5 Tips To Canine Talent & Share Your Training Tales

If your dog enjoys performing with you, and only if he enjoys doing so, you can help him blossom into an impressive performer. If your dog appears uncomfortable whilst performing, choose something different that you can do with him. Never force your dog into doing something he isn't comfortable doing. You should ensure you begin with a dog who is eager and enjoying himself in the majority of cases, however, participating in some gentle training sessions can really help a timider dog come out of his shell and increase his confidence levels. Remember, just like humans, dogs don't learn well under pressure (including alongside an annoyed owner), so always remain happy and encouraging!

1. SPEND TIME WITH HIM. Spend a good amount of quality time with your dog, learning as a pair. Putting time aside to sit and observe your dog and his behaviour each day will improve your understanding of the dog as a species and your dog as an individual. Simply sitting down and cuddling your dog on a regular basis will also benefit you and your dog as a pair. Expressing your love for your dog is important in a healthy interspecies relationship. You'll either never reach or struggle with any training and/or relationship goals if you don't put the time into strengthening the bond you share. It is incredibly simple; all you need is compassion for your dog and time to put aside. It is incredibly important in the bond you share, and the bond you share is incredibly important is being successful during training and performing. Watch your dog and learn more about his personality, individuality and character. Also, learn about his preferences regarding his body. Does he appear more comfortable when giving his paw or using his mouth? Which one (or more) does he do voluntarily more frequently? For example, Earl is more comfortable when using his paws than his mouth. He will give his paw if and when I am not clear enough with my commands; it is easy for him.

2. TRAIN HIM. It may sound obvious, but you get out what you put in. Spend time teaching your dog new commands and behaviours, rewarding and praising him for everything he does correctly. If he goes wrong, discover why he is going wrong and resolve the issue. Remember, if he is continuously doing something wrong, reconsider how you are putting the message across. If you aren't being clear enough in what you ask of him, make your vocal commands and body language/physical signals clearer. If this doesn't come out successful, consider whether you are pushing him more than he is capable of. Move at your dog's own pace, and remember, your dog never does something wrong on purpose! If you aren't in a good mood, feeling down or unwell, postpone your training sessions until you're in the right mindset for some quality learning, praising, and encouragement. Dogs pick up our feelings and emotions, so always ensure you're in the right mood before starting your session.

3. BE COMPASSIONATE TOWARDS HIM. Be compassionate, patient and caring at all times. Learning something new can be difficult at times, and, in the same way as if you were learning a foreign language, your dog needs time, and he will soon blossom.  Remember, learning the human language in an instant is an impossibility for your dog, and like all languages in the human world, learning one is a complex and challenging process.

4. MOTIVATE HIM. Give your dog a reason to want to learn with you and enjoy learning new commands. If he isn't motivated, you'll soon notice his mind wander, whether it be the crumbs on the ground, the fellow dog howling or the person approaching. Remember, the majority of dogs naturally want to obey their handlers, meaning even if his reward is simply your 100% happiness, attention and praise, this is a perfect motivational reward for him as an individual dog. If your dog loves food, use this as his reward. What food item does he prefer over another? Use this! Refer to point 1 for this; learn about your dog, what he likes and what he prefers over something else. Without this information, you'll be clueless about your own dog, left fumbling with a reward that doesn't even interest him!

5. AND IF NOT...? If your dog doesn't enjoy performing, there are endless possibilities for you and him as a pair. If you haven't had a go at performing with your dog, you may discover something you enjoy as a duo (or more!). If you have had a go at performing and he doesn't enjoy doing so, don't be disappointed! There are so many exciting canine activities out there, and, even if you don't want to participate in a dog sport like Heelwork To Music or Agility, you and your dog can have a brilliant and memorable time learning more about one another.

To discover a range of exciting and achievable canine sports and activities, including what sports are competitive, visit the Kennel Club Activities Page. If your dog isn't already registered with the Kennel Club and you are considering competing at Kennel Club competitions in a canine discipline, you can register your dog on the Kennel Club Activity Register. Over the coming couple of months, we'll be showing you a range of exciting things you can do with your dog if he doesn't enjoy one of the more common canine participations. There are endless possibilities for each dog and human combination out there, and we'll be highlighting some right here on our blog!

And always remember... You CAN achieve your goals!

Have you been through an exciting and/or interesting time and can produce a short piece about a training journey you and your dog have been through? Have you experienced any learning curves and come out with an impressive result and success, or are you in the process of achieving your goals? Do you and your dog participate in competitions? What activity/sport do you participate in? Highs and lows happen; how have you coped in your situation? Your experience could really help other dog and owner combinations. Email us at borderterriersruleOK@gmail.com with your short piece and a couple of relevant photographs, putting 'Training Tales' as the subject of the email. We can't wait to hear your Training Tales! All Training Tales will be published on our blog, and an online badge will be available as a souvenir of your piece being published!

By emailing us your piece and photographs, you grant us permission to publish them on our blog, unless, if you specifically do not want your content published here, state this on your email and your content will not be published. It will be clearly stated on the post whom the piece and photographs belong to.

We're joining our hosts 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog in the Thursday Barks And Bytes Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.