Live Oak Dog Obedience training can help your dog become more well behaved and make your time together more enjoyable. But before you enroll in a class it is important to understand the fundamentals of dog obedience training.
For obedience training to work, commands must be non-negotiable 100% of the time. This means that when your dog disobeys, you must punish their behavior in a way they understand and that can change them.
Dog obedience training offers a variety of benefits for both you and your pup. It teaches good manners such as sitting or lying down, and it can help your dog respond to commands like “come” or “stay.” A trained dog who obeys on command can be safer when outdoors, such as when approaching other dogs during walks. It can also help control behaviors such as excessive barking or chewing, and it can prevent your dog from jumping up on people or running off when out and about.
During training sessions, it’s important to start in an environment with few distractions and gradually increase the difficulty of the behavior you’re working on. This helps your dog understand each new command, and it teaches the behavior with consistency. It also helps your dog learn the relationship between each command and your body language, so they’ll be more likely to listen and follow you when the situation becomes more stressful.
The most basic of commands is the “sit.” Start by holding a treat in your hand, letting your dog see it and follow it with their nose, while you move your hand slowly down towards the ground until they lower themselves into a sit position. Once they do, say “sit,” and reward them with the treat. Repeat this process, reducing the hand prompt until they begin to lower themselves to your level without being prompted.
Another essential command is the “down.” Using this command can help your dog calm down in stressful situations such as dining at restaurants or during fireworks or thunderstorms. Begin by placing a treat on the floor in front of your dog, and as they start to follow it with their nose, slowly lower your hand until they lie down. Once they do, reward them with the treat and give the command “down” again.
The “leave it” command teaches your dog to ignore objects they shouldn’t touch or approach, such as food scraps on the sidewalk or discarded toys during walks. To teach this command, hold a toy or object in your closed fist and let them sniff and paw at it. When they lose interest or turn away, say “leave it,” and reward them with the toy. Repeat this process with other objects, increasing their difficulty by degrees.
Intermediate
If you’re ready to progress beyond basic obedience training, you’re likely looking for a class that offers more than just a one-hour-per-week session. For your dog to actually learn the commands, you’ll have to practice them outside of the classroom and apply the training techniques consistently, says Petfinder. If you’re inconsistent, you’ll end up reinforcing problem behaviors—like jumping on people or barking inappropriately—over and over again.
A good dog trainer will provide a training plan that addresses these issues and includes clear definitions of the commands and cues that they’ll be teaching you. This way, you’ll know exactly what your dog is expected to do, even when you’re distracted or tired during everyday life. This consistency will make a huge difference in the success of your training and the reliability of the commands that you’ve taught.
The goal of intermediate obedience classes is to help you build a solid foundation for more advanced training. This includes building more reliable recalls, working on loose leash walking, proofing a dog’s “leave it” command in more challenging environments, and increasing the duration of off-leash commands.
Janice Gunn is an internationally known trainer, top dog-sport competitor, and in-demand obedience seminar presenter. She is a member of the elite group of trainers who have earned perfect scores in competitive obedience. Her work has been featured in DogSport and Front and Finish magazines.
Obedience competition requires a lot of time, effort and patience, especially for dogs with strong wills. But it’s a great way for you and your dog to bond. And, as a bonus, obedience skills are useful for life—they can help you keep your dog out of trouble and get them home safe in the event of an emergency. If you’re considering trying obedience competition with your dog, talk to your trainer about the requirements for entering the competition arena. Typically, your dog will need to have passed CGC and completed Tier A obedience classes. You’ll also need a flat collar or martingale, a 6-ft. leash, and lots of treats that are easy for your dog to chew and swallow.
Advanced
When a dog learns obedience commands they can apply them to everyday life. For example, they can stop unnecessary jumping or barking and begin to focus on tasks at hand. This is a wonderful way to build a bond with your dog and also help keep their behavior in check.
Once your dog has grasped the basics, and learned to listen for the correct behavior, they can advance to more advanced training. This typically includes the use of commands in a more challenging environment such as public places, or with distractions. It also involves extending the duration of commands and adding challenges like distance control.
During this stage, it is important to set clear and low criteria that the dog can easily understand so they can succeed without feeling overwhelmed. For example, when training a “sit”, you may start by rewarding them as soon as they put their bottom on the ground, then gradually increase this threshold until they can sit for longer periods of time with a variety of different distractions.
Another advanced training technique is chain command execution. This is where the dog executes one command after the other with minimal guidance from you. This is a useful skill to have when your dog is on the go and can become distracted or tired. This is when it becomes most important to have a solid definition of each command and a step-by-step process to follow for times when your dog ignores the command, so they will learn to listen even when they are excited or busy in real life.
Many people skip over phases one, two and three and attempt to train their dogs to be fully off-leash while they are still in distracting environments. This is the equivalent of building the roof on a house before it’s built on the foundation and is a huge reason why so many dogs end up in rescue shelters because their owners can’t train them to be obedient.
It’s important to train with a qualified dog trainer and/or behaviorist who has experience in advanced training techniques. They can help you create a positive training environment free from distractions that’s tailored to your pet’s learning pace and they will provide the support needed to achieve success.
Getting Started
All dogs can benefit from obedience training, but it is especially important for dogs with a history of behavioral issues or those who have been trained to do something else (like dog sports). Fortunately, many all-breed and specialty clubs offer obedience classes. The best place to find one in your area is to check out their website or, even better, go to a meeting and talk about what you want to do with an experienced trainer. Most trainers have extensive experience and will have a good understanding of what it takes to get your dog to the next level in competition.
There are a few common mistakes that people make when they start obedience training. The first is not being consistent in the rules you set for your dog outside of formal training sessions. If your dog knows that they can get on the couch during a training session but you say no to them during everyday life, they will learn that it is okay to ignore your commands.
Another mistake is trying to do too much in too short a period of time. A dog’s attention span and intelligence are limited, so they don’t have the ability to learn a lot in a short amount of time. This often leads to frustration and a lack of progress. Lastly, most experienced dog handlers recommend very short sessions of focused work interspersed with play.
One of the most important things to remember when getting started with obedience training is that it requires a lot of self-control. You need to be able to resist your dog’s natural impulses and make them listen to you when they really want to do something else. Self-control can be thought of as a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets. If you lift weights that are too heavy for your strength level, you will hurt yourself. Likewise, if you try to put your dog in situations that are too challenging for their current level of self-control, they will turn into a chaotic, over-excited mess. Instead, you need to gradually build up their ability to control themselves, until they have enough self-control to listen to your obedience commands in the most challenging and distracting of situations.