These are some of our main rules at Huddersfield K9 Training
Rewards should only be given for correct responses
One of the main sources of motivation for a dog to do something is a reward. Rewards take the form of praise, play, ”happy toy” or food. Give him every chance to get it right first time with your assistance – that way all he ever gets is praise and reward, and he will never want to do it wrong!
Get Your Timing Right
You must learn to be very aware of your timing when rewarding your dog – the reward is for the thing that the dog is doing at that specific time, not at any time beforehand. If you are too late giving the reward, you will be praising for the wrong thing, e.g. getting up instead of sitting.
Don’t Rush
Dogs take time to learn new things, so don’t expect them to understand immediately. Do not be tempted to rush teaching an exercise, assuming that your dog will understand. You will probably just both end up confused and frustrated, and your training will suffer. Remember also that dogs can sometimes reach a plateau in their learning, therefore you may have to go over some exercises again from basics.
Relax
Choose times for training when you’re feeling relaxed and in the right frame of mind. It is important to be patient and not get angry with your dog. He doesn’t know what you want of him, which is why you are teaching him how to behave.
Be consistent
It does not matter whether different members of your family train the dog, as long as it is always done in the same way.
Pick a Release Command, and stick to it
Every time you end an exercise use your Release Command to help your dog to understand its meaning
Do not allow your dog to ignore your commands
No matter wherever you are or whatever you are doing, do not allow your dog to ignore your commands. It is better not to give the command if you know that it will not be obeyed and you are not in a position to enforce it.
Train your tongue
Think, then speak. Do not say things to your dog like ‘Sit Down’. Your dog cannot possibly obey all of this command, can he?
Practice, Practice, Practice
Try to practice the exercises learned in class every day for about 5-10 minutes, but do not practice the DOWN immediately before/after the SIT, for example, as this is likely to confuse the two exercises in your dog’s mind. It is important to practice regularly at home because this is a major part of the training programme.
Just attending for about ¾ hour ONCE PER WEEK will not
produce the results you want.
Be committed to your practice sessions at home.
Do not allow yourself, or your dog to fall into bad habits.
It is very important to firmly establish the control demonstrated to you by your dog’s trainer.
