Training Tips

Your Subtitle text

Training Tips

The two biggest training and behavior complaints that dog owners seem to have are JUMPING and NOT COMING WHEN CALLED. Here are some simple steps you can follow to help with both of these issues.

JUMPING

       Dogs, being social animals, will greet with enthusiasm. A good thing to do is ignore the dog when they jump. Fold your arms, look away and do not talk to the dog. Become a statue.

       Reward the dog when all four paws are on the ground. Give a treat as soon as the dog relaxes and does not attempt to jump.

       Do not back up when your dog jumps. Walk into the dog. Do a quick "cha cha" step into the dog, knocking them slightly off balance.

       Make sure you have a NO JUMP policy. Do not invite the dog to jump on you, and do not allow friends and relatives to permit the dog to jump.

       Teach young puppies to keep all four paws on the ground. Most jumping problems start when our dogs are small puppies.

       Put a leash on the dog when guests come over. Step on the leash as your guests come toward the dog. This forces the dog to stay on the ground.

COMING WHEN CALLED

       The dog needs to develop a sense of freedom. Without that, the dog will never come.

       Developing a sense of freedom can be done by bringing the dog to a fenced in ballpark or tennis court.

       Use a long line. Attach a 50 to 60 foot long line to the dog’s collar. If the dog does not respond to your "come" command, use the line to guide the dog back to you.

       Every time you command, "come", make sure you reward the dog for coming. Use treats, praise, toys, etc.

       Never call the dog and then punish him. If your dog comes to you and then gets scolded, chances are that he will remember that the next time you call him.

       Make coming when called a game. The more exciting you make the command "come", the better the results.

       You can make it exciting for your dog by getting his attention and running away from him. Dogs love chase games.

       A fun game to play is the spring loaded recall exercise. Have a friend hold your dog’s collar. Get the dog excited and run away while your friend holds the dog. Face the dog and call "come", at which point your friend lets go of the collar. Reward when the dog gets to you.