Raising a Well Mannered Mutt

By Sallie Palmer
Certified Dog Trainer

Tricks and treats

Liver & Oatmeal training treats

This is a great training treat recipe.

1 lb. liver (chicken or beef)
2 C. Instant Quaker Oats (flavored instant Quaker oats can be substituted and the maple syrup omitted)
¼ C. Maple Syrup.
¼ C. of Oats to be sprinkled on top

In a blender or food processor puree the liver. Add the Oatmeal and mix with liver. Add Maple syrup and blend. If necessary add ¼ C of water to help mix the ingredients together until smooth.
Spray a cookie sheet (with edges) with non-stick oil. Pour mixer onto the cookie sheet and spread it to the edges. Sprinkle the ¼ C of oaks on top of mixture.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow treats to cool and cut into small cubes with a pizza cutter. When totally cool, place into plastic container and refrigerate.
*note. Turn on the oven fan. The liver smell can be strong.

 TRICKS

We love to teach our dogs tricks and most dogs love to learn them. An easy way to teach a dog a trick is to study your dog’s behavior and wait until they do something that is trick worthy, give the behavior a label and then give your dog a treat to reinforce the behavior. Example: Your dog barks, you say speak and give your dog a treat. If you do this consistently for awhile you will one day say “SPEAK” and your dog will bark. You still need to reward the behavior immediately after the bark. Most dogs enjoy our reactions to their behavior.

Another example of a natural trick is if you have a dog that chases his tail. Wait until he starts to chase his tail, label the action by saying “SPIN CYCLE” or “TORNATO”. Then offer your dog a treat. You need to be patient and persistent. Some dogs catch on quickly and some take more time.

Another simple trick is to train your dog to sneeze on command. This seems to work best with small dogs. I don’t know why but they just seem to catch on quicker than large dogs. Did you know that dogs sneeze when they’re happy? I start out making sure I have treats in my pocket. Then I wait until my dog sneezes. He will usually do this after he wakes up or when I return from a short absence. When my dog sneezes, I say “SNEEZE” and give him a treat. I do this as often as possible. Be patient, it might take a week. After a while I say “Sneeze” and observe what my dog does next. If he does a heavy sniff, blow out air or anything that indicates he’s trying to sneeze, I reward the behavior. I am careful not to over reward this behavior because I want him to continue trying to do a full fledge sneeze.

A note about Halloween and dogs. Some dogs become very stressed on Halloween night. For those dogs who don’t enjoy the festivities, set up a quiet dark place for your dog to retreat to and let him stay there undisturbed. For other dogs who get overly excited about the activities place the dog on a leash and have someone in charge of training for the evening. Make your dog sit a distance away from the door when the doorbell rings. Have him remain in a sit while the door is open and goblins are on the door step. At this point you might want to see if you can get your dog interested in some treats of his own. When the kids are gone and the door again closed, release your dog from his sit and reward him with praise.

 

Sallie Palmer is a certified dog trainer with the International Association of Canine Professionals(IACP). Members of this organization include Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer and the Monks of New Skete to name a few. For more information about Sallie go to www.wellmanneredmutts.net . For more information on the International Association of Canine Professionals go to www.dogpro.org

 

 

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