Terrier Lover

“Why does your dog sit when you tell him to, and mine doesn’t?”
“How can your dog heel like that when you tell him to?”
“Wow! He comes when you tell him to!”

Does this sound familiar? If you are the person, who everyone is oohing and awing over, then Kudos to you! We hear this all the time, as people are amazed at how well behaved our miniature schnauzers are, as they are known to be rather rowdy and yappy dogs. Not so in our case…

If you are the person saying these things, then you need to invest some time into a little bit of basic dog training with your terrier.

Training your dog from a young age is critical, as the first few months of their life is when you will have the greatest influence on them; this is where they are shaped into the dog they will be when they are all grown up. You must bond with them at this time by snuggling, praising and setting the tone in your house.

If you act all crazy, loud and aggressive with your dog, then that’s precisely how they will be when they mature out of puppyhood.

* Tip: Make it easier on yourself for grooming, especially when they’re older. When they are puppies, you must make sure you handle them regularly. Touch and play with their feet, their ears, snout, tail, belly, and get them used to it. They’ll be less fussy during grooming if you nip it in the bud, and let them know it is not scary for people to touch their feet, etc. Otherwise, grooming can be completely disastrous for both parties.

1. Sit:
The most basic of dog training is to get your dog to sit. Teaching them this commands is essential for them to learn anything else. This command is used for various reasons: whether they are in competition, if your dog is a “jumper” or simply for basic politeness when the humans are eating, or if you want them to wait for you somewhere. Sit is super-important. (This picture of our Kaptain, Knosey & Kurious when they were puppies, and Sugar.

2. Come:
Come is equally as important! If you take your dog for a walk and he gets off the leash, or if you let him of the leash, you expect him to come back to you! If they don’t know “Come”, you may have a serious problem! You will be running around the park, or worse ~ the street, chasing after them, shouting at them to “Get back here right this instant!” You would be downright embarrassed!

* Tip: Make sure your dogs always have on identification on their collar or harness, in case, heaven forbid, that they escape your lead, someone might have the opportunity to bring your beloved terrier back to you! If there is no identification, you better get prayed up…Immediately put an announcement in the paper that you have lost your pooch, and put up signs all around your neighborhood with a photo of the animal, a description, and a reward amount.

* Tip: It is better not to take them on any walks or allow them out of a fenced area if they do not know the words “NO”, “Come”, and “Stay” well. This could be disastrous if they make their way onto a busy street!

To teach your dog how to Come requires only the most basic of techniques, but constant repetition. The simplest way to get him to come is have a toy in one hand and a treat in the other, when you are in the house, simply walk away from them, hold out the toy and excitingly call them to you. When your terrier comes over, give them a treat.

Use the same command words you are always going to use in the future. Doing this several times a day is a great way to teach your terrier, but remember to have numerous long breaks so they don’t get bored and stop enjoying it…and don’t forget the treats!

Getting your terrier to sit could be a slight bit harder, but again, only requires basic dog training. When you have mastered the Come command, call him to you, place your hand on the end of his back and say “sit” while gently pushing down on his backside, when he sits his bottom down give him a treat and a lot of praise.

If you want him to sit longer just delay giving him the treat and the praise, get him to sit but take your time bending down to him and feeding him his tidbit.

Eventually, when you call them and ask them to sit, they’ll do it all by themselves because they want that treat and lovin’ you show them.

Basic dog training is simple and very effective. It should also be fun for you and your dog! It doesn’t have to be hours and hours each day…just maybe 5 minutes or so a few times per day. Don’t forget to reward your dog and yourself for all the “hard” work though!

I hope you enjoyed today’s installment of Terrier Lover. Until next time…

Love Your Terrier,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Dove Cresswell is a prominent trainer of dogs, and has a fantastic online course for dog training and puppy training that is more in depth training, and dealing with behavioral problems with your pooch. You’ll get to watch a Free Sample Lesson, get 7 Basic Lessons & 8 Great Bonuses. Check it out here:

Dog Training Online

Technorati Tags: dog training, how to teach my dog, how to teach my dog to sit, how to teach my dog to come, terrier training, dog training tips, terrier, dog training online