If you do not plan to take your four-legged friend to exhibitions, you can do the training yourself. For a treat and praise (1) from a beloved owner, your pet will easily learn everything. And it is also important that the training takes place in the form of a game – this is how dogs learn commands better (2). So, step by step instructions on how to start a home training course.
Sit
Take a treat in your hand and bring your fist to your pet's face so that he can smell it. Slowly raise your hand up so that the dog reaches for the treat, turning up his nose. At this point, intuitively, dogs most often sit down.
Voice the command. If the dog sits on his own, give him a treat. If not, repeat the command and lightly press your hand on the sacrum. After several such repetitions, the animals understand what they want from them.
Second phase. After the dog began to sit down, it becomes simply unbearable to receive the treasured treat.
Down
If your pet has learned the “sit” command, consider that he has almost learned “down” as well. We give the command “sit”, we wait until the four-legged one does it, after which we show him a delicacy in his hand, which we gradually take aside at floor level. At this moment, when the animal begins to reach for the yummy, we give the command to ”Down! ” And press the dog a little on the withers, preventing it from jumping on its paws. The dog will reach for the hand with the treat and stretch into the correct position.
The second stage is to learn this command using a gesture (see figure). Add a gesture to the voice command when the pet starts to Down on its own, without your hand on the withers. Then gradually increase the distance from which the dog executes the command.
Heel
We teach the command on a leash, it is desirable that before that your four-legged friend walks up and is tired. We take the dog on a short leash, say "Heel" and give a treat. We repeat the exercise when the pet begins to pull ahead.
The command is learned in the form of a game. Take the ball, stick or other item that loves your pet to bite, and when he takes it in the mouth, try to pick it up. At this moment, you need to voice the command "give". When the dog releases a toy out of mouth, praise it and give a treat. For the first time, the animal may not give a toy, so show the treat and make an exchange with it.
Stand
This command is better to learn when the dog learns by order to Down. The position of Down will be initial. The pet should be in the collar and on the leash. Raise the dog by the leash up so that it stands on the paws. Get the command and give a delicacy when the animal takes the rack. Treat the delicious when the dog will stand smoothly without trying to go down the ass.
Your Complete First Week Puppy Training Plan
Come / Come here
Here you need an assistant. It is necessary that someone holds your puppy in their arms or on a leash while you move away from it a short distance.
Stop, pat yourself on your thigh and say: "Come / Come here. " At this moment, the dog should let go so that she ran to you. If you don’t run, squat, start calling and show in your hands a delicious one. When the puppy comes up, treat it with a treat and stir it.
If the dog ignored your command several times, pause and take care of something else, take on a leash or leave the stick. Otherwise, the animal will decide that you can not obey you.
Place
Training consists of several stages. Training needs to start when your little friend will know the commands to “Down” and “Come / Come here”.
Choose a place, lay a rug there, a blanket or put a special sunbed, then put a toy or bone Heel and proceed to training.
Step one. Bring the dog to his place and say: "Down" after that, move a short distance and call the pet to you. When the dog executes the command, give encouragement and praise.
Step two. Repeat the exercise, but now show aside the sunbed with your hand and say: "place. "The puppy can be slightly push in this direction, repeating the command. If the dog settles, say again: "Place. "If he doesn’t want to, give the command ”Down! ”, wait for its implementation and repeat the “Place” command. Make a delicious one, then step back a few steps and call the pet to you.
Step three. Leave a treat on the bedding or hide it in a toy to make it more interesting for the dog to look for it. Say the command "place". When the dog comes up to eat the treat, say: ”Down! ”, praise for the command, and while he lies on the mat for at least 5 seconds, repeat the “Place” command and treat him again with a treat.
After a few days of training, increase the distance at which the dog approaches his place to a few meters.
– Basic commands, such as “sit”, ”Down! ”, “stand”, can be taught by yourself, and complex ones, for example, “barrier”, “die”, “fetch”, “jumping on your back” – only with a dog handler. In these commands, you need to carefully monitor the execution technique, and in some exercises you even need to catch the dog, – warns dog handler Kathleen Edwards. – The general training course lasts two months, after which, if the dog has learned everything, a certificate is issued. But everything is individual. For some animals, even 15-20 sessions may not be enough.
When signing up for courses, pay attention to what breeds of dogs are recruited into the group. Animals should be similar in size. Dwarf breeds cannot train with fighting breeds.
Popular questions and answers
About what other points should be taken into account when training a puppy, we talked with the cynologist Kathleen Edwards.
At what age can a puppy be taught commands?
You can teach puppy commands from 4 months, when all vaccinations are done and quarantine is over. It is best to train a dog in the morning and in the evening before the main meal, then the pet will be more willing to follow commands.
How often should a puppy be taught commands?
It is desirable to conduct training every day so that the pet does not wean. But it shouldn't take long. Don't repeat every command a hundred times. 3-5 repetitions are enough, then take a break.
How to reward a dog for a command?
The treats she loves. But it is important to remember that the interval after executing the command and receiving the treat should not be more than 3 seconds.
When the dog begins to follow the commands well, you need to wean him from the treats. Give a treat not for each exercise performed, as it was at the beginning, but after 2 – 3 correctly executed commands.
