5 Minute-A-Day Dog Training
by Mary Brown Haak

As fosters (new adopters will also find this training information very useful), we want to make our dogs as attractive as possible to potential adopters. How do we do that? Since we can’t alter their looks, breed, size or sex, the only thing we can do is add to our dog’s skill sets. After housebreaking, I believe the most important thing a dog can have is a little bit of obedience training! You are probably thinking, “Now, why would I want to put all that effort into a dog that’s not going to be here very long?”

I’m not suggesting that you spend $100 or more to enroll your foster dog in an 8-week obedience training class—just devote 5 minutes a day to give your foster dog a leg up on the competition. It will result in a more attractive adoptable dog, the dog will make a much better first impression on his adopters, and he will be more pleasant to have around the house while you are fostering him. A win-win-win situation—and all for an investment of five minutes a day.

I like to start training my foster dogs the moment they walk in the door to my house. Consistency is key. A dog is always rewarded for good behavior, even if the reward is just praise or a hug. If I see my dog sitting, I tell them, “Good Dog! Good Sit!” or “Good Boy” or “Good (insert Dog’s name here)!” I also give my foster dogs treats if they’ve put in a good faith effort at trying to understand what I want during a training session. Since paying attention is a prerequisite for any successful training, a dog who is attentive and watching me during our five minute session gets a treat and praise regardless of whether or not we successfully complete a training goal. This keeps him interested and attentive for our next session.

Most dogs can learn sit, down, and have a good start on come and walking reasonably well on a leash in a week or ten days on the 5-minute a day plan, so let’s start with those. Please note, I said “most dogs.” I’ve had a few dogs that took forever to “get it.” OK—maybe it was just a couple days! Just keep at it, keep your training sessions short and positive, and be consistent. It will happen.

Training Treats

The first thing you need to do is find a treat that your foster dog adores. If you are lucky, it may be small commercially available training treats. Hot dogs, small pieces of chicken or steak, or cheese may work. You are looking for something small, soft and chewy so the dog can eat and swallow it quickly and return her attention in your training session.

My own dog, Shenandoah, was not at all food motivated when I got him. And my current foster, Phoenix, has been known to turn eating a small milk bone turn into a 15-minute event; tiny training treats only took 5 minutes. Not an ideal situation for training purposes. I finally discovered peanut butter for Shen. It was a little messy, but it worked—a finger dipped in a little peanut butter did the trick. Then in our 5th week of obedience training he found a squeaky sheep behind the sofa. (We won’t talk about how long it had to have been there, but the time could be measured in months!) He LOVES his squeaky sheep and that’s what we used for the rest of his training.

And after four days, I finally convinced my foster, Phoenix, that I had more treats, so he’s learned that it’s ok to eat a treat without turning it into an occasion to be celebrated. I like to keep a pocketful of treats on me at all times so I can have a mini-refresher training session at any time. I can ask for a sit or down while making dinner, working on the computer, or reading. I also like to give my new dogs a treat and/or praise when they come when I call them, starting the very first day.

When teaching any new skill, you want to find a quiet place free from distractions. There should be no other people or dogs within sight, and if possible, within hearing range. Turn off televisions and radios, and cell phones and blackberries. Surely the world can wait for your attention for five minutes! It’s a good idea to do your training sessions before you feed your dog… she will be much more responsive.

Sit

One of the most valuable commands in your dog’s skill set is “Sit.” I like to teach the sit command first because while my dog is sitting, he can’t be involved in a lot of other less desirable behaviors such as running, jumping, chewing the furniture, or tripping me while I am trying to prepare doggie dinners or attach leashes to multiple dogs.

To teach your dog to sit, start by standing with the dog in front of you. With the treat in your hand, touch the treat to your dog’s nose and allow him to sniff it. You should not be standing with your head over your dog—some dogs find this very intimidating. Say the dog’s name and “Sit,” while slowly raising the treat above his head. As he watches the treat go up, his head will tilt back. The higher the treat goes, the more his head tilts back and the lower his rear end will get to the ground. When his backside touches the ground, immediately praise him in a happy and excited voice and give him the treat. Make a big deal of it—be ridiculous in your praise. Show the level of enthusiasm you would if your five-year-old won the Nobel Peace Prize. If you think you are acting totally outrageous, you probably have about the right level of enthusiasm!

I always thought that people who “baby-talked” to their animals were just a little bit silly. But studies and personal experience have demonstrated that the higher your voice, the more excited and responsive your dog will be. This may be one reason some dogs are more apprehensive around men than they are around women and children. Use your tone and a higher-than-normal pitch to praise your dog or to get him excited. Use a lower-pitched voice to calm him down.

The first time your dog does the command, he may think the treat is just a coincidence. Quickly have him repeat his sit three or four times to reinforce the connection between performance and reward, praising him excessively. Timing is really important—remember, the minute his backside hits the ground, praise and treat.

Five minutes the first day is usually more than enough time to teach a dog to sit. In fact, many dogs “get it” on the first or second try. Some dogs, however, may need a couple of training sessions before they make the connection between performance and reward. Do not despair. They all figure it out sooner or later as long as you are consistent. The good news is that training usually gets easier after learning the first command or two. As long as the dog pays attention for the whole five minutes of your training session, give him the treat and praise and work again on it tomorrow or later in the day if you have the time.

Once the dog has consistently performed a “Sit,” we need to generalize the command and show him that “Sit” means “Sit” not just in our training area, but in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, at the back door, in the yard and while on a walk. The first time, she may not understand. Start from the beginning—face her, show her the treat and allow her to sniff it, tell her to sit while slowly raising the treat over her head, and praise/reward the second her rear end hits the ground. Generalizing the command in each new location will normally take much less time and effort, although executing a sit with a lot of distractions such as other people or animals may take a couple tries.

Once your dog is consistently responding to the “Sit” command slowly start withdrawing the treats but keep up the verbal praise (you can lower the level from the 5-year old Nobel Prize winner to a more subdued level of enthusiasm but be positive).

To teach a “Sit-Stay,” put your dog in a sit, tell him “stay” and hold your hand out in front of him. For the first sit-stay, you should only expect him to hold the stay a second or two. Gradually increase the time, treating and praising for good performance. Then generalize the behavior by practicing in different locations and adding distractions.

Down

Down is often the most difficult command for a dog to learn, and this is especially true for shelter and rescue dogs. It is a submissive position, leaving the dog more vulnerable against potential threats. For a shelter or rescue dog that is already apprehensive, if not totally scared, his natural instinct will not be to put himself in a vulnerable position. Be patient and understanding.

Start with your dog in a sit. Show her the treat in your fingertips with your palm turned down, say your dog’s name and “Down.” Lower the treat down toward her chest and to the ground. As her nose follows it, move it forward between her front paws. The moment she lies down, treat and praise her lavishly.

Your dog may stand up when you move the treat. Return her to a sit and try again. If, after several attempts, she is still standing up, you may need to break this command down. Sit on the floor with knees bent and your dog in a sit to the side. Lure the dog with the treat to crawl under your legs. Keep your knees low enough to the ground that the only way she can get to the treat is to get into a down position and crawl under your legs. When she does the down, reward and praise her. Once she is consistently doing a down this way, retry the down from your standing position. Once she is doing a down consistently, slowly withdraw the treats but keep up the praise. Once you’ve achieved a consistent down, generalize the behavior by practicing in different locations and adding distractions. Slowly withdraw treats but keep praising her.

To teach a “Down-Stay,” put the dog in a down position. Once he is down, tell him “Stay” and hold your hand palm out in front of him. As with sit-stays, a couple seconds is a good first try. Gradually increase the amount of time, and praise and reward for good performance.

Come/Recall

You should never use your dog’s name or call your dog to you to correct his behavior. You do not want your dog to associate his name or the “Come” command with negative consequences. If you want him to stop jumping, get off the furniture, or let go of your prized belonging, do not use his name. Having said that, I’ve done it…repeatedly, and you will too. Just be aware, and immediately do some positive reinforcement with commands he already knows and does consistently (or most consistently!) or immediately engage in some play using his name frequently.

Until your dog is consistently and totally reliable doing a “Come,” you should not use this command unless you have a way of ensuring your dog will respond. So what to do when your dog sneaks out the door unleashed? My instinctive and incorrect reaction, and probably yours too, is to yell at her to “Come” and start chasing. This looks like a game to your dog, she is faster than you, she likes to play, and this looks like great fun! It’s time to change the rules—either run in the opposite direction calling her name in a happy voice, or sit or lie flat on the ground while calling her name in a happy voice. Once she comes, attach her leash, and engage in a few minutes of play. Try it—it works!

Teaching come works much better if you have two people. It can work with one, but you have to adjust yourself to the dog’s routine. Have your helper hold the dog’s leash. Put him on a sit, and back up several steps. Hold out a treat and say your dog’s name and “Come.” Your helper should release the leash when you say “Come.” Move the treat back towards your knees. Once the dog comes, put him in a sit and reward and praise. After each successful recall, back up a few steps. If you dog is not coming to you, put more excitement in your voice, try running a few steps away from him, then kneel down and open your arms calling him in a happy voice. Once he comes to you and sits, reward and praise lavishly. Practice in different locations to generalize the behavior. Slowly decrease the frequency of treats but always praise when your dog comes. I like to treat for fast “comes” and just praise for slower comes or comes with detours.

If you have no helper, wait until your dog is several steps away from you, and then call his name and “Come,” and lure him in with the treat. If he doesn’t respond, back up quickly a couple steps and call him again. If it’s still isn’t working, put more excitement in your voice, run away from him a couple steps, then crouch down with open arms and the treat and call him again. This almost always works.

Heel

To teach your dog to heel, you are going to need a pocketful or pouch full of training treats. Put your dog into a sit on your left side (or right side if you prefer, but be consistent). Hold the leash in your right hand, and have your left hand on the middle of the leash with a treat in your fingertips. Say the dogs name and “Heel.” Show him a treat in your left hand and walk forward luring him with the treat. When he starts to pull, stop and hold the leash firmly. When he looks at you, praise him by saying “Good Dog!” and lure him back to you with the treat as you walk backwards a couple steps. When he comes back to you, give him the treat and praise. Start walking in the opposite direction, luring him with a treat in your left hand. Give him treats occasionally as you are walking, as long as he is not pulling at the leash. The first session should probably last no more than 5 minutes.

In later sessions, change directions frequently, and change your speed, as you lure him with the treats. Your goal is to get him to pay attention to you, and walk well on a loose lead. Gradually increase distractions and change locations for your walks. Walking well on a leash takes awhile for some dogs—at least a couple weeks, with a lot of backsliding when there are distractions. It will take even longer with a puppy. Be patient with your dog. I don’t ever expect a perfect heel from my dogs—I don’t put that much effort into training them. All I am looking for is a dog who can walk on a loose lead without pulling.

While training, keep your attitude positive, and always end on a successful note. If that means you have to go back to a different command, that’s fine. Always quit before you get frustrated and before your dog gets bored. Engage your dog in play after each training session. Five minutes at a time is sufficient to get a reasonably well-behaved dog in a couple weeks. If you can afford five minutes several times a day, it will happen even faster. Good luck!