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Dogs, Quick Tips

How to Keep Dog Training Fun

The Paw Print

Essential Pet Blog

While humans and dogs are quite different, there are a few ways they are very similar. For example, both humans and dogs love food (especially treats), exercise makes them both feel better, and repetitive tasks can get boring FAST!

Being that training time is not just a time to teach your dog tricks and etiquette; it is also a time to bond with your pet. Why not make that time fun… for both of you?!

Here are a few ways to help keep your dog training sessions fun!

Keep it Tasty!

While I’m sure your pup loves his bag of training treats, using only one type of treat can cause the reward to lose its appeal. Switch it up with different bite-size treats to help keep your training sessions enjoyable for your dog (and his taste buds). There are many dog-friendly fruits and vegetables that can offer a tasty change up to your training sessions, or if you really want to show your pup some love, you can make homemade treats together.

Mix it up!

Not only does training in one location get old for both you and your dog, but training your dog in multiple locations helps them to understand that they should follow a command at home, while on a walk, or at the park. Take your dog to a new park, a fun hiking trail, or even to the pet store, and after they get their initial excitement out, take a few minutes to practice a command you’ve been working on at home. After all, a change of scenery (and a car ride) is always a good idea.

Keep it positive!

Your dog picks up on your energy; if you’re excited and happy with their behavior, they will pick up on it, and be excited to sit and, likewise, if you’re frustrated and not feeling like training that day, they can also sense it.

Keep it short!

If your training sessions are too long, your pet will lose attention, get bored or frustrated. And let’s be honest: you might too. You want to aim to keep your training sessions less than 10-15 minutes and much shorter when you’re just starting. Just like humans, dogs can multitask, don’t underestimate the power of intermittent training. For example, if you’re learning “Sit”, practice it a few times on your evening walk or while you’re playing fetch.

Keep it simple!

It’s best to teach your pup one command at a time before moving on to another. Start with the basics: sit, heel, down, and build from there. Once they’ve got the hang of the basics, you can start adding in additional training commands like shake and high five.

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