Training Tips

1. Use small treats during training sessions. Small treats can be eaten faster, which means more training in a shorter time. Small treats are also healthier for your pet. During training your dog will eat a lot of treats, smaller treats keep the calorie count down. Cheerios make great training treats. You can also find small training treats at the pet store.
2. Keep your training sessions short and sweet, especially with young dogs. It is easy for puppies to lose focus. If you notice your dog losing interest, stop and do something else, you can come back to it later!
3. Try to end your training sessions on a positive note. This helps your dog be ready the next time you train.

Basic Obedience Tricks

1. Sit – Teaching a dog to sit is the first basic obedience skill. Many other skills, like “stay”, are built on learning “sit”. Sitting can be your dog’s way of saying “please” for a treat, or a toy. It can also curb hyper out of control behavior. To teach your dog to sit start facing your dog and holding a treat over their nose. Once they are watching the treat, move it up slightly then push it toward them. Their head will move up and back to follow the treat, and their bottom will move down. As soon as their bottom hits the ground say sit and give the treat and affection. Practice, Practice, Practice! After a while, your pet may be able to complete the skill with just the hand motion or just the command.
2. Come – Come is an important skill for your pet’s safety. If the leash slips from your hand during a walk, or your dog slips out the front door while it’s open, being able to say “come” and have your dog listen immediately. To teach your dog to come, start with your pet on a leash. Holding the leash, take a step away from your pet. Get down at your dog’s level and say “come”, while pulling gently on the leash. Once your pet gets to you give them the treat and affection. Repeat this practice increasing the space between you, and eventually do it without the leash. Once your pet has mastered the skill during training sessions, test it out when they are distracted doing other things. Be sure to have a treat ready when they respond!
3. Stay – Before starting with “stay”, be sure your dog has mastered the “sit” command. “Stay” can be a very difficult skill for dogs to learn, especially high energy dogs. However, it can be very useful when you need to answer the ringing doorbell or you need your dog to be still for putting on a leash. To teach your dog to stay, start in an environment free of distractions. Get your dog’s attention and ask them to sit. Once they are sitting put your arm up, palm out toward your dog and say “stay”. Then take one or two steps back. Reward your dog with the treat and affection. Repeat this practice regularly, increasing the number of steps once they are ready. 

Looking for more training for your pet? Or do you have a dog with some behavior concerns? The doctors and staff at the Boght and Oakwood Veterinary Clinics recommend Tom Davis and the training staff at Upstate Canine Academy in Clifton Park. Dr. Brandilyn Wagoner brought her dog, ‘Bentley’, to them for behavior training. Over the course of their training sessions, ‘Bentley’ worked on obedience and curbing his aggression. ‘Bentley’ enjoys his training sessions and is a much happier dog who loves wearing his jammies!