#ThinkLikeaPup's Top Five Dog Training Tips
We love training. It’s a great way to bond with your dog and improve behavior. Here are our top five training tips for you and your pup.
Keep it simple. You do not need to spend hours a day teaching your dog. Five minutes here and there can make a huge difference. This leads us to our next point.
Use mealtime for training. We’re all busy and it can be hard to find the time to train. Ask your dog to “wait” before diving into their dinner, practice foundation skills, such as “sit” or “down,” or try teaching a new trick. If you have a few extra minutes, try using your dog’s entire meal to work on a new behavior!
Keep it fun and set reasonable expectations. Training is a great way to build a relationship worn your dog. It should be enjoyable. If you or your dog is getting frustrated take a break and start again when you are both ready!
Solidify the behavior before adding the cue. If you don’t the behavior cue will lose value. If you want your to dog sit, but you say “sit” “sit” “siiiitttt” “come on ‘insert dogs name’ sit.” What does this teach your dog? You’re telling your dog they don’t need to sit when asked the first time. This may not be the end of the world when teaching sit, but it is critical when teaching recall. If your dog is in danger and you need them to come to you, the word “come” must have value.
Pay. Do you want to work for free? I certainly don’t. If you are teaching your dog a new skill or trick, you need to pay them. What does your dog enjoy? For most dogs a yummy snack will do, but for others a toy toss may be super rewarding! In addition, the payment should be scaled. If you’re training a difficult behavior, increase the reward. If your dog knows how to sit, you could reward with kibble, but if you are training a complex new trick, you may need to up your game. Bacon anyone!?
Homework: It is time to #thinklikeapup! - Determine what your dog finds most rewarding. Do they prefer treats or toys? How will you use this as a reward? What are you working on this week? Let us know how things go, tag us on Instagram @albusandlunadoodles and use #Ithinklikeapup. We will showcase your progress in our stories!
