Dog Training - 6 Cool Tricks to Teach Your Dog
Posted by admin on May 20th, 2008 filed in dog house | Comment now »
Now that your dog has mastered all of the necessary commands to be well behaved, it’s time to have some real fun! It’s easier to teach your dog tricks once he’s learned how to respect you and you’ve earned his trust. Those necessary commands help him to do that.
Try these tricks to entertain both of you!
1. Fetch. It’s no fun to play ball with a person or an animal that won’t give the ball back. Teaching your dog how to fetch will make you both wish playtime would never end.
If your dog is a retriever, you’re ahead of the game. Your dog is hard-wired to want to fetch. But other breeds catch on quickly, too. You just have to be more patient and consistent. Train with your dog just a few minutes a day to be the most effective.
To teach your dog to fetch, you need a retrieving training tool called a dumbbell. You can buy it at the pet store. It will be a wooden or plastic tube with flanges on both ends to keep it from falling out of your dog’s mouth. Be sure to buy one that your dog can pick up easily and one that will allow him to close his mouth around the middle, not the flared edges.
You start training a dog to fetch by teaching him to open his mouth. Say “Take it” and offer him a food treat. Once he starts opening his mouth in expectation when he hears you say, “Take it,” slip the dumbbell inside his mouth. Leave the dumbbell there for a second, then praise him and give him a treat. Try this about four times, and then stop. Do this part of the training for a few days until your dog gets used to having the dumbbell in his mouth.
Now, start putting the dumbbell in your dog’s mouth and command, “Hold it.” Gently hold his mouth around the dumbbell for a few seconds. Then say, “Give,” and let him spit the dumbbell out. Be sure to praise him and give him a treat. Do this exercise for a few days until your pet will hold the dumbbell in his mouth.
Next, hold the dumbbell in front of your dog’s mouth and command, “Take it.” Pull his head toward the dumbbell if you have to. Be sure to praise and give him a treat, even if he just moves his head toward the dumbbell. Practice this until he’s used to taking the dumbbell in his mouth. All you have to do now is increase the distance slowly. Continue working on “Hold it,” and “Give.” It might be a good refresher course for “Come,” too. Before too long, your dog will put it all together!
2. Speak. This is usually a simple trick for your dog to learn if he’s vocal already. The trick is to entice him to do it on command and from distances.
First, choose a hand signal - some trainers make a twisting motion with a closed fist; others open and shut their hand using their fingers and thumb. Using your hand signal, command your dog to “speak.” When he barks, reward him and praise him. If your dog doesn’t bark automatically, continue to give the command until he gets frustrated and barks, then quickly reward him. Keep practicing and he’ll soon understand.
3. Shake hands or “Gimme five.” This is perhaps the easiest trick to teach your dog. Give your dog the “Sit” command. While you gently hold his paw with one hand, say “Gimme five” and hand him a treat with your other hand. You shouldn’t have to do this more than a few times for your dog to get the hang of it.
4. Give me a kiss. This is another easy one. Most dogs will kiss you whether you want them to or not! All you have to do is get them to do it on your terms. Command your dog, “Give me a kiss,” and then put your cheek in front of his mouth. When he licks your cheek, praise him and give him a treat.
5. Roll over. Start by giving your dog the “Down” command. Kneel beside him and gently roll him over on his side and command, “Roll over.” Keep rolling him until he’s upright again, and then give him praise and a treat.
A couple of caveats about this trick:
- Don’t keep trying it if it’s obvious your pet doesn’t like being on his back. Some dogs have stronger backs than others, and if you are successful in teaching your dog to roll over, it’s probably a trick you want to retire when he’s middle aged. Most elderly dogs have back and hip pain, and there’s no point in making your pet suffer.
- Be sure to only perform this trick on grass or carpet. Asking your dog to roll over continuously on a hard surface could hurt him.
6. Play dead. This trick produces gales from laughter from school-age boys, so if you have one of those, you might want to get him involved with training the dog on this one. A good time to practice this trick is you’re your dog has just exercised and is ready to rest. There’s a prerequisite, too - your dog must know the “Down” command.
Give your dog the “Down” command and notice what side he’s leaning on. Gently push him on over as you command, “Bang.” As he rolls over, praise him and rub his tummy. Repeat until you don’t have to use pressure to force him to roll to his side. Use the “Stay” command to stay “dead.” Add the hand signal, a pointing forefinger, as you command the “Bang.”
Most Important Is that you have fun with your dog. A happy dog will always be the dog that responds to your every command. Have a fun day with your dog!
Marilyn Burnham
Author: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’
The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!
For More Information On Dog Training
Marilyn Burnham was the owner operator of 4 successful dog grooming stores in British Columbia, Canada for more than a decade. To spend more time with her children Marilyn made the decision to sell her business in the mid 90’s. Get a copy of her book: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’ The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!
Tags: dog breeds, dog care, dog grooming, dog health, dog names, dog training, house dog trainin, pet careDog Training - 6 Dog Tricks To Impress Friends
Posted by admin on May 18th, 2008 filed in dog house | Comment now »
In addition to all the commands your dog has now mastered, you may want to teach him a few that will make him the entertainment In the neighborhood. He will be much easier to train for these commands now that he has mastered so many tricks.
1. Dance. This trick may actually be helpful when your dog has a hard time with the “Off” command when he’s jumping on people. Sometimes dogs respond well to replacement behavior, and teaching him how to dance is a great way to put all that energy to work.
Each time your pet gets excited and is jumping around you, command “Dance” while you gently take and hold his front legs, forcing him to stand on his hind legs. Sway him from right to left a little. Praise him, give him a treat, and gently put him back on the floor.
2. Pray. The object is to have your dog put his head down between his paws on the command “Pray,” or “Say your prayers,” and all of your friends and family to say, “Awwww! How cute!”
Begin by sitting in a chair with your dog in the “Sit/Stay” position in front of you. Put a treat on the chair between your legs. Command your dog to “Pray,” then encourage him or place both of his paws on the chair while he remains in the “Sit” position.
Use the “Leave it” or “Don’t touch” command so he doesn’t eat the treat, and then give him the “Pray” command. Your dog should stick his nose down to the treat between his paws. Command the release, “Amen,” then give your dog the treat and praise him. For smaller dogs, or if your larger dog doesn’t get the chair route, you may want to use a low table. You can stand behind him to guide his paws to the table
3. Sneeze. You can train your dog to sneeze on command. You’ll do it with a hand signal, which is cupping your hands around your nose and mouth and commanding, “Sneeze!”
Sit in a chair, and put your dog in the “Sit/Stay” position. Cup your hands around his muzzle, say sneeze and gently blow into his nostrils. Keeping blowing until he sniffles or sneezes, then give him praise and a treat. Some dogs take quickly to this trick, while others may take some time.
4. Turn out the light. Amaze your family and friends with your energy-conscious dog! To prepare for the trick, be sure your dog can reach the light switch on his back legs. If not, you can train your dog to jump on a table under the light switch to perform this feat.
Hold a treat at the light switch, and command “Turn out the light!” When your dog jumps up to get the treat, make sure his paws touch the top of the switch so that when he comes down he turns off the light. Reward with the treat and verbal praise.
Once he gets that down, stand away from the light switch and issue the command. Toss the treat nearby when he jumps up and paws at switch. Be sure to give him lots of verbal praise. Eventually you won’t need to give him a treat to perform the trick.
5. Bow. This is a good trick to teach your dog when you’re working on the “Down” command. Put your dog in the “Stay” position, and put a treat in your hand. Kneeling in front of your dog, move both your hands toward his front paws while giving the “Bow” command. Your dog will extend his head down to get the treat, putting him in the “bow” position. Work on his bow until you can command him to bow from across the room.
6. Counting: Your dog, with time and patience, can learn to count. Because this is a complicated maneuver, there is a prerequisite - your dog must know the “Speak” trick and be commanded to stop with the release word, “OK.” All you do at that point is plug in a number to the command, “What is six, Laska?” When your dog counts to six, you command him to stop with “OK.”
There is a catch, however - timing is involved. If you don’t combine the “What is” command with a subtle signal, your dog will start to bark before you say the number. When you start training him, make a noticeable signal, like a deep nod of your head, when you give the “Speak” command. Nod your head deeply when you give the “OK,” release command, too.
You’ll need to practice the trick for some time until your dog is trained to respond to the nods alone. Once he has it down, slowly make your nodding more subtle. Once your dog performs the trick with just the most subtle of nods, you’re ready for Broadway.
Marilyn Burnham
Author: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’
The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!
For More Information On Dog Training
Marilyn Burnham was the owner operator of 4 successful dog grooming stores in British Columbia, Canada for more than a decade. To spend more time with her children Marilyn made the decision to sell her business in the mid 90’s. Get a copy of her book: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’ The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!
Tags: dog breeds, dog care, dog grooming, dog health, dog names, dog training, house dog trainin, pet careDog Training - 3 Tips to Stop Your Dog from Jumping on People
Posted by admin on May 11th, 2008 filed in dog house | Comment now »A sure sign of a well-behaved dog is when you enter someone’s home and their pet does not jump on you in greeting. Not only is jumping on guests annoying, it can be dangerous. Large dogs can knock people down and are capable of seriously injuring small children or the elderly. Not to mention all the mud he gets on your clothes on rainy days!
Jumping on people is also a sure signal that your dog thinks he’s the leader of the pack. Watch dogs together and you’ll see them exhibiting the same behavior. Allowing your dog to jump on people undermines all your training.
These dogs have learned if they jump on people they get attention and often petted. Your job is to help them unlearn that with positive reinforcement. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
1. Ignore your dog when you arrive and leave the house. Ditch the long goodbye and the long-lost dog owner greeting. Don’t greet your pet for five minutes once you get home. This will help break the habit.
2. Do you want to dance? If a week or so of not greeting your dog doesn’t break the behavior, try this on your medium or large dog. When he jumps on you, firmly grip his paws while he’s still on his hind legs. Hold them without squeezing until he starts to squirm, then firmly command, “Off!” Some trainers recommend stepping on your pet’s back paws at the same time, but this could cause injury to your pet’s delicate feet. Holding his front paws, sometimes for several minutes, will do the trick and won’t be painful.
3. Use the leash. If guests are coming over, keep your dog on a leash. When he jumps on the visitors, pop the leash to engage his training collar, command, “Off!” and lead him to the other side of the room. Praise him after you lead him away.
Marilyn Burnham
Author: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’
The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!
For More Information On Dog Training
Marilyn Burnham was the owner operator of 4 successful dog grooming stores in British Columbia, Canada for more than a decade. To spend more time with her children Marilyn made the decision to sell her business in the mid 90’s. Get a copy of her book: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’ The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!
Tags: dog breeds, dog care, dog grooming, dog health, dog names, dog training, house dog trainin, pet care