dig by dog

WHY TRICKS? A question I get asked a lot!

1- Dogs need not only physical exercise but mental exercise as well, a tired dog is a good dog!
2- It builds communication skills. The dog is learning how to learn. Great if you want to do obedience
3- You are building your relationship with your animal. So your dog actually WANTS to do what you ask them to do.
4-It actually makes your dog smarter!
5- It is a fun way to interact with your dog, besides sitting on the couch together. If your dog isnt a fan of the rain, you could do a trick training session inside instead of a walk.

Twenty percent of dog bites occur when a family member reaches to grab the dog by the scruff or collar. One doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out. Obviously, the dog has learned that when people grab him by the collar bad things often happen. Consequently, the dog becomes hand-shy, plays Catch-Me-If-You-Can, or reacts defensively. It is potentially dangerous to have a dog dodge you when you reach for his collar. For example, you need to know you could effectively grab your dog if he ever tried to dash out the front door.

So teach your puppy to enjoy being grabbed by the collar. First, prevent your pup from forming negative associations to human hands, and second, teach your pup that being taken by the collar has only positive consequences, like so:

1. If you let your puppy play without interruption, and then take him by the collar to end the play session, of course he will come to dislike your reaching for his collar because a collar grab signals the end of the play session. Starting in the house and later in the park, frequently interrupt puppy play sessions by taking your puppy by the collar, asking him to sit, praising him, offering a piece of kibble, and then letting him go play again. The puppy thus learns that being taken by the collar is not necessarily the end of the play session. Instead, a collar grab is a short time-out for refreshment and a few kind words from his owner before the puppy gets to play again. Also, interrupting play allows you to use resumption of play to reward your puppy for sitting and allowing you to take him by the collar.

2. If you lead or drag your puppy into confinement, he will no doubt come to dislike being taken by the collar, as he will come to dislike confinement. Instead, teach your puppy to enjoy confinement. Stuff a bunch of hollow chew-toys with kibble and put them in your puppy's confinement area, and then close the door with your puppy on the outside. In no time at all, your puppy will beg to go inside. Now simply instruct your pup, "Go to your bed (or crate)" or "Go to your playroom (long-term confinement area)" and open the door. Your pup will happily rush inside and settle down peacefully with his chew-toys.

3. Above all, promise your puppy that you will never (never) call your puppy and then grab him by the collar to reprimand or punish. Doing this just once will make him hate coming when called and hate when you reach for his collar. If you punish your puppy after he comes to you, he will take longer to come the next time. Eventually slow recalls will become no recalls. Your puppy will still misbehave; only now you will be unable to catch him! If you ever punish your puppy after taking his collar, he will soon become hand-shy, evasive, and defensive.

Many dog owners consider the �Go lie down� as their favorite command. The �GO lie down� not only tells the dog to assume a reclining position, it tells him to do it elsewhere. When you are talking on the phone, drinking hot coffee, or working out, �Go lie down� is the command you need to send your overly affectionate dog someplace else. Do not feel guilty if you cannot give attention to him every time he asks you to. If he's just had his walk, he's eaten well, you've exercised him, trained him, played with him, �Go lie down� is a humane, handy answer to your own personal dog problem.

Before you begin with the exercise, put your dog on leash. Point toward a corner of the room you two are in. Tell him in a pleasant tone, �Go lie down.� Now, run with him to where you were pointing, repeating �Go lie down� followed by �Good boy� with a final �Down� as you pat the floor in the corner of the room.

Now, pat your dog's head. Go across the room and sit down. If he stays, after a minute or two tell him �Ok, good boy.� You can even pet him when he approaches you. Now repeat the exercise about two more times, varying the minutes that he stays in position.

Each day, try this exercise three times. Work in different rooms so that he will do this no matter where you are. This is preferable to the command �Go to place� or �Go to your bed� because you will want to use this in places where your dog is and his bed isn't.

What happens if your trained dog lies down on the spot when you say �Go lie down?� Some people would find that funny. They would think that when the dog heard �down�, he ignored the other strange words and just obeyed the command he had already learned. They would think that the training was going so well. But you know better, so you will calmly say, �No-Go lie down�, taking the dog by his collar and transporting him against his will to the far side of the room, the side you pointed to.

If your dog makes this mistake early on, it is a genuine misunderstanding that you can and will correct without taking it personally and with patience. However, if your dog is already doing the �Go lie down� and then when you say it he lies down at your feet, beats his tail on the floor and pastes his ears back, he's acting. He is using passive assertion to get his way instead of doing your bidding. Don't be mad. He can't help it if years of selective breeding made him smart, assertive, and witty. Dogs are built to try to rise to the leadership of their packs.

Some dogs take the obvious, aggressive route to the top. Others are more subtle in their attempts. In either case, it is not a personal affront, nor is it to be accepted. It is part of being a dog owner that you look at your pet, think about his behavior, understand him, love him, and remind him of the limits you have set for him. In fact, the �Go lie down�, aside from being very useful, is another wonderful, nonviolent way to remind your dog that you are the leader of the pack.