Installation Guide

up on the leash until your dog sits in a proper fashion.
It may become necessary to step forward if your dog
will not align itself properly at first. Fight for the
proper sit position now and you won’t have to address
this in the future when you are asking it to sit in the
face of overwhelming distractions.
Now your dog has learned to come to you, walk
comfortably beside you, and sit on command. It must
concentrate and use its brain as it learns these skills.
Pay close attention to your dog’s focus, making sure
that the training sessions are not too long. Even
though your dog’s brain is a sponge at this point, it
can become oversaturated and unable to receive any
more constructive information.
not walk on its leash.
This means the dog feels
like it’s alpha and should
lead its owner where it
pleases. Every dog will
learn proper heel position
on its first day of training
with proper leash usage.
Place the leash in its
proper position behind
your dog’s ears and begin
walking forward. If your
dog attempts to lead you
by moving ahead, simply
change direction. The
leash will tighten around
its neck and it will follow
your new direction. It’s
imperative that no leash
pressure be present when
your dog’s head is beside
your knee. It will learn this position is safe and causes no discomfort through
repetition. Add the verbal command “Heel” after the dog assumes the correct
position and repeat “Heel” each time its head is beside your knee.
We have discussed how to correct your dog if it attempts to lead you, but what
should you do if it tries to lag behind or flop around like a fish instead of following
your lead? Keep moving forward and allow the leash to do its job. The important
point is for you not to stop moving. If you stop walking to check on your dog or
coax it forward, the leash will relax and its pressure will stop. Your dog must
learn that the only way the pressure around its neck will disappear is by assuming
the correct “Heel” position. With repetition, this position will become a comfort
zone.
ANOTHER POSITIONAL COMMAND: SIT
The next command to teach is “Sit.” With this command, you tell your dog to sit
and remain seated until it receives another command. The leash applies pressure
to the underside of the dog’s neck when you are training it to sit. You are now
working on a different pressure point. Pull straight up on the lead with your right
hand and push down on your dog’s butt with your left hand, until its bottom hits
the ground. Add a verbal “Sit” and release the pressure on the leash. Pressure
from the leash can be omitted when your dog is consistently sitting on verbal
commands. Later you will get into corrections and the steps you should follow
to make things clear for your dog. Repeat the “Sit” drill until your dog is happily
driving nails with its rear.
Have you ever seen a dog sit sideways? It flops down and comes to rest on one
hip. This is a common occurrence for lazy dogs and needs to be corrected. Pull
TRAINING YOUR DOG
A TRAININGTIP
FROM TOM
DOKKEN:
DON’T CREATE A
“COLLAR-WISE”
DOG
Have you ever seen a dog
that won’t listen when it's
not wearing an e-collar?
That dog is what we
call “collar-wise.” The
problem starts when a
dog misbehaves and the
owner responds by only
then strapping on the
e-collar. The dog quickly
associates the e-collar
with punishment and
knows that consequences
to misbehavior can only
happen when that collar is
around its neck.
Luckily, the collar-wise
problem is easy to
avoid through “pre-
conditioning.” This simply
means that you place
the e-collar on your dog
every time you go to do
something that the dog
associates with fun or
freedom. This happens
even before serious
obedience training
begins and long before
you actually turn on the
e-collar.
Because your dog will
eventually associate the
e-collar with being free
and loose, it will never
know the e-collar is the
source of discipline.
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