Portuguese Water Dog Magazine » Dog Training Basics

Dog training basics: Teach your dog to fetch

Master — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:48:53 +0000

Some dogs will retrieve anything you throw. Others will look at you as if to say, “You threw it; you go get it.” While the natural retrievers may be the most enthusiastic fetchers, they may also be the most difficult to train to let go of their prize once it is in their mouth. Here is an easy way to train any dog to retrieve. It’s the one I used to instruct three of my dogs the retrieve in Open obedience work.

With the dog sitting by you, offer the dumbbell, stick, or whatever along with the command, “Take it!” If the dog opens his mouth and grabs the item, give lavish praise. If he doesn’t, gently open his mouth and put the item in it. You may have to hold his mouth closed around the item be sure that it’s only for a few seconds. Then say, “Give!” and remove the item. Give more praise and perhaps a treat. Work at this until your dog will take the item on command and then give it back. You’ve accomplished the hardest part.

Next, hold the item a few inches away from the dog’s mouth so that he has to reach for it. “Take it!” By now, the dog should be able to hold the item for 5-10 seconds. “Give!” The dog should open his mouth and let you take it. If he doesn’t, gently squeeze on either side of his upper jaw so that he will open his mouth. Take the item and praise. Under no circumstances should you play tug of war or you’ll have a dog that’ll never give you back the item. Always be very gentle so the dog associates the training with pleasure.

Once your dog will reach for the item, place it on the ground and get him to take it. He should then sit and hold it until you state “Give!” You don’t have to reward with a treat every time but you should do it often enough that the dog is always interested. Do praise every time. Of course the next step is to throw the item a few feet from you. Hold onto your dog’s collar until you give the command, “Take it!” and then let him go. Keep a leash on him so you can pull him back to you and have him sit in front of you. If you want to do obedience work, you must have the dog hold the item until you give the command “Give.” If your only goal is to play fetch in the back yard, you may just want to have your dog drop it in front of you. Make sure he doesn’t try to grab it again when you reach for it as that’s a good way to get an accidental bite.

As your dog’s training progresses, you can throw the item farther and farther away. By now you should be working off leash, but if the dog ever refuses to come back to you, put the leash back on and go back to the basics. Once the dog has mastered the retrieve, you can add a hurdle for fun. Start low at first so that you can jump over it with your dog and take him to the object lying on the ground. Dogs love this activity and in no time, he will be doing the retrieve all by himself over higher and higher hurdles

The retrieve is the basis of many tricks such as fetching your slippers or the morning newspaper. Dogs love to be useful and they’ll find these games as fun as you do. If you decide to enter obedience work, the retrieve will also be a part of scent discrimination where your dog will fetch an item that you’ve touched after sniffing all of them on the ground.

If you’re looking to hunt with your dog, you’ll want to take a class in bird dog training where the dog is trained to retrieve a downed bird gently so as not to puncture it. The possibilities of retrieving fun with your canine companion are endless. Go fetch!

Dog training basics: The stay command

Master — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:49:48 +0000

I have found that repetition and patience work the best for a stay command. First, The dog has got to learn the ‘sit’ or ‘lay down’ commands.

I’m a large fan of using hand signals with dogs. A finger held up as sit, a hand held palm forward like a crossing guard for stay. I’ve actually gone as far as to train my dog to roll over, come, “give a hug”, jump through a hoop, bark, and shake without saying a word.

But I digress. To instruct a dog to stay, it’s important to NOT have a treat in your hand. Put the treat on a counter by the dog, and have the dog sit or lay down, and repeat ‘stay’ with a hand signal as you walk away. If the dog starts to move or follow you, slowly and patiently take the dog back to the original location and repeat the process. When the dog does stay, walk back to the dog, take the treat and reward it. Do this only a few times with the dog obeying and then ‘release’ the dog. NEVER hit your dog with your hand, a rolled up newspaper smacking the counter loudly is enough to get the point across. NEVER give up in a training session, NEVER get mad at the dog. If you give up, the dog is only learning that it can walk all over you, and that it can frustrate you, and the dog is probably frustrated too because it doesn’t understand.

I make the dog sit and stay before going in or out doors, or going up or down stairs, and when I answer the door. This will keep the dog from charging out the door, and will keep the dog for toppling you down the stairs. It’s also useful for when strange people come to your door. (Think about it, having a dog patiently watching you like it’s just waiting for you to do something wrong- pretty intimidating) This needs to remain pretty consistant during the training phase, though I’ll admit, the dog knows my sister doesn’t care, just as she knows my grandfather will have a staring contest through the door until she sits before he will let her in.

Also, this should be one of the first commands you cover- try not to do too many at once. I do it in phases- sit, down, stay, come; then fetch and drop (if it hasn’t been already done); then the fun commands one at a time- shake, roll over, and jump through hoops.

Don’t be a bad dog owner- no one thinks your bad dog ispleasing but you.

Dog training basics: The heel command

Master — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:48:39 +0000

“The No Dragging, Lagging or Balking Zone.” Teaching Your Puppy To Heel On Leash.

Teaching your puppy to heel on leash is beneficial in many ways. It is the first step in higher discipline and the beginning of a regimen that’ll earn your dog the reputation of being well behaved and always welcomed back where ever you take him. “Heeling”, isn’t just teaching you dog to walk obediently beside you. It is also teaching him that when he’s on the leash he is to obey and pay attention to you, and you only. He is to walk past other people, dogs, sights and sounds without stopping, pulling or lagging behind.

Choose a leash that is size appropriate for your dog, comfortable for your hand, and has a sturdy easily maneuvered clip. I prefer a light weight nylon leash, butthere are severalother styles and types of leashes to pick from in all price ranges. Shorter leashes aresuperior suited and easier to handle for training purposes. A well fitting buckle collar will work fine for this lesson. The collar should be loose enough for you to slide two fingers between the collar and the dog’s neck, and snug enough not to pull off over the dog’s head.

Start off in an area that’s familiar to your dog and without distractions. This way he’s not tempted to want to explore his surroundings and can give you his undivided attention. Take along a few small treats for reward. Attach the leash and with your dog standing at your left side state the word “heel” and take a few steps forward. At first your dog may want to pull ahead of you, or lag behind. If he pulls ahead of you, pull back gently on the leash putting your dog back in the position on your left side with his head about even with your left leg. Use the “heel” command and take a few steps. Repeat this until he’s able to stay in step with you for five or six steps, stop while he’s still in the correct position of heel and give a treat and a lot of praise.

It is fine for your dog to walk aTiny behind you, but if he lags too far behind use the same concept of a gentle tug on the leash to bring him back up to your left side, tell him to “heel” and move forward again. Be consistent with the corrections, and each time your dog walks a short distance in the correct heel position, stop and give him treats and praise. Slowly increase the distance as he comprehends what you’re wanting him to do. You should be able to walk at a comfortable pace with your dog’s head at, or slightly behind your left leg,

Popular Searcheswater dog training basics