In this article we are going to discuss the three basic elements involved in teaching a dog to track by verbal cues. All dogs respond differently to instruction, and it takes some trial and error before you can figure out what works with your dog. However, if you find that “tracking” is not an easy task, you should consider the three factors explained in this article. These factors are:
o Training your dog by using a verbal cue. Tracking is much easier when the dog is on a leash. So, make sure that your dog is leashed when you start your dog training sessions. If your dog has already been trained to track by using a verbal cue, the process will be even simpler. Simply tell the dog where the target is located, and give him his treat if he successfully locates it.
o Teaching your dog at a young age. If you think that your dog is too young to learn dog training tricks, then you should consider waiting until your dog is about one-year-old. A lot of dogs don’t really learn well until they are older, and this makes them less trainable as puppies. If you don’t wait, you might be wasting your money and time on a dog that is too young to really learn anything.
o The type of dog training tricks that you want your dog to learn. There are literally hundreds of dog training tricks, all of which are designed to help your dog. Some dog training tricks include: sit, stay, come, down, heel, lay down, and more. Each dog will learn well in different situations. If you want to teach your dog how to stay here are some things that you should keep in mind:
o Teach him to follow you. This will depend mainly on the type of dog training tricks that you have chosen. Most dogs learn better when they are given directions and rewarded for doing the right thing. If you want to learn how to teach a dog to track, you need to use treats, praise, or toys to reward him every time that he does a good deed.
o Train him for free. While you can find dog training tricks that are included with dog training classes and expensive dog training supplies, you may also learn how to teach a dog to do many of these things on your own. You can purchase dog training supplies that teach basic commands such as: sit, stand, and come. Or you can research the basics online and purchase books or DVDs that will teach him the basics that you have already taught him.
o Use treats. Treats make it easy to encourage your dog to keep track of his own behaviors and also keep his motivation high. But, you also need to make sure that your dog is in the right place at the right time. When he sees something that he likes, he needs to be encouraged to investigate it.
o Practice. Tracking may seem easy at first, but if you do not practice what you have learned, you will not know when your dog has figured it out for himself. To teach a dog how to track, you must practice constantly and often. Set up a rewards system so that your dog will be rewarded every time that he successfully completes a trick. Be patient with him and remember that it takes a lot of work to train a dog how to track, but if you are persistent, you will get results!
