There are lots of effective ways to train dogs. When all is said and done,
training is really all about communicating with your dog. Odds are that your dog
wants to please you and is totally fine with doing whatever you want. "The
problem is getting your dog to understand what you're trying to say," says
pioneering dog trainer and behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar of Berkley, California,
author of many books and training videos, including the recently re-issued Doctor
Dunbar's Good Little Dog Book (James & Kenneth Publishers).
The training method Dunbar prefers to help dogs to understand English as a
second language is called lure training, and he is pretty much responsible for
developing this approach. "You need something to encourage the dog to begin
to do what you want, to break through so the dog understands, and for that we
use a treat," Dunbar says. "Listen, the idea is to make training
fun."
"The thing about lure training is it's an easy way for children to
communicate with dogs and still gain rank," says Dunbar. "Absolutely,
I believe children should be involved in the training."
Using a lure, anyone -- from the age of about 5 to 95 -- can teach a dog to
sit in a minute, Dunbar says. Take the little piece of hot dog or cold cut and
place it above the dog's head. If it's too high above the dog's head, the dog
will jump for it; we're talking about only a few inches. Here's how the dog's
anatomy works: If the head goes up to sniff nearer to the lure, the rear end
will go down. Repeat just a few times and say "sit" as the dog's rear
end touches the floor.
Since the dog is getting treats during the training session, it's fun. Dunbar
says that from the very start, you can begin to phase out the treats --
sometimes he gets a yummy, sometimes he doesn't.
Maybe it's just a matter of semantics, but Dunbar insists the lure or treat
isn't a bribe or a pay-off. Instead, it's just a way to help the dog to
understand what it is that you want. In fact, he says, training is far more
successful if you use the lure as means to communicate; the real rewards are
enthusiastic praise, and also allowing your dog to have a darn good time being a
dog.
Here's what he means: Let's say your dog is sniffing around the grass and
then you call your dog to you. When your dog comes, tell her how wonderful she
is, then immediately let her go back to sniffing the grass. Or if you want your
dog to lie down, as soon as she does say "good job!," then give her a
pet, a treat, and then let her go right back up to whatever it was that she was
doing.
"Your dog will learn good things follow commands," says Dunbar.
"If you understand this, you're well on your way to training any dog. So
many people call their dog to them to do something the dog doesn't want to do,
like to go back in the house. Once in awhile you need to do that, but not every
time. And commands like 'down' are never fun for the dog because we use 'down'
as a means of control, so the dogs don't like it. But if they learn 'down' means
a quick massage and a cookie break, it's no big deal."
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