Tip for February 12: Mean What You Say

Just as children try to pretend they just cannot hear you at times you want them to do something, so too with dogs.

When training your dog, be careful not to get into the habit of giving a command more than once.

For instance, if you have to tell your dog to sit three times, your dog already knows he can take his good old time responding to you. If he doesn't do it the first time, he'll get to it the second, third, or even fourth time you say it.

Reinforce what a command means when you say it the first time; immediately respond when your dog what you want with a special reward and a "Good sit!"