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DOG TRICKS: How To Teach Your Dog Go Find Anything
If you are like most dog owners, you spend considerable time training your dog and you could use a few quick and simple dog training tips. Dogs don't normally misbehave without having a good reason...
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Guest Articles by Daniel Waser
Dog Tricks: How To Teach Your Dog Go Find Anything You Ask For
One of the best ways to bond with your dog, while at the same time stimulating his mind, is to teach him new tricks as often as possible. Training a dog to learn new things not only gets his mind working, but also teaches the brain to analyze and process information, thus producing a more intelligent and responsive dog.
Another interesting aspect of teaching your dog new tricks everyday is that he will start to understand specific words within the human language. For instance, below we are going to show you how to teach your dog to "Find It". After persistent training and practice of this trick, your dog will eventually be able to find a specific toy within a pile of dozens of other objects. Not only is this entertaining for you, but it activates the animal's thinking process by expanding his understanding of your vocabulary.
The Trick: Find It!
To begin training, line up about six or seven objects on the floor. Then ask your dog to locate a specific one. It is much easier if you start by sending your dog to retrieve something that he is familiar with.
For example, his favorite toy or food dish would be perfect starter objects. Now place the specific object you want him to find right next to a group of other, unfamiliar objects. The other items should be made up of boring, non-attractive things, such as a book, or a glass, etc. The reason for this is to make it easier for him to make the obvious choice when first being introduced to this trick.
Now point your finger to all of the objects that are lying on the floor and tell your dog to "Find The Toy". Without much hesitation he should put the right object in his mouth, and when he does, shower him with praise and offer a treat.
If your dog already knows how to fetch then have him bring the toy back to you. And if he does not know how to fetch then this is a great time to get him started!
Important: If you give your dog a treat for his good work at finding the right object, do not feed it to him while that particular object is lying close by. Dogs are quick to associate positive feelings with many experiences, and he might only go for the toy simply because he thinks he will get a treat each time, thus preventing him from learning new objects later on.
The next step is to place a different item amongst the pile of objects. Perhaps this time choose his food dish or a small ball. Run the sequence over again by pointing to the object and telling him to "Find The Dish".
If he picks the wrong item, say "Nope", and repeat "Find The Dish" over and over until he makes the right choice. Eventually he will be able to associate the name of each object and fetch it for you without fail.
Easy Dog Tricks: How To Teach Your Dog To Retrieve In Just One Afternoon
If your dog does not know how to fetch and retrieve then why wait any longer - let's teach him today!
Retrieving is probably the most basic and easiest of all dog tricks. Even without specific training, many dogs learn to retrieve on instinct. Not only is it fun for you to be able to play ball with your dog on a bright, sunny afternoon, but he will also have an absolute blast each and every time.
Your first goal is to simply get your dog to focus on a particular area that you want him to retrieve the object from. This is easily accomplished by pointing to that area with your finger. The idea is for your dog to understand where to go and then to investigate the location.
Bring along small snacks or pieces of his favorite dog food to help make things easier. Pull out a handful of these tasty treats and sprinkle some on the ground. Avoid letting your dog run over to gobble up all the food at once. In fact, it is best if you train him to be patient while staying in the sit position until you say otherwise. Then, after a few moments, release him and say "Pick Up, Pick Up!"
As soon as your dog runs over and picks up the snacks, sprinkle a couple of additional pieces a few yards away and say once again "Pick Up, Pick Up!".
As you can assume so far, you are training your dog to associate the command of "Pick Up" with that of looking for something to put in his mouth. This training period goes very quickly. In fact, most dogs will learn this association in just a few hours.
Now it is time to move from using dog treats to a regular non-food object. As soon as he has gobbled up some treats, throw him a curve ball by tossing a small towel or his ball behind you, then quickly say the commands "Pick Up, Pick Up!".
At this point in training he should immediately run over to where you dropped the ball and put it in his mouth in order to bring it back to you. It is vital to give your dog showers of praise when he is successful.
The final step in teaching your dog to retrieve is having him drop the object at your feet once he picks it up. This is where the "Drop It" command comes in to play. Whenever he picks up something in his mouth and starts to run toward you, have him stop, sit, and while you pull the object out of his mouth with one hand, rub his head lovingly with the other hand, while giving praise at the same time.
Repeat the entire retrieving process over and over until he successfully grabs the object, brings it back, and releases it right in front of you.
3 Easy Tips For Your Dog Training
If you are like most dog owners, you spend considerable time training your dog and you could use a few quick and simple dog training tips. Dogs don't normally misbehave without having a good reason. After all, they are incredibly smart and they don't understand English so they can't explain it to you. Here are three easy tips about dog training basics that can be useful for new dog owners as well as experienced owners.
Tip #1 - Imagine that you're a dog and think like one.
Get in the mood and think like your dog. Easy? Well, now you know what it's like to expect your dog to think like he's human. If you forget all other tips but remember this one, you may do well with your dog training. In order to address misbehavior, you must understand the reason behind it. The next time you hear your dog bark a little too much, keep in mind that it's in his primitive nature to bark when he perceives a threat or danger. You could have the best muzzle in the world or be the best communicator but nothing beats addressing the cause of the barking. You can also try to place your dog in more social situations so that it becomes less skittish around strangers. You can also give him more room to run in the backyard so your dog doesn't feel threatened.
Tip #2 - Reward your dog's good behavior.
If you want to be a successful dog trainer, don't emphasize punishments but rather give your dog the positive attention they crave from their owners. Positive reinforcement always provides better results in the long run. Keep in mind that dogs can't reason the way humans do. For example, if you punish your dog for chewing on your shoes while you're home, he may stop for now but what will happen when you leave? The dog will get bored again and start chewing on your shoes again. If you were to toss them a toy instead or punishing them, he gets attention from you and gets to play with his toy, both of which are seen as rewards for the dog. When you're away and your dog gets bored, he may just reach for that toy instead of your shoes. Always try to reward good behavior instead of punishing bad behavior.
Tip #3 - Remember their very short attention span.
You may not be aware of it, but dogs have no attention span. Ignore the dog training tips that tell you how to address a mistake your dog made a little while back. Going back to the shoe example, waiving the chewed up shoes in their face will not mean a thing to your dog, even if they did it less than 5 minutes ago. You must catch your dog in the act in order to give a meaningful punishment and get your point across.
Keep these three easy dog training tips in mind and you'll be successful.
The Key To A Well-Behaved Dog Is To Become A Role Model Yourself
It has always amazed me how dogs are so closely related to their ancestors, the wolf, and still, to this day, display a natural instinct to live and participate within a family "pack".
Teamwork and partnerships are the natural order in which canines think. A good analogy to explain this better is to observe the way a sports team all works together to accomplish the same goal of winning. Your dog is the same way and looks at you and the rest of his family as part of his "team". He counts on everyone of you in the house to teach him how to behave, understand the rules, and above all, help him survive.
In order for your family team to be successful, everyone in the house, especially the dog, must adhere to specific rules, characteristics, and respect. Such examples would include discipline structure, a common way of behaving amongst everyone in the house, and most importantly, respect between your dog and its owners (you and the family). Without these things, there would be total chaos for your pet and he would not have a clue as to who was the leader and how he should behave.
Just like children, dogs and puppies need to be confident in whomever is in charge and giving them direction. Not only is this important for obedience and having a well-behaved dog in the house, but it also gives the animal a sense of belonging. In terms of who should be the "leader" of the pack, it really doesn't matter to your dog, he just needs to be secure that one of you is in charge, for a better sense of his own security.
You Might Be Wondering "How will my dog know who is in charge since there are so many people in the house?"
This is an excellent question for those households with a lot of family members living inside. Amazingly enough, your dog will pick up on the natural order of things. Without being taught, your dog will come to understand the specific hierarchy amongst the family members. And what's more, should you (as the leader) are ever away from the house, your dog will still respect and obey the other members of the family in your absence, just as he would with you.
To Keep Your Dog Well-Behaved, Never Slack On The Rules.
At this point it should be clear to you that all dogs must have order and respect in the house, between all members of the family, in order to keep them disciplined. Consider how poorly your children would behave if they had no parents as role models to keep them in check. Without someone enforcing the rules, which does happen often in some households, kids end up with an incredible amount of behavior issues.
The same can happen to your dog if he does not recognize the family as a team and is missing a sense of who is in charge. And trust me, dogs whom are raised in this type of environment can grow up to have extremely negative obedience problems. The key is to have everyone in your family all agree on treating the dog the same way, between everyone in the household.
This will ensure that your dog lives a life of happiness, security, and good behavior.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Daniel Waser is a dog lover since his childhood. Visit his website for more information about Dog Health Care or get Daniel's latest Dog Training Tips at http://www.just4thedogtraining.com/ or through PUPPY DOGS INFO.
www.puppy-dogs.info
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