Date

July 30, 2018

Author

Trisha

Category

Uncategorized

Dogs and Dog Training 101

Dogs need a leader. If you don’t provide them with one they will assume they need to be the leader and that posi-tion is very stressful for them since they are trying to lead humans that don’t speak dog.
Dogs do what works so be careful what you reward. If they whine at the door so they can chase squirrels in the yard and you let them out because you dislike the whining then they will know whining = getting what I want (to chase squirrels). By the same token if they do what you’ve asked them and they get a nice pet, smile , good boy, or treat they will also try to repeat that behavior too.
Dogs communicate with body language so they learn to read ours very well in order to survive in our world. If we want a good relationship with our dogs we need to learn their body language so we know what they are trying to tell us too.
Dogs also like to work and play. If you do not work with or play with your dog, they will find their own work or play things and you may not like what they decide to do. It’s up to you to keep your dog engaged.
A tired dog is a good dog. The more they move and learn the less time they can get into any type of trouble.
Dogs like routines, up at the same time of day, outside around the same times, etc. They will adapt to changes, but consistency is best.
The reason we teach commands to our dogs are not so that we can turn them into robots, but it is to give them tools to communicate with us so we can keep them safe, which is our job for their lifetime.
Commands are SUPER important…If you talk to your dog like a person, this is what your dog hears….blah, blah, blah, SPARKY, blah, blah, tada….SPARKY, blah, blah…..wah, wah, wah….blah, blah….Your dog has no idea what you are asking of them or talking to them about, so they will most likely ignore you.
Always say the dogs name before you say a command. That way the dog knows your talking to him/her and want something from them. If you just say “leave it” the dog may or may not know you are talking to them. For Example: Sparky leave it (drop what you have) ~ Sparky on me (come by my side) Sparky sit—Sparky down—Sparky no—Sparky up—Sparky down—Sparky stay—Sparky wait, etc.
The “Eh” command, gut ick sounds, means immediately to the dog that they must stop the behavior, that noise sounds like the their mama dog, that’s why they know to “listen up”, mamas talking.
Dogs have short attention spans, so three to five minute training sessions throughout the day will work better than one 15 minute session. Always end a training session on a good note even if you have to go back to a basic com-mand that you know they can perform.
Feed your dog a treat with treat on your open palm, as dogs are color blind and cannot tell the difference between your fingers and the treat. If the dog mistakes your fingers for a treat, it’s your fault, not the dogs.