Rachel’s Dog Training

There’s an old adage that says you can’t buy love. I’m really not so sure about that. You can buy a dog, and a dog is love. Dogs give their owners unconditional love. They don’t care what their owners look like — short, tall, fat or skinny — it’s all the same to a dog. They don’t care whether you’re rich or poor, whether you live in a mansion or a one-room shack, he will love you, and he’ll love you unconditionally.

Actually, the relationship between humans and dogs is unique. Mankind has domesticated all kinds of animals over the millennia: cats, birds, even snakes and skunks. So why is it that the dog has turned out to really be man’s best friend? The long relationship between the two species might explain it. The history of humans and dogs coexisting goes as far back as 15,000 years. We’ve had time to get to know one another pretty well.

Dogs, it seems, provide measurable health benefits to humans. Studies show that those who have dogs as companions have lower blood pressure than those who don’t have a dog. Studies have also shown that dogs can lower the blood pressure of those who are in high-stress jobs.

Research has proved that just a 12-minute visit with a dog reduced stress-inducing hormone emissions and lowered blood pressure and pulse rate in hospital patients. The dog — he really is man’s (and woman’s) best friend!

Rachel and the Dogs

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Food is one of the main things that revolve around in dog’s heads. Most dog’s await their dinner in anticipation, hope for the crust of their owners sandwich and just dream of food all day long. However, their are some dogs who only eat when they’re hungry, turn their nose up at the sandwich crust, and dream of pats and plays all day, not caring if they are offered an early dinner.

Food is a major part in training your dog as well. Which ever kind of dog yours is, food plays a major part in any obedience. The story below proves this theory. I am training two dogs, one who loves food, and the other not as much. But if you use a variety of different foods they both learn and enjoy equally.

I had three different types of treats; cheese, carob and their every day dry food. These dogs already knew basic commands; sit, shake, etc, so I tested the response to all of the treats using the same command.

I first asked the dog who loves food to ‘Shake’ and rewarded her with some dry food. The next time I asked for her paw she wasn’t as enthusiastic, thinking that she would only receive her everyday dry food as a reward.

When she gave me her paw the second time I rewarded her with some cheese. She loved the cheese, but she ate it so fast that I don’t know if she even tasted it. The next time I asked for her paw she was more enthusiastic to give it to me expecting more cheese.

This time after she had given me her paw I rewarded her with a piece of carob. This she really savoured and waiting for more she looked ready to give me her paw again to gain another piece of carob or cheese. She knows that I have delicious treats for her and she wants to do what she has to in order get them.

Then I tested this on the dog that wasn’t as interested in food. She also knew the command ‘Shake’ so I asked her for her paw and rewarded her with some dry food. She nearly turned her nose up at it but thought that she had better eat it in case it was all she got.

I asked for it again and rewarded her with some cheese. You could see that her thoughts changed when she spotted the cheese believing it would be worth her while. She took the cheese happily and savoured the taste. Wanting more she became more alert awaiting another command.

I asked for her paw again and she gave it to me really fast. I then rewarded her with a piece of the carob. Her face really lit up at the taste of this and when she swallowed she wanted to give me her paw again to get another piece of carob. I could tell that both dogs loved the carob more than anything else.

I then used the three different treats to train them to ‘Rollover’. I first taught the dog that loves food. I lured her over using the dry food first. She wasn’t as impressed with this treat but took it and enjoyed it anyway. I repeated this step with the cheese and she looked more interested in learning the trick.

Then I used the carob to guide her to roll and she wanted to continue the lesson so she could get more carob. I continued to teach her with the carob and she learnt more quickly than she had been when I was teaching her other commands using the dry food.

Then I tested it on the dog that isn’t as interested in food. I also taught her to rollover. I first tried to get her to roll using the dry food. She didn’t want it so she didn’t roll. So I tried her with the cheese and she cooperated well. Then I tried her with the carob and she worked just as well as she did with the cheese.

My theory worked. Both dogs worked better with something that they really like. Every dog will cooperate with either a really tasty treat like carob or a favourite toy.  I continued to teach the dogs other commands such as ‘Wave’, ‘Beg’ and ‘Walk Backwards’ using the carob and cheese and they learned faster than the commands I taught without it.

Good luck with your training!

Rachel and the Dogs

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Naming the new adopted four-legged child is always a challenge. It’s fun, of course, but choosing “just the right” name for your new best friend is important. You want to get it right.

You can name your dog anything you want to name him, he’s yours. There’s no “wrong” answer here. But there are some guidelines that you might want to consider before you hang a moniker on that cute little pup.

The first thing that you need to consider is that he’s not going to stay a puppy, he’s going to grow into a dog. You don’t want to give him a name that won’t suit him in later years, for example calling him ‘Baby’ when he is going to grow into a rather large German Shepherd. This name will not suit him.

Even if your dog is a purebred with a pedigree and comes with a registered name, you’ll still need to give him a name that he’ll learn means you’re talking to him. But the name needs to be short. Dogs are smart animals, however there’s no sense in stretching that intelligence be demanding them to learn to come when you call him by a long name. His name should contain no more than two or three syllables.

Never change your dog’s name once you’ve named him. Stick to that name, so you really do need to get it right the first time. Once you have selected a name think about what it woould be like calling your dog with this name in years to come; will it suit him? Would you like to call your dog by this name? Also, if you are planning for your new puppy to be the family pet make sure that all of the family likes the name you give him.

Good Luck!

Rachel and the Dogs

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Training your dog can get tough for the first few weeks. If your dog isn’t used to being trained everyday, then they may not want to cooperate. It is important in the first month that you make training fun and simple for your dog. That is why I have compiled a list of training tips to make training simpler for you and your dog.

1. Make training times quick - Dogs have a short attention span, and puppies even shorter. If you just do one step a day with your training, your dog or puppy will learn more than if you try to teach them all in the one day. if you notice your puppy not listening or not cooperating, it is best to end the training session there and then, and come back tomorrow.
2. Be Patient - Your dog or puppy won’t learn a new skill over night. It may take him a week to learn a skill, and in that week you must be patient with him, otherwise he won’t enjoy training sessions and won’t want to cooperate.
3. Always reward when your dog does something right - If you don’t reward him for doing something right every time for the first few steps, then he won’t think that he is doing the right thing everytime, and may start doing the wrong thing.
4. Praise your dog with words, treats and pats - If you just use food to reward your dog he may get sick of it and not cooperate as well as he would if you vary his rewards.
5. Teach your dog the skills one step at a time - don’t rush the tricks, if you do your dog won’t learn them as well, and you may have to reteach them again.
6. Make training part of your dogs daily routine - If you make training part of your dog’s daily routine, he wil get used to it in a few weeks. However, don’t put training time and play time together. If you play after training time your dog will want to get training over and done with so he can play or go for a walk. If you put training after playtime your dog will most likely be worn out and not cooperate with you.
7. Make your voice firm but not angry - If your dog is slightly defiant, you need to let him know who’s boss. make you voice firmer when giving him commands, but try not to sound angry.
8. Never reward your dog if he does the wrong move - For example, if you are teaching him to lay down and he only goes into a ‘Bow’ position, don’t reward him because he will believe this is the right thing to do. Simple correct the move with a simple and firm ‘No’ and try again.
9. Use a leash if you dog tends to wonder - If your dog doesn’t want to stay with you during your first few training times then put him on a leash and hold it securly in your hand.
10. Have Fun - Training is important, but enjoying the time you have with your dog everyday is important too. Don’t just think of training as a chore, but an enjoyable experience with your canine companion.

For more tips on dog training, please view my Tip Of The Week page every so often.

Good luck, and have fun with your training!

Rachel and the Dogs

P.S. To get my free training course, visit The Dog Training Academy

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Like us, dogs need plenty of exercise everyday. It is very important that they get this exercise for the same reasons that we need ours.

However, when you do exercise your dog don’t over exhaust him. If he starts breathing hard give him a rest or stop the exercise. You must always have water available to him. If you take him for a walk outside your yard, take either a bowl you can fill with water or pour some water from a drink bottle for him to have. If your dog gets dehydrated this can be a serious problem.

Never feed your dog after or before you exercise him. Dogs can have problems with their stomachs if they eat near exercise.

But the main part of exercise is having fun with your dog. If you take your dog walking you and he will have much more fun doing exercise together. If you want tips on teaching your dog to walk on the leash, please see my article on Leash Lessons.

Good Luck!

Rachel and the Dogs

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Dogs need plenty of attention to keep their minds active and out of trouble. But the main part of attention they need is play. Most dogs love to play with each other but if your dog doesn’t have a play mate then you need to make the time to play with him everyday.

if your dog is a puppy he will usually want to play rough with you even if you have another dog as well. It is good to let him be a little rough but if he starts biting hard and continuing to bite and grab hard when he grows older you have to stop him before it gets out of hand.

Simply stand with your arms folded and ignore him. If your arms are folded he can’t grab your fingers or long sleeves. If you ignore him he will soon get bored of trying grab you and find something else to do. Once he does start patting him again. But if he starts trying to grab and bite again ignore him or go into another room.

This will teach him that you won’t pay him any attention if he behaves that way. If you take your dog for a walk every afternoon, he needs to be well behaved. Because you are taking him out of your yard it is even more important that he behaves in a good way. I strongly suggest that you teach him the four Basic Training skills before taking him walking, especially for the first time.

He needs to obey all of your commands when outside of your yard so that he doesn’t get injured or lost. However if you have him on a leash the whole time that is less likely to happen. For tips on taking your dog walking and training him how to walk by your side, read Leash Lessons.

It is also important to have fun playing with you dog. Dogs are mans best friend for a reason, they always try to make us happy and we should try to make them happy too.

Good Luck!

Rachel and the Dogs

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It is important that your dog can walk on a leash. Even if you never take your dog walking. But before you start training him on the leash he needs to learn the Basic Dog Training. He needs to know how to walk on a leash incase you take him to the vet or a friends house and you need to be able to control him.

1. Hook the leash onto your dog’s collar, and with your dog standing on the left side of your body, start walking.
2. Your dog will most likely want to walk ahead of you. To stop him from doing this, is not to tug on the leash every time he does so, becasue if you do this he won’t learn that pulling ahead is bad, he will just not like going on walks. But the answer is to just stop walking until he comes back to. If you do this and he does come back to where you are standing, reward him and continue walking. Or you could just randomly change direction if he starts pulling. If you change direction alot your dog will naturally walk next to you wondering where you are going to go next.
3. Either way your dog will learn to walk next to you on the leash. When he does, reward him.

Walking your dog on the leash can be fun for both you and your dog. You and him can go for day trips to the beach, and to parks if your dog can walk on the leash properly, and happily.

Good Luck with your training,

Rachel and the Dogs

P.S. To get my free training course, visit The Dog Training Academy

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These are the some of the hardest tricks either to teach, or for your dog to learn. Most of these tricks are progressed on from Secondary Dog Training so it is important that your dog can perform these tricks before learning the advanced. Advanced tricks include wave, play dead, weave walking, beg and more. Before you teach your dog these tricks, it is important that he can perform the secondary and basic tricks on command.

Wave

Wave can take alot of time to teach. If your dog understands the non-verbal command for shake (simply putting your hand out to take his paw) it makes teaching this trick a little less confusing for your dog.

1. Either command ‘Shake’ or put your hand out to your dog, but don’t grab it. Let your dog’s paw reach out and go back to the ground. This is the ‘Wave’ motion. Reward after he has done so.
2. Repeat doing this twice in a row before reward the next time, and then three times in a row a few times after that. Try to get your dog to wave at least four times in a row on a single command.
3. After you have done this four or five times, start adding in the command ‘Wave’ as you finish the motion. Always reward after you have given the command.

This trick may take a while to teach, but eventually your dog will be able to wave goodbye to guests on command.

Beg

Once you have taught your dog to beg, he can say please for his food. You will need to get your dog in a sitting position for this trick.

1. Hold some tricks in your finger tips, so your dog can see them, and put them above his head making him look up. Jiggle your hand in an encouraging way to try to make him take his front paws off the ground. If he does so, reward.
2. If he is reluctant to take his paws off the ground, you will have to help him, by asking for his paw, and if he can shake both paws ask  for both, otherwise pick up his other paw and put him in a beg position. After holding him there for a few seconds, command ‘Beg’ and reward before letting him go.
3. Keep doing this until your dog needs less incouragment to go up on his hind legs, and gradully stop doing the hand signals. This trick may take longer to teach but continue on with the exercise, and your dog will get it eventually.

Play Dead

This trick is just an extension from rollover. Warm up with a few ‘rollovers’ before doing this trick.

1. With either treats or a favourite toy, hold it above them and slowly make your dog rollover, but stop him by putting your hand on his belly and commanding ‘Wait’, once he is laying on his back.
2. Keep him in this position for a few seconds, then command ‘Dead Dog’ or ‘Play Dead’ and reward.
3. Continue with this until you can do it from a standing positon, and make your dog stay in this position for about 5 seconds after he is completely still. This is a very entertaining party trick, that can be part of a small act with other tricks.

Weave Walking

This trick is a progression from ‘Through the Legs’. Your dog will walk through the gap between your legs as you walk, several times. Before you begin, hold some treats in your hand and practice the ‘Through the Legs’ trick.

1. Put one foot infront of the other with a wide enough gap that your dog can walk through.
2. Command ‘Through’ or ‘Under’ and lead your dog through your legs. This may be a little confusing for your dog because he will be used to going through your legs from the front or back, or he might get it straight away. You may need to encourage him.
3. Once he has done so, reward. Now with him standing on the other side of your body, put your other leg foreword and using the same process lead him through the gap. Reward.
4. For this trick, you can either use the same command as you use for ‘Through the Legs’ or you could use the command ‘Weave’. Although if you have taught, or are teaching your dog ‘Wave’ then they may get the commands confused. You could also use the opposite command to what you use for ‘Through the Legs’, for example if you use ‘Through’, use ‘Under’ for ‘Weave Walking’ instead.

Whichever command you use, begin to use it after you have done the first exercise about four times. The trick ‘Weave Walking’ would usually consist of four ‘Weaves’ however it doesn’t matter how many you do. Gradually stop doing the hand signal and only work using the verbal command.

Half Turn

This can be a progression from ‘Spin’ although it is only a half revolution.

1. First, stand with your dog infront of you and hold some treats to his snout. Then slowly move them behind him encouraging him to follow. When he has done the half revolution, reward.
2. Repeat this a few times so that he vaguely knows what you want him to do. Now add in the command ‘Turn’ or ‘Half’ after your dog has completed the half turn. Reward.

Progress this trick and slowly take the hand movement away. Try to only do this trick using a verbal command. It may take a while for your dog to work out that you don’t want him to do a full revolution.

Back Through the Legs

This trick is a progression from ‘Walking Backwards’. With your dog standing infront of you facing the same way you are, he walks bacwards between your open legs. However this trick is harder to teach because it is unnatural for your dog to be facing away from you, and it is important that he does.

1. Start by holding some treats to your dogs snout with him standing in front of you facing the same way you are.
2. Then spread your legs apart and gently push into his snout forcing him to walk backwards. Make him walk backs until his is completely on the other side of your body. Reward.
3. Continue this process several times and then add in the command ‘Back’. Using the same command for this as ‘Walking Backwards’ won’t confuse your dog as much as changing it will. It is still walking backwards exept in a different direction.
4. Gradually take away the hand movement and only use the verbal command. Eventually your dog will get used to the motion. This can be a fun trick to perform with your dog and is entertaining to watch. Something that will amaze anyone.

Fun Idea - You can put ‘Walking Backwords’, ‘Half Turn’ and ‘Back Through the Legs’ together and make an entertaining performance with heel work to music. You can include tricks such as ‘Spin’, ‘Weave Walking’ and ‘Rollover’ as well. Use your imagination!

Figure Eight

This trick is also a progression form ‘Through the Legs’. Your dog weaves around and through your legs in a figure-8 motion.

1. With your dog standing at your side, lead him through your legs from the front to the back.
2. Then lead him to the other side of your body.
3. Next, lead him through your open legs from to front to the back.
4. Now repeat this step several times before adding in the commands ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ for the leg that he is going around. Gradually stop using the hand movement and only work using the verbal command.

This is also a great trick to do in a heelwork performance.

Good luck with your training!

Rachel and the Dogs

P.S. To get my free training course, visit The Dog Training Academy

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It is important that your dog is happy. If you have a happy dog you can be happy too. But to have a happy dog he needs to be taken care of well. Though taking care of him won’t be easy all of the time it is worth it in the end.

All dogs need to be brushed, bathed, taken for walks or have a ball thrown for them, fed, have water supplied for them, and the list goes on. So I have compiled a list of tips to help you and your dog have more fun while you do them.

1. Try to get your dog into a routine. Feed him at a particular time, play or go for a walk at another time and so on.
2. Never try to brush your dog around play or walk time. This will confuse your dog who will be expecting to go for a walk or play, and it will make it harder for your to try to control him. This can put stess on you and your dog. Try to make brushing times fun for your dog aswell. Speak in a happy tone to your dog whilst you brush him, and tell him he’s a ‘Good Boy’ if he cooperates with you. You could even give him a small treat when your finished.
3. Give your dog a place to sleep where he feels comfortable. There is no use putting his bed somewhere he won’t sleep. Either a bed or a dog house, he will love it if he loves the spot it’s in. Most dogs just like having a place to go and rest, that they know is theirs.
4. If you live in a cold region in winter, provide your dog with a coat so that he can be warm if he’s living outside. Or give him a blanket for his bed that he can sleep under at night. He will feel more comfortable and at home just by doing this for him.
5. You need to make time everyday to give your dog exercise. Whether you take him for a walk or throw a ball for him, you must do it everyday. Or in summer if it’s hot enough you could take him to go swimming in a dam, or the beach, or a creek near your house. He can feel refreshed afterwards, and swimming gives dogs more exercise than running or walking.
6. It is very important to teach your dog the Basic Training. If your dog doesn’t know how to sit or lay down, he may become a nuisance and bad behaved. Or if he doesn’t know how to wait or come, he may get injured by going where he shouldn’t when outdoors. If he knows the commands ‘Wait’ and ‘Come’ you will be able to keep him under your control by using these commands.
7. Don’t wait too long between bathing your dog. Depending on the size of your dog and how dirty he gets depends on how long you wait to bath him. All dogs should be brushed at least once a month, even if they live oinside for most of their lives, then they will be clean when inside your home. Also if he lives inside he needs to be brushed very often (2-6 times a week) preferably outside so that he doesn’t lose hair all over the carpet.
8. Remember to worm him regularly.
9. Correct bad behaviour especially in puppies fast, by a simple ‘No’ in a stern voice and take the object away that he may be chewing, or take him away from the hole you don’t want him to be digging, and so on. Then you may need to distract him with a toy or play with him yourself so that he doesn’t go back to what he was doing. Never use physical punishment.
10. Watch your dog’s weight and if you think he is getting over or under weight, either feed him more or less until he is in a good weight range.
11. Your dog needs plenty toys to keep him occupied if he is on his own for long periods of time. If you have another dog for him to play with this is good, but he still needs toys for him and his companion to play with. When you are at home it is important to give him at least half an hour a day with you for attention. If you have more than one dog, they all need to be given equal attention, because otherwise one dog may get jealous and become nasty to another, or resort to bad behavoiour. Remember, your dog is ment to be your best friend, and you his. He will want to be with you more than anyone else, and you need to give him the attention he deserves.
12. For more fun with your dog, consider training him some entertaining Party Tricks. These simple tricks can entertain guests, or just give your dog some extra things to stimulate his brain.

This may seem like a lot, but your dog will love you for doing these things for and with him. These tips will help you and your dog have a happier and more stress free life together.

All the best,

Rachel and the Dogs

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Here are some fun tricks that you and your dog can use to entertain party guests. They are quick and easy to teach, and can be put together into a small performance. Before your dog can learn any of these tricks he must first learn the Basic Dog Obedience.

Shake

Shake is a relatively easy trick to teach. Your dog will give you his paw on command as if shaking hands with you. Your dog needs to be in a sitting position for this trick.

Start by picking your dog’s paw up off the ground, shaking it, and reward. Continue to do this until your dog understands that this is what you want him to do. Then, start adding the command ‘Shake’ when you pick up his paw.

Continue until your dog can perform this trick on cue with both verbal and non-verbal commands.

Rollover

This is a very entertaining party trick to teach your dog. First, get your dog in a down/drop position. Then, using either food or a favourite toy, move it behind his back, guiding him to roll toward it. Once he has done so, reward. Continue to do this until he understands, then, add in the command ‘Rollover’ or just ‘Over’ as you do the motion.

Once your dog understands the command, try doing this trick standing, without the hand signal. If this doesn’t work, lean closer to your dog and add the hand signal, but be more vage with it. Don’t use the toy or food, just losely move your hand in an arc over the dogs head as if showing him where to roll.

This trick will progress over time if you keep your dog practicing it, and it will get easier for him to roll. Depending on the dogs size and breed, it will either be easy for him to roll straight away, or take him a while to get used to the motion.

Note: For the following tricks your dog needs to know the tricks above.

Play Dead

This trick is just an extension from rollover. Warm up with a few ‘rollovers’ before doing this trick. Then, with either treats or a favourite toy, hold it above them and slowly make your dog rollover, but stop him by putting your hand in his belly and commanding ‘Wait’, once he is laying on his back. Keep him in this position for a few seconds, then command ‘Dead Dog’ or ‘Play Dead’ and reward.

Continue with this until you can do it from a standing positon, and make your dog stay in this position for about 5 seconds after he is completely still. This is a very entertaining party trick, that can be part of a small act with other tricks.

Beg

Once you have taught your dog to beg, he can say please for his food. You will need to get your dog into a sitting position for this trick. Hold some tricks in your finger tips, so your dog can see them, and put them above his head making him look up. Jiggle your hand in an encouraging way to try to make him take his front paws off the ground. If he does so, reward.

If he is reluctant to take his paws off the ground, you will have to help him, by asking for his paw, and if he can shake both paws ask  for both, otherwise pick up his other paw and put him in a beg position. After holding him there for a few seconds, command ‘Beg’ and reward before letting him go.

keep doing this until your dog needsa less incouragment to go up on his hind legs, and gradully stop doing the hand signals. This trick may take longer to teach but continue on with the exercise, and your dog will get it eventually.

Wave

Wave can take alot of time to teach. If your dog understands the non-verbal command for shake (simply putting your hand out to take his paw) it makes teaching this trick a little less confusing for your dog. Either command ‘Shake’ or put your hand out to your dog, but don’t grab it. Let your dog’s paw reach out and go back to the ground. This is the ‘Wave’ motion. Reward after he has done so.

Repeat doing this twice in a row before reward the next time, and then three times in a row a few times after that. Try to get your dog to wave at least four times in a row on a single command. After you have done this four or five times, start adding in the command ‘Wave’ as you finish the motion. Always reward after you have given the command.

This trick may take a while to teach, but eventually your dog will be able to wave goodbye to guests on command.

There you have it, five tricks you can use to entertain guests.

All the best with your training,

Rachel and the Dogs

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