All dogs needs to taught a few basics in training commands and obedience. Teaching your dog the basics of obedience training such as “sit”, “wait” and recall will help you manage your dog, teach them manners and keep them safe. As well as these benefits, the training process also helps build a bond between you and your dog and will teach your dog to look to you for guidance and understanding the world.
Dogs learn by positive association. Dogs that are taught using abrasive methods such as prong collars or electric collars are trained using fear and any animal forces to do something out of fear can be unpredictable which is unsafe. That’s why, the best and most effective training methods are those that use a reward based and positive reinforcement technique. For example, by encouraging your dog to “sit” when asked by using praise and their favourite treat will teach your dog to do something that you ask of them with their favourite things. Giving your dog the want to behave as you need them to.
Other training tips include training sessions always being short and fun. We can recommend short, frequent training sessions even 10 mins twice a day with your dog. This is so training is always kept fun and interesting for you both and helps keep your dog from getting bored and frustrated and having a negative experience training.
Repetition when training is key when it comes to training your dog. In order to get your dog to understand what it is you are asking of them, you should ignore the negative behaviours and encourage the positive behaviour. For example, when teaching a good “sit”, to your dog they should always only receive attention and praise when they have completed the “sit” and be ignored if they jump up. As a dog that still receives attention for jumping up will accept that as still getting a reward.
When teaching your dog to “sit”, start in a place with not too many distractions, have only one person working with the dog and use the command once in a clear tone and try not to repeat it over and over. This is to be concise and clear to the dog.
Teaching the sit
With your dog focused on you and the treat, lure them into the sit position. Do this by holding the treat above their nose and raising up a little over their head and towards their back. This encourages the dog to look up and put their rear on the floor. As soon as they are in the “sit” position, reward the movement by treating them and giving lots of praise and use the word “sit” and their name in high pitched, excited tones to help them associate the movement with a positive reaction and association. Repeat the steps until your dog is readily going into the sit position without you needing to lure them. Always treat them and praise them as soon as they’ve completed the “sit” and do not leave too big a gap between the action and the reward. When your dog starts readily sitting on request, you can start to phase out the treat but not the praise. If your dog is distracted easily or is in a busy area, then you should keep the treat in hand when asking for a “sit.” Once your dog knows to readily obey the “sit” command, start using it in day to day routine and asking them to sit for their food, when putting their lead on, at pedestrian crossings or going through doorways.
Remember, all dogs no matter what age or background can be trained, keep an eye on our kennel diaries posts for more training techniques and cues.
