Six Proven Dog Training Tips—Insights From a Pet's Point of View

To celebrate National Dog Training Month, Mr. N would like to offer some training tips from his perspective.

1. Reward generously and often. And with a wide variety of rewards: cheese, tripe, fuzzy toys, getting to chase a squirrel! Don’t forget jackpots for a job well done. Squirrels, cats, other dogs are really, really hard to ignore.

2. Even if you make a mistake, the dog still gets rewarded. It’s not the dog’s fault. If you click the clicker at the wrong time, the dog gets a treat. If a visiting child picks up the clicker and clicks ten times, ten treats!

3. Dogs forget things too. You should reinforce good behavior occasionally even for things they already know.

4. Recall time should be a party! Bacon  hors-d’oeuvres, meatballs, and lots of noise/praise and excitement. Think of all the other things dogs could be doing. Digging holes, chasing squirrels, peeing over another dog’s mark. Are you more fun than dirt?

5. It’s easier to avoid temptation than to resist temptation. It’s easier to pick up things you don’t want to get chewed and not leave food on the counter than deal with the aftermath.

6. Training should be fun for everyone. Dogs have a sense of humor too! Do you look forward to training sessions or dread them?

What would your dog offer as a training tip?

Welcome to First Monday’s Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days. Please share your responsible pet owner positive pet training tips by linking a blog post or leaving a comment below. Any positive reinforcement training posts or comments are also always welcome. The Positive Pet Training Blog Hop goes all week long. Our next hop will begin Monday, Feb 1st and continues for a week.

 

Mr. N demonstrating his posing and stay skills. He got tripe for sitting in the snow.