You can get so much information from taking a class.
You learn the right timing using a clicker, when to give the treat, different behaviors your dog needs to know to help you have a better relationship with him.
Please call Delightful Dogs if you are interested in taking a class.
Once a day handle his body. Touch his feet, muzzle, look in his ears, eyes, mouth etc. Think of what a groomer and vet do…and try to mimic what they do to get your dog use to being handled that way. If there is any hesitation from your dog, go slower. Ex: touch his paw, click and treat (C/T). Place whole hand on paw, C/T. Gently grab paw, C/T. Do this with each body part.
*If there is any growling, showing teeth, any signs that your dog may bite, STOP immediately and seek professional help!
Tug, fetch, whatever is fun for you and your dog. When playing tug, teach that he can’t have the toy unless you give permission, I use the cue “Take”. Also my dogs must drop the toy when I say, “drop”. Whatever is fun for your dog is rewarding to him, so if he’s jumping up and trying to take the toy, do not throw it or play tug until he sits and can be respectful.
Run with your dog, bike with your dog (use safety and you’ll need to teach this), plan a play date with a friends (dog-friendly) dog. Exercise is a great way for your dog to burn some energy!
Inside exercise: Fetch, Tug, and recall game
Recall game-
You’ll need:
2 Clicker and Treats
2 people
Stand a few feet away from each other and one of you call your dogs name, when the dog comes click and treat (C/T). Now the other person calls your dog and click and treat. Now once your dog gets the idea of the game, move further away… you can eventually hide and see if your dog can find you.
Once a day do a 30 min down stay. You can use the leash to keep your dog from leaving. Do this while watching TV or checking your email. Click and treat clam behavior, ignore everything else. Start with a short amount of time 5 min and build from there. Give your dog a kong filled with tasty stuff or a yummy chew- it will help reward your dog for laying down calmly.
Feed Twice a Day (more if you have a young puppy)
You want to be provider of good things. Have a feeding routine. Ex: Ask for a sit, then release when you are ready (this is something your dog will need to know, so you’ll have to train your dog to do this if you want him/her to stay for the bowl).
Feeding twice a day will help your dog look at you as the giver of good things. You can take this time to work on some skills your dog already knows.
Training Twice a Day
Have a quick 5 min training session at least 2 times daily. Using your dog’s kibble to help teach them behaviors that will help them calm down (tossing food to them while they are resting on their bed while you watch TV or cooking dinner, etc), or refresh on the basics (sit, down, stay, come, etc).
Or you can use real life rewards (going for a walk, playing games, getting into the car or getting out of the car, etc) to refresh or teach something new.
Training twice a day will help you have a more relaxed and happy dog and will provide great bonding moments for you both.
Dogs find eye contact as a challenge, but by teaching them to look at us, we are teaching them that focusing on us brings them great things. If you start doing this on a consistent basis, you will find your dog looking at you more and more. It makes calling them to you easier as well, because you have shown them that every time you call their name and they will look at you they get a tasty treat or a fun game of tug/fetch.
Ask for this at least twice a day and reward. A good time to do this is with his or her meal (2 meals a day=great training opportunity).
How to get the behavior:
Look at me:
⦁ Keep a leash on your dog for this training session to keep your dog from wandering off (at least in the beginning). For this lesson, we want to achieve eye contact. Count out 10 treats. Wait for your dog to look in your direction, click/treat (C/T). Each time wait for the dog to look closer towards your face before you C/T. Once your dog starts looking at your eyes, C/T. Once they know looking at your eyes brings them good things, they’ll start doing it more and more, then you know it’s time to move to the next step.
⦁ Test: Count out 10 treats. Wait for eye contact and C/T. Can you get 10 C/T for eye contacts in 40 seconds? Ready to move on.
Give it a name:
⦁ Get 10 treats ready. Wait for your dog to look at your face, say his name, THEN C/T. Do NOT keep calling his name, just 1 time will do. If you say his name multiple times “Rover, Rover, Rover” he will learn that his name is “Rover, Rover, Rover” instead of “Rover”. Repeat this several times through out the day.
⦁ You can give this behavior a cue “Watch Me”. I use both cues, their names and “watch me”.
⦁ Test: Count out 10 treats. Say your dogs name FIRST. Does he look at your face? GREAT, C/T. Do this 10 times. If your dog does NOT look at your face, then back up to the previous step.
Moving On:
⦁ Goal: Get your dog to STARE at you. Wait for your dog to look at your face. Now delay your Click/Treat (C/T) for a count of A-B-C. Then C/T. Now call his name and he’ll look at your face at this point, wait A-B-C-D-E-F before C/T. Gradually fluctuate between “A” and “A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L”.
⦁ From here you can build on it until you can get from A-Z. IF he fails at this point, shorten the length of time the next time you ask. ALWAYS, C/T for successful stares.
⦁ Distractions: Try working with your dog in new locations (different rooms in your house, backyard, front yard, parks, etc) and in different body positions. When you change locations or body positions, you’ll want to lower criteria (don’t expect your dog to STARE at you for 10 seconds when another dog is 10 feet away at the park).
Keep in mind: with dogs, you need to start low and work your way up… if you work in a way that your dog always succeeds your dog will have a GREAT attention and FOCUS on you!
Keep your dog with you when you are home as much as possible. Use the leash as a tie down (see tie down pamphlet) or attach to your waist as an umbilical cord. It’s easy to build a relationship with someone you are with all the time.
