#15TipsforTrainingYourDog

We are frequently asked: “How do you get them to sit there, so still?” ... “How did you teach them to do that?” ... “How do I get my dog to do that?”

The short answer is: “Practice, Practice, Practice!” The long answer includes a few more steps...but, is rooted in having fun, building a relationship, learning to communicate with your dog, rewarding the behavior you want, and, oh yeah...practice, practice, practice!

Foundation Skills.

Before trying to teach your pup how to do tricks, it is important to have worked on the foundational skills of Sit, Down, Stand and Stay. If you and your pup have these mastered, you will be set up for success.

Many of the topics mentioned below can be applied when teaching Foundation Skills.

Find the Right Reward. ---------------------- What gets your pup super excited? Is it a special treat? Is it a favorite toy? Use that excitement to make training fun! Also, only use those treats, or that toy, when you are training...it makes it extra special! For us, it’s Farm Hounds Treats! Or, when we are Dock Diving, it’s a very special toy that only gets played with during Dock Diving.

Start Simple.

Every advanced trick we do is built on easier tricks. Start with Paw or Shake (pup gives you their paw), Touch (pup stands on their back two legs and puts their front paws up on something) and Up (pup jumps up on something like a footstool or rock). Master the basics first before you try to move onto more complicated skills.

Incorporate Behaviors That Your Pup Already Does.

Is there something your pup does often, just naturally? Turn that into a trick. This can be an easy win, and will start your training sessions off on the right paw.

For example, Pebbles loves to sleep under the coffee table, so using that behavior, I taught her Hide. Jax loves to stick his booty up in the air, so using that, I taught him Bow.

Short Training Sessions. Consistently.

After 5-15 minutes your brain, and your pup’s brain, will be broke! Start with 5 minutes. You can do a couple of 5-minute sessions a day, but be sure to spread them out.

Aim to practice 3-4 times a week. If you can do every day, even better! Remember, consistency is key! If you let too much time pass between training sessions, you will lose the progress you have made. Another strategy is to use mealtime as training time. If your pup LOVES their food, then use their food as their reward! You will have an opportunity to work on training twice a day! This is an especially good option if you’re working on foundational/behavior skills! Two short training sessions each day will lead to quicker results.

Get Excited.

Praise is another thing pups LOVE!! Find your inner, high-pitched-cheerleader voice and get excited when your pup is successful! Even if it is the smallest success...that is okay! Celebrating a small success will make them want to continue.

(The only caveat to this rule is when it comes to obedience. If your goal is to get them to Stay, using a high-pitched voice will make them break their Stay. So, stay calm, but tell them they did a Good Job, and reward. When you reward with treats…be sure to reward in the Stay location!)

Timing of Praise & Reward.

When your pup does the behavior you are looking for...immediately praise and reward! Don’t let any time go by. If you can’t give the treat to them in that split second, then rely on your voice and praise. The goal is to mark the desired behavior with praise and a reward right when it happens.

Command Words.

Pick one word, or a phrase, and stick with it. If you want your dog to lay down, call it Down or Lay or Banana, but don’t call it all of these things. Your pup will not understand that different words mean the same thing.

Body Language.

Your pup is not only listening to your voice, they are watching your hand movements and your body language. Pay attention to what you are doing; you may be accidently telling your pup to do the opposite of what you want, just by the way you’re moving your hands or positioning your body.

Don’t Be Stingy.

Especially when first starting out...give treats (if that’s their reward) generously! You can break them into tiny pieces. Every time your pup is successful, mark that success with those tiny pieces which communicates to your pup the desired behavior you are looking for.

Be sure you are only treating the behavior or action that you want. For example, if you are teaching Bow, reward them when they are in the Bow, not when they’ve stood up.

As They Learn, Set Higher Expectations.

In the beginning, when training an advanced trick, you will want to start with a very basic skill. But, once they have that mastered, stop rewarding. Instead, wait until they’ve done the next step towards the trick, and reward that. Continue challenging them to build up to the final trick.

For example, in the beginning, when teaching Jax to Balance on a Ball, I simply rewarded him for touching the Ball. Then, he had to get up on the Ball to receive a treat. Then, he had to stay on the Ball for a few seconds to get a treat. Then, he had to stay on the Ball while it wobbled to get a treat. If I had continued to give him treats for Touching, he would not have been encouraged to advance.

Patience.

This is probably the hardest one! You must be patient. Remember, you and your dog speak a different language. Until you have had lots and lots of practice communicating, it will take a while for your message to get through. Keep at it. If necessary, try a different approach. Some dogs learn differently than others. What works for one, might not work for the other.

End Positively.

Try to always end your training session on a positive note. That may mean you have to end by asking your pup to do something super simple. End positively and that reward will be what your pup associates with training sessions. That way, the next time you get out treats, they will be excited to work with you!

Be Yourself.

You can spend hours online watching training videos, how-to videos, what to do, what not to do, etc. The bottom line, though…if you are not being yourself, you are going to struggle. Your pup can read your body language and knows your voice. They know when you are relaxed and happy vs. when you are stressed, trying to get something just right. Maybe you talk more than someone suggests. Maybe you do the steps to a trick in a different order. It is all okay! We are each different and our pups are each different too. The same way is not going to work for everyone!

Have Fun.

Always have fun with your pup...make it enjoyable! While the goal is to teach them a new trick, what you are really working on is your bond! The stronger your bond, the better you will read each other, and the more successful you will be at teaching and learning new things.