It’s always a joy to see a new dog in our kennel whose overall behavior is better than average. That is exactly what happened with my new friend Leo, an adolescent chocolate Labradoodle.
Too many times a family adapts to a new dog in their home rather than adapting the dog to the home. The family must take the leadership role to proactively shape the dog’s behavior to be an asset to their household. It quickly became obvious that Leo is a product of such parental leadership! My goal was to sharpen Leo’s skills with some attention behaviors training.
It’s no accident when you witness an attentive and well-behaved dog regardless of circumstance. Whether it be your children or your new dog, there are no parenting days off during their formative time. That is why attention behaviors are a good place to start your training.
When practicing attention behaviors focus on:
Consistently practice and reinforce these behaviors and you will see results. When working with your dog remember to relax and find your next thank you—that’s the joy in training!
