Dogs are usually high strung and are eager to do whatever the owner wants. Dogs are happiest when they have something to do, and even more so when they actually receive some sort of treat for having done it. These are things that you're going to want to use to your advantage as you try to teach them to do different tricks. The things that they do naturally can be very useful in teaching them to do new things. These habits that they have developed along with the treats that you give them make it a lot easier to train a dog.
Check out what your dog does for his own enjoyment. Does he leap into the air chasing butterflies? Does he like to turn in circles chasing his tail? If some kind of natural behavior can be cultivated into an enjoyable trick, that will shorten the training process. Be ready to use a suitable hand sign and verbal command when this behavior is exhibited and then carry through with an immediate reward.
Many dogs have weight or diet concerns so don't over do it with the food treats. Providing treats may be a reasonable way to get started and to galvanize your dog's attention and focus but eventually you want your dog reacting and executing tricks as a result of verbal directions, hand cues, and praise for a trick well done. Once the appropriate signal-command/reaction-trick relationships are ingrained and habitual the use of treats can be decreased or completely stopped.
For the most part dogs learn very fast and they'll understand that a treat waits for them so long as they perform the trick when you give the command. Sometimes you might have to improvise, so for example after you teach them "down" you might from that position teach them "play dead", and you'll have to get the dog to associate the new command with the additional trick. After a bit of training you can use other commands such as "stay", "come", and even "sit" and add on tricks from those starting points.
Another way to get your dog to pay close attention while you are trying to perfect tricks is to use their favorite toy. You can dangle this close to your dog's nose and say 'jump'. It may take a few minutes, but the dog will soon realize that the word 'jump' means...well...jump. After a while you won't even need the toy.
Capitalize on your dog's acute sense of smell... his capability to recognize smells up close and at long range is fascinating. This incredible faculty can be utilized in teaching various types of "hide-and-seek" tricks and games. Again, using a favorite squeaky toy or chew ball, conceal it under a box or other object. Begin just a few feet away and little by little stretch out the distance or increase the difficulty in stages, as an example putting the box in a different room or up on a counter.
Do you want your dog to shake hands? A good way to teach this trick is to use your dog's affection for you as his owner and perchance his spontaneous behavior of presenting you his paw. You can reinforce this by getting down on your knees in front of your dog, offering your "paw" and verbalizing the command "shake", "high five", "give me five", "five", or any command you think up to apply. When he performs correctly, reward him with praise or a food snack. He will rapidly get the idea.
The dog will usually have no hesitation to hand you their paw, and because of this you will sometimes be able to do the trick without saying anything. Sometimes you might actually have to lift their paw up for them, and even if this is the case then you'll still need to give the dog some praise so that they'll be willing to do it on their own next time.
Once a trick has been taught it's usually no trouble to add to it. "Give me five" can readily be expanded into "sit up" by slowly lifting the paw so that the other foot will automatically lift up. By then haging on to both paws so that the dog is in a "sit up" position, vocalizing the command and supporting the proper reaction with praise or a treat, he will, with repetition, connect the dots.
There are many different things you can do to train a dog. Whether you do it for behavior control, house breaking, or just tricks, you'll find that this greatly strengthen the bond between you and your dog. This is a great way to become closer to your dog. - 29895
Check out what your dog does for his own enjoyment. Does he leap into the air chasing butterflies? Does he like to turn in circles chasing his tail? If some kind of natural behavior can be cultivated into an enjoyable trick, that will shorten the training process. Be ready to use a suitable hand sign and verbal command when this behavior is exhibited and then carry through with an immediate reward.
Many dogs have weight or diet concerns so don't over do it with the food treats. Providing treats may be a reasonable way to get started and to galvanize your dog's attention and focus but eventually you want your dog reacting and executing tricks as a result of verbal directions, hand cues, and praise for a trick well done. Once the appropriate signal-command/reaction-trick relationships are ingrained and habitual the use of treats can be decreased or completely stopped.
For the most part dogs learn very fast and they'll understand that a treat waits for them so long as they perform the trick when you give the command. Sometimes you might have to improvise, so for example after you teach them "down" you might from that position teach them "play dead", and you'll have to get the dog to associate the new command with the additional trick. After a bit of training you can use other commands such as "stay", "come", and even "sit" and add on tricks from those starting points.
Another way to get your dog to pay close attention while you are trying to perfect tricks is to use their favorite toy. You can dangle this close to your dog's nose and say 'jump'. It may take a few minutes, but the dog will soon realize that the word 'jump' means...well...jump. After a while you won't even need the toy.
Capitalize on your dog's acute sense of smell... his capability to recognize smells up close and at long range is fascinating. This incredible faculty can be utilized in teaching various types of "hide-and-seek" tricks and games. Again, using a favorite squeaky toy or chew ball, conceal it under a box or other object. Begin just a few feet away and little by little stretch out the distance or increase the difficulty in stages, as an example putting the box in a different room or up on a counter.
Do you want your dog to shake hands? A good way to teach this trick is to use your dog's affection for you as his owner and perchance his spontaneous behavior of presenting you his paw. You can reinforce this by getting down on your knees in front of your dog, offering your "paw" and verbalizing the command "shake", "high five", "give me five", "five", or any command you think up to apply. When he performs correctly, reward him with praise or a food snack. He will rapidly get the idea.
The dog will usually have no hesitation to hand you their paw, and because of this you will sometimes be able to do the trick without saying anything. Sometimes you might actually have to lift their paw up for them, and even if this is the case then you'll still need to give the dog some praise so that they'll be willing to do it on their own next time.
Once a trick has been taught it's usually no trouble to add to it. "Give me five" can readily be expanded into "sit up" by slowly lifting the paw so that the other foot will automatically lift up. By then haging on to both paws so that the dog is in a "sit up" position, vocalizing the command and supporting the proper reaction with praise or a treat, he will, with repetition, connect the dots.
There are many different things you can do to train a dog. Whether you do it for behavior control, house breaking, or just tricks, you'll find that this greatly strengthen the bond between you and your dog. This is a great way to become closer to your dog. - 29895
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