Obediance Training

Items Needed for training session:

Collar
Leash
Long line
Fenced Area
Area with few distractions.

Come:

This is the most important command.
To introduce a puppy to the command any time you see the puppy headed for you say the word "come" and when the puppy gets to you praise him. Remember that coming to you is fun, do not call your dog to you to punish him. If coming to you is not fun he will stop coming when you call. If you have an older dog that you need to teach come when called you will need to do the following exercise. To teach the come on leash (to ensure the obedience of the command) you can do it when the dog is occupied with something and then command, "Come!". Right after you give the command, pull the dog toward you and happily praise your dog when the dog is right in front of you. Do this repeatedly until he or she responds to the come command immediately. Then with the long line on your dog you can work on the come from a further distance. Once your dog does this every time, try the come without the long line or leash but in an enclosed place in case your dog doesn't come you are still able to catch him.

The Heel:

With leash and collar on your dog, command, "Heel!", while stepping off with your left foot. Your dogs head should stay even with your leg.
Problems:
Lagging - your dog stays to far behind you.

Forging - Your dog stays in front of you. Pulling you forward.

You can encourage him to be in the right place by several methods.

Hold a treat in your hand to help bring your dog forward into the correct position. When he is in the correct position let him have the treat.
You can try patting your leg and speaking your dogs name in a happy voice. This may help his confidence so that he will move up next to you. If you are working with a very timid dog this could take several attempts before he gets the idea.
If your dog knows what he is supposed to do. You can correct him by sharply jerking him forward.

Sit:

To teach the sit get a treat in your hand, get the puppies attention. When he looks up at your hand (that has the treat) move it slightly back towards the puppies back and he will naturally sit. As soon as he sits give the command "sit", give him lots of praise and the treat. After a few times you will be able to say "sit" and he will do so. Make sure that you continue to give lots of praise and treats. This particular way works great for young puppies since you are not putting pressure on your young dogs bones.

Sit-Stay:

To teach the sit-stay put your dog in a sit (he already knows this command) put your palm in front on his nose and say "stay". If he gets up before you tell him just repeat the process. The first time you tell him to stay you will release (you should chose your release command before you start this session) him in about 10 seconds. You will build slowly from this.

Down:

With your dog at heel position, command, "Down!", If you take a treat put it in front of dogs nose then lower it to the ground. The dogs nose will usually follow the treat. As soon as his stomach touches the ground tell him he is a good dog and let him have the treat. After repeating this process several times he should start going down without the treat. Once your dog obeys the down command ever time you tell the dog to do it, without distractions you can start adding distractions.

Down-Stay:

Now that he goes down every time you give him the command you are ready to start teaching the stay command. Put your dog in a down and then put your hand out with palm facing flat toward dog, command, "Stay!", and then step right in front of him or her, using your right foot. Stay there standing in front of your dog. If he gets up before you tell him just repeat the process. The first time you tell him to stay you will release (you should chose your release command before you start this session) him in about 10 seconds. You will build slowly from this.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws