DOG & KIDS - TRAINING

Good animal trainers are a lot like some of your favorite teachers from the past. As a child I am sure you have probably had some teachers that you might remember. I certainly I know I have. There is a reason that we remember this and that is these teachers have figured out that certain teaching techniques have worked better for certain kids. That really made a lot of sense to me because animal training is very much the same way. I’ve been training dogs for a long time and I’ve had the opportunity to hear a lot of different ideas and some different techniques, but some of the best trainers that I have been around were the ones that really gauged their training to the animal they were training at the time. The same thing that a good teacher does!

Personalities

As children, you all have different types of personalities, and different kids are going to learn at different speeds. I know that I certainly was not the smartest kid in school myself. As a trainer I’ve found out that dogs are very much the same way. Certain techniques work better for certain dogs, and that is exactly why my technique focuses on training your dog based on personality. Over many years, I’ve learned that what works for good for one dog might not work well for the other.

Elevated Area

I always recommend training your dog on an elevated area. If you’re working with a very small dog, you might want to work with the dog on a bed, couch or chair. If you are dealing with a larger dog, you can just work with the dog on something elevated like a porch.

There are a few reasons for this, but the biggest reason is it puts the animal on a defined elevated area. It also makes the training of the STAY behavior much easier for you and your dog.

Rewards

As a child, it’s very important for you to know and understand and appreciate in knowing there are things that you have done that are acceptable and appreciated. This is a great way an adult can communicate to you that they like what you are doing. At home, your parents might do things that are different and fun when you make them happy and proud. Even at school, your teacher might do things that are fun and exciting for you when you get an “A” on a project too.

Your dog is very much the same way. Your dog needs to know what he is doing is correct, and depending on the color of your dog, and the individual dog you are training, that reward will can vary immensely.

Once you do find that special treat that your dog likes, try to only give him that particular treat in the training session. This will make the training session special and something your dog will look forward to.