Sit * Wait* Stay

&

Have a Nice Day!

Let’s face it; our furry friends are a huge part of our life.  Regardless if they are our service dogs or our fluffy mascots, we love them unconditionally.  We are their guardians, so this is why it is important to routinely stay on top of training obedience cues.  Did you know that it usually takes 100 repetitions before you and your dog have an obedience cue crystal clear?  Just because you and your dog connect with an obedience cue in one session doesn’t mean that either of you have perfected it.  I suggest to my clients that they review all the skills they have learned daily.  Besides knowing the cues verbally, it is important to incorporate hand signals.  Keep in mind that dogs usually lose their hearing before they lose their sight and you might not always be in a situation to verbally cue your dog.  Tune up on the hand signals.   Also, incorporate distance, distractions and games into your training sessions.  I enjoy playing hide and seek with my dogs.  Hide and seek incorporates sit, wait, come and enhances their scent detection.  The way the game is played is to put your dog into a sit/wait and go hide.  Once you have hidden, call your dog to you only once.  Whistle if you need to capture his attention your way.  Give him a few minutes to find you.  Trust me he will!!  Reward him with a yummy treat once he has found you.  I suggest you only play this game indoors or in an enclosed area for safety reasons.  I must caution you; once you play this game with your dog, you will be hooked!  I firmly believe in and teach what I call “life saving skills”.   I love teaching obedience and I find importance with all cues that I teach, but 5 stand out stronger to me than the others.  These are come, wait, stay, leave it! and go to your spot.  All the others are taught and maintained according to your own personal tolerance level.  I believe that these 5 could save your dog’s life at some point.  Tune up on these skills and have fun doing them!

Hugs and wags!

Debbie