WEEK 2 - HAVE FUN!
Once your dog is used to responding to you using his name it is time to practice in the big wide world. This is where you need your long training lead. DO NOT let your dog or puppy off lead at this stage.
** Allow your dog to wander a few feet away from you and use his name and command word and call him to you. Use a happy, interesting voice.
** If he is distracted by his environment, use your recall word and gently draw your puppy or dog towards you with the lead. DO NOT just keep calling your dog if he doesn’t respond. Gently draw him in with his lead and when he starts paying attention to you again, give him his reward and praise to encourage him.
Maintain his attention by making yourself more interesting than what had distracted him. So….. Introduce fun into the training….
RUN AWAY!
Let him wander off a little, then use his name and recall word. When he looks up at you, run away from him, calling him to you. When he arrives give a lot of fuss and reward.
FIND IT!
Call your dog to you and ask him to sit. Throw either the high value treat, or his training toy about 10ft (3 metres) away and ask him to ‘Find It’. When he has found the treat or toy, call him to you and repeat.
HIDE & SEEK
If you are in a safe and secure environment and can keep your dog under supervision then a quick game of Hide & Seek is great for getting your dog’s attention.
As your dog is looking for his toy or treat, hide behind a nearby tree or bush. When he sees you are not there, call his name and use the command word. Keep calling him to help him find you. As usual, give lots of praise and a reward for being so clever!
COLLAR HOLD
When your dog returns to you gently take hold of his collar for a few seconds, and give a high value treat. This will help him to realise that you getting hold of his collar does not mean that you are going to put him on his lead and take him home but that it is just a part of his time out with you.
** Keep repeating and working on these exercises, and the work from the previous week, and slowly increase the distance you let him wander on his lead.
** Allow your dog to wander a few feet away from you and use his name and command word and call him to you. Use a happy, interesting voice.
** If he is distracted by his environment, use your recall word and gently draw your puppy or dog towards you with the lead. DO NOT just keep calling your dog if he doesn’t respond. Gently draw him in with his lead and when he starts paying attention to you again, give him his reward and praise to encourage him.
Maintain his attention by making yourself more interesting than what had distracted him. So….. Introduce fun into the training….
RUN AWAY!
Let him wander off a little, then use his name and recall word. When he looks up at you, run away from him, calling him to you. When he arrives give a lot of fuss and reward.
FIND IT!
Call your dog to you and ask him to sit. Throw either the high value treat, or his training toy about 10ft (3 metres) away and ask him to ‘Find It’. When he has found the treat or toy, call him to you and repeat.
HIDE & SEEK
If you are in a safe and secure environment and can keep your dog under supervision then a quick game of Hide & Seek is great for getting your dog’s attention.
As your dog is looking for his toy or treat, hide behind a nearby tree or bush. When he sees you are not there, call his name and use the command word. Keep calling him to help him find you. As usual, give lots of praise and a reward for being so clever!
COLLAR HOLD
When your dog returns to you gently take hold of his collar for a few seconds, and give a high value treat. This will help him to realise that you getting hold of his collar does not mean that you are going to put him on his lead and take him home but that it is just a part of his time out with you.
** Keep repeating and working on these exercises, and the work from the previous week, and slowly increase the distance you let him wander on his lead.
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