Advanced dog training exercises

Coming when called is a vital skill that every dog must learn, both for

its own safety and that of those around it. A disobedient dog that

refuses to come when called could easily be hit by a car, get into a

fight with another dog, or suffer a variety of other bad experiences. A

well trained dog that comes when called can safely be taken out to

play in the local park, at the beach, on the hiking trail, or anywhere

else the owner and dog may wish to go.

Basic training to come when called is relatively easy and

straightforward, and involves providing praise, treats and other perks

when the dog does as his owner wants. After these basic come when

called training exercises are mastered, there are a number of fun

exercises that can be introduced to challenge the dog and pique its

interest.

Making training into a fun game is one of the best ways to motivate

dog and handler alike. It is easy for training sessions to become

routine and boring, and it is important to keep them from

degenerating into this state.

Before beginning any food based training exercise, it is important to

make sure that the dog is properly motivated and ready to respond to

treat based training. Testing the dog is simply a matter of taking a

piece of his regular food and waving it in front of the dog’s nose. If

the dog shows great enthusiasm for the food, it is ready to start the

training. If not, it is best to wait until the dog is in a more receptive

mood.

The treats that work best for treat based training games like hide and

seek are cut up quarter inch or smaller pieces of chicken, cheese or

liver. In other words, something your dog will love. It is best to use

very small pieces to avoid overfeeding the dog during he training

sessions.

One great game for you and another family member or friend to play

with your dog is simply back and forth recall. This is a great exercise

for teaching your dog to come whenever it is called by a member of

the family. Dogs often learn to only respond to one person, and this

can be a problem when other people are watching the dog. That is

one reason why professional dog trainers always insist on working with

the owner as well as the dog. A well trained dog must learn to

respond to whoever is in charge, not just the owner or usual handler.

In the back and forth recall game, two or more people stand

approximately ten yards apart, in a safe place like a fenced in yard.

One person calls the dog and asks him to sit and say until another

person asks the dog to come. When the dog responds to the

command to come, it is rewarded with a treat. Most dogs respond

wonderfully to this exercise and love playing this game. When playing

the back and forth recall game, it is important that only the person

who called the dog be allowed to give the dog a treat.

After the dog has mastered the back and forth recall game, the

humans in the game can start to spread further out, thus turning the

back and forth recall game into a fun game of hide and seek. The hide

and seek game starts with two or more people in the center room of

the house. Every time they call the dog to come, they spread out

further away from where they started.

As the game continues, one person will be at one end of the house, while

another may be at the opposite end. What makes the hide and seek

game so much fun for the dog is that he must seek out the person to get

the treat, instead of simply running up to a person in plain sight.

This type of seeking behavior appeals to many of the dog’s natural

instincts. After all, dogs are naturally hunting animals, and seeking out

food is second nature to them.

To Learn More About Dog Training, go to

http://howtohousetraindog.com/go/dog-training

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