Training

www.fetchdog.com/shop/dogtreatsAll dogs chew. They chew for all kinds of reasons. Puppies are teething so their gums are itching, they explore with their mouths (like babies do). Chewing is also fun and something to do; it alleviates tension and anxiety while exercising the jaws. Adult dogs sometimes chew out of boredom or because they are anxious or under-exercised.

One of the first things a puppy needs to learn is to come when called. Who knows, some day your dog’s life could depend on getting him to come to you - let’s say he slips his collar in the middle of a busy intersection, or he bolts away from you in the woods. If he thinks that coming to you when called is the most fun he’s had since the invention of tennis balls, you have a great chance of getting him back.

Down is a  core puppy training exercise very useful in many situations. If your dog tends to be boisterous when visitors are coming over and you need him to be calm, it’s nice to be able to ask him to lie down. Or if you have a big dog like I do – I have Great Danes – I find that not everyone is comfortable having dogs look them straight in the face while they’re trying to enjoy a nice meal. Being able to ask my dogs  to Go To Bed and have them lie down is helpful.

How happy would you be if you were able to say Leave It! to your dog when he spotted a chicken bone on the street and he happily left it and instead spun around and looked at you? I promise you it can happen. BUT, you have to make it worth his while. If you expect Boomer to leave that half-eaten piece of pizza, he has to think that something better will happen when he looks at you. That takes a lot of puppy training and practice, but the good news is that it’s so much fun to teach and once your dog has a solid Leave It, you can use it in a myriad of different situations. Don’t want him to look at that dog across the street? Leave it! Don’t want him to jump on that kid running by? Leave it! Don’t want him to steal that turkey off the kitchen table? Leave it! Leave it means: Whatever you’re looking at, don’t even think about it! It’s my favorite behavior to teach a dog.

Every dog should know his or her name and respond to the sound of his name by immediately giving his owner attention and eye contact. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, is it? After all, if you wanted a friend’s attention so you could tell him something, you’d say his name and expect him to look to you when you called his name. Anything else would be rude, right? Let’s clear something up first, however. Your dog’s name does not mean Stop Barking, Get Off the Couch, Come Here, or Get Out of the Way. I like to think of it as a kind of pager: Pay Attention, More Information is Coming. That’s all it means.

Sit is a basic cue that can be used in a million different situations. If your dog is excited and looks like he’s getting ready to jump up to greet someone, you can ask him to sit instead. It’s nice and polite for your puppy to sit and wait at the curb when you’re waiting to cross the street. What if, instead of rushing out the door when you were getting ready to go for a walk, your dog would sit politely and wait until you are ready to walk out the door? Sitting and waiting for the food bowl to be put on the floor is nice; sitting in the elevator when there are other people present is polite. 
 

Stay is a super-important cue. If your dog is off leash and you need  him to stay where he is instead of going after another dog or running across the street after a squirrel, a solid STAY might save his life. Stay is different from Wait. Stay means do not move until I come to you and release you. That’s why you should never use it if you want Fredo to wait for 10 seconds until he can go for the food bowl you put in front of him.

Targeting means training your puppy to touch a target, in this case your hand, with his nose on cue. Being constantly rewarded for just touching something with your nose: What’s not to like? Pat Miller describes it this way in her brilliant book The Power of Positive Dog Training: "The target is like a treat vending machine; they touch the target, they get a treat." That’s exactly why most dogs love this game.

Dogs pull on the leash because they can and because they think it will get them where they want to go sooner ... and they’re usually right. For dogs, the highest motivator will always win out and, let’s face it, if it’s between walking slowly next to us or sniffing poop and vacuuming the sidewalk for potential chicken bones, we don’t stand a chance. Unless, of course, we can offer something better. Aha! That’s the secret to training your puppy to walk politely next to you. In fact, that’s the secret to getting them to do anything we want them to do. Dogs are all about "Show Me the Money," believe me!

Imagine waking up one day and getting moved to a new house with a new family without warning. That’s how your new dog feels the first time you bring her home. Picking a new pet is fun and exciting for you, but it can be a scary process for your new dog. Make the transition go as smoothly as possible by preparing for her arrival.

Paper-training is a viable solution for dogs who don’t have a yard. But be sure you really want to train your pup to go on papers because it can be difficult to retrain him to go outside.

www.fetchdog.com/shop/dogbowls-feedersWhat are handling exercises and why might they be useful?
Exercises that use gentle and positive handling can help to increase the enjoyment and decrease any fear associated with handling and restraint.  In addition, they provide a means for achieving a relaxed state, which might then be used if the dog begins to get excited or aroused.   Verbal exercises can and should also be used to help achieve a relaxed state (See our settle exercise handouts).  While the physical contact and attention you provide may be sufficiently reinforcing for most puppies, food treats can also be paired with handling to mark and reward the desirable response.  One important principle to always keep in mind is that the hand should always be an indication that something good is about to happen (e.g. the hand is a friend).  This means that physical punishment and forceful handling must be avoided. 

Can you adopt a cat into your family if you already have a dog? In most cases, the answer is a resounding YES!!