Building a trusting relationship

An excellent way to start building a trusting relationship with your new dog is through positive training. Positive training focuses on rewarding the dog for behaviors that they offer without being asked or taught (standing/sitting politely for pets, laying calmly while you watch TV, etc) as well as teaching them new skills/behaviors. Working as a team is an important part of building that relationship based on mutual respect and trust.

Basic cues

Basic cues such as sit, down and come may seem easy to train.  However, for these cues to become solid and reliable, you have to build a strong foundation for them. Once you have that foundation, you can continue strengthening those skills by practicing in new environments with new distractions (people, dogs, bikes, etc.). Training with your dog a couple of times a day for 3-5 minutes will go a long way in building that training foundation. If you would like assistance with training from a Certified Professional Dog Trainer in Fallbrook, Aloha Positive Dog Training is here to help!

Name recognition

Name recognition is a great way to start training! With your dog in front of you and a handful of tasty treats ready, say your dog’s name and then give them a treat. Repeat 5-10 times, and then take a break. After a few sessions like this, you can add in some distractions to help strengthen the relationship between your dog and its name.

Coming when called

Here are a few helpful hints for your “coming when called,” also known as your dog’s recall.

Keep it positive: Anytime you call your dog, it should be a positive and rewarding experience for them.  Therefore, avoid situations where you call your dog to you that your dog could interpret as negative such as ending a play session with doggy friends, getting a bath or their nails trimmed, and/or having to come inside when they are enjoying the outdoors, etc.

A new cue: Have you been asking your dog to “come,” and they do not come running over and possibly ignoring you altogether? If this is the case, I suggest picking a new recall word so you can go back to basics and build a strong foundation with a new cue. This way, you can collaborate to create a new and improved recall!

Body language: Some dogs are sensitive to our body language. Therefore, if you call your dog and bend at the waist or reach for them as they approach, you may find that it will slow down or move away from you. If this is the case, try to exhibit more dog-friendly body language. You can turn your body to the side, crouch down to the floor/ground to make yourself less imposing, and/or turn your back from them and walk a couple of steps in the opposite direction while encouraging them to catch you.

Sit & Down

Sit & down are common behaviors to teach your dog. These cues can be useful throughout the dog’s life for many reasons.

To start these behaviors, I suggest using a technique called luring.  Luring is having a treat in your hand and acting like a magnet between your hand and your dog’s nose.

For the sit position, hold the treat at the dog’s nose and slowly move it just over its head as if aiming for the top of its head between its ears. As your dog’s nose moves upward with your hand like a magnet, your dog’s rear end should end up on the ground in the sit position. As soon as their rear end hits the ground, say “yes” and give them the treat from your hand.

For the down position, you will start in the sit position (although there are expectations) for most dogs. With a treat in your hand, lure your dog into the down position by moving the treat straight down from their nose as if it were a magnet and out like an L shape when your hand is near the floor/ground. As soon as they lay down, say “yes” and give them the treat from your hand.

This is just the first step for these positions. In time, you will fade the lure to acquire a hand signal and add the verbal cue as they progress.

When training a dog, there is typically much more to it than teaching the basics. If you want help with the basics and beyond, this is where a good dog trainer in Fallbrook comes into the picture. Aloha Positive Dog Training is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer in Fallbrook that is here to help with your dog training needs!