Food, Drinks, Fun and Fido
Are you gearing up for a watch party this weekend? In your mind’s eye, do you see your super pooch behaving politely at your super party? Just like professional athletes, you need to practice before game day. Think about the temptations your dog will encounter during a party. Think about what you would like your dog to do instead of giving into temptations. Pick three behaviors that are incompatible with tackling guests and intercepting snacks. Practice these three behaviors this week.
Practice sit/stay before game day. Your dog can’t sit and stay while simultaneously jumping on guests. Add distractions to your sit stay practice. Can your dog perform a sit stay while you approach your dog in an excited manner, wrinkle a treat bag, squeak a toy, or bounce a ball? If the answer is no, now is the time to train. Feeding your dog for sit stays during distractions tells your dog, “yes, ignore all distractions and just sit here.” In the beginning, you’ll feed your dog for a sit/stay during the entire distraction. Over time, you’ll feed less during the distraction. Eventually, you should be able to give your dog one treat before releasing your dog from a sit stay with distraction.
Go long with leave it. If you want a reliable “Leave It”, even when you are a long distance from your dog, train it as an attention cue. If you train “leave it” as a threat or punishment, your dog is more likely to respond slowly and unreliably. Train your dog to look at you whenever she hears “leave it.” Make sure you say “leave it” in a light, upbeat tone. Think surprise party, not road rage. Honor the “leave it” canine contract. Every time your dog looks at you and ignores temptation after hearing you say "leave it”, feed your dog a treat. This week, go long and be sure to practice “leave it” when you are far away from your dog. You can start by cuing “leave it” when your dog hears a noise outside. Advance to someone offering your dog a treat in another room while you cue “leave it.”
Rush the end zone with a “go to place” cue. “Go to place” moves your dog away from temptation and towards a touchdown. Can your dog go to her bed and lay down on cue? Start practicing her “go to place” cue with distractions. Can your dog “go to place” with snacks on the coffee table? Can she "go to place" while someone knocks on the door, rings the doorbell, or walks into the room?
Don’t forget, it’s also OK to bench your dog and cue “go to place” in a quiet room away from the party.
I hope your dog scores brownie points during your party! Need help training these and other behaviors? Pass the ball to a force-free professional dog trainer near you.
