Sunday, June 3, 2012

Playing with your dog while keeping control

By Vincent Cote


Canine behavior can be improved seriously by play. The ideal time to train your dog is when he's happy and keen to interact with you. Positive dog training is based on this theory, which is the reason why good reward based training techniques work so well to teach any dog new things.

A significant advantage that may be achieved during playtime is control. If you're playing with your dog and a ball he's going to be fully targeted on you. Because he would like you to throw the ball this is the best time to ask him to do something for you. So at that point you can attain control. The motivation is in your hand and he wants you to throw the ball, so treat the ball as his reward. Ask him to sit and wait for the ball then when he does throw it, and give a release command. You have successfully conned your dog into following 3 command words simply because, by play, he is focused on you.

Another and less intense way of achieving the same result is by sitting on a chair place a treat or toy on your knee. Treats are a good substitute if your dog isn't galvanized by a toy. Ask your dog to sit and wait, if he is going to get the reward simply be quick enough to take it away. Follow up the removal of reward by asking your dog to sit and wait again. He will quickly get the idea that unless he does as you are asking the reward goes away.

You can refine both these games by not giving the release command till the dog examines your face. By taking a look at you without delay he's acknowledging that you need to give authorization for him to move before you will provide the reward. By being clever you can accomplish a nicely controlled canine while you play with your dog.

You can easily add a cue word when the dog investigates you, he will quickly make the link. Soon you will be able to make use of the cue word as a prompt to look toward your face, this is attained by bringing the word gradually forward till you assert it before the dog does it.




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