Clever dogs and crazy people with Wendy Graydon The Dog Trainer

There are so many ways to train a dog.

Just look on the internet under any heading you can dream up! Then think is it the right way and what works for my dog? Will it be easy to teach and can I follow through with the training?

Training a dog is simple and complex. Sometimes a video or book might not help you do what you want, but follow through with the advice with plenty of practise. Breaking dog training down into understandable pieces so you can see what you are doing does help. One way for you to train their dog is a good mix of training and strategies.

Training – What has been trained, or the dog already knows and usually with a learnt command

Strategies- Things you can do or use to support what you are trying to teach your dog

For example:

Let's say your dog is barking at the fence a lot and you want it to stop. You call your dog but they do not stop barking so you may use a strategy because they have not come to the command of ‘come'. Has your dog been trained to recall and do they know what you are asking? Is it a learnt command? You may think you have a barking problem, but it is more likely you have a dog that does not come when called.

You cannot do anything with your dog if it does not come to you. Never mind that it is barking or playing with another dog!

Strategy:

You get their lead go outside and put it on them and bring them in. The lead is your strategy to gain control over the situation and put them where you want, such as on their mat tied up.

Show by taking the lead and bringing them inside and being calm; a good strategy. You used the lead and you went outside and got them, that is what you ‘do' and ‘show' the behaviour you want.

By saying ‘come' as you take them inside, you are reinforcing what you want and the lead is helping you to show what you want. (Come when I call you, come in when I call you, this is what I want you to do.)

Training:

Once inside dogs go onto their mat and you need to tie them to it for five minutes for not listening when you called them to stop barking.

You need to repeat this many times until the dog understands that when you call they must come and stop barking now. Be consistent and do not falter.

Many owners cannot even catch their dog to come at home. The dog starts to play the game of catch and the lesson is often forfeited as they try to catch their dog.

When you are home in the evening, practise with your dog by putting their lead off and on. Use the command ‘lead on' and ‘lead off'. This will make the lead a good thing for whenever you need them to put it on. Use plenty of treats and make it fun.

This is just one way of doing this and there are so many other ways to teach your dog what you.