BY KAT MARTIN, CPDT
There are three core behaviors that every dog will benefit from knowing and practicing reliably. Follow these tips for creating a better bond with your pooch pal!
Attention to Name: If Baxter responds with attention to you when he hears his name, everything else becomes much easier! Pairing hearing his name with offering eye contact and getting a treat works well. This way, when he hears his name, he learns to look you in the eye. Teaching your dog to have a positive association with hearing his name is the key to getting focus and attention. Once you have that attention, you can then ask for other behaviors.
Come when Called: Otherwise known as “recall”, this reliable response when you call your furry friend to “come” is non-negotiable. Not only does it help you, but it could be a life saver for your pup. For a truly reliable recall, it is very important that you keep the training of this super fun, especially during the initial learning stages. You want Bowser to always think coming to you means he is going to get a celebration party: treats, petting, lots of praise, a game of tug or chase, or all of the above! Be careful, also, to not overuse the verbal cue “come”. If he hears the cue too many times without being reinforced, he will stop coming. Also, if he only hears the cue at not-so-fun times (i.e., leaving the dog park, going in his crate, etc.) you will lose reliability. You should vary the level of distraction while training as well, such as swapping out a low-distraction indoor setting with a high-distraction outdoor setting and so on. Set your pooch up for success from the start by making coming to you so much fun that when you truly need him to come, he will quickly and happily run to you!
Leave It: I use this cue all the time with my pups. Saying “leave it” means “Take your attention away from that”. This cue is best used proactively—in other words, before your dog has taken hold of the unknown carcass in the field or has begun to chase the neighbor’s cat. I train this command using small treats in the beginning and then progressing to toys as well as personal belongings such as shoes. It’s important that Ducthess never gets a hold of the thing you have asked her to leave alone during training. Once she is responding to this cue, try using it in more distracting environments. But remember, the more exciting the trigger, the more exciting her payoff needs to be, so use yummy treats, a super fun play session or whatever works best to motivate her in each situation.
Remember to always keep your training fun! The more fun it is, the more reliably your canine companion will respond. And the better your pups respond to these three cues, the easier and more fun your lives together will be. Happy training… and happy holidays!
Kat Martin is the owner of Dogs & Kat Training and Behavioral Counseling and See Spot Eat: A Doggie Bakery.
