It’s a good thing I don’t go to high school in 2016.
When I was in high school I was always one step away from getting tossed out. I never quite fit in and was labeled with a learning problem which often resulted in frustration.
Frustration for the teachers and me.
I made a lot of mistakes which some teachers thought was intentional. Since school was so dreadful, I often took the liberty to skip certain classes. I also choose to skip whole days of school which never turned out to good.
I spent many hours in detention. I was also suspended a lot which was really terrible because it was in-school suspension.
I know, hard to believe but 100% true. In my junior year the vice principal said to me:
“Congratulations Letendre. You’re in first place.” First place for what? I thought.
“You’re in first place for most detentions,” he added.
Great.
Making mistakes is a big part of learning. You’ll make mistakes while you are training your dog and your dog will make mistakes while trying to learn English from you.
So one of the best words to teach your dog is…
…wrong.
Every dog that I help train learns the words: “YES”, “GOOD” and “WRONG.”
You see, when we are training a dog we’ll often give the dog a reward for doing incomplete commands. We ask for a down and the dog goes ¾ of the way to floor. If the dog gets the reward we have just made a mistake because we did not ask for a ¾ down. If you want your dog to go all the way down you have to reward for correct behavior.
Another big mistake is to repeat the command. Some dog owners training their dog will say: “Sparky down, Lay down. DOWN! I SAID LAY DOWN RIGHT NOW! SPARKY DOOWWWNNN!!!”
So here is how you can avoid the #1 dog training mistake. Start using the word “WRONG” and rewarding only for correct behavior. Also, say the command ONE TIME!
Here’s how to do it. Call Sparky over and say “SIT.” If Sparky immediately sits say “YES” and reward.
If Sparky does anything else, if he backs up, if he barks at you, if he goes into a down, if he gives a paw, simply withhold the reward, say “WRONG” and turn away from him for a moment.
After a second or two face Sparky and say “SIT.” If he sits, quickly say “YES” and reward.
Anything else… WRONG!
This is a great word you can use and it will help clear up the confusion between you and your dog while training.
So there you go.
That’s just one little tip to help you along the way with dog training.
And if you’re looking to turbo charge your training and get faster and better dog training results you’re in luck!
Because I am starting a class this Saturday at 1:00PM. Class will be held at Diamond in the RUFF, located at 111 Middle Road in Acushnet.
SPACE IS LIMITED!
If you want in I need to hear from you ASAP!
Call me at 774-319-6351 for more details.
Best,
Eric