can get him to perform commands with hardly a whisper.
Remember that your response must be immediate. The faster you reward him, the better he’ll understand the relationship between command, behavior, and reward.
Weaning the dog off treats is important because he may start to expect treats all the time. You’ll end up with a dog who only performs when you have food. Praise your dog regularly even after he’s mastered a command, but treat him intermittently. That’s the way to keep it solid in his doggy vocabulary. Once he’s mastered command, you can use treats to shape the behavior to be faster or more accurate. He will soon realize that the treats come with the command or activity that follows the “listen. "
When you hold the treat above the dog’s head, most dogs will naturally sit to get a better view of it.
Make sure that you do not praise him until his butt touches the ground. If you praise halfway through the sit, the dog will think that is what you want. Also, make sure that you do not praise him for getting back up, or you will get that behavior instead of the sit.
You may even need to encourage the sit by adding a little gentle scoop behind the dog’s hind legs. Gently lean the dog backward with the help of the collar while doing this. As soon as he sits, give him immediate praise and reward.
When you begin training a dog, never give a command that you are not in a position to reinforce. Otherwise, you risk training the dog to ignore you because there is no follow through from your end and the commands have no meaning. Create a positive meaning for the dog with praise and consistency. [3] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
As the dog gets more consistent with the “down” behavior, add a verbal “down” or “lie down” command. Always praise him immediately when his belly is on the ground. Dogs read body language well and learn hand signals quite quickly.
If he pops up to get the treat, do not give it to him, or you will be rewarding the last behavior he did before the treat. Just start again, and the dog will understand that you want him all the way down on the ground, as long as you are consistent.
When you’re ready, have your dog work for his food by commanding the dog “sit” and “stay” while you place the food on the ground. [4] X Research source Stand up and wait a few breaths before giving your release word. You can use “free” or you can create a new command for feeding time like “get your food” or “yummy. ” Try to choose something you wouldn’t accidentally say to other people, such as “time to eat,” or, “let’s eat,” as this might falsely cue your dog that it’s time for his dinner. Eventually, he will sit on his own as soon as he sees his feeding bowl.
Stage one: Hold a treat in your closed hand. The dog will probably lick, sniff, and paw at your hand in an attempt to get to the treat. Eventually, when the dog moves his nose away, praise him and give him the treat. Stage two: Add in the words “leave it. ” Say these words when your dog decides to move his nose away. Stage three: Hold one treat in your palm in front of the dog and one behind you in the other hand. Instruct your dog to “leave it. ” If the dog gets too close to the treat, make a fist to hide the treat and say “no” or “uh-oh” to show the dog that he won’t be rewarded or noncompliance. When he obeys the “leave it” command, give him the treat that’s behind your back. Stage four: Place the treat on the floor. Move the treat from your palm to the floor. Continue to reward your dog with the treat you have behind your back. Stage five: Put your dog’s leash on and walk past the treat on the floor. Command him to “leave it” without jerking the leash. If he eats the treat, go back to an earlier stage. Stage six: Start using the “leave it” command outside of your home. [6] X Research source
Do not get into a tugging match with the dog. When you tug, the dog tugs back harder.
If he sits, thinking that will earn him a reward, try again, but with the treat or toy slightly lower.
You may need to use your other hand to encourage him from underneath his hips to get the idea at first.
Take extreme caution when teaching this command. Inexperienced trainers sometimes find “speak” training spirals out of control. They end up with a dog who barks at them all the time.
Continue this clicker training until your dog sees the click sound as a reward in and of itself. The treat will come later.
You can see how this might be dangerous in the hands of an inexperienced trainer. That’s why “speak” training is a little different from the other commands. You’ll incorporate the verbal command from the very beginning. That way, the dog doesn’t think you’re praising him for his natural behavior.
The other commands thus far have taught the behavior first, then added a command that preceded the behavior. However, “speak” training gets out of hand too easily that way. The dog gets rewarded for barking at first. Thus, it’s better to associate the verbal command with the behavior already in progress. Never reward the dog for barking without the verbal command.
Once your dog has mastered the “speak,” begin incorporating “quiet” into your training sessions. Give the “speak” command. However, instead of rewarding the “speak” (barking), wait until the dog stops barking. Give the verbal “quiet” command. If the dog remains silent, reward the “quiet” (no barking) with a click and a treat.
Crate training is a useful way to manage your dog’s behavior when he’s unsupervised for extended periods of time. For example, many owners crate their dogs when they go to sleep or leave the house.
If your puppy is a large breed, don’t train him in a large crate that you think he’ll grow into. Dogs won’t relieve themselves where they sleep or relax, so you need the crate to be appropriately sized. If you use a crate that’s too large, he might urinate in the far corner of it because he has so much space.
When you begin the crate training process, place the crate somewhere the household gathers. The idea is to make the crate part of the social scene rather than a place of isolation. Place a soft blanket and some of your dog’s favorite toys inside the crate.
Do this until your dog enters the crate without hesitation. Always speak in your “happy voice” when acclimating your dog to the crate.
Place his dog bowl wherever he’s comfortable eating. If he’s still a little anxious, you might have to place it right by the door. As he grows more comfortable over time, place the dog bowl further back into the cage.
Begin closing the door at mealtime, when the dog too distracted by his food to notice what’s going on at first. Close the door for very short periods, lengthening the time as the dog grows more comfortable.
Instead, release the dog once he’s stopped whining. The next time you close the door on the crate, leave him in for a shorter period of time.
Young puppies should be crated in your room at night so that you can hear them tell you they need to go out in the middle of the night. Otherwise, they will be forced to mess in the crate.
