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PETS | Behaviour and training
Getting started
Before teaching any of these cues, it’s important to
create a marker word for your dog, Jamie Huggett,
national dog trainer at PETstock, advises. A marker
word is basically used as a signal to let the dog
know he has completed a behaviour correctly, and
it also tells him a reward will be coming.
“We use a marker word because it allows
us to more precisely communicate with the
dog,” Jamie says. “This makes training more
effi cient. It also allows us to create more complex
behaviours later on when your dog advances
through their training.”
You can use a clicker or something short and
sharp such as the word “yes”, and your marker
word will also help you teach your dog to hold
each command for longer, as well as form your
release word.
“The way we condition the marker word is to
simply say ‘yes’ or click, say your dog’s name in your
head, then deliver the treat. Repeat this about 30
times and you will fi nd your dog is probably giving
you some nice eye contact,” Jamie explains.Whether you’re the proud owner of a new
puppy, a canine senior citizen or anything
between, there are a few key behaviours
every dog should know. While some of these
might diff er slightly depending on who you
talk to, there are three essential skills that can
help every dog: sit, drop and stay.
But if you want to teach your pet how to park
her rump, drop to the ground and stay in the one
spot, where do you start? Let’s look at some step-
by-step instructions.http://www.petsmagazine.com.au
G c w i d e
Wh th ’ th d f tSit, drop, stay! Tim Falk
fi nds out how to teach
these essential canine skills.Sit is perhaps the most basic dog trick.BACKBACK^ toto
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