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DO YOUR HOMEWORK

No practice, no progress….Your goal is to teach your dog some important behaviors and to build your relationship with each other with you as the respected leader. Working together as a team and understanding each other is the language of connecting with your dog.

USE COMMAND WORDS PROPERLY

Give commands, one time only, with a firm voice like you are giving instruction. Give your dog a second or two to process the command and if it hasn’t happened gently assist your dog in the completion of the command. After the command has been accomplished praise the dog’s action (not the dog) such as saying “good sit, good sit!” as the dog is doing it. This helps to establish what you are so happy about is that he is sitting like instructed. Don’t forget the use of a release word (“free”) to let the dog know that he/she is finished with the command. After the release you can say “good Dog!” and throw a big happy party for him to know that you are very pleased with him and give him some yummy treats.

Remember to always use a loose leash for any training you are doing. A tight leash spoils the connection that you are developing with your dog. It is like a busy telephone signal and discourages any communication between you. Do not drag your dog with the leash while on a walk or working together. Be enticing. If necessary light tugs on the leash are effective ways of communicating to your dog that you want to move forward. Dragging just encourages balking and pulling. Just keep consistent with your training and you will get there. It takes time to establish that level of trust in each other.

HELP YOUR DOG TO SUCCEED

Keep the training positive and slowly increase the length of time the commands are held by the dog and the distractions. Keep it easy in the beginning. A command should just be held for 3-5 seconds at first. Remember to release the dog (with your word) and give lots of praise. Talk to your dog, let him/her know what you would like and encourage him/her. Don’t ask for more than your dog can handle in the beginning. Get five consistent successes before increasing the difficulty of a task. Rushing your training too fast ruins things so take it slowly. Be consistent, fair and firm with your training. Don’t give up after a mistake or alibi your dog for not doing it. Fix it immediately. Always end your training session on a positive note asking the dog for something you know they can do and praise like crazy. If your dog is having a bad training day, quit with a positive and try again later that day. A 15 minute session each day will help you toward your goals.

REWARD YOUR DOG

Dogs work for your approval and your praise is a vital part of that. It teaches way more than a reprimand does. Disapproval (such as using the words “Uh-oh” lets your dog know that he is not doing what you’d like. Dogs should be given the chance to correct their own mistakes and then praised for getting the requested job done. Praise should sound upbeat and the disapproval stern but not harsh. Keep your sessions short and happy at first so the dog learns that this is fun stuff and that you are very pleased with them.

By NANO/ for Boxer Forums

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