Basic dog care advice
Dogs need their own bed and blanket in a quiet corner of a room where they are able to see what’s going on. It’s best to put your dog’s bed in a draught-free corner of the kitchen as it should be warm and have a washable floor. Your dog will need a food and water bowl and bedding which should be warm, dry and comfortable. It will need a well-fenced garden where it can exercise and play.
Dogs can get the right nutrients from pre-prepared food and biscuits available in pet shops. Many dogs won’t eat all they need in one feed, so it is best to feed your dog 2 small meals a day, depending on its size.
Feed the smallest quantity recommended for your size of dog and only increase this if it starts to look thin. Give your dog the same type of food every time to stop it becoming fussy, and take the bowl away after 15 minutes.
Older dogs and dogs that have been neutered will need less food. Give your dog sterilized marrow bones rather than cooked bones which can splinter. It will also need fresh, clean water every day.
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Teach your dog to ’stay’
After sit and lie-down the next everyday command is stay which essentially means sit and stay there ’til I tell you otherwise. It is a more rigid command than the temporary wait.
The secret is to do it in gradual stages increasing the distance between you and the dog before the ‘release’ command usually, “OK!” or “Come!” ( so a bit of 2-in-1 training going on at that stage too).
Once your dog has mastered sit and lie down you can move on to “Stay!” or “Sit! Stay!” or “Lie down! Stay!”
Give the command holding the palm of your hand towards the dog’s nose in the classic stop gesture either standing in front of the dog and facing him or standing by his side with him in the ‘heel’ position. It is useful to train with both verbal commands and hand signals at the same time. Plus one re-enforces the other. (A hand command for stay can be handy too when you dramatically increase the distance between you and your pet or when there is a lot of surrounding noise).
Take one step away then return. Praise, “Good Dog!” and reward. Give the release command immediately and praise lavishly. Gradually increase the distance between you and the dog before returning or using the “Come!” command.
Over time increase the distance and pause between starting and finishing the exercise.Your aim should be to give the command and walk around the dog, then walk into another room or upstairs before either returning to the dog, praising and giving the release command or by calling “Come!” either way praise (all the time) and treats indiscriminately. Remember treats are not forever!
