How to train your dog in Five minutes, Five times a Day.

I was not trained to train  dogs. But my dogs are all very well trained in the basics.  Many people will look at them work and say Who trained your dogs? Me. I say, a little surprised. Don’t you train your dog?  You can you know. It is easy. I just know a little and do it often. I think about it like toddlers building with blocks, little by little, step by step, learning one lesson then moving to the next. Patiently using five minute training sessions five times a day. Every day. Anywhere and at any time. You can train your dog. 

I made this all up so it is all just common sense really. Here is my system for training dogs. Now remember. You are the boss of the dog not the other way around. He needs your guidance. So train that dog.

Decide how you want your dog to be. This is a high value decision so do not begin any training until you have decided what you want your dog to learn. Do you want a big fat lazy dog who does nothing but lie on the couch and watch the tele with you. Admittedly there are advantages to a big fat lazy dog.  But you will need a big couch for the pair of you. And he will need to learn Stay.

Do you want a dog who will guard you and your family. Or are you training your dog to move and protect  the animals on your farm. Or do you want to walk to the supermarket and leave him sitting outside. I had a dog like this once. His name was Mazoulet Mazoot the Marzipan kid. I would leave him to the side of the supermarket door, I seldom have my dogs on a leash – he was left on two commands Down then Stay… unfettered. By the time I came back out he had belly walked to the center of the doors (still down and mostly stayed) watching to see where I was and taking every pat that came his way.  He was a black lab and lived until he was very old.

Now, decide are you going to use treats or praise. I use praise. I use praise because then I can train anytime, anywhere without having to find the treats.

You need to do at least  Five training sessions Five times a day. They are very short and can be done anywhere. Training Time is training time not play time.  Training Time is 5 minutes, 5  times a day  – (or more) forever!  Be very clear that this is training time, then after that we play.  Start your training session with a command that means’ it is time to work’.

I say ” OK” , patting my hollow sounding chest. Getting his attention.

Always say your dogs name before the command.

Accompany each command with a big hand gesture. In case by some unhappy chance you lose the ability to speak. I use grand gestures so I can issue commands from a distance. 

Work on one command until you have it right then go to the next one, reviewing the others as you go along. If he gets it wrong, say No, firmly and go back to the beginning. 

Work with one dog at a time.  But use his name every time so he knows you are talking to him. Because soon you will have to work both together.

I start training at 6 weeks old. Just coming to their name. By 8 weeks TonTon was retrieving.   By 8 weeks Boo was sleeping with his legs in the air. So I named it  – it is called Loll About. But the first thing to teach your dog is to come when he is called. Do not go any further until he does this. Boo took his time coming. Ton did it immediately. But either way they must come the moment you call, every time. Then  go to your next lesson. 

Then That’ll do Dog which means training is over. Next is Sit, then Down then Wait then Stay. In that order over the course of time.Building on to the previous commands.  Later we learn to do all of these from a distance. Remember to work for only a few minutes  -the moment your dogs attention wanes and he gets wriggly say “That’ll do dog”  End of training.  Be very clear about this too.  Say it then reach for the toy to play or the treat, or pat pat and  walk away. That’ll do Dog is a very important command -make sure you  instantly change to a new game or pat, pat and walk away.

Sit and Down are TWO SEPARATE COMMANDS. Don’t tell your dog to ‘Sit Down’ and then wonder why he is confused.  The three following commands need to be practiced forever.  5 times – 5 minutes a day.

Sit. Hand under the chin and keep it there, then hand on bottom and push gently down. Sit. My hand command for this is an open palm raised. Boo – Sit.

Down follows the same sequence but pushing the head down saying Down until they are on the ground. My hand command is like a big bow, hand sweeping down. Boo  – Down.

The third building block is in two parts First we practice Wait. Then later when the dog is older and working well move to Stay. Wait means stand by. Stay means Don’t you move a bloody muscle until I say. So start with Wait.

Mine also learn Head Down. When they have to put their heads right on the ground. Do you remember when those hunters were shooting on our property that autumn. Ton was irate.  He felt that I was being threatened and he was going to bite someone. He had to go down, then put his head down. He was growling at them with his head on the ground. If you need to chastise your dog go for head down.

After a few months of these commands when you are working well together you can go onto other work. Like sitting in a chair every time I reach for my boots.   Or Bring It which means give me what is in your mouth (usually something disgusting if it is Boo) . Or Gimme when I point to an item and they pick it up and give it to me. I also train my dogs to find lost animals and people. Just on the farmy, nothing special.  To begin I name a person.  Bob. Then say See Bob. Bob calls the dog and he runs to Bob. (Treat or Pat). Retrieve the dog and do it again and again.    Every animal is named as we work with them. See Daisy. See Mama. See piggies. See Sheila. As I go to feed them I send Ton to find them (usually they are where they were). Like me. I am where I was.

 Repitition. Repitition. Repitition. Be dogmatic.

Name the areas in the house for them. train them to go to the different mats, or doors.  Go to bed, will be his sleeping corner. Go home will be the porch.

Also train them to obey these commands when you are shouting with a panicked tone especially Go Home. This command is often issued when you need the dog out of the way immediately.

Get other people to tell them to Sit or Stay.

Get  in behind  is a very important command. The dog must get behind your heel. When walking he has to walk beside and slightly behind.  When it is time for them to run I say Off you go . And they take off like bullets. When training to Get Behind  (or on the leash) turn lots of imaginary corners so they learn to watch your body for changes. If you stop command the dog to Sit. Soon he will do it automatically.

Step through a door or gate before your dog. Never let your dog push past you to go through the  door or gate. They must be commanded to Sit  then after they have sat Wait, you walk through and then Dog has to wait  for the command  to Come so that they can then walk slowly though while you hold the door. The same goes for going up or down steps.

Bad. Boo Boo. Sit. Boo Boo. Sit.

Sigh says Big Dog who has been taught nothing at all and is old and crotchety.

To recap : Decide your commands and stick to them. Write them on the wall so everyone uses the same commands.  Then practice often: If the most important thing you need is to have the dog Stay then work on that as often as you can.  Sit then Down, then Stay while you are doing the dishes or the laundry when you are gardening, or when you are in the bathroom. Use a firm teachers voice when issuing commands. And if your pup loses the plot, don’t get angry.  Just finish the session  That’ll do Dog,  Off you Go  pat, pat and resume your day.  Then come back to it later. Again and Again and Again.

And remember to keep the training going forever. Even older dogs need to be kept up to standard.

Good morning. There is more but that will do for a start. My Dogs are on Down  and Stay  (Boo in his chair, Ton on his mat) waiting at the door to begin work.

TonTon is a Border Collie and Boo is a Blue Heeler. Both these dogs need to be very well trained and kept close and busy or they will get in trouble.  And we all know what kind of trouble they can get into. So they will have training sessions for the rest of their lives.  This is why I have devised short anywhere, anytime training sessions.  It works.

Have a lovely day.  Off you go!!

your friend, celi