|
Sign up for The Dogfather Newsletter. Receive
weekly tips on grooming, training, and nutrition. Take
advantage of special offers and promotions only available to
subscribers of The Dogfather Newsletter. It's FREE, you
can unsubscribe any time, and we
promise to never share your information with anyone.
|
TRAINING TIPS
The two biggest training
and behavior complaints that dog owners seem to have are JUMPING
and NOT COMING WHEN CALLED. Here are some simple steps you
can follow to help with both of these issues.
JUMPING
-
Dogs, being social animals, will greet
with enthusiasm. A good thing to do is ignore the dog when they jump.
Fold your arms, look away and do not talk to the dog. Become a statue.
-
Reward the dog when all four paws are on
the ground. Give a treat as soon as the dog relaxes and does not attempt
to jump.
-
Do not back up when your dog jumps. Walk
into the dog. Do a quick "cha cha" step into the dog, knocking them
slightly off balance.
-
Make sure you have a NO JUMP policy. Do
not invite the dog to jump on you, and do not allow friends and
relatives to permit the dog to jump.
-
Teach young puppies to keep all four paws
on the ground. Most jumping problems start when our dogs are small
puppies.
-
Put a leash on the dog when guests come
over. Step on the leash as your guests come toward the dog. This forces
the dog to stay on the ground.
COMING WHEN CALLED
-
The dog needs to develop a sense of
freedom. Without that, the dog will never come.
-
Developing a sense of freedom can be done
by bringing the dog to a fenced in ballpark or tennis court.
-
Use a long line. Attach a 50 to 60 foot
long line to the dog’s collar. If the dog does not respond to your
"come" command, use the line to guide the dog back to you.
-
Every time you command, "come", make sure
you reward the dog for coming. Use treats, praise, toys, etc.
-
Never call the dog and then punish him.
If your dog comes to you and then gets scolded, chances are that he will
remember that the next time you call him.
-
Make coming when called a game. The more
exciting you make the command "come", the better the results.
-
You can make it exciting for your dog by
getting his attention and running away from him. Dogs love chase games.
-
A fun game to play is the spring loaded
recall exercise. Have a friend hold your dog’s collar. Get the dog
excited and run away while your friend holds the dog. Face the dog and
call "come", at which point your friend lets go of the collar. Reward
when the dog gets to you.
|
