2 of My Favorite Dog Training Tips

by Pansy Lumpkins
(Flatwoods KY, USA)

The best training tip that I have ever learned or taught is to always make sure that you have the animals total attention! I always make eye contact and make sure that the dog is listening to only me!

Sometimes this may take you going somewhere quite with your dog so that you can have all his attention, after all we are human and we can't concentrate where there are a million other things going on around us! So why should we expect our dog to?

I've always found that using the dogs favorite treat seems to get his attention pretty quick! I also like to use hand signals or sign language along with a verbal que, this later allows me to get my dog to do what I want without saying a word or from a distance, as long as he can see me I can get him to do what I want.

I do this by first making sure that I have his total attention, then I use a treat to get the dog to look at my hands while I'm giving the verbal command I also sign. You do this with repetition and soon you give the sign and the dog will do the command without any verbal que at all.

Also, this isn't really a training tip and may sound a little odd to some, but I love it! I train all my animals (dogs, & cats) to drink out of the tub! The reason I do this is because I've had nothing but bad luck with dog water bowls, they will either tip and spill or get broke, carried off or chewed!

The tub has so many advantages also. You already have to keep it clean because you bath in it, so you don't have to clean a bowl constantly! It cannot tip over or be broken, carried off or chewed! You can put as much or as little water in it that is needed for as long as you will be away.

I leave just a little in the bottom under the faucet while I'm home that way the water stays fresh and clean! The only downside to it is that you may not have privacy while in the bathroom anymore, and you may end up with a bath partner that you were not expecting if your dog gets thirsty while your bathing....lol!

Total German Shepherd:

Great tips Pansy. I really appreciate you sharing those with us. If all dog owners could share just one or two tips here that work well for them we'd all have an abundance of new things to try in no time wouldn't we?!