At DogRelations in New York City, we focus on training polite manners within a practical context. This enables clients to elicit “good behavior” from their dogs instead of correcting them verbally. We show your puppy how to “settle, sit and wait” automatically making the specific circumstance the cue. It will focus the dog on your actions and make the dog quite “busy and attentive” to opportunities to earn your rewards, affection or an opportunity to play with a favorite toy. Rewards will entice your dog to repeat those actions and before you know it your dog “knows” what to do! It will also minimize nuisance behaviors because those behaviors will become less and less interesting because they simply do not pay off.
Focusing on the Positive Behaviors You Wish To See
Dogs generally do what works in their favor. You can therefore manipulate the behaviors they perform most often by simply rewarding those behaviors and ignoring behaviors you don’t like. This will give the dog a clear path to what will and what won’t work, benefiting both dog and human. The process is an encouraging and warm environment that is constantly interesting and fun.
Dog Cognition
Research has shown us that dogs respond very well to human gestures such as pointing and eye movements. Using hand signals, head tilts and eye movements allow your dog to take cues from your body language and their surrounding environment. You’d be surprised how effective this kind of non-verbal communication is. Learning is best done in a calm and communicative atmosphere allowing the dog to think things through and also allowing the dog to experiment. Yelling, nagging and corrections are not helpful in the learning process because it does not provide the dog with any specific information. Dog cognition is a fascinating world to tap into and will definitely improve your communication levels with your favorite four-legged friend.
Incorporating Training Throughout Your Day
Because “Sit” Is NOT a Trick
Want to teach your dog a “sit” with distractions? Ask for a sit and put on your coat! Ask for a settle and tie your shoelaces! Walk around dusting or vacuuming the apartment. Ask the dog for a leave it, load the dishwasher and allow the dog to lick the dirty dishes as a reward when you release him!
A well-educated dog knows that what you say or do is full of opportunities to earn great stuff.
“Sit” is not a trick that your dog performs out of context but is an offered behavior. Instill confidence in your dog by allowing your puppy to figure out on his or her own what you are suggesting. The other advantage of using physical cues along with verbal cues is that once the skill is fluent the cues are interchangeable. That means when you don’t want to say something you can just point. That comes in very handy when you are having a conversation on the phone or you are working on your laptop and you want your dog to settle on the bed.
We’d Love To Help You Out!
If you have a new puppy or you feel like what you have been taught in puppy kindergarten does not help you have a well-behaved pup, we would love to work with you both! DogRelationsNYC offers practical dog training for Manhattan dogs and their owners. I am proud to have worked with many clients and helped establish positive, trusting communication in a respectful and safe atmosphere. If you have suddenly found yourself nagging your dog and feel like there is more negative behavior than positive; don’t become alarmed or frustrated! We can help you have the relationship that both you and your dog deserve together!
