TRAINING - BEHAVIOR: Training Basics
1. Giving the Command
Give the command in a calm, firm voice, never shout. Give the command only once, then guide the dog in the behavior. Don't keep repeating the command. This teaches the dog that it does not have to obey you immediately.
Standard commands are "sit," "down," "stay," and "come." (Use “down” instead of “lay” to avoid confusion with “stay.”)
Always follow through by making your dog complete the required action after the first command. (Sometimes he may need help--If so, gently show him again what you want him to do. You must require a response every time or your dog will learn to act only when it feels like it.
2. Rewarding the Behavior
Success Tip I
Success Tip II
Success Tip III
Give the command in a calm, firm voice, never shout. Give the command only once, then guide the dog in the behavior. Don't keep repeating the command. This teaches the dog that it does not have to obey you immediately.
Standard commands are "sit," "down," "stay," and "come." (Use “down” instead of “lay” to avoid confusion with “stay.”)
Always follow through by making your dog complete the required action after the first command. (Sometimes he may need help--If so, gently show him again what you want him to do. You must require a response every time or your dog will learn to act only when it feels like it.
2. Rewarding the Behavior
- PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE -- Praise correct behavior even if the dog needs help doing it.
- Praise should be in a cheery and extremely enthusiastic voice.
- Vary the reward. Food, play, petting, attention are all excellent rewards.
- Correct wrong behavior with a sharp “NO,” or a squirt with a water bottle or a shake of a can filled with marbles. Physical correction (hitting) usually does more harm than good. It can also make a dog fearful, unreliable, and possibly aggressive.
Success Tip I
- Never, never correct a dog unless you catch it “in the act.”
- While a dog may “act guilty” when you discover a mistake, he or she is merely responding to your body language at the time. Dogs associate rewards and corrections with the act that is currently taking place They cannot relate praise or correction to an activity that took place even a few seconds before.
- For example, a dog owner comes home to find that the dog has chewed up a favorite pillow or has messed in the house. He scolds the dog. The dog learns that when the owner comes home, a scolding follows. The next time the owner leaves, the dog fears the upcoming scolding. This causes the dog stress and it chews up something else. Notice how the cycle continues. See Crate Training for more help in this area.
Success Tip II
- Be consistent: Always enforce rules or commands.
- If you do not want the dog in the living room, NEVER let it in the living room. If you correct the dog 9 out of 10 times, but let it come in on the 10th time you will not teach the dog to stay out of that room. Instead, the dog learns “sometimes I can go in if I keep trying.” Most training failures are due to lack of consistency on the part of owners.
Success Tip III
- Use daily routines to train your dog.
- Have your dog perform some command (i.e. "sit" or "down") before receiving anything that it wants such as food, play, or walks. This is part of your daily routine that allows you to reinforce obedience training while taking little or no extra time. This also aids in establishing you as pack leader.
Week 1 In Your Home
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Housetraining
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Separation Anxiety
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Crate Training
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Leash Training
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Teaching "Sit"
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Destruction & Chewing
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Shy, Timid Dogs
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Children & Greys
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