Dog expert Karen Wild gives her views in her latest column

Dog trainer Karen Wild writes in her latest column on canine behaviour:

So, how are we all doing? Are you fed up being asked that question yet?

It certainly feels like a mixture of being bombarded with information and having nothing we can do. However, we all know that by staying at home we will be helping everyone, and of course ourselves too.

This week, why not teach a little fun trick for your dog?

Not only does it give us something to focus on, but it also helps your dog. We did this a little while ago but right now, I think one of the nice things to have is your dog happy, keen and gazing up at you when you ask them to.

Firstly, make sure you give a signal for your dog to start and stop this exercise. If you are vague, your dog will try and do this all the time and it might get a bit inconvenient when you need your arm for something else!

Secondly, use this training as a practical lesson. It is a foundation for being able to do other things such as hold your dog’s head, brush their teeth whilst they voluntarily stay still, and so on.

If your dog doesn’t want to play, don’t force it! This is supposed to be fun and useful, not a fight.

Chin On

Ever seen the adverts for dog food where the dog looks super cute, resting his chin on the top of the dog food box?

You will need: Tasty, small treats such as tiny pieces of chicken or ham, whatever your dog loves and can eat safely. You will also need a box or something for your dog to rest his chin on. This can be anything that is sturdy. Once you have trained an obstacle, I used my arm, as my dog likes to nuzzle on here
anyway.

Ask your dog to sit, first, say ‘Good Dog’ and give him a treat. Repeat. This helps your dog to know that he has to sit and wait for the treat, not snatch it from your hand.

Next, have your box in between you and your dog. Use the treat in your hand to gently lure your dog’s nose across the top of the box. It won’t matter if he tries to lick and nibble at the treat for now.

When his chin is resting on top of the box, say ‘Good Dog’ and give him the treat. Repeat this stage a few times until your dog no longer tries to grab or push at the treat, simply stretches his head towards you and rests it on the box.

Next, start to say ‘On’ before you offer the treat. Your dog will link the word ‘on’ with the action of reaching his head forward and chin onto the box. Next, you can try the same thing with your arm!

The video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/iFhxfSHvcgg

Have fun folks!

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