Pawsome Guidance
Hi Pawsome People!
This is a guide to the cues and skills that we at Tristen’s Puppy Gym use regularly during training session and our one-on-one “Pawsome sessions”.
It’s always a good idea to use the same word or cue when training your dog because they don’t speak English and only learn through repetition and association with a certain behaviour. For example, if you say “No!” every time they bark, they could learn that they should bark every time you say “No!”. Or, ideally, if you say “sit” every time they sit, they learn that “sit” means to sit.
The hard part of this is to remain consistent even when multiple people are training your dog together. If Mum uses the word “stay” and Dad says “wait” it can get very confusing for the little pupper to know what is required of them and this can result in frustration and loss of concentration during a training session.
Similarly, it is also important to ask your dog to perform the same tasks in the same instances so that they can build up good habits for everyone. Can you think of a time that you’ve said “my dog never jumps on me, but he jumps on my partner every time” or “my dog knows to sit while I put her lead on, but for some reason she doesn’t do this when Tristen is here”? This is because your dog has learned that they can get away with - and are rewarded by - a certain behaviour with certain people.
For this reason, we have compiled a list of standard cue words and commands that we use at Tristen’s Puppy Gym so that we can all be on the same page in your dog’s Pawsome journey:
Sit - To put lead on & off. At roads and anytime I stop walking.
Walk on - Walk as you like, free, relaxed walk.
Wait - wait and sit at roadsides.
Cross - Crossing the road, aiming for a walk beside me while crossing.
With me - When I want your dog to come back to walk beside me (loosely).
Heel - (advanced) walk beside me, while looking and focusing on me.
Good - Reward marker to let your dog know they've done the correct behaviour and are getting a treat.
Communication between trainers (meaning you, your partner, your children, your dog-sitter, and Tristen’s Puppy Gym staff) is essential in consistently teaching your dog which behaviours you want them to exhibit, and which behaviours you want to avoid.
When working with Tristen’s Puppy Gym for Pawsome Sessions we ask that you let us know if you have any negative experiences while walking, so we can be prepared and work with them to improve that area. In this case, “negative” means anything that gives them a fright, or that they react strongly too. The more often they experience this reaction, the more likely it could become a habit, so we can use different training strategies to avoid undesired behaviours and encourage confidence in the wide world.
We also recommend that you practise some basic skills at home between Pawsome Sessions so that you’re reinforcing these positive behaviours and not reinforcing unwanted ones. It will also help them progress a lot quicker with their loose-lead skills, walking manners and confidence:
Sit
Name Training
Tie Up Exercises
Using your Bridge word: "GOOD".
(Check out our other blog posts for some guides on practising these skills at home.)
Please head to our website for more information about Pawsome Sessions and to join the waiting list. We recommend a Private Training with Tristen session before starting your Pawsome journey so that we can assess your dog’s suitability and come up with a plan for us to achieve your training goals as a team.