Dog Training

Lesson 3: More Lessons and Polishing Skills

By now the dog should know all his commands. It is time to start weaning him from the constant barrage of treats and toys. In fact, we can make him even more interested by varying when we do give him a treat or toy. Sometimes give a treat after 3 commands, sometimes after 5, sometimes after one. But always use rewards when teaching something new.

Discussion: What lessons are you having the most success with? Which ones are harder?

Variations on Stay

Teaching the stay with the down and the stand.

Now that your dog knows to stay on command, the "Down-Stay" and "Stand-Stay" should come easily.

For the Down-Stay, simply repeat the steps you did for the Sit-Stay with the exception of holding the leash tight. You will have to stay close to the dog at first to prevent him from getting up. Try to push him back down before he can get up. This is a great exercise for working indoors, while watching TV or eating supper. You can increase the time gradually even up to a hour if necessary. This is a great way to enforce "time-out" on an unruly dog. It has a calming effect. It is always useful if you need to keep your dog by your side quietly without the use of a crate. Be sure you quietly praise the dog while he is still in the position you placed him in. Then give the release and allow him to get up.

In fact, you can also "place-train" your dog by giving them a dog bed, a rug or area where you ask them to stay for a period of time. Meal-times are a good candidate for this training.

Start by using the down-stay in the area where you want to place-train the dog. Combine the down-stay command with the one you want to use for the place-training. The difference is, when you just use the place-training, the dog can get up, move around or lie down, as long as he stays in the area. Once the dog can do the down-stay for the required time, start just using the place-training command. Don’t correct the dog for changing position, only correct him if he tries to leave the area. Praise and use your release command when you are ready to allow the dog to leave the area.

For the Stand-Stay, you can use the same steps you used in the beginning. Keep the dog in the stand by holding the leash with very gentle pressure. Too much and he will be tempted to sit. If he does try to sit, you can quickly block it by placing your heel right in front of the dog's rear leg with your toes pointing up. Try to keep the dog from bending his back "knee" to sit. This doesn't give the dog room to sit and he should resume standing. Praise him quietly for standing and use the release word to allow him to move or change position. Don't expect him to stand for more than a few seconds at first. This is not used for a long stay, but simply for grooming, examination or putting on a coat or harness. A dog that knows how to stand when told is a pleasure to work around.

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