How to train your dog.

I am so excited about my 2 Yorkies (Hank and Rex) because I found a great resource for help with dog training. I did it all on my own and didn’t have to send them to Dog Obedience School. I started with basic dog obedience and now we’re moving on to more advanced dog tricks! Here’s a brief rundown of how things have improved…

Like all new pets, I knew I would need to do some kind of obedience training to teach them to not go to the bathroom inside. That’s a given. But I thought house training a dog was nothing more than taking them for regular walks, and eventually they would let me know when they wanted to go outside again. It wasn’t quite that simple. There’s a real method to house training a dog.

6 months ago, one of my dogs (Hank) was agressive with his food. Not towards me or my children, but towards the younger yorkie (Rex). I thought the best solution was to just keep them separated when it was time to eat, but that wasn’t really a solution as much as a temporary fix. Today, Hank has no problem sharing his food with Rex.

I had new drywall installed in my basement. Like all puppies, Rex was getting new teeth, so he decided to chew the corners of the drywall. I’m definitely not a drywall expert, but I eventually fixed the drywall, only to find out that Rex came back for more. He was also chewing window sills, chair legs, kids toys, and anything else he could sink his teeth into. Today, Rex knows what he’s allowed to chew on, and everything else is off limits.

My wife and daughter brought home a kitten one day. Hank (the older dog) was very agressive towards the tiny kitten. With the proper training techniques, Hank and the kitten now get along great. Dogs and cats can actually be friends.

Yorkies love to bark. The windows in my house are close to the floor, so anybody or any animal that walks by is in easy sight for both dogs. For months, I would listen to these adorable little dogs bark like maniacs at every living creature within 50 yards of my home (and I live in a busy neighborhood). Today, they calmly watch the flow of traffic stroll through without a care in the world.

Taking Hank and Rex for a walk used to be frustrating. They would pull the leash with all their strength for the entire walk. And if the leash every slipped out of my hand, it became an instant game of chase. God forbid if another dog walked by. One time, Hank (all 5 lbs. of him) slipped away and tried to attack a Rottweiler. Thankfully, the Rottie was trained to not attack. Today, if i accidentally drop the leash, they wait for me to pick it up before they keep going. It’s amazing!

Have you ever played a game of fetch with your dog? Does your dog actually bring anything back or is it like it used to be for me? I would throw a toy, one of the dogs would run and pick it up. They would bring it back to within about 2 feet of me, and just stare at me. They would never drop it. If I would attempt to take it (even with my nicest, most loving voice) they would just take a step back, daring me to try to get closer. I could only get the toy back through a hard-fought battle of tug-of-war. You would be amazed at how long yorkies can hang onto a toy. These puppies needed some dog obedience training. Today, I can throw the toy, they’ll go get it (when I tell them to), then bring it right back and drop it at my feet. My neighbors love to watch!

Anyway, I think you get the point. I have learned some great techniques for training my dogs. I actually started this website because I’m so excited about the program that helped me train my dogs.

For you own sanity, for your dog’s happiness, please take the time to check out this dog training program. It’s called “SitStayFetch” and I’m sure it will work for you. They even have a 6-day free dog training course for you to sign up for. Honestly, you’ll be glad you did. And your dog will be glad you did.

Click on the SitStayFetch image below for the full program.