Teach Your Dog Tricks - Where to Start by:Kat Drew
There are several important issues to think about when you want to teach your dog tricks
. Things like the amount of time you should spend on the tricks and what you should actually do when you want to teach the actual trick you are planning on.
As a rule I say to make sure to teach your dog the action of the trick first. Then you can attach the command word to the trick. The rule is the same for any obedience dog training.
If your dog seems very uncomfortable with a trick, and does not seem to understand what you want or does not seem able to do as you want, after you have been working on it for a few days, then maybe skip this trick for now and move on. Think about how you are teaching this particular trick. Think about why the dog is not understanding it. Nevertheless, jumping back and forth from trick to trick is not a good idea. Although occasionally a dog just has trouble with one set of movements.
Do not try and train your dog on a trick that might interfere with a specific health problem. If your dog has back problems, then a trick such as rolling over might be too difficult. Do not force tricks on him. Test him and respect his limitations. If he thinks he is not living up to your expectations he will not enjoy the training either. Having success if makes training more fun for the dog as it does for you lol.
Make sure that your training sessions are done without outside distractions and do not work on a trick for too long. Praise and reward your dog for performing what you asked of him. DO NOT punish him for not doing the trick correctly. Just keep working on it. Remember, always, this is for fun for both of you. The journey is not a race to hurry up and learn each new dog trick. This is a journey of enjoyment and learning together. Some dogs are cleverer than others and some learn some tricks very quickly. Sometimes your dog will learn a trick after just one session. However, do not rush into the next trick and teach him three on the same day. Stick to this same trick for a few days. It give a good success feel for the dog when he is repeating a trick. Just look at his waggling tail for your proof of his enjoyment.
Doing tricks teaches you a lot about your dog and his potential. Training to do dog tricks can be very rewarding and a fun experience for your dog and you. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you enjoy this bonding experience with man's best friend.
Copyright (c) 2011 Kat Drew
About the author
If you are serious about learning to teach your dog tricks then go get Kat's FREE and popular e-course at => http://www.dogtrainingacademy.org.uk