Well, ARkrebel, you've found the RIGHT PLACE!!!
Some tips: Keep all lessons super short.
For BEGINNER dogs, 2 minutes or less is PLENTY!! You always want to stop BEFORE your dog zones out or gets frustrated. It is NOT a big time investment. YOu can REPEAT the 2minute lesson later that day, but
keep it short at the beginning.
ALWAYS follow all lessons with playtime. So both you and your dog get postive feeling about whole thing, and to help dog release any frustrations he may have.
USE TINY TREATs, your dog does not care how BIG the treat is, a tiny bit is fine. And use REAL MEAT, or cut up hotdogs. Some folks do use other things, someone said they use frozen green beans. But you dont' want a fat dog is my point.
And do consider learning how to properly use A CLICKER!
These cost from $1 to $6, all pet stores carry them. i use the cheapest ones. Buy several, and do not leave them lying about the house, people will mess with them, and it could confuse your dog.
I myself resisted being "tied" to a clicker, BUT, once i broke down and tried one, WOW WOW WOW, how much
FASTER did my dog understand the click means, "YES!! THAT'S IT!"
Once the dog understand the trick, you no longer need the clicker. There is a thread somewhere here, on proper use of the clicker
, it's NOT HARD, and it's way easier to teach your dog ANYTHING at all.
Teaching dogs stuff is GREAT, lets your dog use HIS MIND, increases his focus on you, and increases your bond together!! Start with an easy trick, too.
And of course, positive reinforcement ONLY, never ever correct or scold your dog. Ignore wrong moves, reward correct attempts or moves.
