"If you travel with your dog, knowing how to teach these two commands will make your life 1,000 times easier”
If you travel with your dog, knowing how to teach these two commands will make your life 1,000 times easier. Here's how to give your dog the “bread and butter” education that every dog owner with an RV needs to know:
Imagine being able to take your dog off leash, anywhere you go... and know that your dog will come back to you-- every time you call! How can you achieve such reliablity? Well, aside from the fact that I spent almost an hour explaining the details of this technique in my dvd, “How You Can Get Your Dog To Come, Every Time You Call!” – the real secret is this: Keep a training collar and a long line on your dog, everywhere you go. As in: Every type of place you might want to eventually take your dog “off leash” – instead, let him drag a long line behind him. It's a mind-trick for the dog. See, your dog has limited logic and reason. So, if you do it right your dog won't know the difference between a 30 foot line he's dragging and a one foot line. If you're consistent about making him come, every time you call him … he'll get conditioned to come immediately. Now that you have a way to make your dog come, he'll eventually realize it's easier to come the first time you call, then to get a correction for not coming... and then get made to come, anyway.
Being able to put your dog into a down-stay … and know that he'll stay in the down-position, even if somebody drops a piece of food, tosses a Frisbee, or if he happens to see another dog or even a cat, is one of the joys of dog ownership. It means you can go anywhere with your dog, and know that he's not going to be wandering off and getting into trouble. It's also great if you happen to find yourself in a somewhat non-dog friendly environment.
With a well behaved dog, nobody hardly notices (or minds!) if your dog is resting quietly, underneath the seat of your picnic bench.
And let's not forget about inside the RV! Imagine when friends come to visit, and you'll be able to tell your dog, “Go lay down,” and your dog will either run to his spot and lay down, or you'll be able to make him drop right where he's standing.
Picture this: You're standing in front of the stove top in your RV, cooking some bacon. Fido is watching TV with the grand kids, on the other side of your rig when you accidentally drop a piece of bacon on the floor. Fido's ears perk up, instantly. His eyes glaze over and his nose starts to twitch.
But before he tramples over the grand kids, rips across the RV, knocks you over and grabs the piece of bacon on the floor... you instead calmly call out: “Down!”
And Fido immediately drops back into the down-position, and stays there until you give him the “exercise finished” command.
Trust me-- this command is a lifesaver that can be used in a variety of circumstances.
Here's a short video I did that shows the beginning steps for how to teach even a stubborn little dog how to drop into the down-stay position.
Buy How To Teach Your Dog To Hold A Down-Stay (Until You Tell Him To Get Up!)
Learn how to get your dog to listen to you, anywhere you go: Sign up for Adam’s free weekly dog training Tips newsletter at: http://www.dogproblems.com/
Copyright 2011 By Adam G. Katz and DogProblems.com. All Rights Reserved.
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