Dog owners are a very divided breed. Your dog is either young & rambunctious, or old and lazy.... Then there are well behaved, badly behaved, hyperactive, etc etc etc....
At the end of the day, the only thing a dog is.... is a dog. They are your dog, my dog, his dog, her dog, or our dog. But they are dogs.... They cannot teach themselves anything except what they can see, hear, taste or feel.
If they cannot see another dog, they don't learn what other dogs do.
If they cannot smell another dog, they want to learn what another dog smells like.
That is a vital part of being a dog, the willingness to learn. The old saying goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but any dog is able to learn if they want to. Old dogs just don't want to learn sometimes!
If an owner (or master) does not do things that creates a learning environment for a dog, the dog will not learn. To make a dog learn, you must create an environment that helps them to act the way you, the owner, want them to act.
If you want your dog to come when you call him, call his name, and if does ANYTHING related to looking at you, coming towards you, or even just stopping where they are, praise them a lot! Every dog loves those simple words... "Good dog!". If they get a "Good dog!" every-time they come when their name is called, they will come even if they don't get a "Good dog!".
The popular choice for dog parents is the "Do the right thing, or I scold you" method. If the dog does not come when he is called, they call the name louder. Then, the name is YELLED, and a scowling face is created....... Why would the dog want to come and see that? Wouldn't he rather come to a happy face saying "Good Boy!"???
This applies to absolutely every part of teaching a dog tricks, or even just basic commands.
Any questions, feel free to ask.
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