1. Targeting.

Targeting is a fun and easy cue to teach your dog. Basically, targeting means getting your dog to touch things you want him to with his nose. First, start by teaching your dog to touch your hand. This is very easy and only requires you to hide a tasty treat in your hand (making a fist is the easiest). Ask your dog to ‘sit’ in front of you and present your fist. The second your dog sniffs your fist, praise immediately and give your dog the treat; add a cue word like ‘touch’ or ‘target’ or even simply ‘get’. Repeat, with your fist a little further away each time, and praise every time your dog does the right thing (don’t forget your cue word either). Now try without the treat so your dog seems to grasp this, try making it harder. Move your hand a distance away or higher so he needs to jump to ‘touch’ it.

2. Find or hide & seek.

This is a great way to keep  your dog entertained and hone in on his natural scent talents. First, find a toy that your dog loves. If you are starting this for the first time, use a treatball of some sort. Get your dog to ‘sit’ and ask him to ‘stay’. Show him the toy or treatball, allowing him to thoroughly sniff the item but not to have it. Then hide the toy (with your dog still in the ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ position). At first, put the toy in a spot that is easy to find. Go back to your dog, show them your empty hands and say ‘find’ or ‘seek’, allowing your dog to sniff your hands. You may need to help your dog with the first go, but your dog will quickly learn that your cue word means to sniff out the prize. Remember, huge praise and happy voices once your dog has mastered an easy find, try mixing it up a little and make the hiding places harder, like on a chair, under the sofa, under a pillow etc. Now you can try to hide people, toys and have hours of indoor fun with your adorable pooch.

*Drop – get your dog into the ‘sit’ position. Using a treat, get your dog’s nose to follow it between its front legs. As the nose goes down, so do the front legs. Say ‘drop’. Again, remember not to force your dog into the drop position.

*Take & Give – this is a very good cue as it allows you to tell your dog when to give something up, and when to gently take something from you. Get your dog’s attention with a toy or something he enjoys playing with. Ask him to ‘sit’. Ask him to ‘take’ the toy. If he snatches the toy from you, say “AH AH” and pull the toy away. Repeat this until he gently takes the toy. Remember, big praise and happy voice once he ‘takes’ the article gently. To get your dog to ‘give’ the toy, get your dog’s attention with a treat. Ask him to ‘sit’. Sometimes your dog will immediately release the toy. Ask him to ‘take’ the toy again so he learns that ‘give’ means giving you a toy from his mouth. When you put the treat in front of your dog’s nose, he should release the toy. Say ‘give’. Remember, big praise and happy voice for the wanted behavior.

Now you can mix things up a little. Try to get your dog to ‘drop’ or ‘sit’ from a distance, beside you and in front of you. Can you get your dog to ‘sit’ from a ‘drop’ position? Remember to keep training session short and positive.

Tips for training

• Go at your dog’s own pace and according to his attention span. If you see him getting bored, stop.
• After every training session has ended, allow your dog to know it’s over. Clap once loudly and exclaim “break”! Always give your dog something to do afterwards, like throwing a toy he can chew.
• Always keep training session light, happy and energetic. Do not yell at your dog or punish for inappropriate behavior. The more you encourage the good behavior, the more your dog will want to work for you.
• If you are getting frustrated, stop immediately.
• Happy high-pitched voices! And always remember to praise both verbally and physically.
• If you are finding training a bore or a chore, then find something new to do as it will only be a matter of time before your dog will also get bored.
• Mix it up. Dogs will get bored if asked to do the same thing over and over. Would you like to be told to sit 20 times in a row?

If you find training a bore or a chore, find something new to do as it will only be a matter of time before your dog will also become bored.