INTRODUCTION

By learning a few basic, easily understood principles, you can quickly learn how to train your dog. You will also establish a very special rapport - a bond of mutual trust, love and respect that will last for a lifetime. 

There are no set times that you must spend on training; it doesn’t have to be each day, or even every week.  Just understand and use the principles outlined here and you will be amazed at the results that you can achieve.    


Dogs often respond grudgingly or fearfully because their owner has never learn a few, simple, basic principles!

Each Principle 
is followed by the essential explanations in italics, as per this example.

There may be more than one person handling the family pet. Often young children are involved who cannot be expected to understand the principles, and yet who should be able to enjoy their pets to the fullest extent.

Regardless of your family’s composition, you can easily teach your dog good manners and have the pride and security of seeing him or her respond to you promptly and eagerly. Best of all it will be fun for both you and your dog! You might not think it, but dogs enjoy being properly trained and become much happier creatures than their undisciplined brothers and sisters. 

Make a habit of separating your "Training Language" from your every day language. For example, if you are going to use the word "COME" as a command, then do not use that word when you or the children are playing with the dog. Chose another word such as "HERE" for every day use. If this doesn't work because the kids get confused between "come" and "here" then pick a totally different training command such as "BY ME". In any case, you must avoid giving command words to your dog when you are not concentrating on the results, otherwise you will end up training your dog to ignore you! 

Okay, here is the first and perhaps most important of our basic principles:

Training must be consistent.
 Dogs cannot be expected to understand changes in your mood or circumstance. If your dog’s behavior is acceptable once, then the same behavior should be acceptable at all times.

If your son or daughter is old enough to ask to stay up late, then they are probably old enough to comprehend why you might decide to make an exception on one occasion but not on another. However, you cannot expect a dog to understand why it is allowed to lie on the couch today but not tomorrow. Unlike dealing with a young child, we cannot verbally explain different situations to our dogs. 

If you want to allow your dog on the couch except when you have company, then give it its own pad or blanket to lie on. It can soon learn that it is only allowed on the couch when its cover is in place. REMEMBER TO BE CONSISTENT!

The same technique can be adopted to solve many other problems. Suppose that your dog barks to be let back into the house. By hanging some object such as an old pan outside the door, you can train your dog not to bark at times when the pan is hung there. Of course you never leave the pan in place when you are not able to correct the dog's behavior.   

Teaching Consequence.
  We do this through the use of rewards and corrections, but, let me make one thing very clear, correction does not mean smacking or hitting. We never hit our dogs to train them! NEVER!!  

When my own children were at a very young age I introduced them to the idea of choice and consequence. If I asked them to do something for me and they chose not to, that was fine. Next time that they wanted ice creams, sodas or whatever, I would remind them of their choice and explain how that affected their chances of getting a treat! Believe me, they caught on fast. Of course I had to make sure that they knew the difference between being asked and being told, for their own safety if for nothing else. Unfortunately we don’t have this kind of leeway with our pets. 

We must teach them what is right and what is wrong by patiently teaching that behavior has a consequence. We must be consistent from day to day or we will only confuse them.

You can use small treats as a reward for good behavior. For the best results do not give your dog a treat every time. Make it a random occurrence so that your dog does not know when to expect the treat, and you will find him or her (h/h from now on) paying much more attention to you.

When you first begin teaching a new discipline or command, ignore the lapses and errors and concentrate on rewarding the successful behavior with random treats and abundant praise. 

Praise.
Praise and love are what our dogs desire most in their relationships with us, yet sincere, lavish praise seems to be one of the hardest things to teach people to give to their dogs.

Why is this? Perhaps because we are not accustomed to receiving it ourselves: I don’t know, but I do know how important it is to sincerely praise your dog when it does what you ask it to!

Learning to consistently praise your dog at the right time and in the right way, will put you well ahead of the majority of your fellow dog owners. 

In her book “NO BAD DOGS” Barbara Woodhouse, one of the best known dog trainers ever, told of the effect of using the word “what” as a prefix to the customary “good boy/girl” routine. It doesn’t sound like much does it? But try it and see for yourself: saying “What a good dog” is far more effective. 

Discipline. 
Before you even think of disciplining your dog, you must be certain that it understands what it has done wrong.  

Suppose that your dog jumps up onto the couch or other furniture when you leave the room, even though you have tried to teach it not to... Well, if it climbs down and sneaks away when it hears you coming, then it understands that this is unacceptable behavior... If on the other hand it just lays there, It may not have understood. 

So what do we do? We must gain their attention and respect. But we must do so in a way that will not lead to resentment or aggression. 

When correcting bad behavior use a quiet yet firm tone of voice. The only time you need to shout at your dog is when it is far away!

Using the couch as an example, start by pointing to the seats and saying "stay OFF". The emphasis should be on the word "off". Next time you find h/h on the couch, point to the dog and say h/h name, then point to the floor, and say "OFF". If necessary you might have to physically (gently) remove the dog from the forbidden furniture. In any case, be prepared to immediately reward the dog with praise when it vacates the couch. 

Once you are sure that your dog knows that it is doing wrong, you can scold it by pointing a finger and saying "BAD dog". Again, do not shout, but use a disapproving tone. Most importantly be ready to change that tone to one of praise when the dog's behavior is corrected. Remember: ignore or disapprove of bad behavior, but always reward good behavior.

Dogs need to know who is in charge.
If you are unable or unwilling to become the leader, then your dog will often try to fill this role. You must show your dog who is in charge, and this cannot begin too soon. 

Any time that you enter or leave the house (den in your dog’s mind), or go from one room  to another, you should make sure that your dog does not proceed you. You can do this by saying, “Wait” and blocking the dog’s progress with your legs, or use a leash to hold them back. Likewise, if your dog rushes ahead of you on the staircase and stands looking down at you as you climb, you are in a subservient position.

Don't allow your dog to lie down and remain in an inconvenient spot such as the middle of the kitchen floor and then walk around h/h.

You should get into the habit of making your dog move out of your way not only as a matter of asserting your leadership, but for safety's sake; you would be amazed at the number of broken bones resulting from someone stepping over a pet who chose that moment to rise and trip them. My wife  has a plate and pins in her ankle as proof of this. I simply say "Excuse Me" as I would to any family member, and my dog obliges.

At mealtimes, your dog should be taught to wait quietly away from the table until you have finished eating, and then be fed its own meal. These things may sound petty, but you will be amazed at how easy training becomes when your dog respects you, and looks upon you as the natural leader!

A word of warning regarding food: don't use the dog's meals as a part of your training or as a discipline or reward. It is appropriate for your dog to eat after you have finished eating, but try not to interfere once you have given the dog its food.

Teach your dog the word leave from an early age, but use toys, not food to do this. Train your dog  to release objects immediately when you say the word "leave". It is okay to use tidbits as a reward, but not as the object of the exercise, at least until the command is fully understood and obeyed.

Be creative. 
It is difficult if not impossible to discipline effectively after the fact. If a dog knows that it will be in trouble, then it is not likely to behave badly in front of you. Just like children, dogs will try to get away with things and put you to the test. This is why we must sometimes plan ahead, be creative and set traps.  

For example, if your dog steals food, try tying a few feet of thread to a piece of bread, a cookie or whatever, and attach it to a couple of empty pop cans. Place the tidbit on a counter or some place that the dog can reach, and place the cans in such a position that they will fall when the thread is pulled. The dog will likely lose all  interest in stealing when it finds itself being chased by a couple of noisy cans. 

I once used an extension ladder to corner a dog that had got into the habit  of running circles around its owner when he called it in from the yard. Once it saw that it could not escape it became very compliant. 

There are many other examples. The important thing to remember is that you must control the situation. If your dog has a behavioral problem (especially a destructive one) then you must find a way of prompting it to displaying this behavior so that it can be dealt with effectively. You should not attempt to discipline your dog for bad behavior unless you catch it in progress, chastisement after the fact will only create confusion in the dog’s mind leading to resentment, fear and maybe anger. 

Once we have learned these simple basics, obedience training becomes a funfilling experience for both our dogs and us. 

To be successful it should be fun. 
That is why there is no recommended time frame set for you to work in, you choose your own to suit your particular situation. Never try working with your dog when you are not in the mood, you will likely do more harm than good!

Dogs love excitement! So start your training sessions by telling your dog that you’re going to have fun. Don’t be shy... sound really excited... clap your hands... call your dog and say “Come on, we’re going to have some fun”. 

I do not recommend strict training for puppies! Dogs should be allowed to enjoy their “childhood”. Expecting too much, too soon, may well lead to problems down the road. So please keep this in mind. The “collar on” training sessions outlined herein are not intended for puppies younger than six to eight months of age. This is a guideline that will vary from dog to dog. With some of the larger breeds it may be wise to wait even longer. However, the “basic principles” apply to all dogs of all ages. The basic principles should be followed at all times.

PART ONE
Basic Obedience Training

Limit your training sessions to about five to ten minutes at first, and a maximum of fifteen to twenty minutes as you progress.

HEEL

Dogs may pull on the leash for a variety of reasons: it may be anticipation, dominance or fear, but often it is simply because they like the comfort of feeling you at the other end of the leash.

When training to heel use a long leash (about six feet), a reasonably wide leather or canvas collar. A thin one may bite into the neck. Never use a choke chain. This is a method that should only be used by a very experienced handler. There are many websites where you can read about the damage that can result from the improper use of these collars.

If you choose to ignore this warning then please learn how to use it correctly

Here is the technique that I recommend: Stand on your dog’s right side (dog to your left), with h/h neck level with your leg. Now reach down and gently pet h/h, and say brightly and cheerfully “That’s a good heel”, with the emphasis on the word heel. Next, starting with your left foot (I'll explain why later), take a few steps forward, stop, and, if your dog is not beside you, then gently maneuver h/h into position beside you with your hands. Be sure that you praise your dog: “What a good heel, That’s a good heel” Make sure the praise sounds cheerful and bright! Repeat this process half a dozen times without pulling the dog by its leash. The idea is to make your dog associate the heel position with pleasure and reward.

Now, hold the end of the leash in your right hand and use your left hand to hold the leash between 10 to 20 inches from the collar, depending on the height of the dog. Step off with your left foot saying "Heel". When the dog pulls ahead and you feel the leash tighten, let it drop from your left hand When the dog gets to end of the leash, and it tightens in your right hand, simply turn and go back in the opposite direction giving a quick corrective jerk and release. DO NOT GIVE ANY COMMAND AT THIS TIME! It is important to make the dog believe that the act of pulling has caused you to turn. If the dog moves sideways or becomes distracted by some smell or object, say "leave" and give a gentle jerk and release on the leash. 

Keep practicing this procedure until the dog starts walking to heel. This will usually take between five to fifteen minutes if you do it correctly. In any case, be sure to end the session on a positive note with lots of praise to reward the dog for being in the correct position.

Once you have your dog staying in place to your satisfaction try varying the pace. Remember to hold the leash end in your right hand, keeping your left hand in loose contact, taking up the slack, but applying no pressure to the collar. Now, stand with your dog to your left, give the command “Name - Heel” in an enthusiastically determined voice, and walk briskly forward. If your dog keeps in place beside you, then I hope by now you know what to do! You don’t have to stop, but make sure you let it know by your words and tone, that it is doing what you want. If the dog lags behind, or surges ahead, quickly slide your left hand forward then tighten your grip and give a fast downward tug on the leash. Release the leash immediately. 

Try walking in circles, first clockwise, then counter. Try a figure eight! Just keep in mind that this is your pet you’re training, not a soldier! You can encourage h/h to pay attention by saying “watch me”, or by keeping up a “conversation” to prevent their attention from wandering away from you. If you get a fairly good response in the first few tries, stop there.  Keep it as light as possible, laugh at your mistakes. Have fun!

COME TO HEEL
When I want my dog to come to heel I will call her to me, then pat my left thigh with my hand, and say "Come to heel" in a bright cheerful voice. When I was first training her to do this she sometimes ignored me or backed away. I then held her firmly in place with the leash, walked around her once, stopping when I had positioned myself in the heel position, and praised my dog!

Yes, I know that the dog did not obey me, but this was its first try. Maybe it was confused. The fact that you walk around the dog and promptly get it into position avoids letting the dog win out over you. You must always come out of any training situation in charge, but you should try to avoid a battle of wills with your dog, especially at this early stage. 

Quit while you're ahead!
 Always finish your training sessions on a positive note, with your dog having done something correctly and receiving praise.

Even if you have to go back to an easier exercise, (in this case manually placing the dog in the heel position) be sure that the training ends in deserved praise.

Oh yes, that business of leading with the left foot, well don’t worry, we will get to that eventually! But first lets look at one of the easiest tasks: teaching our dogs to sit.

SIT
Many of you will already have taught your dogs to sit. For those who haven’t, here’s what you need to know: Tell your dog to sit. Gently make it sit. Praise it for sitting. Repeat as necessary. It doesn’t get much simpler than that does it? You can place one hand on the dog’s flank (not atop the back), and gently coax with this hand while pulling lightly upward with the other on its collar to guide it into place. If you meet with any resistance, then use a positive reinforcement (treat).

Slowly move the treat from front to rear over the top of your dog's head. As it passes from view the dog will likely sit to try and keep track of it. Praise. Keep the treat low, you do not want to teach h/h to jump!

To train your dog to sit automatically when you stop walking at heel, pull up on the leash as you come to a halt. In the beginning give a verbal “sit” command, and, if necessary, push down on h/h flank (side). In time it should become automatic for your dog to sit when you stop walking. 

Of course everything we accomplish is done through repetition. This is why it is so critical to only give commands that you are sure that your dog will (or can be made to) obey. As time goes by your dog will become so accustomed to following your direction that s/he will never think to disobey you! If however you get into the habit of needlessly repeating yourself, or allowing your pet to disregard you, then don’t expect great results. 

This brings us another basic principle:

Say it once!
  Whenever you give a command to your dog only say it once. If your dog doesn’t obey, then find a way to make it do so without repeating the order. 

Obviously, you must first be certain that you dog understands the command. After that however, repeating commands only indicates that perhaps you were not serious the first time, and you are training to be ignored! This may not seem like such a big deal, but it is! 

STAY
What about making h/h stay in the sitting position? The first thing is to determine the length of time you will require the dog to remain in this position at your command. A working dog such as a police dog may be required to remain on stay for long periods, and therefore the training would be far more rigid than for the average pet. Lets say that about two or three minutes will suffice. For longer periods we will decide to leave our dogs in the down position!

To begin, stand in front of your dog with the leash firmly held. Have h/h sit, praise, then raise your free hand, palm upright, and command: “ Name - Stay” Now, with the leash dangling so that no pressure is applied, take a step backward. Keep your hand raised in front of the dog, and stand still for about a half a minute. If the dog moves significantly from its position, then step forward and gently reposition it as before. 

The first few times you can repeat the command as you correct your dog, (Name - Stay) but only until you can see that s/he comprehends you. Thereafter, you must put h/h back in place without repeating yourself. So do yourself a favor, start with the leash, then graduate to a longer rope, and finally to a fenced yard or enclosure. Don’t risk undoing  your good work when your dog is off leash and you have no way of controlling it. If this does happen, and you cannot correct the move from stay, you may have to call the dog to you. Then you must praise for the come, and ignore the failure to stay!

PART TWO
Expanding the Training

We will be looking at how to expand the stay command in the down position, to have our dogs come promptly and eagerly when they are called, and perhaps most importantly, to open new channels of communication with our dogs.

With the exception of abnormal dogs, (mental anomalies such as schizophrenia are not restricted to the human race), it is not at all complicated or difficult to train your pet so that it is a joy to own. If you are fortunate enough to obtain your dog at an early age, then you have almost total control of the input that s/he receives.

When a dog is only a young puppy, instinct dictates almost 100% of its behavior. Eating, sleeping, playing, keeping warm, and bodily functions, occupy the major cerebral processes at this age. As time goes by, their mental development will depend on the kind of stimuli they receive.

Communicate with your dog.
The more you encourage your dog to develop its thought process; the more success you are likely to have in training, and the more fun you will have with your dog.  

We send our children to kindergarten at an early age, and spend lots of time talking, playing and reading with them ourselves. What do you think would happen if we simply left them to play on their own, or confined them to a cage for long periods, only paying attention at meal, exercise or toilet time? I think that we would end up with some pretty vacuous looking kids, don’t you?

Yet many owners treat their so-called pets in much the same fashion, and then expect some great intelligence from their dog when they begin training. Remember the old saying: You reap what you sow.  Talk to your dog. Explain things in simple ways as you would to an infant. Name things, not just the dog’s toys, but household items like tables, chairs, bookshelves, beds, plants and on and on. 

Do this by hiding your dog’s toys or treats behind or atop one of these items, and then tell h/h where to find them. After a time you will see the light of understanding begin to shine in their eyes. Remember that not all dogs will become good retrievers, but they will usually be keen to find a favorite toy or treat.

Also, forget that saw about not teaching old dogs new tricks. It’s never too late to begin. Of course it is easier to begin teaching at an early age, but as with many of the things that you are learning, you just need to have more...

Patience.
 It’s a virtue!

It is also an absolute necessity when training. As I have said before, if you are not in the mood, do not try to work with your dog. If you become angry with your dog you will only do harm. To achieve good results you must create a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere, and know when to quit.

With patience, it is very easy to train a dog. All that you have to do is to take charge, and to communicate this to your dog in a non-hostile, fair minded, friendly manner. Which brings us to our next basic principle:

You must want to be the Leader!
It’s not for everybody!

First, you must want to be in charge, and then you must act as though you are the leader. If your dog does not perceive your authority, then why would s/he show deference to it? Acting with authority does not mean turning into a storm trooper, yelling orders or getting bad tempered! It is mostly a state of mind. Your dog will come to believe what you believe. 

Dogs have a kind of ESP (extra sensory perception). IF you believe that you will be obeyed your dog will “sense” that belief and respond accordingly. It really is that simple! If you honestly believe something then, for you at least, that is the unquestionable truth. If you have doubts, then your dog will sense this too, but don’t let that worry you, there is a solution for that:

Practice.
Practice makes perfect. As with all things, the more you practice the more confident you will become!
You will then come to believe in yourself, and your ability to lead.

Many owners seem content (at least on the face of it) to allow their pets to rule the roost. If that is the way they feel they receive no criticism from me.

Does that surprise you? Probably, after all that you have heard so far! But no, providing that their dogs are not an endangerment, or significant disturbance to others, then I have no right to criticize.

Even if you don’t feel a need to take charge of your pet, you can still benefit by learning how to communicate more meaningfully. 

PROLONGED DOWN STAY All right, let’s have your dog lie down, and teach h/h to stay for a longer time now. Begin with your dog sitting beside you at heel. In that firm upbeat tone (that you are now so good at) say, “Name - Down”. At the same time, slide your left hand down the leash close to the neck, and keep a firm grip. Crouch down, and use your right hand to gently slide h/h feet out from under h/h. If necessary slide your left hand along the leash, place it on the dogs’ rump, before sliding the feet out. Stay crouched down and give the praise that s/he has earned.

As your dog becomes more relaxed, shorten the time that you remain crouching. Put your left foot on the leash, close to the neck (so that s/he cannot stand when you do) and stand beside h/h saying, “That’s a good down”, etc. It can take time to get this right, so remember your principles: be patient.

Once you can see that s/he is comfortable with this exercise, step away holding the leash slackly. Wait 30 seconds then return to your dog’s side and praise h/h. Next time make it 60 seconds, and, before returning to h/h’s side, walk a full circle around your dog. (Be sure to keep the leash slack at all times). As always remember your principles: Quit when you’re ahead!

Progressively lengthen both the leash (use rope) and the time period. Be careful: don’t let your dog become anxious! Don’t try to rush this. As you get father away, for lengthier intervals, it is natural that s/he may think that you are going to leave them behind. If the dog moves, correct it without comment by putting it firmly (but gently) back into its original position. Never start over from a new position! Your dog will have got the better of you.

After a correction has been made, be sure to make a big show of praising. At this stage you should only work your dog “off leash” in a small, enclosed area where there are few distractions, and where you can easily maintain control. You may want to leave the leash attached so that you can easily catch h/h if s/he breaks from stay. If you find that it becomes entangled, switch to a shorter one (2/3 feet). Remember: you cannot call your dog to come to you and then correct it when it has just obeyed your last command. I can’t emphasize this too much, it is one of the biggest mistakes that I see people make.

Don’t work in the past! 
 Dogs live in the present, and anticipate the future.

The first few times that you leave your dog on stay, alone in a room, be sure that you have some way of seeing what they are doing. Through another door, a window, or use a mirror to spy on them. In this way you will appear to be omnipotent (which never hurts). The faster you make the correction the better, but no matter how long it takes, be sure that you always do make it.

I will not get to 'working off-leash' outdoors, but it is really just a matter of following all of the principles that you already know. For now, when you work outside, be sure that your dog cannot escape from you. If you must try anything brash, use an “alternate” word. For example “Hold” instead of “Stay”.  Do not allow your dog to disobey a command word!

How long this training takes is entirely up to you. This would be a good time to go over all of the basic principles that you have learned to be sure that you are making full use of them. It will only take a few minutes to pick them out and double check.  

LEFT FOOT FORWARD  

OK, you’ve done well; you’re beginning to work like a team now, so let’s have some fun. Remember that leading off with the left foot business? Well if you have been doing so, by now your dog should expect nothing else.

Try this: Put your dog to heel and have h/h sit beside you (on your left, right?) Now don’t say a word, just step forward with your left foot and see what happens.   Did your dog walk to heel beside you? I thought that s/he would. (If not don’t lose any sleep s/he soon will). 

Now try this: Start from the heel/sit position, but this time slowly lead off with the right foot. -- Slowly--. Let your dog see that something different is happening. Just take that one slow step. Don’t say anything, and don’t put any pressure on the leash. You want h/h to stay this time!  What happened? Did it work? I love it when it does on the very first try.

If not then try it again, but this time when you step forward on the right foot, keep your left hand palm open, in front of the dog’s nose. If s/he starts to follow say, “Stay”.  Most of the dogs that I’ve tried this with in the past have caught on right away. As always, there are exceptions. Leading with the left does serve some practical purpose in training, but this is mainly a fun thing. Once you get it down pat, ask a friend to hold up one finger if they want your dog to stay and two if they want it to go with you. It’s unlikely that your friend will notice which foot you are leading off with unless you make it obvious

You may think that I spend too little time covering the actual techniques of training, but believe me, understanding and practicing the principles is far more important. I have read many training manuals, and the techniques vary from one handler to another. Once you fully comprehend and follow the principles outlined here, you can use whatever techniques suit you best. I guarantee that you will be successful.  

COME

The recall or “come” command is one of the most important things to master. Many people have a hard time because they are not consistent; they can’t learn to say it once; they forget that commands must always be obeyed; they have no patience; they don’t try to make it fun; they haven’t learned how to set traps; their praise doesn’t sound much different from their criticism, and they don’t know how to Quit when they’re ahead! But, you won’t have to worry about any of those things will you?

To begin, start with your dog walking to heel, then abruptly begin to back away from h/h with short, rapid steps, giving the command "Name - Come". Your dog will be forced to turn and hurry after you as you continue to back rapidly away.   Make the command sound exciting, and at this stage it is fine to repeat it until the dog fully understands. When you stop with the dog in front of you, make h/h sit facing you while you…    … And sound like you mean it!

Repeat this several times, and then put your dog on stay. Back away as far as the loosely held leash will allow, saying “Name - Wait” (stop saying this after your dog catches on), then stand quietly for a moment before giving the command to come. If your dog obeys willingly, after the one command, then stop the training session here. If not, then go back to the previous exercise, and finish up there.

Once s/he is responding with alacrity, use a longer leash to give h/h room to wander away from you. When it seems least expected, give the command in a clear, firm voice. If s/he does not respond to your satisfaction, don’t say a word, just reel h/h in and then give praise (this is one time that I find use for a retractable leash as rope can too easily become tangled).

Once again, don’t rush this training. If your dog is not showing the respect that you want, try smartening h/h up by creating situations where there is a distraction (set traps), then set up a correction.

We all have our individual expectations regarding the level of obedience that we wish to achieve, only you can make that decision. Nowadays, I am content to have my dogs trained to the point where they are pleasant companions who pose no problems to others, and do not endanger themselves.

By adhering to the principles that I have shared with you, I was able to teach Zoe all of the preceding commands with not much more than one hour of formal training. That does not mean that she learned to perform perfectly after only one hour spent with her. The fact that I acquired her at an early age (eight weeks), and always applied the basic principles to our relationship enabled her to comprehend and comply that quickly and easily. I believe that this was mostly possible because our relationship is founded on trust.   
  
Trust.
Each has confidence in the other.

One question, which I am asked often, is what I think about the use of treats in obedience training. Personally, I seldom use them during training sessions, but rather as a bonus at the end of a particularly successful session, I will however, sometimes use treats to demonstrate to an owner that their dog truly does comprehend the commands that have been taught it! This is done to prove that the reason that a dog is being disobedient is from a lack of respect rather than a lack of comprehension!

Having said this, I would far rather that you use treats to train than to use force. If you find that your dog is resisting you, or becoming nervous when you try to position h/h during an exercise, then consider the use of treats as a positive reinforcement. I don’t want to expand on the subject here as each case is different, but it is important that you do not end up bribing your dog into obeying you.

While we are on the subject of treats, please do not give bones to your dogs. All bones can splinter and cause irreparable damage, if you doubt this then please consult your veterinary doctor before ignoring this advice.  

STOP The last thing that we will cover in this segment is the command to stop. It is an important safeguard, enabling you to better control the action of your dog in the event of an emergency situation such as h/h getting loose in traffic.

To accomplish this, we start off walking briskly to heel, halt suddenly,[ and give the command "STOP".  

Don’t say anything else, just stop. Do this with the usual repetition. When you think that your dog may be stopping on command, lengthen the leash, walk a little slower, and this time when you give the command to stop, you keep on walking a few more paces (be sure that the leash is slack). If the dog moves out of position before you release h/h, then make the correction as you did when training to stay, but say “Stop”. 

You may also want to use a partner to help with this training. Have the dog walk to heel beside you while your partner holds the slack leash. You give the command "Stop" but keep walking as your partner halts the dog.

When you give the command to stop, use an imperative tone. In fact I recommend adding a touch of alarm to your voice during this exercise. I sincerely hope that you never have to use this command in an emergency, but if you do you may quite possibly sound panic stricken, so why not think ahead? This will condition your dog, and thus avoid the possibility of confusion at a critical moment: 

Avoid confusion!
 When in doubt, don’t! It is so easy to send mixed signals to our dogs if we are not careful. In most circumstances it can easily be remedied; in an emergency however, it could prove fatal!

If, for example, your dog has strayed to the far side of the road, and upon seeing a car approach you panic, calling your dog to you, the result could be disastrous. If you have taught your dog the "Stop" command, it could save the day.

If you are having difficulty in making your dog stop, and stay in place while you walk on, then try this: Attach a light cord, roughly 10 meters (30 feet) long, to your dog’s (thick) collar. Fasten the other end to a mobile object such as a piece of log, weighing about a quarter of your dog’s weight. Place the object slightly behind you, and make sure that the cord is free to play out as you walk away without becoming entangled.

Start with your dog walking to heel, at the same time keeping an eye on the cord playing out behind you. As the slack is taken up prepare yourself, and, at the last possible moment (before the pressure registers on the collar), give the command to stop. When you first try this exercise, come to a halt yourself, then, when you can see that your dog is obeying, keep on as far as the leash will allow without becoming taut (you can extend the leash with rope).

Depending on the results when training to halt, you may need to gradually increase the weight of your “anchor” object (keep adding a quarter of the dog’s weight). Be sure to give the command a split second before the collar takes up the weight of the anchor. Timing is a crucial factor during this training. If you are uncertain about your progress. The goal here is to have your dog come to an abrupt halt when you give the command to stop, and remain in place until you recall or release h/h. To release my dogs, I say “Way you go” indicating that they may run free, or “Go ahead” if they are leashed, freeing them to the extent that the leash allows, but not to pull. If they do pull, correct it with a sharp tug as when teaching to heel, and command "No pull''.

In Conclusion

Over the years I have read, and heard many people’s theories on the importance of love in dog training. I suppose that I rather take this aspect for granted. The truth is, a dog can show all kinds of love and affection for its owner and still be the most unruly of creatures. This is why I talk more about respect than love. I don’t think that you need to be told how to love your dog any more than they need to be trained to love you. 

Our dogs want to respect us, but they can only do so if we earn it. Many owners never gain their dog’s respect, and the main reason is one of sentimentality. If you pander to a child from infancy on, it will probably grow into a self-centered, overbearing, bully! Would you enjoy having a pet like that? I doubt it. So don’t be afraid to discipline your dog when it needs it. It will love you all the more.

The whole key is to find the right balance of love, respect and discipline. Each dog, like each person, is a different individual with its own requirements. But dogs are much simpler creatures than we humans are. They are far more honest and sincere. They do not even know how to tell a lie. So try to keep that in mind in all of your dealings with them. Do not make the great mistake of thinking of them as just another person. They deserve more than that! They are dogs. They will try to get the better of you because that is their nature, but unlike humans, they will never resent you for getting the better of them. They will respect you for it!

Now let me clarify that last statement. They will respect you providing that you treat them fairly.

Too often I see owners treating their dogs unfairly. Recently, I observed a lady (who happens to live on my street) call her dog to come. When it didn’t immediately respond, she shouted in an angry voice, “Get over here right now you bad dog”. I was really impressed. The dog actually went to her, albeit reluctantly. Personally I’d have taken off in the other direction! When the little guy got to her side she grabbed him by the collar, saying unpleasantly, “Get in the house you stupid dog.” Then she almost threw him through the door.

Now this is not the first time that I’ve seen her treat that nice little dog in such a way, yet he obviously still loves her as can be seen by the way that he goes shallygaggaling up to her on other occasions. Also, I am quite sure that she loves her pet and she is not always that short tempered with him. What is missing here is respect! Neither one truly respects the other. That is why, at every opportunity, the little fellow runs off for hours at a time! If she would only treat him more fairly, give praise when it was due, and make sure that her dog understood why it was being disciplined, they would both enjoy a much more rewarding relationship.

Obviously certain breeds are naturally more inclined toward one type of behavior than another, just as some people have a talent for sport, art, music, literature and so on. (I would strongly recommend that anyone thinking of acquiring a dog as a pet do his or her homework first. Read about the various breeds; talk to owners and breeders. Be sure that you know what to expect). Even within a particular breed the predilections will vary from dog to dog.

My last dog was a Golden Retriever named Rio, and guess what? He loved to retrieve! Anything I taught him the name of, he would bring to me when I asked him to. It was great! If I wanted to sit and read a book I would ask Rio to go and get it for me. If I knew where I’d left it I’d tell him. “Rio, go and get my book, it’s in the bedroom on the chair”. If I didn’t, he would keep on looking until he found it. My latest friend, Zoe ( a Bernese Mountain dog), is not inclined to fetch. She is quite capable of comprehending, but I have the feeling that I will be getting my own slippers from now on!

Many owners instill bad behavior into their dogs because they send conflicting, or confusing signals to their pets. You  will avoid this by adhering to the basic principles, so please be sure to review them on a regular basis.

In 1908, an Englishman (Lord Robert Baden-Powell) founded a movement to help young boys develop the qualities of leadership, responsibility, and value to others. Almost one hundred years later thousands of youngsters are still being taught the movement’s famous motto:

Be prepared.
 and you will excel!

Thinking ahead and being prepared, is what training is all about!

This free dog training is provided in the hope that it will benefit your pet as much as you, the owner. I am unable to guarantee that any questions will be answered in a timely manner (if at all), but feel free to direct any mail to topdog@dogtrain.ca