Sunday, January 2, 2011

Get Your Pooch To Follow Your Orders

By Debbie Hastings


Many folks say that dogs are one of the most clever animals. Often, to show this, they have taught them how to do some amazing tricks, like play and instrument or do math, things that some humans cannot do!

If you are a dog owner but have no experience in teaching your dog anything at all, you might want to start now while your dog is still young. The older your dog gets, the less likely he or she will want to start listening to you.

The first thing any owner would teach their dog is how to sit. Just like any other command, the sit command cannot be taught overnight. You need to have a lot of patience (and a lot of treats) until the dog finally masters it.

When you start training, you could give your dog treats for successful commands. However, as you progress, wean him off the treats so that the dog will follow your command because you told him so and not because he wants to get a treat.

As an alternative to treats, you can reward your dog's obedience through a gesture of acknowledgement for every command followed. A gentle and encouraging tone of voice, a pat on the head, or a caress will do as substitute for treats to reinforce the training process.

If your dog does not follow you, do not shout and hit him! Instead, correct him with "No" but make sure you say it in a deeper voice to show the dog that you mean business. As soon as he stops, repeat the process again.

Try to do the trick at least once a day to embed it. Many dogs have a poor short term memory so this will help.

It may take a week, or maybe a couple of days, depending on the dog. As long as you keep at it, and reward them, they will get it eventually, and during the process you and your dog will bond as well.




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