Dog Training Nation

In Dogs We Trust

You are here: Home / Archives for Training

First Puppy Training Session

by

Training Your Puppy for the First Time

Training Your Puppy
Wait for all four feet on the floor, then click and treat! solovyova/Deposit Photos

Training your puppy to have good manners is best done in the first 16 weeks. Given their short attention span, you should train your puppy in short sessions.

Five-Treat Puppy Training Session

Count out five treats and practice one or two dog behaviors until you’ve given your puppy all five treats.

Potty and play with your puppy for the next 30 minutes. Repeat this short puppy training session three times a day.

  • 1 puppy training session in the morning
  • 1 puppy training session in the afternoon
  • 1 puppy training session in the evening

Instead of treats, you can use your puppy’s morning or evening meal as the reward. This dog training session is great because you can continue to train your dog for as long as you and your puppy like.

RELATED: How to Potty Train a Puppy

One-Minute Puppy Training Session

Unlike the first puppy training session, the one-minute puppy training session requires a timer. Set your timer for one minute and practice teaching your puppy a behavior until the timer rings. Give your puppy a break. Bring him to potty and play for 30 minutes. Repeat this short puppy training session three times a day.

When training your puppy, remember to take breaks. Training breaks are invaluable during the learning process. You’ll be surprised how much your puppy learned during your short training lesson when he’s given time to think and process the behavior he’s learned.

New Behavior

Begin your next training session by practicing a behavior your puppy does really well like “sit” or “touch.” This builds your puppy’s confidence and sets him up for success. Next, introduce a new behavior, such as “down” and break into several puppy training sessions.

If your puppy is struggling, say “down.” End the training session with something your puppy does very well, such as “sit” or “touch.” Take a break and think through your training protocol.

There is a reason your puppy became confused. Maybe your treat wasn’t valued enough or you moved too fast. Think through how you could do better. Ask your dog trainer for advice—dog trainers are invaluable for troubleshooting and problem-solving, as they have trained many dogs!

RELATED: Dog Training Treats

Touch Command

Teach your puppy to respond to a cue. Practice several known behaviors back to back.

  • Example: Teach your puppy to “sit,” “down,” “sit” and “down.” This will strengthen both cues, and your puppy will learn the difference between the cues.
  • Example: Teach your puppy to “sit,” “touch,” “sit” and “touch.” Asking your puppy to “touch” will lead him out of the “sit” behavior, so you can keep practicing!

Make it fun and give him the chance to succeed with some cues he knows. It’s always more fun for your puppy when he’s rewarded for performing the right behaviors in puppy training.

WATCH: Teach Your Puppy the Touch Command

Always remember these tips when training your puppy:

– Keep sessions short with lots of rewards and plenty of break time.
– When you’re stuck, reach out to your dog trainer.
– Make puppy training fun.

What was your experience like when you first trained your puppy?

You may also like: Top 10 Puppy Training Tips

Training Pit Bulls

by

Pit Bull Training

Pit Bull TerrierMany times, I’m asked if specific breeds like Pit Bulls are more difficult to train. When teaching dogs polite behaviors, about 90% is the same learning principles, which means all dogs are able to learn. So let’s discuss the differences between Pit Bull Terriers and other breeds of dogs.

Top 3 Pit Bull Terrier Behaviors

Polite Greetings

o   Dog Greetings: Some Pit Bulls can be snarky to other dogs, so it’s vital they learn to meet, greet or ignore other dogs. Not all dogs like to meet and play with other dogs, and we need to respect their requests. If we push too hard and force them to enjoy being around other dogs, they will quickly learn to bite other dogs to keep them away. This is true for all breeds of dogs.

o   People Greetings: Pit Bulls are large dogs and we need to teach them how to greet people politely. This means no jumping, body slamming or crawling into strangers’ laps. They should learn to sit when a person walks towards them. This is easy to teach: Person walks towards Pittie. If your Pittie jumps up, the person walks away. The person only walks towards Pittie when all four feet are on the ground or they are sitting. Voila!

Polite Leash Manners

Due to the large size of Pit Bull Terriers, they can pull you into parked cars or even traffic if they want to greet someone. Teach your dog that pulling does not pay off, as you remain still. If he does not pull, he can walk forward. I would recommend a front clip harness for most large dogs, as this harness controls pulling until you can teach your Pittie polite manners.

RELATED: Stop Your Dog From Pulling on the Leash

Body Handling

As with most large breed dogs, it’s important for Pitties to allow body handling, such as nail trims and people looking into their ears and mouth plus gentle restraint for blood draws. Touch your Pittie’s ear, then click and treat. Touch his nails, then click and treat. Do this for one minute each day for best results.

VIDEO: How to Train a Dog Body Handling

As with all breeds of dogs, Pit Bull Terrier owners need to socialize their Pittie puppies from an early age. They should meet lots of new people and dogs before 16 weeks old. Want to bring a Pittie into your home? Learn about the Pittie breed from a Dog Trainer’s Perspective. To learn more about Pitties and rescue, view Pit Bull Rescue Center and BadRap – Pit Bull Rescue.

Tell me about your Pittie and what polite behaviors you taught him!

Post pictures of your Pit Bull on our Facebook Page.

You may also like: American Pit Bull Terriers

Rottweiler Training

by

How to Train a Rottweiler

How to Train a Rottweiler
Sobek wearing his harness.

Rotties have breed specific behaviors. They were bred to herd livestock to market. Cattlemen would tie their earnings in a pouch around their Rottweiler’s neck for the walk home. This would ensure no one would steal their earnings.

Rottweiler training, as with all dogs, does not require responding with dominance or punishment-based dog training techniques. Rotties understand consequences and will respond quickly when set up for success. Pushing, pulling or forcing a Rottweiler to comply with a behavior while training will mostly likely result in a dog bite or your Rottie will become afraid of you. This is not our goal as Rottweiler owners.

RELATED: How to Train a Rottweiler

3 Rottweiler Behaviors Your Dog Should Know

    • Polite Greetings: Rottweilers are big and powerful dogs so they need to learn polite leash and greeting manners. Rottweiler training should begin when he’s a puppy. Exuberant jumping on people can be dangerous. That being said, your dog should learn to keep all four feet on the ground at all times.
    • Polite Leash Manners: Due to their large size, Rottweilers can lead you to places you wouldn’t want to be. When this happens, you want to teach your Rottie to not pull on his leash by remaining still. If your dog does not pull, then you may both walk forward. A front clip harness helps control pulling until you can teach your dog polite manners.
    • Body Handling: It is important to teach a Rottweiler to allow body handling, such as looking into his ears and mouth. Touch your Rottie’s ear, then click and treat. Touch his nails, then click and treat. For best results, do this for one minute everyday. The objective is to get him used to being handled when he is taken to the veterinarian.

VIDEO: How to Train a Dog Body Handling

Rottweiler Training Tips

You should socialize your Rottie at an early age. They should meet many people and dogs before reaching 16 weeks old. When watching Rottweilers play with other dogs, their play style is mostly like a bully breed. Rottweilers like to run full speed and body slam, hip check and shoulder check. Not all breeds think this is fun play so it’s vital to find dogs with similar play styles as a Rottweiler. Bull terriers, Pit Bulls and Rotties generally play in a similar way.

Rottweilers are not an aggressive breed. This is a myth that has been debunked. In my 20+ years of dog training, I have learned it’s not the breed of the dog. Rottweilers are an impressive and majestic breed. When they fall into the wrong hands, Rottweilers can be exploited.

Post pictures of your Rottie on our Facebook Page.

Learn about Rottweiler rescue at National List of Rottweiler Rescue Groups.
Find out more about Rotties at American Rottweiler Club.

Dog Training Classes

by

Dog Obedience Training

Dog Obedience Training
Dog training class in session.

Ah, the magic question that I’m asked several times a day, from new and frustrated dog owners, is: Does your dog need obedience classes?

Let’s explore this question about dog obedience training.

As a dog trainer, I see things a bit differently, as over 80% of my clients are already frustrated with their dog’s behavior. The remaining 20% of dog owners who attend dog obedience classes want to prevent naughty behaviors before they happen. These pet parents usually have attended a dog obedience or puppy training class in the past.

Training Classes are a Must

Your dog needs positive opportunities to learn which dog behaviors are appropriate. Just like a small child, it’s our job to teach dogs how to behave around people and other dogs:

  • On a leash
  • At the dog park
  • At home
  • At a stranger’s house
  • In the car
  • In public places like restaurants

Dogs pull on a leash to move forward. They jump up to greet you, as they have not been taught how to appropriately greet you (or any humans). Your dog is not acting naughty out of spite, but he may not have been trained by you or a dog trainer as to what good behavior is.

3 Things You Will Learn in Dog Training Classes

Dog training classes are a fabulous resource to teach polite manners. These classes should be considered mandatory for all dogs and their owners. Before your hackles go up from the word “mandatory,” let me explain. Over 70% of dogs are in shelters due to naughty behaviors that can easily be fixed by taking dog training classes. It really is that simple. Help prevent a dog from potentially being put down in a shelter by training him good behavior skills.

Parking your dog is a great behavior every dog and his owner should know. It simply means that despite distractions, another animal barking at him or in any situation that you want your dog to remain poised, your dog will not act up but instead look to you for guidance.

Dog treats are the best motivators for training your pet. Some people love cheesecake while others love chocolate. Dogs are the same way. They all have things that they are excited about and love to be given whether it is:

  • Cheese sticks
  • Bones
  • Tennis balls
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Snacks  and biscuits
  • Kongs
RELATED: Dog Training Treats

Finding out what motivates your dog and using this while training will produce better behavior results at a faster pace. Think of it from a human perspective. For example: If I were to ask you to take a seat in the chair and you do, but then I ask you to stand up. Next, I ask you to sit in the seat again. Eventually, you may get bored and give up. But, if I were to hand you a $20 bill every time that you sat back down in the seat, I’d bet you wouldn’t mind getting up and sitting down anymore. In fact, you would probably enjoy doing it, right?

Dog training requires the same techniques. The dog’s currencies and motivation are what you can use to train him into behaving in an acceptable or desired manner. What is your dog’s “$20 bill”?

During a group dog training class, your pet will learn foundation cues, such as:

  • Sit
  • Down
  • Stay
  • Come
  • Walk politely on a leash
  • How to politely behave around other dogs and people

Dog behavior amongst other dogs and humans is the most important behavior aspects that your dog should know. Most dogs perform cues like sit and down at home, but will your dog respond when a guest visits? Does he forget what you taught him when it counts out in the field or in a public place?

Are dogs ever too old to learn? Of course not!

As a professional dog trainer with over 20 years of experience, I can tell you for certain that you can teach an old dog new tricks. You can teach new behaviors, reteach foundational behaviors and how to remember dog tricks! If you adopt an older rescue dog, it’s great to bring him through a group dog training class. You are teaching foundation behavior and building a bond. It is never too late for consulting with a dog trainer!

RELATED: Best Dog Training Books

The Importance of Dog Behavior Training

Will your dog behave the way you want at the park or during walks down the street? Or in the backyard when a squirrel is teasing him from a tree? Most dogs that have not attended group classes usually have a tough time responding to cues with high distractions. These are just a few situations that dog training becomes beneficial in your pet’s life.

Basic Dog Training Classes

While most dog training classes are weekly, at the same time and day each week, classes can vary from 4-6 weeks. In a basic dog training class, you will learn to teach your dog the foundational behaviors. Your dog will learn what behaviors need to be used in place of the naughty unwanted behaviors.

For example: Training your dog to sit before he jumps on you. In my 20 years of training, I have yet to see a dog jump when sitting. Teach your dog to sit and then teach him to park so you know the difference and so will he.

Dog training classes offer a fun and safe learning environment that will set you and your dog up for success. Mistakes are ignored (and yes, us dog trainers make mistakes too) and appropriate behavior is rewarded even for humans.

Dog obedience training classes will teach you the pet owner how to train your dog. That means you will learn the skills that can prevent naughty behavior from your dog. Taking dog training classes can be addictive and it’s a lot of fun!

Have you ever taken your dog to dog training classes? Tell us about it in the comments below.

How to Train Your Dog to Park It

by

Train Your Dog to Stay

One dog training cue that I strongly encourage every dog owner to train his dog to know would be to “park.” In a nutshell, this behavior means to stay with me while I’m doing something else. You can use these behaviors when:

  • Talking to someone at the park
  • Having guests over
  • Dining outdoors
  • Paying at the pet store or vet’s office
  • Listening to instructions

VIDEO: Train Your Dog to Park

You can use the dog park behavior when your dog becomes overwhelmed by another barking dog or excited in a new situation. You are teaching him to bring his arousal level down. It’s like taking a yoga breath for your dog. Having him know the ability to remain poised and look to the dog owner for approval before chasing or barking is key to a safe and calm interaction with other dogs, people or animals.

When teaching hyperactive dogs to be calm, many folks ask them to sit still. This is tough, as they are learning how to manage their extra energy and excitement. I want to set you and your dog up for success and asking for a rock solid stay or wait is not fair so let’s ask for something easier, such as park.

Let’s look at it from a human perspective. Have you been with a friend who meets up with another friend and you are not part of the conversation? It’s awkward, but it happens. Now, what if your friend asked you to sit on a bench and wait until their conversation is over? You can not check your Facebook page or text messages, you just watch them. Wow, I could not do it! Same thing for your dog. Let him walk around and occupy his mind by sniffing around and looking around if he wants to (as long as he is not pulling on the leash). Voila! You’ve parked your dog!

Don’t get this behavior confused with wait, as you’re not asking your dog to sit or down in one spot. I think of wait as a pause button. You stay in that position until released. Stay means you are asking the dog to sit or lay down until you pick him up or call (releasing him from the cue) to come.

Why are there so many words in dog training for similar things?

We need to clear up any confusion for our dogs. If I asked you to turn, you will ask which way (left or right), in a circle, just my head or my entire body. Let’s make sure we communicate clearly to our pooches. I think they will appreciate it. 🙂

Just by teaching this simple behavior, you are teaching your dog:

  • Self control (teaching your hyper dog to relax)
  • Polite greetings to people (not to jump on people)
  • Polite leash manners (not pull on the leash)
  • How to ignore other dogs
  • To stay
  • Not to bark

How to train a dog to park:

  1. Step on your leash about halfway up to your dog. He should have 3-4 feet of extra leash.
  2. Click and treat your dog the instant the leash becomes loose. Example: Your dog is pulling to visit another dog. Wait until the leash becomes loose and click/treat!
  3. Bingo. You are rewarding calm and quiet behavior!

This is very easy to teach. Just make sure you practice this behavior 1-2 minutes per day. Also, this is the first behavior you practice in the park before a walk and when guests come over.

Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for more dog training videos.

Have a comment? Tell us how the “parking your dog” behavior can be useful for you in the section below!

More on parking your dog:
Learn How to Park Your Dog
How to Park Your Dog
Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

Dog Training Nation

Quick Links

Dog Training
Dog Behavior
Dog Training Videos
Become a Dog Trainer
About
Contact Us