With all of the new adoptions over the holidays, January is "National Train Your Dog Month." But no matter if you didn't adopt a new pup, all dogs could use a little extra training in their lives from learning a new trick to something that will make their owners' life easier like not jumping on you every time you walk through the door. Keep in mind that training takes consistency, positive praise, patience (from the owner and pup) and a treat or two to work. We've listed 5 ways to make training your dog easier below:
1. Make flashcards: Remember high school? Everything was easier with Flashcards...by putting the trick you want your dog to learn and how you will teach him/her the trick on a flashcard it will make it easier to keep your mind on track with what you hope to achieve, how often you will work on it and how you are teaching your dog the trick. This is great especially in a house with many people. It can get confusing for the dog if you, your husband, and your 3 kids are all using different words and hand motions to try to teach your dog how to "lay down." Your dog will appreciate everyone being on the same track, trust me.
2. Pick a Simple Trick to Start: With a world of fast food, high speed Internet and everyone running around like a chicken with their head cut off, it's easy to forget that you need to slow down and training takes time. Don't expect your dog to learn 20 new tricks and show up Lassie in one week. Start small and simple then work your way up so you don't get frustrated and overload your dog with expectations that are meant for a gigapet dog- not a real one.
3. Google: Although Google can do a lot of things, it cannot teach your dog new tricks. However, google is a great tool to look up different training methods. Check out a couple websites and see what will fit your dog and your lifestyle the best then have at it!
4. Turn on the Tube: The Youtube that is. Youtube has some great 5 minute clips on how to teach your dog some easy tricks. This will be great for the busy bee to pencil in 20 minutes to learn how to do the trick and work on it with your dog...all before your morning workout.
5. Use Your Old Tricks: Does your dog know how to "bring back the ball?" Great, use that as a base for the command "put your toys away." Start with your dog bringing back the ball, but this time have your dog's toy box under your feet. Instead of the dog giving you the ball remove your hand so the ball drops in the toy box...get the point? By using a command like "bring back the ball" that your dog already knows, you can use that as a base for "put your toys away".....train away!
