Probably the hardest part of dog training that takes the most time to train and get the results you want. Would you like your dog to sit on command quickly? Would you like your dog to lie down on command, even when he is running? Sound impossible? Many dog ​​owners find that quick response is beyond them and as soon as their dog is off the leash all notion of control is gone. They have been to training clubs, attended seminars, read books and tried any number of tips and tricks and nothing has worked. So what is the secret to a consistent quick response? Only very few trainers have the answer and I will share some of those secrets with you in this article. These techniques are very powerful and when implemented correctly they produce truly outstanding results.

To ensure that puppies get the best start in life, you need to ensure that the correct rules, boundaries and limitations are set so that the young dog knows what is expected and what is not allowed or what behavior is allowed. Puppies and young dogs need to understand why they are being corrected and they need to understand the correction, so it is vital that they are delivered in the right way.

All dogs, even young dogs and puppies, are very good at manipulating the people they live with to get what they want. This doesn’t always cause problems because humans are generally lazy creatures who will only be willing to change something if it becomes absolutely necessary and then a lot of hard work is required. As with most things in life, prevention is better, easier, cheaper, and longer lasting than cure, so the details of this plan, while fairly general, will cover the basics. Additional and more detailed specific plans are available upon request and cover most issues. If you have a particular problem that is not covered on our list, please contact us and we will write one that is specific to your needs.

It is important that you train the correct state of mind. If your puppy or young dog is currently excitable, boisterous, and generally upset, you’ve probably been rewarding the wrong frame of mind. It is imperative to complete this before undertaking any other training, including basic obedience. The key question is how can you teach your puppy or young dog that a calm mind is a better place to be?

You lead by example as young dogs copy the example of other dogs or people around them, in other words the dog will match the energy of the dogs or people around them. So the first and probably the hardest thing for a human to do is to be completely cool with his dog, regardless of what he’s doing. Just take a minute to visualize that, your dog is running through the house leaving a trail of destruction and you feel like chasing after him and yelling at him to stop. Now visualize being perfectly calm. This is a very difficult thing to do but a very important skill to practice and it will pay dividends in the long run.

The dog must understand its place in the family and meeting and greeting each other after periods of separation is a key part of this. If you are greeted by a very excited dog who jumps up and demands your attention and you respond in kind, you are matching the dog’s energy, which means the dog is in control of the situation. The greeting can be when he returns from a period away from home or in the morning after being apart for the night.

If you don’t respond to the greeting with the same energy, but instead walk past the dog with a calm air of indifference and ignore the fact that the dog is doing everything it can to get your attention, the behavior will taper off until the dog agrees. with his energy of calm demeanor. By doing this, you are leading and setting the example you want to be followed. When the dog has calmed down, call him calmly and if he comes right away, reward him with a few long, calm strokes down the dog’s flank or side. Stay away from the head as this will cause arousal. Now he is beginning to demonstrate the characteristics of a leader.

What else is a good trigger for emotion? Visitors, people who arrive at the door of your house and then invade the territory. What better to send your dog into fits of confusion?

No, get off, come here, get off, behave are the typical reactions of a dog jumping towards visitors and are usually delivered with increasing levels of volume and stress, all of which fuel the dogs confusion and fear. Yes, you read that right, fear. Your dog is probably scared of the likely confrontation with whoever enters his territory and worried that he won’t survive!

The doorbell or knocker usually starts barking and running to the door in a desperate attempt to dismiss the intruder and protect the family, but the dog lacks the confidence to really be in charge and asks for someone else to take charge.

Calmly walk past the dog at the door, ask your visitors to be patient with you before opening the door, and calmly pick up your dog by the collar or put a leash over his head. Take the dog to another room and close the door on him. Let your guests go into the hall, ask them to wait and go get your dog. Take him out into the hallway on his leash and if he is barking, tugging and excited, put him back in the other room for 20 seconds. Open the door, take a cue from him and let him back in. Repeat this exercise until he enters with all feet on the ground and calm. Then let him come up to your guests for a sniff, and if he stays calm, you can give him a quiet pet. This teaches the dog that you are in control of the entrance to the house and decide who enters, not them.

By far the biggest source of excitement, and the most troublesome part of owning a dog, is the walk, getting the dog out of an environment where he feels safe, comfortable and without threats to his peace and quiet. In the big world where they feel like they have to take care of you and protect you from every perceived threat and possible attack while leading you on the hunt for food! No wonder they leave the house at such a speed of knots! Typical reactions to this behavior on the part of owners are repeated pulling on the leash, repeatedly telling the dog to come closer, and generally becoming nervous and stressed when the dog does not do what he is told. You know what’s coming right? You and the dog should leave the house in a calm and controlled manner! Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? However, how you achieve this is a different matter. You’ve also no doubt heard that you must go through a gate first as a test of leadership and mastery. In fact, this is true, but many owners tell their dogs to wait or sit or some other form of command when they approach a door. The dog does not wait of its own volition for the owner to pass first and then calmly follow.

This can only be achieved by dividing the exit from the house into basic stages so that we can, at each stage, teach the dog to be calm before moving on to the next. When we walk our dogs we all have a route, we may not be aware of it but our dogs certainly are and they pick up on the routine and start to get excited. I could guess a routine that looks something like this:

You will change into an item of clothing, depending on the time of year, or you can change into outdoor shoes.

It will then go to where the lead is kept.

You will then put the leash on the dog and be dragged out the door, down the path to wherever your usual destination is. If that destination is a park or some other area where the dog is left and given freedom, his dog will probably drag him there, but he will probably walk quite well on the way back, having gotten away with it.

Teaching your dog to be quiet before leaving the house takes time, patience, and consistent behavior on the part of you, the owner. In any of the above stages, as you prepare to leave the house, the dog shows enthusiasm, the stage stops. If you are putting on a coat or boots, stop and take them off, let the dog calm down, and start again. Repeat until you can complete this stage and the dog remains calm. Work on putting the leash on in the same way, taking it off if the excitement is too much, and leaving it on when the dog is calm. When you move toward the door and the dog walks in front of you, turn around and walk a few steps away from the door. This tells the dog that if he is facing you, the walk does not happen. Repeat until the dog releases you first. This may take many tries. Stay calm and quiet. When you can get through your door and the dog calmly waits for you to go first, then you can go for a walk. Don’t let him out of control at all. If necessary, buy a long line so he can run but you remain in control.

Additional training is available in our classes or home visits. Spaces in our classes are very limited due to demand so call now to get on the waiting list. K9 Consultants guarantees that the methods described above are effective and will produce the required result. K9 Consultants cannot guarantee their interpretation and implementation of these techniques and methods. Only our classes or home visits can teach you properly. Call now for reservation information.