Dog Training Tips

You must have the dogs attention. Therefore it must know its name and be able to respond.

The dog must see the owner as leader of the pack.

In order for the dog to want to please the owner it must be motivated.

The reward must be valuable to the dog. In order for the reward to be valuable it must not be freely available. All rewards must be under the owners control.

If the dog is in "on duty" it must know when it is "off duty"

Therefore we use a release command i.e. "ok" or "finished".

Grooming and daily handling is essential for a successful training routine.

Always follow the path of least resistance i.e. if grooming is a struggle, tire the dog out first.

If a dog is consistently disobeying a command, then change the command and start again.

Plan your lessons, keep training sessions short. Know what you want to achieve. Have fun and don't forget to quit while you're ahead.

Reference: Irish Dog Trainer (ND), Training Tips [online] http://www.irishdogtrainer.com/index.php?id=634, Access on 06 Jan 2008