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Keep up your Dogs Training Schedule When you head out on the road with your dog, you’re venturing into a perfect training ground. With the new scents, sights, and fun times that a trip away from home offers, training is a must—if your dog isn’t well behaved, it won’t get to accompany you on all of your outings. By the same token, all those distractions are ideal for teaching your dog to focus on you and only you, no matter what.
Dog training has a vast number of benefits. Some of these are evident when your dog learns to sit on command or comes when you call. But others are more subtle. Training reinforces the pack hierarchy for your dog. Every time it obeys one of your commands, it’s acknowledging that you are the pack leader—a role you need to maintain for everyone’s happiness and safety. Training also establishes important patterns. For instance, Fido might learn that listening and obeying results in rewards like pets and a treat, creating an incentive for him to “be good” and listen the next time.
The best way to get started with training is to take a class or read a good book on the subject. You’ll learn tricks for introducing the “sit,” “stay,” and “come” commands, the foundation of the obedience world. Once your dog has learned these core commands, it’s critical that you do brush-up sessions regularly. That’s where training during a trip comes in! Because once your dog can carry out these basic skills, that’s the perfect time to up the ante by asking your dog to repeat the action in a more challenging environment—say, at the beach or on the trail.
If you’re heading out with your dog, put some treats in your pocket. They’re useful for dicey situations like recalling your dog when there are other dogs around, and they’re also handy for a quick bit of training. If you haven’t used up all the treats by the time you get home, stop on your way back and ask for an extended sit-and-stay or practice a little heeling. Your dog will be happy to gobble up those rewards, and you’ll have logged one more training session.
Consistency is the key to dog training. If you use one command for sit, or one way of calling your dog to come to you, be sure to always use that same method. Also, keep your rules steady. If you’re teaching your dog not to pull on the leash, be sure you correct tugging behavior every time. If you only do it sometimes, they you’re reinforcing the idea that tugging isn’t something you’re all that concerned about.
Use your voice to show how you feel. In the dog world, high-pitched, squeaky sounds are happy sounds—they tell a dog that you’re pleased. Deep, curt sounds let a dog know that they’re misbehaving. Think of an alpha wolf growling in warning at one of the pups. He’s letting the little dog know that it isn’t acting correctly and had better shape up right away. You can use your own voice this way. Keep it firm, clear, and neutral when you give a command. If your dog obeys, make your praise light and cheery. If your dog needs further correction, give the command again in a lower, firmer tone. Be patient, but don’t be a push-over. If you’ve asked your dog to sit and it won’t listen, don’t give up the session until you’ve achieved the sit. (Stepping toward your dog while you hold a treat over its head is a good way to make a sit happen.)
Listen to yourself as you go through training. Are you consistent and clear in your commands? Do you say “okay” when you don’t actually mean it? Many dogs recognize “okay” as a release command, meaning they can get up and wander around because the lesson is over. Be sure to say it only when you mean it. Also, pay attention to your body language. If you’re asking your dog to sit or stay, be consistent with the way you use your arms. Nothing confuses a dog more than being asked to stay while your arms are flailing excitedly around in a motion that says ‘come on over and play!’ For dogs, body language is more important than spoken words, so be sure yours is in alignment with what you’re trying to convey.
Working on obedience with your dog results in more than a dog that can follow commands. It forges a bond between the two of you, and a clear understanding that you’re the boss. Human social rules are different from dog rules, and if dogs are going to thrive in our society, they need to listen to your cues. And they also need a little time off. Be sure to schedule at least one fifteen minute walk and another fifteen minute play session with your dog every day. Keep your training sessions fun, and it’ll become something you both look forward to!
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