Continuing to Train

There are always new things a dog can learn and Isaac likes to learn.  Training is like a fun game for him.  He gets treats during training and he loves treats.  I keep training sessions short, often just five minutes or so at a time, and he always wants to keep going when I stop.  And I do that on purpose.  I want him to think it's fun and I don't want him to get tired of it or become bored.

I've been working on three commands lately.

"Fix it" is a command someone online mentioned her dog knowing, and she uses that command when her dog gets his leash under his leg.  It means "step over the leash so you don't get all tangled up."  I thought that was a great command for a dog to know.  Isaac doesn't like his leash under his leg so he usually fixes it himself without being told, but sometimes he's busy sniffing or something and doesn't seem to care.  I haven't been working too hard on this one, but whenever he happens to get his leash under his leg, I tell him "fix it" and then when he does, reward him with a treat.

"Paws up" is another command I've been working on with him and I think that's a really important one.  It means he puts his paws on someone's lap.  I want him to learn to do that on command, which will hopefully cut down on him doing it without the command.  That way he won't do it unless I tell him to, and I will only tell him to do it with people I know want him to put his paws in their lap.  I have a couple of neighbors that love it if he does that, and then kisses them on the face, but not everyone appreciates doggie kisses on the face.

"Off" is the third command I am working on with Isaac, and it means "get off me" or "get off that person."  If he has his paws up on someone's lap, it means "it's time to get your paws back on the floor now."  People tend to tell dogs "down" when they want them to get off, but many dogs, including Isaac, have been taught that the command "down" means to lie down.  So I wanted another command, one that would get him off people, but allow him to sit next to someone to be petted or whatever.  I work on the "off" command at the same time I'm working on "paws up."  He puts his paws on my lap, gets a treat and gets an ear rub, then gets off and get another treat.

I love it that Isaac learns so fast.  It makes training fun.