As a dog owner, it is always important to teach your dog to leave it alone. It does not matter if it’s in the dog park, or outside with the family. A well trained dog will be able to control any situation that comes its way. Teaching a dog to wait for an object or a person before complying with commands and refusing to chase or bite is one of the most important dog training tips.
When a dog chases after a person or item, he needs a treat to teach him that it is OK to chase after this object. He receives a treat when he successfully completes the behavior. To teach this behavior, you need to hold a treat above his head. When he jumps after the treat, give him the treat. He should soon learn that he must drop the object if he wants the treat.
You can use a simple trick to teach him this. Start by holding the treat above your dog’s head while you give him a quick tug on his collar. This will pull the dog’s attention, making him remember that he must drop the object. Stand right next to him, with your arms at your side. Give him the treat and make a special noise that lets him know that he is getting rewarded. Repeat this several times and when he finishes, reward him with a treat.
Using the same idea, but using it in reverse, when you want your dog to listen to you give it to him while you are talking to him. Give him the treat and then let him have the object. When he obeys, reward him with a treat. Repeat this several times until he has learned that he must drop the object when he wants something. Remember that dogs are naturally inquisitive and they want to know what their trainers are saying.
A more effective way of teaching him to drop the object is to create a symbol. Use a favorite toy or treat as the focus. Begin by holding the treat above your dog’s head while you speak encouragingly and quickly. After a few attempts to drop the treat, begin to move it lower, while speaking encouragingly to your dog until he finally drops the object.
In step 5, once you have your dog trained to drop any particular object, you can begin to teach him to listen to you. Speak consistently and use the same voice commands to get set. After you have repeated this several times, begin to move the treats higher in order to get him to listen to you. As soon as he obeys, reward him with a treat. Continue this process until you have him listen to you with the different objects until he knows them all.
Remember that when you teach him to leave it up to you to stay in control. If he does something that you don’t like, discipline him immediately, no matter how small. You are the boss and he has to listen to you. He won’t learn effectively if you encourage bad behavior, so scolding and shouting won’t help either. Use a firm voice and consistent punishment to reinforce good behavior.
When training your dog to leave it up to you, it’s important to be consistent. Praise him and offer lots of verbal encouragement when he acts appropriately. Be sure to reinforce any new behaviors with a treat, and always praise him afterward. If you follow these simple steps, your dog will learn the association between the command and good behavior very quickly.
