Sarasota is a very dog friendly town. Bringing your dog along with you to public places is always fun–when they are well-behaved, that is. On the other hand, it can be frustrating when Fido barks incessantly or always gets tangled around the cafe table’s legs. Training your dog to listen to you and behave in public can make your outings together much more enjoyable. Here are some skills you can work on with your dog that will help them to do well when out in public.
Place Training
This kind of training helps in many situations–meal prep, when guests arrive, and yes, even when you’re out in public. At home, you may send your dog to a bed when you tell them to “place”. While you don’t have access to this in public, it’s possible to adapt this training so that your dog places on a blanket or towel that you bring with you. Begin the training at home. Lay out the fabric you’ve chosen, tell your dog “Place,” and have them lay down on it. If your dog already knows the “place” command in another context, you’ll find it simple to incorporate this new step. Once your dog understands that they’re to lay on the fabric, bring them outside and repeat. Soon you’ll be able to arrive at your public destination, lay out their mat, and have your dog lay still.
Heeling
This is an important skill for dogs to understand when walking in busy or crowded areas. To begin this training, hold a treat in a fist at your side, say “heel”, and take a few steps (your dog will likely be right next to you with their nose pressed to your hand). After a few steps, stop and tell Fido to sit, then reward him with the treat. Repeat this until your dog is quite responsive to the command. Replace the treat-in-the-hand trick with a hand motion, such as pointing down or patting your thigh. Work on this until your dog responds quickly by coming to your side and sitting down as soon as you give the command.
Leave It
You never know what you may encounter when in a public place. Food, trash, and other mysterious items pose a threat to your dog if eaten, while bikes or skateboards may rile up your pup. Place a treat on the ground, cover it with your hand, and give the command. Be patient as you allow your dog to sniff your hand and even try to uncover the treat. Do not repeat the command. As soon as they back away and stop trying to get at it, say “good” (and click, if you’re clicker training), then reward them with a different treat than the one under your hand. This way, you enforce their understanding that the goal is not to get the treat on the ground, but instead that they’ll be rewarded when they ignore it. Practice this a couple times each day with your dog until they aren’t interested in trying to uncover the treat. Then, move up to dropping a treat on the floor and not covering it (you may want to have your dog on a leash to keep them from getting to it). Once your dog has mastered this impulse control, they should be ready to use this skill to behave in public.
Gulf Coast K9 Dog Training provides expert guidance to Sarasota and Bradenton area dog owners. No matter your training need, from puppy to mature adult, we are here to help.
