Give him the command ˆ¨HeelˆÆ and make any necessary
corrections for poor heeling or lack of attentiveness
to bring him up to the proper mental level of awareness.
Come to a stop and command ˆ¨SitˆÆ. Watch your dog do
it all by himself. Get down to his level and praise
him enthusiastically.
For the stubborn or uncooperative dog who would rather
be helped for the rest of his life, youˆ‚ll be surprised
to see that he is going to graduate from being spoon-fed
whether he wants to or not.
How do you do this? When you come to a stop and command
ˆ¨SitˆÆ, silently count to three. If your dog is not seated
by the time you get to three, place both hands on the
leash, making sure that thereˆ‚s a little slack in it,
and jerk straight up! Your dog will immediately sit
if you make the correction strongly enough. Donˆ‚t forget
the praise when youˆ‚re done.
If he still refuses to sit after the initial correction,
consider that correction ineffective. An ineffective
correction is inhumane because it means that you will
have to keep doing it. This is unfair to your pet and
will only create resistance. If you simply tighten the
collar around his neck by pulling up slowly on the leash,
the only thing you can accomplish is constriction of
your dogˆ‚s breathing, and you have caused your dogˆ‚s
training collar to turn into a choking chain.
This is your fault, not his, and he is going to wonder
why you have suddenly decided to choke him. So, in all
fairness to your dog, make a humane correction by an
emphatic and upward jerk of the leash using both hands.
Make the correction properly the first time, and chances
are you will not have to make it again. Remember to
follow the correction with loving praise the moment
your dog has responded correctly.
The heel and sit combinations should be continued for
one week, after which time you will notice that itˆ‚s
no longer necessary for you to command ˆ¨SitˆÆ every time
you stop. Your dog will realize that this is what is
expected when he is out on a walk and you suddenly come
to a stop.
At the end of a week, you can begin dropping the command
ˆ¨SitˆÆ since he will be doing it automatically anyway.
Be sure, however, that anytime he fails to sit, make
the correction immediately, followed by praise.
Congratulations!
Now you have the proper tools to teach your dog to
walk beside you and to sit automatically at your side
each time you stop. Why is this crucial? In addition
to getting your dogˆ‚s attention, which is necessary
in order to take him to more advanced levels of training,
it will make all the difference in the world when you
take him for a walk down a busy street or a crowded
place.
Should you stop to talk to someone, your dog is trained
to sit at your side patiently, rather than jumping on
the person youˆ‚re talking to or wrapping the leash around
your legs and making a nuisance of himself.
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