Five to Survive: Top Training Tips

By Beth MacLeod, CPDT-KA, Baypath Behavior & Training Coordinator

There are five behaviors which are critical in helping dogs to survive in the human world. There are a million things we can teach our dog, but these five are the ones that will provide freedom for your dog and provide calm, instead of chaos, for you!

The behaviors are:

• Attention – In order for us to teach our dogs, we actually need them to pay attention to us!
• Recall – A recall is when our dog comes back to us when we call him. This is a potentially life-saving behavior. Knowing they’ll come to us when we see danger approaching allows our dogs a greater level of freedom.
• Loose Leash Walking – We all want a dog we can take out and about with us without being dragged down the street or the trail.
• Leave It – There are things, hopefully many, that our dogs can have. And then, there are the things they can’t. This behavior will help you communicate with your dog, letting them know what they can and cannot safely have.
• Settle – Just like us, dogs need the ability to settle down calmly, whether it’s waiting for their turn, or just hanging out while we make dinner.

The exercises we work on and the games we play are intended to gradually build these behaviors.

Points to Remember:

• Keep training sessions short! No longer than 30 seconds-2 minutes. Set a timer.
• Combine play with training. For instance, grab 10 treats, work on a behavior for 10 repetitions, then grab a toy or play of game of Chase! Then, grab another 10 treats and rinse and repeat.
• If a behavior falls apart, or the dog does not respond, most likely the environment is too challenging or criteria (what and how we are asking the dog to do something) is too high. Go back to Kindergarten. Work in a quieter environment, make the behavior easier, or take a break and try again a bit later.
• Most of all, HAVE FUN! Training should be fun for both of you. If you’re stressed, or if your dog is stressed, take a break, take a walk, get some fresh air, take a breath!

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