The Easy Way to Train A Dog; Celebrating

If you are looking for an easy way to train a dog, its your lucky day!

Since 2010 I have fixed thousands of dog behavior problems in Omaha and around the country. One of the dog training tips I share with each client is something I like to call “celebrating.” Im going to share that tip with you in a second, but first, its important to know why this dog training secret is so easy and effective.

Let me ask you a question I ask all of my clients when I share this easy way to train a dog; “have you ever had a boss who didn’t teach you what they want you to do at work, then gets mad at you when you don’t do what they didn’t train you to do?”

Almost all of my clients tell me they have had that experience. My next question is how that experience made them feel. The overwhelming majority say frustrated. They want to do a good job, but without the boss teaching or training them on what they want the person to do, its pretty hard for the employee to be successful.

This is the experience many dogs have with their humans.

Studies show that when dogs offer unwanted behaviors; barking, jumping up, digging, chewing, stealing, etc – people quickly disagree with a “no,” “bad dog,” or “shut up.” After all, the dog is doing something you dont like or want them to do. Correcting them makes perfect sense, right?

Companion studies show that when dogs offer desired behaviors such as sitting, laying down, dropping things, not barking, not jumping on guests, etc – we do nothing unless we ask the dog to do it before hand.

This contrast confuses and frustrates dogs. And it actually contributes to many unwanted dog behavior problems.

I don’t know you, but Im willing to guess you have a nice home. You decorated it in your style, hung photos on the wall, buy furniture that you find appealing, pay the rent, clean, etc . You do all this so that you have a nice nesting area to call home. You do this to contribute to the betterment of your group and it likely makes you feel happy.

You do a lot to have a happy home. So what could your dog do to contribute to your group or make you happy?

Seriously.

Before you continue reading, take a moment and sincerely ask yourself, what could your dog to to contribute to your group or make you happy?

If you’re like most of my clients, you struggled to come up with an answer. If I was there, I would press you to come up with something. After a few minutes of struggling, most of my clients tell me they want the dog to stop barking, stop jumping up on guests, stop stealing things, no more chewing, etc.

That’s when I point out that original question was “What can your dog to to make you happy?” Not, “what are the things your dog does that you dislike the most?” However, a list of things the humans want the dog to stop is the most common answer I get. But in reality, those are the exact opposite answers to the question.

If you struggle to come up with an answer to what your dog can do to make you happy, its a safe bet your dog may not know either. This causes many dogs to try to come up with an answer on their own. After all, they see themselves as part of your group / pack /family. They dont want to be a freeloader. They HAVE to do something to contribute.

Here is where it all comes together. For dogs, ALL ATTENTION is rewarding.

That means each time you tell your dog no, tell them to stop, to be quiet, to stop jumping, etc – you are making your dog more likely to offer that behavior again. Why, because it gets your attention!

This is how most people accidentally cause their own dog problems. But fear not, there is an easy fix.

The Easiest Way to Train Any Dog; Celebrating

So what is this trick to stopping unwanted behaviors, teaching manners and training dogs so easily?

I used to call this “petting with a purpose,” but I changed it to “celebrating” which I find is a more accurate description of this easy way to train any dog.

This trick is so easy to do it should be a crime. The hardest part is remembering to do it. But I have a trick for that too.

You will need to have a marker in place to do this trick. If you dont have a marker for your dog, this video explains an easy way to create a marker in minutes.

To learn this professional dog training secret that I call Celebrating, watch the free positive dog training video below.

Not only does this trick make it easy to teach dogs new tricks and basic obedience, it also teaches dogs good manners; to sit in front of you to ask for attention instead of jumping up, barking or pawing at you.

So this one positive dog training tip teaches your dog manners, encourages desired behaviors and makes it easy for you to train your dog. A trifecta of positive dog training benefits.

Sometimes it can be hard to remember. Ion puppy class, I point at new parents and say “Celebrate” any time I see their dog offer a desired behavior. When this happens, the puppy parent immediately says their marker word, then pets or rewards their dog. I do this to try to jump start celebrating as a habit.

It takes humans and dogs roughly the same amount of time to form a new habit; 66 days off you are perfect. Since no one is perfect, I tell my clients to be mindful top celebrate consistently for 3 months. If you do, celebrating becomes a habit.

When that happens, just about every time to pet your dog it becomes a micro dog training session that you wont even realize you are doing. It truly becomes a gift.

So call out “Celebrate” when you see family members or room mates miss opportunities to celebrate your dog’s desired behaviors.

Positive dog training has never been so easy.