Dog Training Tricks and Tips

Five Things to Avoid When Training Your Dog

Dog training can be a powerfully motivating activity or it can be your worst nightmare. If you make mistakes or if you have never trained a dog before, you could make the process of dog training last far longer than it would have otherwise. The best thing that you can do before embarking upon a dog training expedition is to get as educated as possible. Read books, talk to professional dog trainers, consult with other dog owners and get prepared. While this isn’t a matter of life or death, you want your first few months of dog ownership to be a positive experience. To help you out, here are five things to avoid during dog training.

Dog Doing Shake Paw

Avoid Expecting Overnight Results

When you see a well-behaved dog at your friend’s house, it’s easy to believe that the dog was born that way. He sits quietly in his corner, chewing on a rawhide bone, never jumping on the couch or begging for food. Believe me when I say, however, that your friend probably spent hours training his or her dog to behave that way, and your dog will require the same. Before you expect your dog to exhibit overnight results from your dog training efforts, realize that it can be a slow process and you’ll get there when your dog is ready.

Avoid Yelling and Hitting

There is nothing more counter-productive in dog training than yelling or hitting. A scared dog won’t be able to perform well or follow your commands, and the angrier you get, the less likely you are to reward good behavior when it finally surfaces. Rather than yelling or hitting when your dog misbehaves, stop and assess the situation. Is there anything more you could be doing to correct the behaviors? Are you paying attention to the reasons for your dog’s misbehavior? There are almost always reasons, so learn to watch for changes in your pet’s mood or personality during dog training.

Avoid Letting Your Dog Set the Rules

Some owners are more likely to yell and hit, while others are the passive ones. If you allow your dog to feel as though he is the “Alpha” dog — the one in charge — then you’re damaging your dog training efforts just as much as if you were to yell at him. Your dog shouldn’t be afraid of you, but he should recognize you as the one in charge. Dogs will take advantage of a situation in which they think they are the master, which can result in aggressive or apathetic behavior and will slowly (if not quickly) escalate over the years. Take a firm but gentle approach in your dog training efforts.

Avoid Giving Up

Although you and your dog might become frustrated during dog training, don’t make the mistake of thinking that your dog doesn’t want to learn. He does. Dogs enjoy the challenge of learning new behaviors and even if they sometimes seem as though they’d rather be chewing up your newest pair of shoes, they want to please you. So rather than under-challenging your dog, work toward teaching new behaviors and tricks. Reward your dog when he does something right and keep working on things that seem beyond his grasp.

Avoid Changing the Routine

Dogs — like many humans — become reliant on the routine you establish from Day One. If you always let your dog outside to toilet when you wake up in the morning, followed by a wake-up biscuit, don’t change that routine on him. This is purely detrimental to your dog training regimen and will cause your dog to lose faith in you, which can be a disaster. Instead, focus on consistency and routine and allow your dog to know what to expect.

3 Tricks You Can Quickly Teach Your Dog

Teaching your dog to do a trick is a matter of repetition and working with him until it is second nature. For dogs, it is no different than kids or even us as adults. We do things we are motivated to do and dogs do things they are motivated to do as well. Here are a few tricks you can teach your dog to do at your command.

1. First of all, dogs are quick learners. They love to please. For starters teach them to do something easy like how to sit. To do this get a small treat and have it visible in your hand. Lift it up above his nose and say “sit.” If he is standing and tries to get the treatments do not give it to him. Do it again until he sits. Then give him the treat and praise him. After a few times, he will do it right every time. Another way to teach a dog to sit on command is every time you see that your dog is going to sit, tell him to ‘sit!’ and praise him and give him a treat when he does it. This may take a little longer, but he will learn from it as well.

Dog Playing Fetch

2. Another quick trick to teach your dog is to teach him to shake hands. Call his name as a command. When he is looking at you gently grab his paw and say shake. Then praise him and give him his treat. Repeat this a few times until he does it automatically without you grabbing his paw.

3. If your dog likes to play or carry things in his mouth you can quickly teach him to fetch. Just be careful as once he learns this he will not leave you alone all day. Get a ball that comfortably will fit in his mouth. Take it a few steps from where you are and give the command. “Fetch” of “Get”, and then wait for him to come to the ball. When he puts it in his mouth praise him and give him a treat. Now try tossing the ball and telling him to fetch. When he does that again praise him and give him a treat. Lastly, you can teach him to get the ball and bring it to you before he gets his treat. For some dogs, this is a little harder, but again once they learn it always reward them for doing exactly what you command them. Always remember not to get angry or scold when you are teaching your dog as he is just learning what you are trying to teach him. Dogs learn at different speeds.

Train Your Dog How to Play Frisbee

If you have an energetic dog that needs to burn off some energy throughout the day, you may want to consider training them to play Frisbee. This is a great way to exercise your dog and bond with them at the same time. When you take your dog out into an open area to teach them how to play Frisbee, make sure they see the Frisbee by shaking it in front of their face and talking to them in an excitable voice. You want your dog’s attention to be focused on the Frisbee. Train your dog to sit before you begin to play Frisbee. You will want to train them in this by showing them the Frisbee and then commanding them to sit. This is the first step they should have down for the game. Once your dog learns to sit when you show them the Frisbee, you can move on to the next level. Have your dog sit and make sure their attention is on the Frisbee. Now throw the Frisbee a very short distance and ask your dog to go get it. Your dog will probably not go run straight to the Frisbee at first, be patient. Guide your dog over to the Frisbee and offer it to them. Once they take the Frisbee, ask them to drop it and give them a treat while giving them praise. Once your dog has learned to go catch the Frisbee, you will have to train them to return it, this is often the hardest part of Frisbee training. You can start off by trading your dog a treat for the return of the Frisbee. Be sure to praise them at the same time. Once they have this down, you can stop offering them a treat and just continue to praise them each time they return the Frisbee to you. Some breeds will learn to play Frisbee faster than others, but most dogs can be taught. Patience is the key; never scold your dog while you are training them to play Frisbee, it’s supposed to be fun and you don’t want your dog to associate the Frisbee with a scolding, this will make it harder to train your dog to train, and it’s just plain mean. One important thing to remember is to train your dog in a large enough area but to make sure that the area is enclosed so that your dog can not run away, or other dogs cannot approach your dog. Most areas have dog parks that are ideal locations for Frisbee training.

20 Minutes a Day Dog Tricks

Dog Training on Leash

It is quite obvious that many dog lovers love to see their dogs doing some fancy tricks is it not? How many of you really know to teach your dogs this kind of tricks? We will soon learn some simple methods to teach your dog these tricks and astonish your neighbors at street party.So here are some three easy tricks to teach your dog.

Shake Paw

One of the easiest tricks which dogs can learn quickly is “shake paw” so its better to start off with a “shake paw” trick. Make your Dog sit in a calm place and gently get hold of one if its paw in your hands and give it a little shake and say “shake paw” then immediately start praising your dog and reward it. Repeat the same process 5 times to get it familiarized to your dog. Reinforcing is one of the best way to get your Dogs familiarized with tricks. Make sure to repeat the same method 4 to 5 times a day until your dog does it without your effort to pick up its paw each time to shake. keep in mind reinforcing is very important while teaching new tricks

Play Dead

After Shake paw now its time for your dog to learn some little advanced trick. So now lets see how to teach your dog “play dead.”Make your dog to lie down and site beside your dog and make it roll to his sides and say “play dead” after this over and once your dog learns to do this make it feel happy by praising it, patting it and reward it with some snacks.It is again necessary to repeat this 5 times and 4 to 5 times a day till your dog gets familiarized with it. Just to remind you once again that reinforcing it the best way to make your dog learn tricks.

Crawl

So lets come to our final Dog trick “Crawl” This one is one of the best looking dog tricks your dog could do.So here is how you teach your dog to crawl trick:Make your Dog lie down on its front. Have your dog to stay there and sit in front of it a few inches away and do not forget to make sure your hands are close to the floor and command your dog to come towards you and repeat the word “crawl, crawl” and once this is over praise it, pat it a little and reward it with some snacks.As you could have noticed it is fairly easy to make your dogs learn these tricks. The important thing is that your dog always looks for action on your part and some command so that your dog will know when to perform what actions in front of the crowd.So now its time for you to amaze your friends, relatives and neighbors with your dog and you can also show them how you trained your dog to perform these action and I am sure they will love that to teach to their Dog too.

How to Teach Your Dog to Heel

Of all of the commands you might teach your dog in training, the “heel” command is probably the last on your list. Most dog owners don’t understand the value of the heel command until they take their dog on a walk. A well-behaved dog will stay at your side and not attempt to get ahead or behind you. The heel command also keeps your dog from stopping to smell every patch of grass and flower bed on your route, which is especially helpful when you’re trying to keep your heart rate up. Following is an explanation for how to teach your dog to heel.The purpose of training your dog to heal is simple: It provides you with safety when your dog is out in public. Not only will your dog avoid stopping to look at things or to socialize with people or other animals, but it will also make your walks and outings more enjoyable. The heel command should be used any time your dog is on a leash, but particularly when you are walking.Studies show that positive reinforcement works best when training dogs to heel. It gives them a reason to perform the suggested task and makes training more enjoyable. Train your dog to heel, you’ll need a fairly short leash, several dog biscuits and your dog’s normal, everyday collar. It might be best to start your training at home rather than out on the street to reduce distractions and to maintain focus.Start by asking your dog to sit at your side with the leash taut but not too tense. Hold one of your dog treats at your hip, say “Heel!” and start walking forward. The desired response is for your dog to walk at your side, preferably not pulling forward or pulling back on the leash. Walk only five or six steps, stop, and praise your dog if he did what you asked. Give him the treat as a reward. This tells your dog not only that he’s heeled correctly, but also that you appreciate his cooperation.As you continue training your dog to heel, ask him to behave for increasingly longer distances, rewarding him each time he completes the exercise correctly. If your dog begins to pull ahead or to lag behind, stop and say “No!” Then immediately ask your dog to heel again and begin walking forward. He only gets a reward if he heels correctly, but there is no negative stimulation other than the word “no”.Some dog trainers prefer to use a combination of positive and negative reinforcement when training a dog to heel. This works for some dogs but can become an exercise in frustration for others. To use this method, you will need a longer leash than the one described above. You’ll give the dog an opportunity to play at the end of the leash, then you’ll ask the dog to sit by your side. When you walk forward, say “Heel!”, but the dog will probably not obey. To counter this measure, continue walking and the leash will be pulled taut, resulting in discomfort. Some dog trainers say that this is a faster method, but it might also result in resentment.Training your dog to heal might take a few tries and you may discover that further training is required after you try the heel command out on the street, but once your dog understands what you are asking, you’ll both be better for it.

how to halter train dog

How to Halter Train Your Dog

There are several reasons why you might want to halter train your dog, and it isn’t as difficult as one might imagine. If you’ve already trained your dog to collar and leash, halter training should simply be the next logical progression. in fact, the most difficult part of halter training is teaching your dog that the apparatus isn’t going to be scary or harmful. Since it’s larger than a collar and more cumbersome, he or she might have some reservations at first.

What is halter training?

Halter training simply refers to the practice of guiding your dog using a halter rather than a collar. A halter is an extension of the collar with another band that wraps around your dog’s torso behind the front elbows. The two collars are usually attached by one or two straps that connect with a buckle or snap, and the added extensions provide the owner with more control over the dog.

Why would you want to halter train your dog?

The most common reason for halter training a dog is for added control. When you have a large dog (or even a medium-sized dog), some people aren’t able to control them with just a collar and leash. When you take a large dog on a walk, it’s important that you maintain enough control to keep the dog walking with you rather than trying to pull you ahead, and halter training allows you to have more control. A large dog could pull a small person over if he or she had the motivation, and a collar is just too dangerous in some instances. Further, halter training ensures that your dog will not be able to pull out of his or her collar. Some dogs have narrow heads and thick necks, which makes it easy for the dog to simply slip out of a collar even if it is tightly cinched. It’s no fun looking for a lost pet who has escaped its collar, so a halter helps to eliminate the possibility of lost pets.

Is halter training abusive?

Absolutely not. A halter doesn’t restrict your dog’s movement in any way and can actually be more comfortable than a collar because the pressure isn’t slowly focused around his or her neck. The buckle for the leash on a halter is usually on the connecting strap between the collar and the torso harness, which evenly distributes pressure exacted by the leash.

How do I halter train my dog?

The best way to halter train a dog is to introduce him or her to the halter first. Let your dog sniff it and even play with it a little if he or she wishes to demonstrate that it isn’t a monster and isn’t going to hurt him or her. Once your dog has accepted the halter, put it on and let him or her run around with it on for a while. Your dog will need to get used to the different weights and will be able to see that it doesn’t impede his or her movement. After that, you can halter train your dog the same way that you trained him or her with a leash and collar. Go for a walk and use the same commands. Stop if your dog tries to get too far ahead and emphasize that the dog needs to walk alongside you. If you have trouble controlling your dog or if the dog will be walked by a child or an elderly person, a halter is a practical tool to keep the dog in control.

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