Little Dog - The Power of 'Yes'
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Kate Jackson
One word has the ability to make training easier and more successful—the word is yes. Yes becomes the word your dog immediately associates with good behavior. It highlights the behavior and gets your dog to repeat that behavior more often. It's going to take you about a week to establish a good understanding of the word "yes". For about a week you're going to have to have treats in your pocket at all times when you're with your dog. You're going to watch your dog very carefully and whenever you see him doing something positive you're going to grab a treat, tell them yes! and surprise them with that treat. So examples might be when you walk into the room and your dog was curled up in their dog bed, you'll grab a treat, walk up, tell them "yes" Or when you get to the back door and your dog happens to just sit on the way out, without being asked, those are perfect opportunities to tell your dog—"yes", and give the treat. The key to this exercise is to do it randomly, so that your dog is not expecting the treat. After about a week, when your dog hears the word "yes!" their ears will perk up. When that happens you'll know they have a really good understanding of the word yes. For WebMD's Pint Size One Minute Trainer, I'm Kate Jackson.