Reward Based Dog Training in Tri Cities WA
I am a dog person. Anybody that knows me knows that. I have fostered 11 dogs. They all came to my home with varying degrees of issues. A little patience and some quality time taught all these dogs the basics making them good candidates for new homes.
Enter Sheila. Sheila is a very smart English Pointer who took a detour to my house on the way to the shelter. She had spent months ignored in the backyard after her person died. She was obviously smart and had learned many commands. However, she had no interest in listening to me in particular .She did not like women. Once she learned that I was the source of all things good like dinner, treats, fetch and trips to the park she began to listen. We began to communicate.
The problem was we still couldn't get certain basic things that other dogs picked up fairly easily. She is smart. That wasn't the problem. We couldn't walk on a leash. Eighty pounds of strength dragging me across the park to the squirrel tree. She's fast. This was a problem. Yes the 12th dog made me resort to professional help. We signed up for basic obedience classes at It's Paws-ible With Al White.
We learned a lot. Ok, I learned a lot. I learned the obvious. I learned the obvious that had eluded me through 11 dogs. Apparently you need to start the training in a setting they are familiar with and once they know the command there you can raise the level of distractions. Taking your dog to the park where there are squirrels, other dogs, and lot's of interesting smells and then trying to teach them anything is the equivalent of taking your kids to Disney Land sitting them on a bench and handing them a stack of multiple table flash cards. The odds of them retaining anything on those cards is slim to none. Once they know their multiplication tables you could quiz them in Disneyland and get a response. The same is true of walking on a leash. Sit. Stay. Once your dog knows stay in other situations you can get that response at the park. Teaching it at the park is not very productive.
Classes are a great place to raise the level distractions in a safe controlled environment.
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