Use these practical dog training tips for dogs of all ages to ensure your pup’s manners are in tip-top shape. After all, everyone should love your dog (almost) as much as you do.
Woof Report is always on the lookout for great tips from dog training experts – specifically in order to share them with you! There’s always something new to learn and prepped with knowledge, you’re equipped to best care for your dog’s health, strengthen the bond you share, and ensure your pup’s manners are in tip-top shape so everyone loves him or her nearly as much as you do.
And that’s why you’ll want to read the latest find, a fantastic article from Mychelle Blake, certified dog-behavior consultant and Deputy Director of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). The article, 31 Days to a Better Dog, was originally published in the American Kennel Club (AKC) Family Dog magazine, and was recently published online in the Barking Bulletin newsletter from PetPartners, the provider of the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan.
Those new to life with dogs, veteran pup parents, and everyone in between will find these practical and easy tips to be useful in raising a health, content and well-mannered fur family member. And most tips apply to dogs of all ages – whether you’ve just brought a new puppy into your home, adopted an older dog, or you and your dog have shared your home for years and years.
Find a sampling of Mychelle Blake’s smart tips for dogs of all ages below, then read the complete article, 31 Days to a Better Dog, online thanks to the Barking Bulletin newsletter
- For a multi-person household, create a list of behaviors you are working on and the corresponding cue words. Your pet will learn faster if everyone stays on the same page with goals and cue words or commands.
- Use feeding times to train the SIT and WAIT commands. Ask your pet to SIT before you place the food bowl down and ask him to WAIT before you allow him to walk over to the bowl and begin eating.
- Choose a marker signal. A marker can be a sound like the one a clicker makes, or a word such a YES! Pair this signal with a treat, toy or other rewards early on. Eventually, when you phase out the reward item, the dog will understand that the marker signal means he did something right.
- For socialization, visit local parks where you know children will be. Even if you have children, the more children your puppy is exposed to, the better. Find parks with a variety of people, sights, and sounds for your puppy to get used to.
- Cement the recall or COME command through games. Play “round-robin recalls” by having different members of the family call your pet and as the pet comes to them and is rewarded, have the next person call, and so on. You can also play “hide and seek” in your house or yard and reward your dog for finding you.
The Scoop:
Read 31 Days to a Better Dog online. The article was originally published in the American Kennel Club (AKC) Family Dog magazine. Learn more about Family Dog magazine or subscribe.
Many thanks to Mychelle Blake, certified dog-behavior consultant and Deputy Director of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), for the informative article. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) is the world’s largest educational and professional association for dog trainers, which promotes reward-based training methods.
Thank you to Bull City Dogs on flickr for the photo of Trudie.
Originally published May 2009; reviewed and updated May 2016.
Interesting! I hope that everyone had a great weekend,is having a great week and I hope that they have another great weekend! I also hope that they had a great Armed Forces Day! I’m sorry that I didn’t say aqnything about this last week, but it slipped my mind. I also hope that they have a great Memorial Day! That goes for last year and all the other years that I’ve missed.