WHETHER you’re teaching your puppy the basics, training your dog for an obedience competition or adding to your dog’s bag of tricks, follow these five rules:
• First and foremost, make sure that your dog is in good physical shape and has no issues that would cause him to be injured before attempting to train any new trick. If you’re unsure, consult with your vet.
• To get the most out of your sessions, make sure your dog is hungry before training. That way, he’ll be more into you and the food. For non-food-oriented dogs, use a toy that only shows up during your training sessions.
• Be fast! Reward immediately when the dog does what you’re looking for. If you’re too slow, you’ll miss the opportunity to mark the correct behavior.
• Wait to use a cue word until your dog is doing the exact behavior you want. Otherwise you’ll be labeling incomplete learning and confusing your dog as to what the command actually means. Until that point, use a marker word such as “Yes” to mean “You did it right and food is coming.”
• Reps count. When teaching your dogs a new trick, try to do four reps before moving to the next progression. Feel free to mix up the progressions you are working on to keep your dog’s interest.
American Kennel Club/TNS