Whatever the breed or age of dog you have (both of which you didn't mention), I suggest that you treat the dog as you would a puppy. When teaching a pup what they are to answer to, I use their name a lot, pair it with yummy treats (to increase the pup's awareness that that funny sound that I make - his name - is a good thing). Keep your vocabulary simple at the start. I teach pups to "follow their noses" when it comes to teaching basic behaviors such as sit, down, stand. When they have figured that out, then you can also use the lure training (again with high value treats) to encourage the pup to come to you and to go to heel position etc. For instance, when the pup is pulling on the lead, call his name, and lure him to you. Yes, you'll be doing that a lot, but he'll soon realize that it pays (literally) to pay attention to you. You will find articles on my website (
index) which may help with basics.
When it comes to the housetraining, consistency is the rule. If the dog is not a puppy, still treat him like one - confine either in a crate or tethered to a heavy safe object or yourself, take him outside on a regular basis. Dogs need to eliminate after eating, after waking up, & when excited/playing. If there is an accident inside, just clean it up - realizing that it was probably your fault that you didn't pay attention! Let the dog earn the privilege to be off lead in the house - and that happens when he starts to understand about going outside to eliminate. Use consistent cue words for that.... eg. if he is starting to look anxious, ask "Do you want to go outside?" then go - immediately and praise a lot when the dog "produces."
Hope this helps.......... Leader
12-21-2008, 02:11 PM
Dog Wont Respond By Name
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