This is a guest blog post by Amber Kingsley.
Long gone
are the days that the majority people believed that using physical
contact or force with an animal is a necessary means associated with
training. Teaching a pet appropriate behaviours, even accomplishing some
entertaining tricks, is more easily and effectively achieved by using
positive reinforcement techniques instead.
We can all safely
agree that dogs should all know basic commands like, sit and stay, but
there are some important lessons they should learn to keep them in
control. Speaking of safety, here are some other commands that could
actually help to save them from possible injury or loss of life.
Leave It and/or Drop ItMany
dogs are well known for putting almost anything they come across into
their mouths, similar to a toddler, but there's many things an infant
wouldn't even think about putting near their face, like a rodent for
example. Since we're not always able to corral these critters ourselves,
a dog's natural instinct may lead to them killing or carting off one of
these often diseased ridden creatures.
Training a dog to "leave
it" alone or "drop it" immediately is an important lesson every canine
should learn. This can save them from a number of different problems,
everything from potential injury to possible illness, depending upon the
item in question.
Stopping and Sitting on Command (especially at street corners)Especially
if you live in an suburban setting, animals should be under their
master's control at all times since they could unexpectedly break free
from a leash or escape some other type of confinement. Running out into
the street during their excitement can be avoided by teaching them to
stop and sit on command.
Not only can this save them from being
struck by a vehicle, even you live in the country, there's still things
like tractors or wildlife that could pose a potential threat to them.
There's numerous circumstances that could present themselves to your pet
at risk when they should stop dead in their tracks (pardon the morbid
association).
Stranger DangerThis is a double edged
sword in a way since you want your animal to be well socialised with
other people and children, but at the same time, you don’t want them
eating "candy from a stranger" either. Similar to the "leave it"
command, you should instruct your pet that food and treats from anyone
besides you could be dangerous.
In order to get your pet to
perform at their best when training them to perform these behavioural
measures, check out this infographic on
30 Positive Reinforcement Training Tips For Your Pet.
Whether you're using rewards, praise or affection as an incentive, you
should have no trouble helping to keep your dog safer and well trained
at the same time.
