06/04/2024
DON’T MAKE THIS DOG TRAINING MISTAKE 👇
One of the biggest dog training mistakes we see people make is that they expect their dog to listen around super difficult distractions without ever practicing in front of those distractions or nailing the basics first.
Here’s how to prepare your dog for advanced distractions!
1) Begin Fading Food: Get the food out of your hands and into a treat bag and delay the time it takes from saying the command to giving the treat.
2) Do Normal Activities but Remain Focused on Training: If you are practicing a down stay, pretend to check your email or get “distracted” by your phone. Start a load of laundry or begin unloading the dishwasher. Break the everyday activity into bite-sized pieces and reward your dog at short intervals for holding a command like “stay.”
3) Get Your Dog Practicing Obedience Outdoors: Remember, your dog’s nose is much better than your nose, and smells can quickly become very distracting. Go back to the basics you started with when you change environments from indoors to outside.
4) Moving to Advanced Distractions: Ensure your dog complies with verbal cues then start to change your positioning when you ask the command. Once your dog realizes that the command has little to do with the position you are in, it is time to teach them to comply with your command no matter what they are doing.
5) Target Problem Behaviors at Difficult Times: For example, work on jumping after your dog hasn’t seen a family member for a while or practice recall by a squirrel.
Remember, go back to the basics for a few minutes anytime you increase the level of distractions. As you progress through these steps, you will have a well-mannered dog and one that is compliant with commands around advanced distractions without yelling and screaming from you.
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