This 2011 holiday season, my husband and I traveled a lot. I watched friends and family members ask their dogs to do behaviors they’ve never actually taught their dogs to do. The part that baffles me the most is that they truly expected their dogs to perform behaviors like “Get out of the kitchen!” “Stop begging!” and “Stop barking at the doorbell!”
Maybe many dog owners think, “I took my dog through puppy classes and, phew, now I’m done training!”
As dogs are exposed to new situations (the first year hosting Christmas, for example), owners may find new behaviors they need to train that were never needed before. A solid understanding of clicking and treating, plus shaping and capturing techniques, will allow pet owners to train anything they need their dogs to do. Just as the saying goes, “You learn something new every day.” Your dogs should, too!
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