At first glance, dog tricks seem to be more like parlor tricks than anything useful. But the truth is quite the contrary; in fact, dog tricks promote very healthy and obedient behavior amongst dogs. The goal is to teach a dog five basic tricks: stay, come, sit, heel, and leave alone.
Teach A Dog The Trick Of Stay
Stay is one of the best dog tricks that can counteract bad behavior. Instead of a muddy dog making tracks throughout the house, why not teach it to stay on command, and save yourself the frustration of cleaning?
Training a dog to stay can be somewhat difficult. Reward the dog when you declare Stay, and the dog doesn't move towards you. Eventually, the dog will learn through association of benefit that Stay means to stay put until further command.
Teach A Dog The Trick Of Come
Come is a rather easy command to teach, mostly because dogs can be curious creatures. Every time you say Come and make a gesture, they usually perform this task on their own. But to really engrave it into the dog's mind, a treat should be given upon successful completion.
This command is very useful when a dog becomes distracted and is pondering chasing a rabbit, for instance. Instead of chasing the dog all over town (and the rabbit, coincidentally), try stating Come! with a firm voice you'll be surprised at the results.
Teach A Dog The Trick Of Sit
Stay is another command similar to stay, although it is better in most cases. Instead of a dog standing up ready to move as soon as the owner gets out of site, the dog is obediently sitting on the floor waiting for the next command.
This command can be taught much like stay in the sense that the dog should be rewarded upon successfully staying. But in this case, the dog must also be sitting. Helping the dog into a sitting position is often required in this scenario.
Teach A Dog The Trick Of Heel
Heel is a difficult command to teach, since it attempts to teach a dog a learned behavior when they are at their most obnoxious and rambunctious state of mind. When they are tugging at their leash ready to run free, simply saying heel would be a great way to get things under control!
This command can be taught by saying the command multiple times, until the dog subsides. Upon submission, give the dog a treat to reward the submission. Hopefully, the word heel will become a word in both the dog's and owner's vocabulary with good practice.
Teach A Dog The Trick Of Leave Alone
This command is always the most fun to teach. Simply put an appetizing object in front of a dog, say leave alone and then offer the dog another treat that is bigger or better in some shape or form. Eventually the dog will realize that a bigger or better treat can be had if it is waited for after hearing the words leave alone.
Final Thoughts On Dog Training
Dog training is a lot of fun if the right methods are put into use. These methods will enable for both bonding between owner and dog, and will teach great behavioral character for dogs. Keep in mind that only positive reinforcement should be used as negative reinforcement can worsen behavior problems.
