Tag: 2-minute tip

The best dog training treats

It’s the question that gets asked on social media more than any other – “What training treats are you using?” The answer is simple: the best dog training treats are the ones your dog likes.

Of course dogs’ tastes range widely. There are treats the dog will eat, treats they’ll move to get, and treats the dogs will run through fire to get. The value of any food reward depends on the dog. It’s up to you to discover your dog’s treat hierarchy.

Start with the basics

How eagerly does your dog eat their regular food? If it’s a dry commercial food and your dog devours it, you’re in great shape. It’s the foundation for a “trail mix” of treats that will make your dog happy.

If your dog isn’t an eager eater, it’s more of an issue. In all honesty, we have no experience with dogs that don’t devour their food. For us, a dog refusing to eat is on his/her way to the veterinarian without much lag time. Based on what we know about dogs, if your dog is a reluctant eater, there are a few possibilities:

  • The dog just doesn’t like the food. The fix for this is to try different varieties until you come up with one the dog likes. Give each kind a fair test. Switching constantly may have your dog refusing food until they’re given something “better.” That’s a different kind of trouble.
  • There’s something wrong with the dog. Over the years we’ve had dogs with ulcers and acid reflux, so had to adjust their food and feeding schedule. 
  • The dog isn’t hungry because it’s overfed. If you adhere to the amounts on most commercial dog food packages, your dog is stuffed to the gills.  

Your dog’s regular food is the base of the treat hierarchy. Working your way up from there, the next tier of the hierarchy, includes treats the dog likes and will get up off their butt to reach. This would include many of the commercial dog treats available. It can also include things like cereal (most dogs like the O-shaped oat cereal. Our dogs prefer the honey-nut flavor.), air-popped popcorn, carrots, apple, celery (Torque’s favorite), and green beans (either fresh or frozen).

Moving up the list to treats dogs adore. These are usually things like Chicken Heart Treats, freeze-dried liver, bits of cheese, hot dog, french fries, peanut butter. These treats are the ones your dog would run through fire to get. They’re also the ones that should be given sparingly, especially if your dog has a sensitive stomach. For soft things, like peanut butter or cream cheese, let your dog lick them off the end of a spoon. It takes a little manipulation, but if that’s what your dog likes, you’ll figure it out.

Make a “trail mix”

When you’re training your dog, every room in the house should have a covered container of dog treats. Mix up a big bowl of dry treats from all three tiers of your dog’s hierarchy. Put portions of that mixture in the containers, so you always have treats available. If you have a container sitting on the shelf, you can grab it when the television commercial break starts and complete a whole training game before the show comes back. When it’s easy, you’re more likely to do it.

If the trail mix has a variety of treats in it, your dog will always be hopefully that the A-list treat is up next. They’ll be happy to play with you regardless, but the variety makes it more fun and interesting for your dog.

Rule of treats

For a training class, or when you’re playing a new-to-you training game, the treats should be top-tier, pinnacle level. It keeps your dog interested and attentive, even if their classmates are barking their fool heads off. Or if they don’t understand the new game yet and are getting a little frustrated.

In these scenarios, the treat slogan is “soft, small, and smelly.” Soft, so the dog doesn’t leave crumbs all over and stop to clean up the floor. Small, so they’re less than a full bite and your dog won’t get full. Smelly so the dog knows exactly what you have and is eager to get it.

Best dog training treats

It may take a little time and effort to define your dog’s treat hierarchy. You’ll know which treats your dog like best by how quickly they respond during your training games. There’s no universal “best” dog training treats. It’s up to your dog, and you, to discover what works for your team.

Shake up your dog training routine

Both dogs and people are creatures of habit. To keep training games fun for both of you, it’s a good idea to shake up your dog training routine. 

Even if you’re working on a specific behavior, you can find ways to make it different and more interesting. Simple variations can change the dynamic.

Always the same 

In AKC Novice Obedience competition there are exactly eight exercises. It’s the same eight behaviors, in the exact same order, in every single AKC Obedience Competition. It doesn’t change, the order doesn’t vary. It is what it is. And in our classes, we never, ever practice or teach it that way.

Dogs aren’t stupid. If you practice the same thing the same way every time, they don’t just learn the routine. They know what’s coming and jump ahead to the end. They’re awesome that way – wanting to save you the time and trouble of doing all the fussy in-between bits.

In competition, that’s a problem. It’s all the fussy bits that matter.

For example

Let’s say you’re doing the Figure 8 heeling. If you’ve only practiced as it’s done in competition, your dog knows exactly how it works. So your dog isn’t actually heeling, they’re doing a Figure 8 pattern. When the judge says “Halt!,” if your dog’s not watching you, they may be merrily heeling along and not notice you stopped. Until it’s too late and the judge is deducting points.

It’s easily fixed. Instead of just two cones to heel around in practice, use three. Or four. Or five. Go any which way, without a plan, and keep your dog’s attention. It’s more interesting for both of you. And it improves your heeling. 

Just for fun

Even if you never intend to enter an obedience competition, the around-the-cones heeling, or loose-lead walking, is good practice. We call it “noodling” and you just walk randomly in circles, zig-zags, and loop-de-loops. You can even throw in a few backward and side steps. 

If you’re out and about, put some interest in your walks. Use trees to do Figure 8s around. Or, if you’re an urban dweller, street lights or garbage cans work, too. The point is to instill some variety, add some interest, and keep both of you from falling into a rut.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.”

Be unpredictable in your dog training routine. It’ll be more fun for you and your dog.

Dog’s trust is easily broken

Your dog relies on you to be a dependable partner. If you always deliver what you promise, so will your dog. But be careful what you promise. A dog’s trust is fragile. If you don’t follow through, or if you try to deceive your dog, it’s over.

According to our TikTok audience, Torque (Hope’s French Bulldog) must be AI (artificial intelligence) rather than a real dog. Because Frenchies don’t ever listen, let alone obey.

As Colonel Sherman T. Potter (M*A*S*H) would have said, “horse hockey!”

Torque listens, obeys, and looks like a genius because Hope never lies to him. Ever. That’s the entire secret of getting your dog to be a canine Einstein. Be absolutely reliable. 

What do you mean?

We just saw a story about a canine study testing whether dogs could tell if a person was lying, or a bad person. In the first part, the dog was told to go to a container full of treats. All of the dogs did it. For the second part, the dogs were re-sent to the container which was empty. Again, they all went. In the third part, none of the dogs went to the container. The dogs’ trust had been broken.

We’ve all heard the old saying “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” This is a true-to-life example that dogs are not fools. You can certainly fool them once. But that’s it. They’ll never fall for the same lie twice.

Take a good look in the mirror

Let’s face it. Dogs are easy to fool. And their looks of puzzlement are really adorable when you pretend to throw the ball and there’s no ball. But every time you trick your dog, you’re eroding their trust in your relationship. They may fall for the fake toss a couple of times. You’re the one who will pay for it in the end when your dog stops being happy to play with you.

Some dogs have a sense of humor and can tolerate being teased. Others don’t understand and it can even upset them. Torque is a good-natured dog who will go along with any silly thing Hope dreams up for him.He’ll give it his best try. And he’ll try repeatedly. He knows that when he gets it right he’ll be generously rewarded.

When Hope has no treats with her, she shows her empty hands to her dog so he knows. If she has really primo treats, she lets him sniff to be sure he knows what’s available. And when he gets it right, he gets that primo treat. 

Build a solid foundation

If you like teasing your dog, or playing pranks on them, that’s going to define your relationship. Your dog is still going to love you. They’ll forgive you. They may even join in the humor of the joke. But your dog is never going to hang on every word you say, or do what you ask them to do when you ask them to do it. Because once too often you’ve called your dog for “Cookies!” and then shoved them in the bathtub. 

If you truly want your dog to listen, you have to be worth listening to. If you call your dog’s name and they ignore you, it’s probably because there’s no reason to listen. Next time you complain that your dog doesn’t pay any attention to you, try seeing it from their point of view. What’s the difference, for your dog, between paying attention and not? It’s up to you to define it.

Just for the fun of it – Train Your Dog!

There seems to be a mindset that dog training is something you “have” to do. The truth is, most dogs are only “trained” to function within the family. It’s almost like people see it as a chore, rather than a chance to play with their dogs. We wish they could see the fun the rest of us have when we play training games with our dogs.

That’s all it really is. Dogs love to learn, love having a job, and love spending time with you. Most dogs today aren’t really “working” dogs. Their primary job is to be great companions, and they’re great at it. 

Ask for more

That’s fine. If you’re a couch potato and want your dog to lounge next to you and stare at screens all day, go for it. 

But if you want more, it’s at your fingertips. If you’re just a little bit intrigued by the possibilities of what you and your dog can do together, start with one little training game. Play “Touch!” for two minutes. 

If you do, you’ll be amazed by how quickly your dog catches on. And how happy your dog is to play with you. When was the last time you saw that open-mouth, silly grin on your dog’s face?

Not just us – dogs love to play training games

Last week one of our students told us something that makes us glad. She said that by late afternoon, if she hasn’t played training games with her dog, he comes to find her and won’t stop bothering her until they have a training session. If you’ve found a good training class, your dog should practically drag you into the room. Dogs should love to play training games.

We wish there was another word than “training” for what we do with our dog. It has so many dull, painful, boring connotations. Until we think of one, or make one up, it will have to do.

Give it a new definition

One thing we can do now is urge you to just try. Give it a week. One or two training games a day – less than 10 minutes. If it doesn’t work, if you don’t have fun, if your dog doesn’t learn stuff, let us know. 

We know you’re tired at the end of the day. So get up five minutes earlier and play training games with your dog’s breakfast. Use one commercial break from whatever screen you’re watching to play with your dog.

Here’s the warning label: Playing training games with your dog is addictive. If you don’t love your dog and don’t want to have a singular bond with them, do not play. 

Don’t say we never warned you.

How to stop your dog counter surfing

When cute little puppies grow tall enough, or clever enough, they discover the joys of counter surfing. Since dogs reliably choose to do what’s most rewarding for them, if they find anything on that counter, they’ll do it again. And again. As long as there are treasures to find, the dog will keep finding them. We imagine there are quite a few family holiday stories that feature a naughty dog stealing some of the featured feast off the table or counter. It may be funny and fondly remembered over the years. But it’s not fun at the time. Not to mention panic-inducing, if it was the centerpiece turkey that’s gone down the dog. Stop your dog counter surfing forever.

Nip it in the bud

Ideally there will be absolutely nothing on the counter the dog finds attractive. If they try counter surfing and get nothing, they have no reason to try again. 

Don’t assume that because your dog can’t reach the counter they can’t steal stuff from it. The memory of Hope’s French Bulldog Teddy up on the kitchen counter is burned into our memories. He stood 12 inches tall. The standard counter height is 36 inches. Did he jump? No. He got onto the kitchen chair. Climbed from there onto the table, and then across to the counter. He only did it once (that we know of), but it’s legendary in the family.

Realistically, few of us can completely clear counters, table tops, and other flat, reachable surfaces. Even in the throes of training a new dog, you still have to live your life. Until your dog gets the message, if you can’t completely contain the stuff, contain the dog. 

If the counter-surfing canine only has access to the attractive surfaces when you’re there, you can use every interaction as a training opportunity.

Send the message

To counter counter-surfing, set up the scenario. Have a dog bed nearby. Stand at your regular cooking position and start cutting up a carrot. Or celery. Something your dog likes and is allowed to have. If your dog intrudes by sticking their nose under your arm, putting their front paws on the counter, or trying to get at the carrot, stop what you’re doing and cover up the “work” with your arms and upper body. If you have to lie on it, do so. Don’t say anything to the dog. Just stare at the dog bed. 

If you tell your dog “Off!” or “No!” or even “Uh-oh” you’re still telling them what to do. The objective is to have the dog make good decisions even if you’re not there to tell them. If you always tell your dog what to do, you’ll always have to. Over the course of your dog’s lifetime, that would be exhausting.

If you put in the effort to teach them good decision-making now, over the course of years you’ll both be much happier. 

Stand firm

At first, with the carrot and counter covered, your dog won’t understand what’s going on. They may paw at you, try to burrow under your arm, or even start whining. This is the part where you must be patient. Waiting is the absolute hardest part of dog training. Don’t say anything. Don’t move. Just stare at the dog bed.

As soon as your dog has all four feet on the floor, or looks at the bed, toss a piece of carrot into the bed. As long as the dog is behaving, keep tossing pieces of carrot in the bed. Just by your actions, you’re teaching the dog that their place in that bed is highly rewarding. 

If they get the carrot piece and then come bounding back to jump some more, cover up and repeat. Single-minded dogs may take a few sessions to get the idea. But they will get it. 

Stop your dog counter surfing forever

Eventually, if you’re patient and consistent, you’ll have a terrific companion for your kitchen endeavors. You can even look forward to spending some companionable time together. If you want to give your dog a chew toy on the bed while you’re preparing food, by all means go ahead.

Throughout your dog’s life, even when they know the house rules, make a point of rewarding them for good decision-making. If you see your dog glance at the counter and then walk away, reward it. That’s a sure sign that the training has worked and your dog really does know better.

Doing It Right Looks Different

What kind of feedback is your dog getting? Are you making sure that doing it right looks different from doing it wrong?

Let’s say you’ve been practicing a particular behavior with your dog.You’ve been working on it for a while, but your dog just isn’t getting it. It could be anything from the simplest position change to a complex trick. You keep trying, but you’re getting a little frustrated and about ready to throw in the towel. 

And then, giving it one more try for the day, your dog does it right! What do you do to mark the occasion?

  1. Just move on and think to yourself “Finally!” Or do you 
  2. Stop and celebrate? 

If you picked A, pick again. Our trainees hear it all the time: “Doing it right has to look different than doing it wrong.”

How do they know?

When you regularly play training games with your dog, the two of you often act as a team. If your dog could talk, they could probably finish your sentences most of the time. But they can’t talk. And they don’t understand what we want of them until we teach them. You have to let your dog know when they’re right. 

2-Minute Dog Training Games are built on understanding that dogs learn through the timing and placement of rewards. No reward tells your dog “Sorry, buddy. That wasn’t it.” When they get a jackpot the message is clearly: “Yay for you! You did it!”

Dogs want to get things right and earn that jackpot. Knowing their effort will be rewarded motivates them to keep trying. If at first they don’t succeed they know to try, try again.

For instance

Torque, Hope’s French Bulldog, loves doing Rally Obedience stuff. There was one upper-level sign he just wasn’t understanding. It was the “Send Away Sit / Return / Follow Arrow” signs at the Master level, for Rally people. He just didn’t “get” that he had to go near the cone (6 feet away), turn around and then sit. Even teaching the segments separately didn’t work. Putting a target near the cone didn’t work. He just wasn’t getting it. 

They practiced it about every couple of weeks for several months. There was no urgency, and Hope tried different targets, signals, commands. But it wasn’t happening. Torque knew it wasn’t right because he didn’t get any treats. But he was willing to keep trying because we didn’t hammer at it, tell him he was wrong, or enforce any kind of punishment.

Doing it right looks different

Then came the day when he did it. Perfectly. The first try. Hope stopped everything and gave that boy a jackpot of treats, an ear massage, and quit for the day. Doing it right looks different, and he’s done it right every time since. 

Make it a big deal

If it’s a big deal when the dog gets something right, and nothing when they don’t, the dog has a reason to keep trying. Dogs love having a “job” and “working” with their people. But there’s no reason to keep doing it if their efforts gain them nothing.

Quite a few of the comments on our videos are similar to “my dog isn’t interested.” Or “my dog won’t listen.” And to each of these we ask – what motivation are you giving your dog? Do they get anything special for listening? For being interested? If doing nothing and doing something all get the same treatment, why would they bother?

It’s on you

There’s a saying among dog trainers that “Every dog is trained to its owner’s level of comfort.” Most people quit trying when their dogs learn the bare minimum to live comfortably. As long as their dog doesn’t chew their shoes and potties where they’re supposed to, they’re satisfied. 

And if that’s all you want, that’s fine. It’s between you and your dog. But if you want to have a real companion who loves doing “stuff” with you and has a big, happy life, you’ll strive for more. And make it look different when you get it.

Let your dog freestyle

Do you ever let your dog freestyle your 2-Minute sessions? Or do you always have a goal in mind when you’re playing training games? 

We agree with Apple CEO Tim Cook: “Let your joy be in your journey – not in some distant goal.” 

While we do teach our dogs the skills they need to compete in dog sports, that’s not the focus of training games. Giving your dog the biggest, best, happiest life is the reason for this joyful journey.

Cue your dog’s creativity

Just for the fun of it, grab a bunch of random household stuff you don’t really care about. Nothing breakable, please. Then toss it on the floor and let your dog loose. You don’t even have to have any treats. Just let your dog do whatever they want for a couple of minutes.

Sometimes, they’ll come up with a whole new game. In one of Simon’s freestyle sessions he showed Fran he liked to make towers of toys. She’s now working on a container-stacking game.

Other choices

It’s also possible that absolutely nothing useful will come from the play session. Faced with some random objects, Hope’s Torque decided the most fun thing would be to destroy cardboard tubes. That’s what he wanted to do. That’s what he did. And he had fun doing it.

At first your dog may not understand the concept. They may look to you for direction. It takes a while for dogs who have always been under instruction to understand they’re free to do whatever they want. 

This is where you have to be patient. Which, as we all know, is the absolute hardest part of dog training. You can encourage your dog to check things out, but try not to interact with any of the objects. If your dog starts moving among them, or sniffing them, encourage the dog. But don’t interfere. Let them figure it out.

Building confidence when you let your dog freestyle

Making decisions helps dogs build confidence. In these freestyle sessions where anything goes, they’ll learn to explore more. Often in dogs’ lives they’re not allowed to go where they want, do what they want, check out interesting things.  

These improvised sessions counter-balance both the regular routine and the strict structure of most dogs’ days. It’s another way to enrich their lives. And it’s fun.

Teaching “Fetch!”

You might think there are two kinds of dogs in the world. Those who love to play “Fetch!” and those who just don’t get it. In fact, the two kinds of dogs are: 1) those who love to play “Fetch!” and 2) those who don’t love it yet. Teaching fetch the 2-Minute Trainer way will make up for that!

It may take a little time, patience, and slobber to get there, but you can if that’s your goal. Like all of our dog training games, you break it down into small steps and teach one at a time. 

The game of “Fetch!” is really not as simple as it looks. There are a lot of small steps that all add up to a complete game.

The first step is for your dog to love playing with a toy with you. The “with you” is the important part. If you’re not part of the play from the outset, you never will be. It doesn’t matter what toy you start with, as long as it has someplace for both of you to hold on. Balls don’t. Balls on ropes do. Bones don’t. Plush toys do. 

Getting the grab

If there’s a toy your dog already loves that fits the bill, you’re ahead of the game. If you have a dog that doesn’t much care about toys, you may have to work a bit to get there. To get your dog to play with a toy with you, start by being annoying. Swish the toy back and forth on the floor in front of your dog, being sure to contact their front paws as you go. Keep it a slow, back and forth motion. With some excited dialog: “You gonna get it?” “What’s that?” “Get it!” 

When your dog does grab the toy – and it may take some time to get the grab – play tug! (A word of caution about tug. Be sure to tug back and forth. Up and down motion could injure your dog’s neck or spine.) If your dog drops the toy, you drop it, too. Encourage your dog to “Get it!” If they do pick it up, start playing tug again. If they don’t, go back to your swishing. To graduate to the “Fetch” part, the toy has to be valuable to the dog, they have to want to get it without you holding it. 

Make tug the best game ever

Once your dog loves playing tug, the next part is easier. In the middle of a game of tug, drop the toy and run away from your dog. At first, just go a step or two. When you turn around to look at your dog, they should be right behind you. Grab your end of the toy and play tug! The tugging game will be your dog’s reward when they “Fetch!” 

The fastest way to get a dog to come to you is to run away from them. It also works with human toddlers. It takes guts to run away from your dog when they’re on the loose and headed for traffic, but it does work. Chasing after a dog is every dog’s signal to play “You Can’t Catch Me!,”, which is never what you really want to play. 

If your dog has dropped the toy, or isn’t following you, run back to the toy and excitedly say something like “You forgot something!” “Where’s your toy?” “Get it!” When the dog picks it up again, say “Good Get it!” and run a couple of steps away. 

Be patient. If your dog has never played “Fetch!” or is inconsistent in either carrying or bringing the toy, keep trying. It may take a few 2-Minute sessions for them to get the idea. Hope’s French Bulldogs have never been natural retrievers, or toy fanatics. But each and every one learned to love the retrieve, which is Obedience parlance for “Fetch!”

And you’re teaching “Fetch!”

Once your dog loves playing tug with you, and loves chasing you to play tug, you can progress to “Fetch!” Show your dog the favorite tug toy and then toss it away. As soon as you throw, turn around and start to run away. Again, if your dog drops the toy, or doesn’t get it to chase you instead, run to the toy and encourage your dog to pick it up. When they do, run a few steps, turn around and play “Tug!” See that: you’re teaching “Fetch!”

Be patient. If your dog isn’t a natural retriever, they have to learn all the parts of the game and come to love each and every part. When it all falls into place, you’ll always have it. “Fetch!” will be a part of your repertoire forever. 

The Dog’s Shell Game

Both you and your dog always win when you play the Dog’s Shell Game. It looks like the con-artist’s street corner version, but it doesn’t cost a thing. 

This isn’t a training game per se. It’s just a fun game to play with your dog that lets them use their natural ability to sniff. It’s a game that lets your dog just be a dog, and you go along for the ride. 

How to play

All you need is some rather smelly treats and three cups or little bowls. We’d recommend using ones that aren’t breakable. And are washable. Because dog spit.

You can play anywhere you have enough space to sit on the floor with your dog. 

Start by letting your dog sniff the treat. Then line up your cups or bowls and hide the treat under one of them. It’s perfectly okay for your dog to see what you’re doing.

Leaving the bowls flat on the floor, shift them around a few times in random order. The beauty part of this game is you don’t have to remember where the treat is. It’s up to your dog to find it.

Find it!

Then just let your dog go find the treat. They should use their noses to locate it. If they knock over the cup, that’s fine. Some dogs don’t make a beeline to the treat because they may not understand it’s a sniffing game. 

When they indicate which bowl, pick it up and let them get the treat if they were right. If they chose poorly, just say something like “That’s not it! Keep trying!” It’s up to you whether you set that bowl aside or reintroduce it into the game.

Do it again!

After they find the treat the first time, they’ll know better what the game is about. It’s fun when they catch on and sit watching you move the cups around. See if your dog watches the target bowl or the whole set up. If they watch a single bowl, they’ll probably go right to that one when you release them.

Once your dog knows how to play the game, you can replace the treat with anything that has a scent. If you’re into Nose Work, you’re familiar with having dogs sniff out the essential oil scents used in the sport. You can use a cotton pad with just a few drops of scent. Just be ready with a treat to reward your dog so they’re not tempted to eat the cotton pad. 

No fooling

Unlike the con artist, you’re not trying to fool your dog. You want them to succeed by using their natural scenting ability, like the “Find It!” dog training game. On a sniffari walk, your dog meanders from place to place, checking out the surrounding odors. The Shell Game has the added benefit of making you a vital part. Whenever possible, you want to be included in your dog’s fun.

Dog Training Game – Automatic Sit

The “Automatic Sit!” is one of those games where you have to work a bit to make it fun. Remembering that your dog feeds off your energy – if you think it’s boring, it is. If you think it’s another fun game you can play together, it will be. 

What is an “Automatic Sit”? When you’re walking with your dog, every time you stop your dog sits. It’s simple. It’s easy. And it’s a habit that most people don’t bother to develop for their dogs. But it’s an important one, especially for city dwellers. If your dog sits every time you reach a curb, or a driveway, you know you have time to check traffic before moving on. Just that simple. And possibly life-saving.

First things first

Does your dog know the word “Sit!”? Most people will swear they do. But most people are wrong. Keeping in mind that dogs learn things in context, do a little test of your dog’s understanding. 

Your dog probably knows “Sit!” when you’re face-to-face. And you have a treat in your hand. You probably lift the treat up as you say “Sit!” Or you may simultaneously bring the treat up while you push on your dog’s butt. If any of that is familiar, you need to take the test. 

With your dog at your side, your hands empty of treats, and hanging straight, say “Sit!” to your dog. If they do it, that’s great! Your dog really knows the word. If they don’t, you’re allowed to look at your dog’s butt, but not repeat “Sit!” If they still don’t do it, you need to expand your dog’s understanding of “Sit!”

Easy peasy

Getting your dog to understand “Sit!” is simple. But you have to actually do it. Dogs learn by the timing and placement of rewards. If you enter a room and your dog is sitting, say “Good Sit!” Give them a treat. That’s it. If you say “Sit!” and your dog instantly does it, reward! Keep repeating the word “Sit!” when your dog’s doing it.

Dogs are capable of understanding hundreds of words. The catch is you have to teach them. Unlike toddlers and children, dogs can’t pick up vocabulary by overhearing conversations or understanding context. Expanding your dog’s vocabulary requires your conscious decision to teach them. They’ll pick it up quickly, given the opportunity.

Once your dog’s “Sit!” is rock-solid, it’s time to take it a step further with the Automatic Sit!

Step at a time

This part’s easy, too. For one of your 2-Minute Training sessions, with your dog at your side, take a single step. Tell your dog “Sit!” when you stop. Take another single step. Say “Sit!” when you stop. Rinse and repeat. Single steps for just a minute or two. 

If your dog doesn’t do it immediately, or seems confused, just wait. Give them a chance to think. If the halt-step wedding-march is confusing for your dog, there are a couple things you can do to clear it up. Always start moving with the foot closest to the dog. This is an Obedience hack. If you move the foot closest to the dog first, they know they’re supposed to move with you. If you move the opposite foot first, they know to stay. Dogs are smart. 

You can also cue them when you start moving and when you stop. “Let’s Go!” even for the single step. And “Halt! Sit!” when you stop.

Always useful

That’s really all there is to teaching your dog the “Automatic Sit!” When your dog is doing great in your 2-Minute session, take the behavior with you on your next walk. At first, remind your dog to “Sit!” when you stop. And “Let’s Go!” when you start moving. Sitting at stops will become your dog’s good habit quickly.