subject: 3 Dog Training Secrets You Can Start Using Today at No Cost [print this page] 3 Dog Training Secrets You Can Start Using Today at No Cost
Everyone wants his or her dog to behave better. I do not care how well behaved your dog is, there is always something that your dog could do better. With three little secrets that you can start implementing today at no cost, you will find your dog will start behaving better immediately.
Start Using Sign Language to Communicate with Your Dog
Believe it or not, your dog never did learn to obey your voice commands. Sure, it may have appeared to obey "sit, stay, and come" or whatever else you have taught it but really your dog learned to follow some other signal. Your dog learned that when you move a certain way you want to it do the trick.
If you watch yourself, you will start seeing that maybe you pat your leg when you want it to come or raise your hand when you want it to sit. Do the sign without the words and your dog will still do the trick. In fact, teach tricks without the sign and your dog will learn faster.
Start Using Body Language
This goes right along with sign language. Many times, people wonder why my dogs don't rush the door when the doorbell rings. It is because I have taught them not to do this. I tell people I can teach their dogs not to rush the door in less than five minutes as well. (No one ever believes me.)
I have a volunteer ring the doorbell. When the dogs rush the door, I get between the dogs and the door and loom over the dogs. The dogs back away. I back the dogs up until the dogs get to a predefined point. Then, I go towards the door. If the dogs start towards the door, I turn and loom towards the dogs again until they back up past the point. It takes a few minutes but they get the point. (Sometimes I add the word "back" if they have been trained, but not always.)
This method takes a few doorbell rings for the dogs to learn that they are not to go past the predefined point. Then, I have the owners try the doorbell challenge. The owners are always shocked at how fast the dogs learn not to rush the door. It only took a little body language to learn.
Stop Yelling at the Dogs
This is actually a common mistake. The dogs start barking and people start yelling to be quiet. This is really reinforcing the behavior. In essence, you are telling the dogs there is something to bark about and you are joining in by sounding the alarm.
While this may sound odd, this is an effective maneuver. If your dogs are barking at something outside, call them inside. Even if they only stay inside for a few minutes, you interrupted the pattern and stopped the barking. If they are barking inside, send them out. The message sent is barking equals they must leave the activity and quiet means they get to stay. Never pet a barking dog.
