Motivate him with food
Does your dog drag you when you walk and not come when called? Would you like to teach your dog to behave differently? Before you start training your dog, do some basic exercises. They won’t turn your dog into an obedient Lese, but you will get more attention from your pet. Attention is the base that a dog needs to acquire before training other behaviours.
For this exercise you will need a clicker or a word, such as yes, which immediately marks the moment after which the dog receives the stimulus. Every time you mark a behaviour (by pressing the clicker or saying yes), you must give the dog a stimulus such as food or a toy. Once the behaviour has been marked, the food must be given within the next few seconds.
DAY 1 – 2 Mark every time your dog looks at you
The idea is to catch the dog’s attention and reward it in a pleasant way. Mark immediately when he turns his head towards you – this encourages him to turn his head more often.
Tip 1: Until you teach the dog for mindfulness exercises, or let him into the cage, or give him the command Everything. When you are ready to train the puppy again, say his name and when he turns around, mark the success by giving him a treat. It is recommended not to do this while you are eating breakfast. This is the perfect time to say ALL – and that would mean that the rewards are over until the next session.
Tip 2: Use regular dog food for incentives in quiet places, e.g. at home, and better incentives (game, extra high value treats) when there are distractions around.
Tip 3: Don’t forget to praise your dog verbally !
DAY 3 – 4 Note almost every time the dog looks at you slowly reduce the number of times you encourage your dog. Encourage most of the head turns and eye contacts.
Tip 1: Make sure your pet gets food when you mark the correct behaviour. Just tick a little less.
Tip 2: Start selecting more appropriate behaviours – press/mark faster head turns.
DAY 5 – 7 Food weaning
Be unpredictable. Don’t encourage only every second or every third look. Do it randomly: first mark and reward 1/3 of the time spent together, then 1/4, then 1/5. Do this gradually, so that the dog does not suspect that the incentive intervals are decreasing.
Vary the type of incentive and the place where you pull the treat from. For example, when playing outside, mark a successful contact by pulling a hidden toy from behind a tree, in the room from a shelf. Mark and play a game of tug-of-war with your dog.
Then continue the activity with the toy so that the dog does not associate the absence of food with the absence of any stimulus at all.
Attentiveness is a fundamental part of dog training, a base that must be taught before any other behaviour can be taught. Use this 7-day plan to help your puppy learn more mindfulness.