DSD Training Videos

When we’re heeling, we use a lure to maintain their attention, and reward them for accurate body-positioning.

Good dogs are fun to be around.  A dog that’s well-behaved and always under control will get to go out into the world and meet lots of people.  They’ll be happier and you’ll be happier.

Polite greetings take practice.  It’s a good idea to train your dog to automatically sit when you meet another person, especially if they’re with another dog.

If you teach your dog to always sit before and after crossing the road, you’ll greatly reduce their risk of being hit by a car.  First practice at home, then hit the streets.

By slowly increasing the level of distraction and distance from your dog, you can create a super-effective verbal sit command that works anywhere, anytime.

Dogs love food and so it’s a great idea to have them do a little obedience training to earn their dinner.  It’s also a great time for handling exercises.

Walking around, skipping, getting down on the ground; all of these things will tempt a dog to break their stay.  Practice with your dog or they won’t stand a chance.

Gizzy gets the better part of Ian on the following course, but with his persistence and a skilled two handed grab Ian finally crosses the finish line.

A rock solid, lightening quick “Down” (or “Sit” for that matter) solves just about every problem in dog training, and also happens to be very useful in agility competition.  Just practice it!

With a combination of enthusiastic praise and timely reprimands, it’s easy to maintain your dog’s attention during a sit stay.

This first step is very easy, but vitally important.  If you don’t actively train your dog to enjoy having their collar grabbed, they’re going to make problems for you later on.

If you want your dog’s stays to be reliable, you need to practice them.  Slowly introduce distance and distractions to test your dog’s stays.  Pay constant attention and use lots of feedback to keep them in position.

Children enjoy games almost as much as dogs.  This little heeling course really reveals who has control of their dogs.

During recalls you want to praise your dog enthusiastically for each step they take towards you.  If they ignore you, walk away from them, calling them energetically as you go.

Ian offers some some tips on motivating your dog into heeling properly.  Using lots of energy and frequent position changes, even distracted and lazy dogs can be convinced that heeling is a good time.

It’s much better to teach a rock-solid distance sit, but a good distance recall can also be very useful.

There’s nothing like a little competition to motivate both dogs and owners

True off–leash control means that your dog will listen to you even when they’re in the middle of another fun activity.  Until you have this control, be very careful of where you let them fun free.

A reliable sit-command that works anywhere and anytime, at a distance and with distractions, is the most valuable tool in training.  But training is very context dependent, so it takes a lot of practice.

Introduce distance commands slowly, and don’t push your dog too hard too fast.  Maintain a level of training which is challenging, but allows your dog to succeed the majority of the time.

In crowded urban areas, there are lots of distractions for your dog.  Give them time to get used to new and unfamiliar surroundings.  Classically condition them to enjoy different environments.

Practice grabbing or recalling your dog when their distracted in a play session.  If you can’t control your dog when they get excited, they can get into dangerous situations very quickly.

If your dog doesn’t listen to you, there’s only one way to improve: practice.  After a week of practice we can see the dramatic improvement in control.

Dogs are naturally inclined to follow our body movements.  If you want your dog to learn verbal commands, you’ll have to work at it actively.  If your dog only responds to hand signals, then you’re only in control when they’re looking at you.

Training a wriggly puppy to stay is takes some concentration.  The dog must already have a firm understanding of the basic positions, as well as the “Off” command.  Build your stays a little at a time.

Your dog is likely to get over-excited while meeting people on the street.  So repeat it over and over again until they’re calm enough that you can have them sit to say hello.

A dog that doesn’t settle down on command is going to be a pain to live with.  It can be very useful to train several  down positions, depending on how long you want them to stay down.

Dogs often behave differently with different people.  In a family, it’s very important that all members train with the dog so that everyone has a similar level of control.

Punishment is a necessary part of a complete training program.  However, punishment does not need to be painful or scary.  If you’re mean to your dog they’ll become anti-social and difficult to train.

A dog that’s sitting can’t jump up.  Ask your dog to sit before letting them out, so you  at least begin the exercise in control.

Your dog NEEDS to pee and poop, there’s simply no way to avoid it!  The solution of course is teaching your dog when and where to go.  The only way to prevent mistakes and put potty on cue is regular confinement sessions.

Off leash following requires mental control.  Without any treats you can use your voice and energy to keep your puppy happily following by your side.  If a 7-year old can do it, you can too!

If your dog isn’t the most energetic, you may have to work harder to get them excited and motivated for training.  If they’re lazy, praise them enthusiastically!

This exercise is all about building off-leash control of your dog.  It rewards your dog for coming when called, sitting and having their collar taken, which makes them very easy to catch. The alternative is a dog that runs away when you go to take it’s collar.

Always reward a good recall.  However, as soon as their recalls are solid, you want to start adding a default sit at the end of recalls, so your dog is ready for the next cue.

Dogs jump up to say hi and express affection.  It would be cruel to respond to their affection with painful corrections.  It’s far easier to train your dog to do something else when they meet people.  Something that they can’t do while jumping up.  But what could that something be…?

An effective trainer can switch immediately from sweet praise to stern reprimand.  Use the tone of your voice to let your puppy now when you like what they’re doing and when you don’t.

Lures are very useful to show your dog what to do.  But make sure you start phasing them out ASAP, or else you’ll end up with a dog that only behaves when you have a treat.

To start building distance control, you want to try luring your puppy into following you without touching them first.  After you lure them, it’s still important to positively reinforce the collar grab.

Following your dog rewards them for walking away from you.  But if you walk or run away from them they’ll probably come after you, and then you can praise them for following you.

Life will be easier if your dog enjoys having their collar grabbed.  A dog that dodges their owner is not going to be easy to control

Dogs will follow you as long as you make it fun.  Make it a game and turn around every time they get ahead of you.  Clap yell and run away if they lag behind.

If your puppy gets stuck in position, kneel down, scratch the ground and call to them.  Pulling on the leash is only going to make them more anxious and less likely to follow.

Training a dog is as easy as 1, 2, 3: 1) Request 2) Response & 3) Reward.  The difficulty comes from figuring out how to illicit the response and then being ready to reward very promptly.

A loose piece of food makes a powerful challenge to your dog’s stay, assuming they already know the “Off” command of course.

Socialization is a life long process.  If  your dog doesn’t have regular interactions with new people and dogs, they will slowly become anti-social to strangers.

Sitting is a less stable position than lying down, so you’ll need to pay even more attention to your dog’s body cues when you’re proofing their stays.

Teaching distance commands can take a lot of focus.  You need to concentrate on the dog, and you may need a lot of energy to keep their attention from farther away.

If you pup doesn’t come the first time you call it, then change your tone so they know you mean business.  If they still don’t come, run up to them and get their attention, then lure them to follow you for a few steps.  Then you can grab their collar and reward them for coming towards you.

It’s easy to teach your dog to speed up and slow down. Alternate periods of moving quickly and slowly, giving them the appropriate cues before hand.

As soon as your dog learns a new command, you should work on phasing out the need for a food lure.  You can continue to use it as a reward, but over time, you should slowly reduce the frequency.

If you challenge your dog too much, they may go floppy on you.  This position of helplessness means you need to be gentle with them.  Getting angry will only further encourage their submissive posture.

Controlled heeling is no easy task.  At the beginning it’s a good idea to separate the turns from the straight-aways.  Once they’ve mastered that, you can slowly start to combine the two.

When you first start asking your pup to come from a play session, it probably won’t work, so you’ll need a Plan B

This beagle knows that the word “Stand” means something, but it’s not sure what.  To lure a stand, you may have to lower your hand a little to prevent them from sitting.

Use short and varied exercises to keep training fun.  If your dog is losing interest, try a different exercise or take a break and come back to it later.  You can never practice recalls too much!

A race against the clock is enough to get this lazy bloodhound moving.

When you practice recalls, be sure to reward them when you grab their collar, and have them sit before you release them.

Leslie and Bebe have clearly spent a lot of time training together, and Bebe clearly loves being close to Leslie.  So much so, in fact, that Leslie doesn’t like to “Stay” when Leslie walks away.  This makes it all the more important to praise successful stays.

No matter how difficult an exercise, it’s certain to be easier the second time around.  Repeat an activity, like greeting a visitor, several time in succession until your dog gets it right.

Training an inattentive dog takes lots of concentration.  Use energy and short, quick command sequences to keep them interested, and reign them in before you lose their attention.

Build distance commands literally step by step.  If they creep towards you, try practicing with them at the top of some stairs or behind a gate.

Practice makes perfect.  Practice putting your dog in confinement and letting them out again.  The first few times they will be very excited and hard to control.  Each repetition will make them more manageable, giving you the chance to praise them.

If you lure your dog onto their side to settle down, it will be harder for them to get up quickly.

Practicing “Come Here” & “Go To” is a great way to increase control for other family members.  After you give the “Go To” command, it’s important to be silent and still, so as not to distract the dog.

If you want to teach your dog to heel nicely, it’s best to start by luring your puppy to heel off leash.  Then you won’t be tempted to use your leash for physical control, and when you do introduce the leash, you won’t end up with a puller.

When you lure a stand you should lower your hand a little bit to prevent your dog from sitting.

Reprimands should communicate that the dog is misbehaving, and are best when they also tell the dog what to do instead.  You certainly needn’t hurt the dog, but you must communicate that you are upset with them and you mean business.

Smaller dogs can be harder to lure.  It may take longer to get going, and you’ll probably want to start by rewarding even small steps in the right direction.

If you want your dog to be interested in training, you have to be enthusiastic and energetic.  Children are usually very good at this, except when you put them on the spot.

When you interrupt a puppy play session with a successful recall, you are challenging the pup with doggy distractions, and then giving hem a huge reward by telling them to go play again.

Challenge your dog to beat their longest stay.  Start with easy, short duration stays and build up slowly, practicing on whatever is most difficult for your dog.

Always continue to up the ante for rewards.  The more your pup does for each food treat, the better.

The first step of a recall is the hardest, so practice that first step over and over again, with a string of single step recalls.

If you think your dog is going to break give them with an instructive reprimand that reminds them that they need to focus on you and what you’re doing.

Fine tuning your recalls and sits takes practice.  With a big dog you’ll want to extend your hand out to the dog to stop them before they come barreling into you.  Use big exaggerated hand signals to show your dog what you want.

Luring a down can take a little while, especially from a stand.  Be persistent and it will pay off eventually.

Punishment is an important part of training, but don’t overdo it.  An instructive reprimand will let your dog know that they’re getting it wrong, and  also let’s them know how they can fix it.

You need to train your dog to slow down as they approach you, especially if you have a big dog.  Eventually, it’s a good idea to train them to sit after their recalls.

You need to train your dog to slow down as they approach you, especially if you have a big dog.  Eventually, it’s a good idea to train them to sit after their recalls.

With slow dogs you have to walk directly away or they’re sure to start taking shortcuts.  Get them excited and keep them focused.

The easiest way to get a dog to do something is to show them, the easiest way to show them is with a lure and the easiest lure to use is a food treat.

Keep your puppy interested in training.  If their attention begins to lag, ask them to do something simple and give them a treat.  Be aware of your surroundings and if you’re having trouble, avoid distractions.

During recalls, the first step is the most important.  Watch your dog closely and be sure to praise them at appropriate times.

Little dogs can be more difficult to lure, there’s simply less room for error.  When sitting, try to bring the treat up and back over the pup’s head, without going so high that they try to jump up.

Your laughter is a powerful reward for your dog, so be careful to avoid laughing when they misbehave.

Children have the potential to be wonderful dog trainers.  Their energy and enthusiasm makes them very engaging so all they need are a few tricks of the trade and some supervision.

By using a lure to illicit the correct response, you are already training them to respond to the movement of your hand.  That makes it easy to train them to respond to a hand signal that can then be used at a distance.

Before introducing treats, take a moment to try luring your pup by simply being fun & interesting.  Yell and clap to make them come, then praise and pet them for a reward.  Treats can be a valuable tool in training, but it can become a crutch if youre not careful.

Maintaining a dog’s attention while heeling is not easy.  It’s easiest to do in short sequences, but Leslie is very good at praising Bebe to keep her heeling by her side.

Heeling on-leash is no easy task.  If you teach off-leash following and heeling first, you won’t end up with a leash puller that is only “under your control” because of a physical restraint

A quick sit is the best way to control your dog.  There’s nothing like a little competition between siblings to encourage practice and improvement.

Use the power of your voice to control your dog.  If your dog ignores you, change your tone so they know you mean business.  Set yourself up for success by getting the dog’s attention before it’s released.

As your dog gets the hand of staying, you can phase out the running commentary and introduce more silly behavior.  Go slowly and increase the challenge a little bit at a time to maintain the momentum of success.

If you want your pup to enjoy training, you’ll have to motivate them.  It’s no good expecting your pup to comply simply because you’re the boss.

You shouldn’t expect a child to successfully train a dog all on their own, but sometimes it does happen.  Emily has clearly spent a lot of time working with Jessie, and Jessie clearly loves training with her.

These adult SIRIUS graduates have all of the socialization and training skills to enjoy a happy life playing with their owners and other dogs.

With lure-reward training you should never get frustrated.  If you’re pup doesn’t want to train, they don’t get a reward.  If you stop feeding them from a food bowl, they’ll want to train soon enough!

An effective trainer can switch immediately from sweet praise to stern reprimand.  Use the tone of your voice to let your puppy now when you like what they’re doing and when you don’t.

Start by keeping your dog in different positions for very short stays.  Build the duration of the stays slowly, a few seconds at a time.