Friday, June 15, 2007

Sit...our first obedience command....

Hello PACmembers...

Hope everyone is having success with the name game. Those that I heard from seem to be doing pretty well.

Today we are going to learn our first hand signal and obedience command. You are going to be "luring" your dogs into a sit today. No verbal cues will be used for the next two weeks (besides the dogs name). Our hand signal for "sit" is simply open palm, palm facing up. Here is the way this work:

Get a very high value treat, and place it near the dogs nose. Once he is aware of the treat, move the treat up and back towards the dogs rear. This motion will lure the dogs head backwards and cause him to move into the sitting position. Move the treat very slowly, and be patient. You may have to lure his head up and back a few times before he has the hang of it. As soon as his rear end hits the ground reward him with the treat from your hand. Repeat the exercise 10-15 times, rewarding the dog each and every time as soon as his butt hits the ground.

Now lets teach the hand signal. Again, our hand signal will be palm open and up towards the ceiling. Place the treat between your thumb and first finger, with your other fingers extended. Use the same luring move as above to motivate your dog to sit. As soon as his butt hits the floor give him the treat. Practice this about 10 times.

Once he seems to have the idea, offer the hand signal (without the movement), and wait. It will take your dog a second, but he will sit on his own. Reward him right away. Practice this about 10 more times.

Take a break...come back to this in about 3-5 hours. When starting the second session, start with the hand signal, treat, and a small luring motion. Practice this 4-5 times. Now it is time to take the treat out of the situation and just use the hand signal. Hold the treat in your left hand behind your back. Offer the hand signal again, pretending you still have the treat in the hand signal hand. After your dog sits, reward him from your left hand.

Practice this procedure in as many different environment and on as many different surfaces as you can. Try to do about 30 sits a day. Use only the and signal...no verbal cues at all.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.....

If you have any questions leave a comment, email, or log onto www.petathleticclub.com and go to our new live support function, and speak with a trainer directly.

Have a great day...your dog is!

www.petathleticclub.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great article this week in the enquirer! Congratulations.