Learned some insightful dog training tips this week from a 30yr. military dog expert

How to have your dog obey you like a robot and love you as a parent - a thread.

1. If your dog doesn't come when called, don't keep calling it. You're only training it to ignore you.

Their hearing is way better than yours so repeating yourself won’t help. They’re being disobedient, not deaf.

2. Dogs need structure + hierarchy.

Without proper training they will do things that annoy you and will not know why you are mad at them, which makes them frustrated.

This causes them to misbehave even more which means you to have less and less patience.

This is a typical vicious cycle often seen with dog owners.

3. It takes many, many times to practice until a dog respects a command. Even ‘fast learners’ need 10min/day for routine.

4. Dogs must be corrected or rewarded within 1.5 seconds of the behavior.

5. Dogs respond best to a wide range of tones.

Establish a consistent sound for the verbal correction, usually a throaty growl like “EGH!”

Conversely, get used to soft, high pitched verbal encouragement like a flowery “good dog!”

The best training occurs when you swing between these extremes.

To a human, this extreme mood roller coaster will sound highly peculiar and unbalanced. But it is how dogs best respond.

6. If a dog does not respond to a command, do not keep saying the command. This can “strip” the command like a screw.

Do not raise your voice while uttering the command – the verbal correction must not be the same as the command.

If disobeyed, correction must come in 1.5sec

7. There are 5 main types of responses to dog behavior as you train.

Verbal (e.g. high toned “good dog”!)

Physical – two kinds: 1) Prey drive (e.g. biting a toy they love) – this works best when favorite toys are given to her only when she is training.

2) Food

(e.g. special snacks when good.)

Since each training should involve several acts of each command, chop snacks into small bits and give a little one each time so you don’t overdo it and make them sick.

Neutral: Moving or Removing (e.g. puts paw on you, take paw and put it down.

Verbal: like “EGH!” Avoid using the word “no” since they will hear this word in common speech and it will be stripped.

Reserve a specific primitive growl just for the negative behaviors.

Physical: three kinds depending on the severity of the behavior-

1) jerking the leash, 2) using our hands or feet to correct, 3) electric shock collar.

Physical corrections are used to communicate to the dog that their behavior is unacceptable. They are not to be used out of anger. They are not to punish or hurt the dog.

Although they look or sound angry, they are simply the way to teach the dog how to behave in human society using “language” that is clear to them.

The most common physical correction is a quick jerk of the leash.

The physical correction must occur in the desired direction.

For example, if a dog refuses to “sit”, then the leash is jerked quickly upward, aiding the dog in understanding which direction her body should move.

If the command is “down”, then the leash is jerked downward.

If the dog is nipping, the leash is jerked away from the person who is being bitten.

If she jumps up on a person when greeting, the leash is jerked down to get her on all fours.

And lastly - on sitting and staying...

There is no actual “stay” command, but rather a “sit” command and a “release”.

Dogs must “stay” until they are released. Think of a unique release word and use that.

lots here but have the full notes I can send separately, just comment or DM!