Get Your Dog to Come to You

How to get a dog to come when called is probably the most abused command in the animal world. Most people don't even realize how much so.

You never want your dog to fear to come to you so don't use the command if you are about to scold your dog for something else. Only get your dog to come to you with the "come" command if you are about to do something with your dog that they will enjoy. You don't want your dog to associate the command with fear of being punished. Remember, it is important that your dog have a trust and comfort level with you. When you are disciplining or scolding the dog, you should go to them and not say the word "come".

A dog can be like a man in the aspect that the best way to their heart is through their stomachs. When teaching a dog to come when called, you should make sure they are hungry. It is best to start at their feeding time (again, remember structure in a dog's life is important). Stand about five feet away from your dog in the beginning with their food bowl in hand (dry food is best to start this training process) or you can use a dog treat too. In intervals, move further away from the dog each time. I think it's best to start at meal times though. This should be around the same time each day and in a routine. When your dog comes over to get the food, praise him. Use an excited tone and pet them than put the food down for them to enjoy. I can't stress the importance of tones of voice when it comes to training a dog to come to you (or any type of dog training for that matter). They need to hear when you're happy with them and when you are not.

Another great way train a dog to come is to play the very basic game of hide and seek with them. Hide from your dog and yell the "come" command from where your dog can't find you. Dog's are like kids in that aspect as well. They are going to come look for you. This needs to be made fun for your dog. When he/she finds you, reward them with a treat or praise or both. Again, remembering to keep your voice very positive. The "come" command always needs to be associated with positivity.

Remember, never tell your dog to come to you if they are being scolded for something or if you are taking them somewhere they might not associate with positive (such as the vet). You don't want your dog to think that you are telling them to come and than they get into trouble or have an unpleasant experience.

Stop your dog from fearing car rides

How to stop your dog from fearing car rides? It is not unusual for dogs to be afraid of cars or car rides when they are first introduced to them. You have to teach your dog to trust the car.

You need to show your dog that there is no reason to be afraid to ride in the car. The best first step is to just sit in the car with your dog. Do not turn the car on though. You don't want to startle them. The point of this is to just let them see that nothing bad is going to happen to them by sitting in the car.

When your dog gets comfortable just sitting in the car, try turning the car and the radio on. If they get uncomfortable with this, turn the car back off and spend a few minutes petting them and reassuring. When they calm down, turn the car back on again. Once they seem calm with the car being turned on, take them for a short ride and talk positively to them while driving. Take them to a place they enjoy such as the park. Show them the positivity associated with being in the car. DO NOT take them to the vet on the first few car rides. If they are feeling too uncomfortable the first few times, return them home (where they feel secure) and practice again the next day. Just keep practicing until they are comfortable in a moving car.

Once your dog gets comfortable being in the car for short distances, increase the distance at intervals. It is best to start this when you don't have a vet appointment for a while. You don't want your dog to always associate the car with negative thoughts.

After your dog gets comfortable with the car, you will see their eagerness to go on car rides increase.

How to teach your dog to kiss

Kiss is a very easy trick to teach your dog. It is when you have your dog lick you everytime they hear the word "kiss".

Easy steps to remember:
Whenever your dog licks you, just say "Goodboy or Goodgirl, kiss me. If you want, you can put a small amount of peanut butter on your face to tempt your dog to lick it off. When your dog licks the peanut butter off of your face, say "GoodBoy/Girl- Kiss me. Eventually, your dog will lick you whenever you say the "kiss" command. Remember to keep a very positive tone in your voice

Dogs thrive from positive tones. They aim to please their pet parents.

Happy Dog Training to You!

How to teach your dog to shake hands

The hand shake trick is to have your dog "shake" when in a sitting position. If the dog understands the trick, he/she will raise either his right or left paw in the air so you can shake it.

You will need to teach the dog the "sit" command prior to teaching them to shake hands. We already covered this trick previously in the blog. At then end of the post, I will link back to that post (in case you haven't read yet)

A good routine to follow when teaching your dog to shake hands is as follows:
* Tell your dog to sit
* Kneel down and hold your hand openly with palm up in front of your dog
* Tell your dog to "shake".
* If they don't respond, use your other hand to slowly lift one of their paws into your open hand.
* When you put his paw into your open hand, say "shake" and congratulate them by petting them or giving them a treat.
* Put his paw back on the ground and do the trick over
* If your dog puts his paw into your hand without any help when you say "shake" you will need to congratulate and treat him with twice as much as you do when you put his paw into your hand yourself.

Remember to keep your tone of voice positive and enthusiastic. Dogs respond to positivity

If you haven't taught your dog to sit yet, refer back to the below linked post

Teaching your dog to sit

Important Factors to keep in mind when Training your Dog

It is so important to keep a few things in mind when training your dog. Dog are like humans (not perfect :-) and it's going to take them more than once or a few times to master the skill. Here a few pointers to keep in mind:

* Dog's have short attention spans. Keep training in 15 minute intervals.
* Don't get frustrated. Dogs can sense stress and they react positively to positivity and negatively to negativity (just like humans)
* If your dog has a bad day with the training. End the training session on a command that he or she has already mastered and give them praise.
* Always reward your dog for success. This can be by praise, petting, treats or all of them. Personally, I prefer all three (especially the treats- best way to the heart is through the stomach :-)
* After each training session, play a game with your dog that they enjoy. This helps them associate training with fun!! and that's important!

How to teach your dog to lie down

Teaching your dog to lie down on command isn't hard.

Have your dog start off in a sitting position. Put a small treat in your hand and let them sniff the treat. Don't let your dog eat the treat though or get ahold of it. Slowly, lower the treat to the floor. This should entice your dog to gradually lower themself to the floor to follow the treat. As your dog is lowering themself, say "lie Down". Eventually, your dog will be lying on the floor, praise your dog in a positive tone than give them the treat.

Only give your dog the treat while they are lying down. Do not give it to them if they are standing back up. You need them to know they are doing good. Dogs are like humans, they love to be praised. eventually, your dog will lie down whenever you say their name and the command "lie down"

Hope this helped. Let me know if any questions. Happy Dog Training to You

How to Stop your Dog from Pulling on the Leash

Almost every dog pulls on their leash when they get excited. This is not good for your dog's neck if they use a collar.

Before you take your dog out for a walk, put the leash on them. They will most likely become very excited. Don't rush outside with them, you need to get them to relax first.

Here are some dog training tricks to try to stop your dog from pulling on the leash

* Before you take your dog outside for their walk, put their leash on
* If they are excited, walk them around the house until they calm down than praise them
* Take your dog outside and if he begins to pull on the leash- walk them around the yard until they calm down. Once they are relaxed, praise them for calming down
* Begin to go on your walk. If your dog pulls on the leash, stop and wait until they calm down. Do this each time and always remember to praise (Tone of voice is of utmost importance)

Hope you enjoyed this dog training tip of the day. Don't forget to post what you find to be helpful tips in dog training. If you enjoy reading the tips that I post, be sure to go to bottom of page and subscribe (it's free) and it will email you the helpful dog training tips that are posted.

How to Stop a Dog From Whining

Basic steps to stop a dog from whining

* Teach your dog that there is nothing to be afraid of in their kennel or area that you confine them to

* Confine your dog to the area or kennel for short amounts of time.

* Gradually increase the amount of time you leave them in their area when the whining begins to decrease

* Set up a regular play/quality time schedule for your dog

* If they continue to whine after you set up your play schedule. Tell them in a very stern voice to "Stop Whining"

How to teach a dog to sit

How to teach a dog to sit? Teaching a dog to sit is one of the first and most important steps in training your dog. Teaching a dog to sit is a skill that your dog can learn no matter their age, temperament or size.

When teaching the dog to sit, it is helpful to put a leash on your dog. This helps to limit his options. Stand on the end of the leash so that you can't pull on it. In this way, the dog only has a few feet of space in which to get distracted. When you have rewarded the sit behavior numerous times, you can start to allow your dog more room during training because he will be more likely to respond to your request.

When you are trying to get the dog into the sit position and he keeps backing up all over the room, try putting his backside up against a wall. This will keep the dog from backing up too far since they will either hit the wall or your leg. Even if he half sits on your leg, give him a treat. This is the start of your sit.

When asking your dog to sit, do not bend over toward or lean over him, which can seem threatening to the dog. Threatening or forcing him to obey is not a positive or even a reliable way to ensure compliance. If taught using rewards, your dog will enthusiastically want to respond to your cue to sit, not just in hopes of a reward but because he has a positive relationship with you.

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When teaching a dog to sit for a cookie, be careful to bring the treat directly up rather than back over his head. Keeping the cookie directly vertical will get you a tuck sit from a dog who sits close enought to hold onto, rather than a dog who backs up to sit and ends up out of hand range.

Teaching your dog to sit in distracting situations is not nearly as tough as you might think. The secret is to stop using a verbal command and start teaching your dog to offer the sit to get what he wants. Put the treat over the dog's head and ignore any jumping. When your dog finally sits, say YES!!! and than toss him the treat. (Your tone of voice is very important when teaching a dog to sit or any tricks for that matter). Each time that you do this, the sit will happen faster. Try this with your dog's toys, chews, and meals too. When getting ready to go out with your dog, put your hand on the knob and quietly wait for him to offer the sit. Make eye contact. When your dog sits, say "YES" enthusiastically of course. (remembering that tone of voice is very important) than open the door. The more you practice this with your dog, the more they will sit without you even asking.

Many behavior and control issues are based on the fact that many dogs have little self-control. They don't think about things, they just do them. That is why the sit command is the most important thing to teach your dog first prior to teaching any other tricks. This will help your dog hold still so that you can teach him and he can learn from you. After you teach a dog to sit, it will be the foundation for everything else you teach them (obedience and tricks)

It is very important to remember that dogs need clear and consistent rules and boundaries. Dog owners need to communicate their expectations to their dogs and be consistent.

In summary, Let's go over the basic training steps in teaching your dog to sit
1) Put the leash on the dog, hold the other end under your foot (limiting space the dog can take off to). Have a treat in your hand
2)Show your dog the treat. When he reaches up to sniff the treat, tell him to "Sit" (remembering that tone is of the utmost importance)and move the treat directly above his head.
3) As his head comes up, his hips will go down.
4) As his hips touch the ground, praise him- "YES" "GOOD TO SIT" and pop the treat in his mouth
5)Practice a total of five times a day per training session until it becomes second nature to your dog.


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