Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Dog Training: Getting Your Dog’s Attention (Part 3)

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On the fourth day of dog training, as you repeat the procedures of the first three days, you’ll discover that there’s no more opposition and no games. This is simple enough, unless your dog happens to become momentarily distracted and forgetful.

And that is just exactly what you want to happen, so that he will learn to overcome momentary temptation and distraction and keep his attention focused on you. After all, dog training is needed particularly in time of emergency, and since you are going to build obedience as well as character into your dog, it is not too much to ask, that, at a time when other dogs would yield to distraction and temptation, your dog has his attention totally focused on you.

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Dog Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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Your job from day four until your pet learns to ignore temptation is to use distraction and temptation during your fifteen-minute training sessions. The procedures will be nearly the same as the first three days, except that you will walk in the direction of the distraction or temptation and hope that your dog will rush recklessly toward it.

You will of course have chosen that precise moment to wish him goodbye on his journey, turn, and walk fast in the opposite direction. And, as you may expect, his journey will be short (fifteen to twenty feet) before he turns around and walks toward you. Your dog will not hate you for having to turn around because he won’t associate his abrupt change of direction with you at all.

What Your Dog Will Know For Sure

The last four days have shown him that you will move whenever you choose, and in whatever direction you choose without first checking to see if it’s alright with him. Your dog knew this. What happened was his fault because he took his attention and eyes off you for a moment and gave in to temptation. It was just “coincidental” that you decided to move, at that same moment, and in the direction opposite to that in which he was heading.

You know that the move wasn’t really a coincidence, but your dog doesn’t know this, and will never know. What he will come to realize is that when a distraction or temptation appears, that is the exact moment that you will choose to reverse your direction of travel.

If you do your work well for the next few days, your dog will come to consider every temptation or distraction as a reminder and a cue to keep his eyes and attention on you. Distractions and temptations include people and things such as a skateboarder, a strange cat, another dog, a rolling ball, or a plate of food.

The list can go on and on, depending on your dog’s personality. However, to have someone call your dog by name in an attempt to distract him must be considered unfair. You must stick to other situations and things.

In Conclusion

To conclude this part of training, remember to always walk briskly in a straight line, with confidence in your movement. If you hesitate or walk slow, your dog will not develop the necessary confidence. Never give your dog training commands when working with him on the long-line. You’re not teaching him to heel yet.

For now, you’re teaching him four things. First, when tied to a person, he must move with that person. Second, your determination, will, and status are such that you will walk anywhere and at any time without first checking to see if it’s alright with him. Third, in order for him to be aware of your movement, and in which direction you’ll be walking, he needs to pay attention to you during dog training because you won’t let him know in advance. Fourth, when distraction or temptation appears, they are not excuses to be inattentive. On the contrary, that is the stage in dog training when he must be the more attentive and focused on you.

Dog Training: Getting Your Dog’s Attention (Part 1)

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In today’s article about the first week of dog training, we are going to apply a basic method that was originated by Mr. William Koehler, a respected animal trainer.

His first week’s long-line method (slightly changed here) should be highly praised as one of the greatest innovations in dog training.

————————————————————–

Dog Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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Regardless of how basic and unpromising these first-week steps may seem, follow them carefully and exactly, and you will have a more obedient dog, one that will learn easier and faster.

Let The Dog Training Begin

On your first day of training, take your dog to the backyard, the sidewalk, or the park (only if it provides little to no distractions). Put the training collar on your dog, making sure that it’s fitted correctly. Tie one end of the long-line to the free ring. Holding the other end of the long-line in your hands, pick a spot at a distance of about thirty to forty-five feet. It could be a tin can, a fire hydrant, or a particular patch of grass. Walk fast in a straight line to that spot. Determine to let nothing stand in your way, especially your dog and his tricks.

If yours is the type of dog who has had no form of total control placed over him, you can bet there’ll be tricks. He may start wailing, which means that he would prefer to go in some other direction and you are not cooperating.

He might roll over on his back and place all four feet in the air trying to hook a claw in the sky, which means he doesn’t particularly want to walk with you because you’re not going to the direction he wants. He may even try to rest directly in front of you which simply means that you forgot to ask his permission to walk, and he’d prefer that you stand still until he’s make up his mind.

Throughout dog training, you need to keep one thing perfectly clear in mind so that it will also be clear in the mind of your dog: You are training your dog, not the other way around.

Regardless of his tricks, and with the end of the long-line held firmly in your hand, go to the destination that you’ve chosen. As Mr. Koehler expresses “Your dog will go with you if for no other reason than to be near you”.

That first sixty seconds of training (the time it takes you to walk thirty to forty-five feet) may indeed be a test of wills. It is crucial that your dog develop assurance that you will win this test of wills. He will develop this assurance if he knows that you will go from point A to point B without considering his resistance.

By the time you reach your predetermined location, the learning processes will have already been triggered within the mind of your dog, so simply stand there for about forty-five seconds to a minute. Look around and observe everything around you except your pet. Do not even look at him. Doing so just might possibly get you hopelessly entangled in an emotional struggle.

When your forty-five seconds to one minute is up, pick another spot at about the same distance and, without warning or tugging on the leash to get your dog’s attention, walk at a brisk pace right to it. Again, do not let your dog stand in your way. If you have to clear your throat or in some other way try to catch your dog’s attention before moving, then your dog is doing a great job of training you.

Don’t ask your dog’s permission to walk and just go! When you reached your spot, pause again for about forty-five seconds to observe your surroundings – but not your dog. Again, pick a location and, without any warning, walk to it at a brisk pace. Continue this process for the full fifteen-minute session of dog training.

Basic Puppy Training Techniques

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There are a number of important guidelines that you need to keep in mind when puppy training the basics about good behavior.

Exercising the right training techniques is what will make or break your training regimen with your dog. Follow these five important guidelines and teaching your puppy will be easier than ever.

1 – Be Gentle – Your new puppy is going to be extremely sensitive at first, and as a result will not be able to handle anything that is too stressful on both an emotional and a physical level. Although learning generally quickly takes place, now is the time where your puppy will react poorly to stress or being trained too rough.If fears are picked up too easily during the training process, then it may inhibit the puppy’s ability to learn, so make sure to be gentle but firm in your training.

2 – Keep Things Brief – Puppies have even shorter attention spans than children. Your puppy is only going to learn when his or her attention is on you, and you will not see the results that you are looking for when your puppy is tired physically or mentally. Make sure to be brief when putting your puppy through training activities, and then you can move on.

3 – Exercise Patience – Expecting overnight results is only going to frustrate you and cause your training regimen to lose its focus. Relax, and understand that things like this will take time, and puppies learn in spurts. Puppies also do go through brief memory lapses so do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed if your puppy seems to forget some of its training from one day to the next. Exercise patience when it comes to training and you will be just fine.

4 – Exercise Simplicity – Teaching your puppy should be done in a step by step process if you want to attain the best results. This is the best way that your puppy will learn. Exercise a simple, step by step approach and your puppy will learn more quickly and will enjoy the process more thoroughly than if you were to employ a more intensive training regimen.

5 – Build Confidence – Confidence is the core of every healthy adult dog, and confidence begins with building confidence in a young puppy. Building confidence in your puppy is not hard at all to do; all you need to do is spend positive time with your puppy as often as you possibly can. This will help to build self confidence in your puppy. You should not always be in training mode when you first get your puppy, but instead sometimes you should step back and play with your dog, having fun with him or her in the process. Training is important, but above all else your dog needs to know that you are friends.

These five fundamental training foundations are vital in preparing your puppy for an effective training regimen and will drive better results when properly integrated into your step by step puppy training process.

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