Greetings, vibrant viewers, and welcome to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. On today’s program we present the first in a three-part series featuring renowned dog trainer and animal behaviorist Carolyn Menteith, who discusses how to develop mutually respectful relationships with our canine companions through training.

Carolyn works with Dogs Trust, the largest dog-welfare charity in the United Kingdom, whose mission is to usher in a new, golden era in which all dogs enjoy a happy life. Carolyn shares with us about the importance of having a well-trained dog, basic dog-training tips, how to keep our dog companions happy, and the first lessons to teach.

Dog Trust presents Dog Training Made Easy with Carolyn Menteith

1 WHY TRAIN YOUR DOG

Well, first of all, a well-trained dog has more freedom, the freedom to be allowed off the lead to run and play and get more exercise, and also the freedom to be more involved in your life. You can take him everywhere with you, to visit friends, on holiday, even to work because you know that he’ll be well-behaved. It’s not just about freedom though, it’s about safety as well.

If your dog is well-trained, you can keep him safe. And you can keep everyone else safe from your dog. You owe it to anyone who comes into contact with your dog to make sure that he is a well-behaved member of canine society. And you owe it to your dog to be able to keep him safe and give him a long and happy life.

But more important than that, a well-trained dog is a joy to live with. You don’t have to worry about him knocking over granny, or rounding up the children, or chasing the postman. You can just get on and enjoy your life together. A well-trained dog is a happy dog. And the caregiver of a well-trained dog is a happy caregiver. So what do you need to train your dog?

EQUIPMENT

Carolyn explains that the equipment needed for training a dog is very basic. You need a wide, comfortable collar, a 2-meter long training lead, some type of healthy treats which your dog finds very delicious, and, of course, your dog.

Hallo, Oliver.

Dog Training Made Easy with Dogs Trust is the fun, enjoyable, but most importantly, positive way to train your dog. Positive training is all about rewarding your dog when he does things right.

2 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DOG

Positive doesn’t mean permissive. You can create all the same boundaries, all the same ground rules for your dog using positive training methods as you can using any other method of training. But you’ll do it in a way that builds the trust that your dog has in you and builds the bond between you. With positive training methods, we are going to show the dog what we want him to do instead, and then reward him for it. So how are we going to reward our dogs? We are going to use really yummy food that they love.

Dogs are hard-wired to work for their food. That’s how they would survive. And so we can use that instinct to make sure that we have a well-trained, well-behaved dog. A well-timed treat means that you could be guaranteed that that behavior is going to keep happening. So, why don’t we punish our dogs? Punishment erodes the bond between you. Dogs are supposed to be our best friends. And you wouldn’t teach your best friend to do something by shouting at him or even worse hitting him if he didn’t get it right.

If you did, he wouldn’t be a friend for very long and he’d think you were a bit of a bully. Dogs are thinking, feeling, emotional creatures, just like us. So why should they do what we ask unless we show them that it is fun and that it is beneficial for them?

Later on in your training, you are going to learn how to reduce the number of treats that you’re using so that you’re not having to reward every time because your dog’s just doing it for the fun of it. So get out there, stop looking for the bad things to punish, and instead show your dog what you want him to do and reward him for it. So get out there and have some fun.

Many people take a dog into their life without really understanding what they need to be healthy and happy, and more importantly, to be easy to live with.

3 WHAT YOUR DOG NEEDS TO BE HAPPY

Most people know that dogs need a constant supply of clean, fresh water, good quality food and regular grooming to keep their coats clean and healthy. But the one thing that people often underestimate is just how much exercise a dog needs. Exercise is the number one thing that you can do to improve nearly all behavior problems in dogs because they come because dogs are bored, they’ve got pent-up energy or just are really frustrated.

Dogs need exercise every single day. And depending what sort of dog that is, depends whether it might be half an hour a day, or a couple of hours several times a day, with lots of running and play off lead to keep them happy. But it’s not all about physical exercise, either. Dogs need to use their brains. Training is good for that. So Dog Training the Easy Way with Dogs Trust is a great way to bond with your dog and keep him mentally healthy.

But there is lots of interactive toys you can use, anything from straightforward as just putting some food into a rubber KONG toy for your dog to try and work out how to get out, or even more complicated toys for the canine Einsteins of the world who can work out how to puzzle them out. It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, though. Even old toilet rolls with a bit of dried dog food inside and the ends folded down can prove a great toy for your dog. Or if you don’t have a cardboard tube, you could use an old plastic bottle with some treats in it.

But always supervise your dog when he’s playing with toys. If they get really good at that, you can move on to even bigger tubes to see how he manages with that. So when we take a dog into our life, we know we have to give him good food, mental stimulation, our company and that is really important because dogs are social animals. That’s why they fit into our life so well, and plenty of exercise. Dogs need your energy and your time to be healthy, happy, and easy to live with. So go and have fun.

One of the things that we don’t always remember is that some dogs aren’t naturally happy being handled, being groomed, or being cuddled. And so we have to teach them that it’s enjoyable and it is a fun part of life as a family dog.

4 HANDLING YOUR DOG

Sometimes if people get bitten it’s because a dog reacts fearfully to being handled when he’s never been taught just what a joy it is. Body language for dogs is very different to us. For a dog to have a hug, to put his paw across the top of another dog, he’d have to be spoiling for a fight. That’s why quite often dogs react by barking when their humans have a hug. They really just don’t understand it.

So we have to teach them how to enjoy being hugged and being handled. For dogs who live with children or just for the caregivers who love doggie cuddles, this is one of the best things you’re ever going to teach your dog to do. And so to help me show you how to teach your dog to enjoy being handled, I’ve got Basil here. Now what we need is a really good supply of yummy treats that Basil really likes. And then while giving him a treat, just slowly start to stroke – and he can’t have the plate, he has the one in my hand – slowly just start to stroke him all over his body.

Always start in places that you know he’s comfortable being stroked, and give him a treat after every bit. So you can stroke down the side of his body, keep giving him a nice yummy treat, so that he links your hands in his mind with feeling good. You can run your hands up his ears, run them down his paws, so you can examine his paws, all the time giving him a treat so that he knows that hands mean good stuff. If he is small enough, you can tip him upon his back and just rub his tum, all the time giving him treats so he’s got positive associations with your hands.

If you find a bit that your dog’s uncomfortable being handled with, just go back a few stages, stroke the bit that he likes, and then gently move into the areas that he’s not quite so comfortable with. Hey, look, isn’t this just lovely? And he’s learning that hands and brushes and everything is just really, really enjoyable. Get everybody in the family to do this, and everybody must know that the dog needs to be handled nicely and with respect, so that hands are always something to enjoy rather than to be worried about. You’re a good boy, aren’t you?

One of the things many people forget to do is to actually teach the dog what his name is and what it means. How many times have you seen people shouting the dog’s name while he completely and utterly ignores them? You need to teach your dog that his name means something good is about to happen to the dog, so that he learns that you’re really worth paying attention to. This is the best way to build to get his attention when you need it, and it’s also the first step to teaching a dog to always come back when you call him.

What’s the most significant lesson you can teach your canine companion? Why is it important to teach your dog to lie down? Join us again tomorrow as we present the second episode of our three-part series on Dog Training Made Easy, with Carolyn Menteith.

For more information on Carolyn Menteith please visit:
Dogs Trust please visit:
A copy of the Dog Training Made Easy with Carolyn Menteith is also available at the above website.

Thank you for being with us today on Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Enlightening Entertainment, right after Noteworthy News. May all dogs and their caregivers enjoy a heavenly time together.

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