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dog commands

Advice Column Dog Training

Ask Ms. Deborah – Dog Cues

June 20, 2017

Dear Ms. Deborah,

I am trying to teach my dog some commands. My husband says that I using the wrong words for what I am asking our dog to do. For example, I am using down to get off the furniture. My husband thinks that I should say “off”. In order to settle this argument, what are some of your words that you have used to train your dog?

Sincerely,

Newbie at Dog Training

Dear Newbie,

One, I would like to say thank you for taking the time to work and bond with your dog. I think that it is awesome that you are setting your dog up for success by teaching him some manners. As far as words, it is whatever you want them to be. However, I will list some of the words that I use and why I use those particular ones.

  1. Off – I use this word to teach my dog to stay off me, furniture or anything that my dog is on.
  2. Down – I use this word to place my dog in a down position.
  3. Lay – This words means for my dog to lay on its side. I never use Lay or Down together.
  4. Show me – This cue means for my dog to roll over and show his stomach.
  5. Wait – This means wait for a minute. For example, I use this cue when I am at the top of the stairs and want to walk or bring something down without my dog knocking me over to get to the bottom of the stairs first. When I am at the bottom of the stairs, I will say my “release” word and he is free to come down the stairs.
  6. Stay – Stay means exactly that. If I place my dog in a stay position, he can’t move until I come back  to him to “release” him from that stay.
  7. Release – This word means to my dog that he is are all done with my request and free to do whatever he wants.

I hope this helps you and your husband. Let me know how your training sessions are going.  Please feel free to comment below or private message me.

 

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Dog Training

Introduction to Clicker Training

March 8, 2017

Clicker training is a fun and effective way to teach obedience exercises, solve behavior problems and even teach tricks!

 Clicker training has been used with marine mammals for years and is a clear, effective way to communicate with your dog.  A clicker is a small plastic box with a metal tab that makes a clicking sound when pressed.  That click is a clear, consistent marker to let your dog know the moment he is doing exactly what you want.

Why would a dog care that you CLICK?

Each click is followed by a treat!  When a dog learns that a click equals treats, they will try to recreate what they just did to make you (the human) “click”.  See, the click is the “aha! moment”. Since the click is faster and consistent than the human word, the dog will learn the behavior that you are trying to teach much more quickly.

Things to remember when using this clicker:

– The clicker is not a remote control. Please do not point the clicker at your dog! It doesn’t work that way.

– Timing is so important. If you clicked wrong, you still have to treat. You can fix that oops moment on the next click.

– Keep your training sessions very short, like 5 minutes.

– Teach only one behavior at a time.

– If you are trying to teach two or more dogs, teach each dog individually first. Once each dog has mastered the behavior, then up the level of distraction to a group session.

For more information on clicker training, you can hit the web, go to your local library or search for a dog trainer that focuses on positive reinforcement and clicker training.

Here are some other links and books for your reference below:

Clicker Basics for Dogs and Puppies by Carolyn Barney, KPA-CTP, CNWI

http://carolynbarney.com/index.php?id=50

Getting Started, Clicker Training for Dogs by Karen Pryor

http://www.clickertraining.com/whatis

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