A little bit of dog training goes a long way says Bourne canine behaviour expert Karen Wild
Hopefully you have worked through the last two week’s columns of Christmas dog training fun, says canine behaviour expert Karen Wild.
Here’s the last part to my Doggy Advent Calendar challenge (remember you can have time off, as there are four activities per week).
Your goal is to do a little each day, just as you would be opening each door of your advent calendar.
On the ninth day of Christmas…
Nine lively lamp posts. On your walk, every time you reach a lamp post, ask your dog to do something before allowing him to sniff it. Choose a different task each time. Ask your dog to sit, lie down, give paw, come back to you; anything that means he has to do something for you before he can explore the lamp post for the neighbourhood dog news.
On the tenth day of Christmas…
Ten twists and turns. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Have a piece of tasty food in each hand. Lure your dog to the side of your leg. Waggle the food and lure your dog into the gap between your feet so that your dog goes from front to back. Swap the luring hand so that he follows your other hand round your other leg. Your dog should be doing a figure eight around your legs before long. Repeat ten times, then rest before you all get dizzy!
On the eleventh day of Christmas…
Eleven tummy tickles! Teach your dog to roll over by asking him to lie down, then holding a treat in one hand near his nose. As he sniffs at the food, hold it close to his neck and move it towards the back of his head, as if you are trying to get him to look over his own shoulder. If he feels relaxed he will start to roll over. As he does so, say ‘roll over’ and praise him well. Allow him to get up, then repeat eleven times.
On the twelfth day of Christmas…
Twelve terrific tricks. Do one of each of the twelve activities and celebrate the new, happy understanding you have between you and your lovely dog.
From me and the team at Pawprint Puppy and Dog Training, we wish you a very safe and happy Christmas with your pets.
We have really shown our resilience this year. I am very proud of all the dogs and owners I have worked with this year under lockdown. We have survived Zoom online classes, solved behaviour issues and kept dogs and their people safe and happy too.
Merry Christmas to all. Here’s to a great 2021!