National Dog Week is celebrated during the last full week of September, according to the event's Facebook page.
Here are three dog-training tips that Reid says will help dogs listen and improve unwanted behaviors:
- The importance of timing. As humans, we are able to make the correlation between a prior action and its consequences at a later time. However, dogs can’t make that distinction. That’s why all rewards must come within 1.5 seconds of an obedience command. This 1.5-second window of opportunity is critical. The quicker you deliver the reward, the better your dog will understand and learn.
- Motivation. Motivation is the collateral that your dog loves and is willing to work for. Motivation falls into three categories: food, toys and praise. It doesn’t matter which group your dog prefers. Find what motivates your dog and use that to make training more effective and fun.
- Consistency is key. Short daily training sessions are the best way to quickly and easily achieve your training goals. Two daily five-minute training sessions (morning and night) are all you really need.
The more consistent the training, the quicker the dog learns and the sooner their owner can enjoy their well-behaved companion.
Reid is a certified dog trainer and owner of Somers-based, S.R. Dog Training, which services Yorktown Heights.
For more information about S.R. Dog Training, visit https://srdogtraining.com/ or call 914-774-7654.
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