Dog training is no easy task, many struggles to get their dogs to obey what seem like the easiest of commands. Appreciated how difficult dog training is and hoping to shed some further light on the subject, this article will look into some of easiest, and hardest skills needed for the job.
Looks easy
Some of these training techniques seem like they should be really easy, but they most certainly are not, if you have already tried then you will know exactly how time consuming and patience draining, they can be. Sydney has some of the best training retreats in the country, look into dog training in Sydney to find out what’s on offer, now, back to commands.
Easiest first
Retrieve – This isn’t really a command at all, more a treat for your dog to run and fetch something.
Sit and down – A large number of dogs pick this up very easily if not automatically do it when asked. Results are largely down to tone of voice, body language and hand gestures.
Easy (ish)
Specific tasks (tug or push) – These could be seen as ‘tricks’ not too hard to master with some rewards.
Hold – Holding objects in the mouth, for how long though? Largely depends upon the dog
Hardest
Wait – Important for safety, takes a lot of time, patience, love and effort.
Stay – A bit more complex, now duration of the ‘wait’ comes into play.
Leave it – Getting your dog to focus on you rather than another dog can be really tricky, real devotion needed here and respect of your dog.
Heel – One of the hardest with so many distractions out and about if you can make 30 feet and maintain heel you’ve made a very good start.
Recall – Should be easy, but not so, especially in the mind of a dog fixated on something fluffy or tasty.
Now imagine
Imagine that you want to try even more specific commands or training techniques such as guard dog training, protection training or attack training, they seem next to impossible after trying some of the ‘simpler’ options.
Most people have less time on their hands than ever before and with families or careers to think about dog training can end up at the bottom of the list leaving very little in the way of time, patience and energy, fortunately that has meant that the dog training market is growing, with it bringing some of the best trainers and packages available to date.