Advanced dog training exercises

Coming closer when called is a vital skill that every dog ​​must learn, both for his own safety and that of those around him. A disobedient dog who refuses to come when called could easily get 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 be safely taken out to play at the local park, beach, hiking trail, or anywhere else owner and dog want to go.

Basic training to come when called is relatively easy and straightforward, and involves giving praise, treats, and other perks when the dog does what its owner wants. After mastering these basic training exercises, there are a number of fun exercises that can be introduced to challenge the dog and pique his interest.

Turning training into a fun game is one of the best ways to motivate both the dog and the handler. It is easy for training sessions to become routine and boring, and it is important to prevent them from degenerating into this state.

Before beginning any food-based training exercise, it is important to ensure that the dog is properly motivated and ready to respond to treatment-based training. Testing the dog is simply a matter of taking a piece of his usual food and waving it in front of the dog’s nose. If the dog shows great enthusiasm for the food, he is ready to begin training. If not, it is best to wait until the dog is in a more receptive frame of mind.

The treats that work best for treat-based training games like peek-a-boo are pieces of chicken, cheese, or liver cut into quarter-inches or smaller. In other words, something your dog will love. It is best to use very small pieces to avoid overfeeding the dog during training sessions.

A great game for you and another family member or friend to play with your dog is to simply remember back and forth. This is a great exercise to teach your dog to come whenever he calls a member of the family. Dogs often learn to respond to only one person, and this can be a problem when other people are looking at the dog. That’s one of the reasons professional dog trainers always insist on working with the owner and the dog. A well-trained dog must learn to respond to whoever is in charge, not just the regular owner or handler.

In the back and forth game, two or more people stand approximately thirty feet apart, in a safe place such as a fenced yard. One person calls the dog and asks it to sit and says until another person asks the dog to come. When the dog responds to the command to come, he is rewarded with a treat. Most dogs respond wonderfully to this exercise and love to play this game. When playing the game of remembering back and forth, it is important that only the person who called the dog can give him a treat.

Once the dog has mastered the game of remembering back and forth, the humans in the game can begin to spread out more, thus turning the game of remembering back and forth into a fun game of hide-and-seek. The game of hide and seek begins with two or more people in the central room of the house. Every time they call the dog to come, they go further from where they started. As the game progresses, one person will be at one end of the house, while another may be at the opposite end. What makes hide-and-seek so much fun for the dog is that he must seek out the person to get the treat, instead of just running to a person in sight. This type of searching behavior appeals to many of the dog’s natural instincts. After all, dogs are natural game animals, and foraging for food is second nature to them.