got a new puppy and going to do this right

[black_cat]

I agree with both statments. I do, do treat training for the very fist start of a comand but then I will start to just praise him and the bit of treat training

Training with treats is the exact same as training with praise, play, or a toy. Reward your dog with what is most rewarding for them.

 

[HKG]

well I'm just wondering because he is already so good on the leash and does not bark at dogs on walks. should I just reward him for being good or should I try training heel and stuff. also we are probaly going to get him professionally trained. also he is very obedient as well.

The dog should never walk In front of you. Their chest should never come past your knee. If you let them walk in front of you it makes them think they are in charge. The dog should never be "walking you". You can teach him heel by walking with him on the leash and if he gets In front of your knee give a sharp tug back and say heel. Make sure there is always plenty of slack on the leash. Training sessions shouldn't be longer than 15 minutes and always end on a good note. If you teach him heel it will be so much easier to walk him when he is an adult.

 

[black_cat]

The dog should never walk In front of you. Their chest should never come past your knee. If you let them walk in front of you it makes them think they are in charge.

That is complete BS. As long as the dog is calm and under control, it doesn't matter where you let him walk. I keep my dog at my side because if he's in front of me, he will go very quickly from in control to out of control. When he is beside me, he is more in tune with me and has a much higher threshold for where he loses focus. It doesn't matter where your dog walks.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Training with treats is the exact same as training with praise

Is it really though? I train with treats and my dogs hardly ever look at my eyes after they know they've done something correctly; they pay attention to my hand or pocket where the treats are. Is it just because I need to teach them to look at me first? Thanks!

 

[black_cat]

Is it really though? I train with treats and my dogs hardly ever look at my eyes after they know they've done something correctly; they pay attention to my hand or pocket where the treats are. Is it just because I need to teach them to look at me first? Thanks!

Yep- the dog will always be focused on whatever delivers the reward, regardless of what it is. A big part of competition obedience training (which I am currently doing with my dog) is teaching the dog to focus on your face and trust that the reward is coming, whether that be a treat, toy, game, retrieve, praise, etc. Some less confident dogs also struggle with making eye contact, as well. Teaching a 'watch' or 'look' cue is a great way to help your dog refocus in an exciting situation.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Yep- the dog will always be focused on whatever delivers the reward, regardless of what it is. A big part of competition obedience training (which I am currently doing with my dog) is teaching the dog to focus on your face and trust that the reward is coming, whether that be a treat, toy, game, retrieve, praise, etc. Some less confident dogs also struggle with making eye contact, as well. Teaching a 'watch' or 'look' cue is a great way to help your dog refocus in an exciting situation.

Thanks again! I tried doing that with my dog, but my family members didn't think it was necessary.

 

[black_cat]

Thanks again! I tried doing that with my dog, but my family members didn't think it was necessary.

It's SUCH an important cue- say there are fire engines or something coming down the street where you're walking your dog. Instead of allowing your dog to freak out, you can say 'watch' or 'look' and grab their collar and keep the dog focused on you.


Don't let your family members tell you what to train or not- in what way will it harm them or the dog for the dog to have another skill? There's not even a risk to the dogs weight, because you can use kibble to train.

 

[StinkyAcres]

It's SUCH an important cue- say there are fire engines or something coming down the street where you're walking your dog. Instead of allowing your dog to freak out, you can say 'watch' or 'look' and grab their collar and keep the dog focused on you.


Don't let your family members tell you what to train or not- in what way will it harm them or the dog for the dog to have another skill? There's not even a risk to the dogs weight, because you can use kibble to train.

Thanks, yes, I wish I could get my dog to do that. My problem is I'm not the only one who handles my dogs, so we sometimes end up using different methods. And I don't like being the one to tell everyone else what to do...

And, yes, we train with kibble most of the time. I'm glad my dogs are food motivated.

 

[Emily_loveschickens]

here is how leave it is going

 

[Emily_loveschickens]

The way I teach him is I put treats In front of him and If he try's to eat it I put my hand over it and say "leave it"