Tip 1:Find yourself a compatible dog trainer.
Someone you can work with, whom shares your philosophy of what you want to achieve and what you need to do to get there. A trainer should be able to give you objective advice on your timing and reactions as well as introducing new methods and behaviors.
Tip 2:Emergency Wait
This comes from an english trainer I saw on TV. I do not remember the name so cannot give proper credit.
I tried this on my own, when I was just starting to train my Gordon 'Buddy'. It sounds odd, but is very useful. It was effective right from the start.
The desired behavior is to have your dog stay put while you deal with some emergency situation. You need both hands free and you do not want to worry about what the dog is doing. The dog is to remain in place, standing waiting for your return.
Basic method.
While walking with the dog at heel.
You have the leash as normal, loose, held with both hands.
Raise the leash with both hands, about shoulder high, throw it to the ground
and give the command "WAIT" in a firm fairly loud voice.
This is supposed to come from out of the blue, you want your dog suprised, not frightened,
so adjust your volume according to temperment.
Now step in front of the dog (you do not stop).
This should stop his forward motion.
Continue walking quickly, close to the dog, but all the way around in one fluid motion.
You want the dog to follow you with his eyes, but not to take a step.
Pick up the leash as you complete the circle. Praise your dog.
The dog may sit, stand, lay down, or go to sleep.
The dog only needs to stay put, till you return.
Pick a quite place for the first attempt. You do not need any distractions. As you become more confident, make your circle bigger. But go slow. Add stops for you and progress to where you can turn your attention for a time to some thing other than the dog. Add distractions of various kinds. If the dog breaks as you attempt a longer "away time" give only one negative verbal indication and then quickly physically return the dog to where he was supposed to be. When he he is back where he was supposed to be, praise your dog.
This is one behavior that dogs seem to 'get' the first time out. I think it is in part, the suprise factor of the handler doing something unexpected. And part physical, they have to stop as you just stepped in front of them. And part attention, as they wonder what you are doing.
Your dog only needs to be able to walk on a leed as a requirement to start training this behavior. It can be trained at the same time you start training down, sit, stay and recall. As this seems to have a high first success rate it seems more useful faster than perfecting an equivelent down behavior.
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