4 Basic Skills to Teach Your Puppy (or Adult Dog)
While tricks are fun to show off, good manners go a long way in helping your dog navigate the world around them. By helping your dog understand what’s asked of him, and working on key behavioral skills, you can help make it easier to handle your dog when the situation gets stressful. And, these skills can be taught at any age — perfect for new puppies or older dogs.
The Collar Grab
Why It’s Important: You’ve probably had to grab your dog’s collar for several reasons, including attaching a leash, moving them closer to you, or holding onto them for grooming or veterinary care. By getting your dog used to having their collar grabbed, and making it into a fun experience, they’ll be less likely to try and shy away from handling, or at worst, snap or growl.
How to Train It: Start with a high-value treat such as a piece of lunch meat or hot dog. Place the treat in front of your dog’s nose. Reach down to gently touch and then grab onto their collar while giving the treat. Once they’re used to this, you can start gently tugging on the collar, offering the treat as you do so. If you have a dog that’s very head-shy, you may need to start with just bringing your hand toward your dog, giving the treat, and then working on grabbing the collar from there.
Comfortable Handling
Why It’s Important: Getting your dog used to being handled is an important skill whether your dog needs regular grooming, has to be at the vet, or you just need to inspect them for an injury. It’s also good to have your dog used to handling if you have small children, so that pulled ears or tails do not cause a growl or a nip.
How to Train It: While this is something best started in puppyhood, it can be trained at any age. It’s a good idea to work with your dog when they are either tired out from a long walk, or very food motivated. Using a high-value treat, start petting your dog, running your fingers over their back, tail, legs, and more, offering treats throughout. From there, you can work on picking up their feet gently, or lightly squeezing the end of their ear or tail. If your dog becomes uncomfortable, take a break and try again when they are settled.
You may need to take it very slowly for dogs that are shy or not used to being handled. If you can only manage to give a few pets before your dog is uncomfortable — that’s ok! Take a break for an hour or two, and then try another few-second session later.
Look at Me
Why It’s Important: If you can only pick one thing to work on from this list, work on Look at Me! This skill is the basis for getting your dog’s attention. Without your dog’s attention, you can’t build on other skills such as sit, stay, lie down, or even walking on a leash. By getting your dog to look at you, it signals to them that it’s time to pay attention and get to training.
How to Train It: Start with a high-value, smelly treat. Take the treat and place it in front of your dog’s nose. When they pay attention to it, quickly bring the treat up between your eyes. If your dog follows the treat and looks up at you, reward and praise. From there, you can add in the command “Look at Me” as you move the treat to your forehead. And, once your dog is consistently following the treat, start to ask them to “Look at Me” without it, rewarding when they look up at you.
Release Words
Why It’s Important: Much like “Look at Me” signals to your dog training is starting, release words teach your dog that the exercise is done. A release word can be any word of your choice, from “Okay” to “All Done”, however, it’s best to pick a word you won’t commonly say in everyday conversation or during regular training.
How to Train It: Start with an easy trick, such as sit. After you’ve given your dog their treat, say the release word, and then get excited — talking in a high-pitched voice or giving lots of pets, to help get your dog wiggly and upright. Then, repeat the command, reward, and release. From there, have your dog wait in the seated position for a few seconds longer, before treating, praising, and releasing. Once your dog has the hang of it, you can extend the waiting time, or work on other commands in combination with the release word.
These four skills make an excellent base for any training session. They can help your dog understand when it’s time to listen and relax. And, they can help in stressful situations such as the vet. These skills can be worked on any time, as either part of your regular training session, or in short bursts whenever you have a few free moments.
Interested in more tips and tricks for training? Check out our latest books. Or, feel free to ask a question regarding your dog’s training needs.