Archives for Puppy or dog

Teaching “Watch”

Why teach “Watch”? Because getting your dog’s focus with a single word is very useful. You can distract him from enticing trash in the street, for example, or keep his eyes on you when walking past another dog. Plus, dogs that are rewarded for paying attention do it more. And attentive dogs are easier to train. How to teach “Watch” Step 1. Grab a bunch of small, delicious treats. Face your dog—he can be sitting, lying down, or standing. Step 2. At first, praise and treat your dog for looking at your feet or for turning in your direction. Next,
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Teaching “Sit-Stay”

Getting dogs to hold still can be a real challenge. Their energy seems to have no boundaries. Still we need them to greet nicely, wait at the door – to just hold still, but sitting still takes practice for a dog. The key to building a rock-solid stay is to practice small, incremental steps. Here we will focus on duration, teaching our dog to hold a sit for longer periods of time. Going too fast causes your dog to fail and is the best way to build a spotty command. Instead, we always want to work at our dog’s level.
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Teaching “Sit”

Step One: Lure In this step you are literally persuading the dog to sit by slowly raising the treat above his head just between his ears while he follows the food. Start by getting the dog interested in the food by putting it right in front of his nose. Once he’s interested in the food, you’ll slowly raise it up above his head in a half circle motion. Keep the treat close to your dog’s nose—if you move your hand down too quickly or too far away from his mouth, he may not understand what you’re asking. Step Two: Mark
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Teaching “Side”

The command “side” is used for a dog to roll over onto his side. To teach the dog to lie on his side: Step One: Lure With the dog in a “Sit,” hold a treat in front of his/her nose, then lure SLOWLY straight to the floor at the dog’s toes (dog moves into a “Down”). Step Two: Mark & Reward Continue luring the dog over onto his side by moving the treat over the dog’s shoulder. Mark (click) and reward when he shifts his body even slightly. If possible, lure until the dog lies his/her head to the ground
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Teaching “Shake”

Step One: Lure. Mark & Reward Start with your dog in a sit. Get a treat, show it to the dog and then make fist, closing the treat in your hand. Hold your fist out in front of the dog. The dog will begin to experiment to see what works to get the treat out of your hand (usually sniffing, licking, etc.). The second the dog goes to paw at your hand, click and open your fist to release the treat. Step Two: Repeat it Repeat until your dog immediately goes to paw at your hand when you close your
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Teaching Recall

Training recall is very important. Recall is teaching your dog to come when called. To get your dog to come when called every time, follow the following Recall Rules Never call your dog for anything your dog won’t like. Never call your dog if you don’t think your dog will come. If you make a mistake on that last rule, go “save” the recall* (See below). Never repeat the command—say it only once and then make yourself interesting with a high voice, clapping, squatting, etc. Always give your dog a HUGE payoff—lots of treats and/or something novel and special. If
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Teaching “Go to your mat and lie down”

Step One: Lure Lure your dog onto his mat by putting the treat up to his nose and slowly moving it over the mat. Keep the treat close to your dog’s nose—If you move your hand too quickly or too far away from his mouth he may give up and lose interest so be sure to move at your dogs pace. Step Two: Mark & Reward As soon as your dog has all four paws on his mat, say “yes” or click and treat. Step Three: Lure Immediately after, lure the dog into a down or ask for a down
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Teaching “Drop It”

To teach a dog to drop something he has we start by “trading up” or giving him something of higher value. To teach “drop it,” complete the following steps: Give a dog a toy to play with. Play with him and the toy for a few seconds. While the dog is grabbing/chewing on a toy, say the command “drop it” and hold a treat up to his nose. Repeat this until the dog drops the toy immediately when you hold up the treat. If the dog does not release when you hold the treat up, try with a higher value
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Teaching “Down”

Step One: Lure Start with your dog in a sit. Lure your dog into a down by putting the treat to his nose and slowly moving the treat down to the ground. Keep the treat close to your dog’s nose—if you move your hand down too quickly or too far away from his mouth, he may not understand what you’re asking. Step Two: Mark & Reward As soon as your dog’s knees and elbows hit the ground, say “yes” or click and treat. Keep treating him to thank him for staying in the down. After a few seconds say “Okay!”
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Resource Guarding

What is Resource Guarding? Dogs that become aggressive or possessive of an object or space are said to be resource guarding. By using threatening displays or aggression to get an approaching person or dog to move away, the dog is able to maintain possession of the resource that they value. While this behavior can be useful for wild or feral animals that have to fend for themselves, it can be problematic in a family pet. Fortunately, there are ways to modify it! What types of “resources” do dogs often guard? Anything the dog values can be something they will potentially
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