Obedience Train Your Dog Knowing when to start formal obedience training – walking on a lead, the sit / stay command and recall – is dependent on the dog’s sex, breed and personality but as a guide around 4/5 months old is a good age to begin. However, boundary training should start the moment you take your dog or puppy home. You have now officially become a dog trainer and the whole environment you bring it into will affect its personality and behaviour. Socialise your dog and introduce him to various situations. Furthermore, there is no upper age limit for dog training. The older the dog is the longer training may take and the more patience you may need but to say you can’t teach an old dog new trick’s is a fallacy. In order for both you and your dog to co-exist in a harmonious relationship it is imperative that you enrol yourself and your dog on a dog obedience class with a professional dog trainer. Teach the 3 basic commands Heel, Sit and Come. For successful canine training you need Know-How, Patience, Repetition and Consistency and most importantly a ‘Positive Mental Attitude’ (PMA). Heel Work Exercise is critical to your dog’s physical health and mental wellbeing. A large exercise run is not a substitute for a daily walk. In order for your dog to be balanced you must take your dog for at least two daily walks. This will help relax your dog and burn up any inbuilt energy and frustration. Walking is natural for dogs it is engraved firmly in their genotype. In the wild dogs walk in packs to hunt for food and water. The alpha pack leader leads the pack from the front during these expeditions. Heelwork is the basis of owning a calm, relaxed and obedient dog. If your dog pulls on the lead ahead of you while walking he is officially pack leader and will assume the role of protector of the pack using whatever means his personality dictates, this could be aggression towards people and other dogs or lunging hyperactivity for the same reason. It is important to teach your dog to walk correctly in the follower position. Ensure your dog sits and waits patiently before putting on its lead - Remember only ‘Calmness leads to Reward’©. Always walk out and in the door or gate ahead of your dog. This will instil in their mind that you are the ‘Pack Leader’. When you return from your walk make your dog sit patiently while you put the lead away. After the walk is a good time to feed your dog as it will have felt it has worked for it. Dogs are very territorial & readily mark their territory with scent. This is normally done by the pack leader. Don’t allow your dog to cock his leg at every lamp post. So there we have it teaching your dog to walk properly on the lead is paramount to owning a well behaved dog. The most important points to remember are: •Always position the dog on your left hand side. •Hold the end of the lead in your right hand the left hand resting on the lead for control. •The follower position is your dogs head slightly behind your left leg so that when you step forward you are always leading. •The moment your dog pulls or lunges forward spin right round and turn the opposite way and issue the command ‘Heel’ in a controlled tone. •You don’t have to be harsh or jerk or yank on the lead simply bend down low and teach your dog to follow your body movements. •Sometimes it may be necessary to use a proper training lead to assist with the heel exercise. •Practice this exercise daily in a distraction free environment for at least 15minutes per day before going for a walk with your dog. •As your confidence grows and your dogs heelwork improves regularly walk your dog in parks but mostly through the town streets to acclimatise your dog and achieve full control with natural distractions. •Remember your dog must be under your full control while on the lead you are the ‘Pack Leader’. Sit The sit exercise is one of the most important exercises in the foundation building to owning an obedient dog. By teaching the sit exercise thoroughly you should be able to teach your dog to switch off in any given situation promoting "Calmness Leads To Reward". In my opinion the sit command should be like having your dog on a remote control just like a TV. When you issue the command sit the dog should switch off – no picture no sound. When you issue the command OK (a command to release him) the screen should come back to life. What we want to achieve is a calm dog that is totally under your control regardless of the distractions. •Teach your dog to switch off in the sit position. •Click your fingers to sharpen the response followed by the hand signal. .Issue the sit command in a calm tone. Remember gadgets or titbits aren’t required. •The moment your dog sits don’t instantly praise him otherwise he will think the exercise is complete. Teach him patience in the sit position. •If your dog doesn’t instantly sit show him what you require by placing him in the sit position. •Issue the release command of OK, this will become the command your dog will associate with being released from a given position. .Build up the distance that you move away from your dog and increase the time that he has to remain in the sit position. •If he lies down when told to sit its fine as long as he doesn’t get up until you release him by issuing the command ‘OK’ •Remember sit to your dog should mean you sit there for 30 seconds or 30 minutes you don’t get up until I as pack leader tell you to do so •When praising your dog don’t over excite him and talk to him like a baby. •Remember in the wild "Calmness Leads To Reward". •Gently place two fingers behind your dogs ears and caress, this is a reflex point and a dominate region of your dogs body. Don’t rub it vigorously like a washing machine on a fast spin but calmly and slowly. •By gently caressing behind your dogs ears you are establishing your alpha pack leader role, but also therapeutically relaxing and calming your dog at the same time. •And finally and most importantly practice the sit command daily while walking your dog teaching your dog to sit and wait patiently while standing outside shops in the town, make him sit before he gets food, before crossing the road. Practice the exercise both indoors and outdoors as part of your daily routine. •Teach your dog to sit on and off the lead for both short and long periods of time. Insisting that he responds every time. Sit With Distractions As I often say why make the sky your limit when you can reach for the stars. Teaching your dog to sit with distractions is paramount to owning a well trained dog that is under your full control in any given situation; Let me give you a few examples •Once control has been achieved and your dog will remain steady in the sit position, distractions should be introduced into your daily training exercise. The more distraction your dog becomes accustomed to the more control you will have over your dog’s behaviour. •Increase the distance and length of time you place your dog in the sit position for and also increase the number of distractions practising on and off the lead. •The more distractions you introduce the more steady your dog will become. •Teach your dog to sit and remain in the sit position indoors while you watch TV or read a magazine. Make your dog sit while you put clothes on the washing line or wash your car or cut the lawn. •Make your dog sit with the distraction of your kids playing football or riding their bicycles. •If your dog is inside make him sit in one place while perhaps you answer the door and greet a guest. Make him sit before getting to play with toys or eat his food. •Remember "Calmness Always Leads To Reward". Personalize the distractions to suit your home environment and daily routine and with repetition and consistency you will be well on the way to owning the perfectly obedient dog. Recall - Getting Your Dog To Come When Called Recall and getting your dog to come back when called is one area that most owners have problems with. In order to rehabilitate your dog and get him to come back every time you call him, it is important to understand first why you have problems in the first place. •Remember it has to be more fun for your dog to come to you than run of after a distraction. •Use a treat bag filled with lots of appetising treats. •Initially practice the recall in a controlled distraction free environment. •Show your dog the treat, get him motivated with it but don’t give it to him, then let him off the lead, issuing the command play. •Give your dog initially a few seconds of free play increasing the time gradually. Then call him using his name and the command come. •The moment he returns reward him with the treat and loads of hand praise. •Don’t ask your dog to sit to get the treat otherwise he will associate the reward with sitting and not coming back. •The recall exercise can be practised indoors as well as outdoors, by using two handlers you can call your dog to each person and instantly reward. •With time your dog will soon associate the command ‘Come’ as a positive exercise. Recall is the hardest exercise to perfect. Achieve recall perfection in a distraction free environment first before venturing into the public arena. Include recall training as part of your daily routine but don’t overdo it, practice the come command 3or 4 times always finishing on a high. It takes time to undo your dogs bad habits, but with consistent practice you can achieve wonderful results