Paws Pointers!

 

Paws Pointer 1 – Don’t do “it” for the dog, lure the dog into the position, or encourage and wait to capture.  You will have a self confident attentive thinking dog who get’s rewarded and loves to learn!

Paws Pointer 2 – Don’t pull on the leash!  It teaches the dog to ignore you.  Controlling/managing the dog using your voice and cues helps create a confident attentive dog who get’s rewarded and loves to learn.

Paws Pointer 3 – Be patient.  Cue the dog only once for the behavior and wait him out.  Look at a point of interest, for example if you want a “down” look at the floor, if you want a “sit” look at his butt, if you want a “heel” look to your left eyes toward the floor.  Don’t beg, nag, repeat the cue.  If you don’t get the behavior in 10 seconds, try again.

Paws Pointer 4 – Dogs will pay attention to what YOU are paying attention to.  You want him to get the ball?  Look at the ball.

Paws Pointer 5 – Make sure the reward pays adequately for the behavior.  If your dog looks away from something exciting for YOU, reward that BIG.  Pay BIG for BIG successes !!

Paws Pointer 6 – By rewarding the dog for good behavior, even if you didn’t ask for it, you encourage the dog to be attentive to you as a default behavior!  You also are teaching him polite behaviors that get your attention, rather than “not so polite” normal doggie behaviors.

Paws Pointer 7 – Reward the dog every time he “looks” at you, whether or not you asked, this encourages the dog to focus on you as a default behavior!  Vary rewarding BIG so your dog will “look” at you in a distracting environment!

Paws Pointer 8 – “NO” – remember the proper way to execute “NO”.  Make it count on the first “NO” and follow up with a pleasant sounding cue.  So if your dog is jumping on the counter, “NO” and “sit”.  If you were at your computer and someone walked up to you and said “NO” and just stared at you, what would you say ??????????????  Follow up with what you want instead of what he is doing.

Paws Pointer 9 – Don’t leave your dog “Hanging” – always let him know what you expect him to be doing and where you’d like him to be.

Paws Pointer 10 – Don’t correct a warning sign.  If your dog growls, barks or even air snaps, say “thank     you” because he did his best to tell you he is uncomfortable with a given environment or situation.

Paws Pointer 11 – REMEMBER HOW DOGS LEARN

 

 Dogs learn by association

Cause & Effect

A+B+C or Antecedent (cue) + Behavior (sit) + Consequence (reward)

A+B+C or Antecedent (guests) + Behavior (jumping) + Consequence (no attention)

 

Paws Pointer 12 – Don’t forget about the 2 second rule!!  When you interact with your dog, say to yourself:  “what did I just reward my dog for?” or “what did I just teach my dog” .

Paws Pointer 13 – Bring the Focus to what TO DO, and to What Fido does RIGHT.  Don’t bring the Focus or Attention to what Fido does wrong.

It is the training and relationship building that you do at home that will move you forward toward your goals!  Remember, take advantage of training moments.