Training Your Puppy With The Right Toys
It can often make more sense to train your dog with toys, and a Kong dog toy is the one recommended by professional trainers. Any dog can learn that a toy is a great reward. This is especially helpful for those who are in need of losing weight, have issues taking treats, or are hypersensitive to treat rewards. It is often less expensive to use this method and can be an excellent way to help a dog with food allergies enjoy a training session.
A kong original is great aid to teaching efforts for a wide variety of reasons. Even the dogs with the strongest of bites can not readily destroy this toy. By design these are the toys that are almost impossible to tear apart.
They can hold a yummy morsel to encourage interest without being a source of unwanted calories. Additionally, you can leave them with your best friend unattended provided you have offered them the appropriate size.
These toys are excellent for teaching Fido how to stay home alone without fear or anxiety. Whether in a crate or on a treasure hunt, frozen canned food in the Kong toy can help him associate your absence with pleasure instead of pain. He will be pushing you out the door if this is the only time he receives such a reward. Use different filling material at other times. Be sure that a big dog does not have access to a small Kong as these can end up being a choking hazard.
If you have not been able to get the kind of motivation that you want, try building the value of the toy. Dress it up with yummy goodies, put it away when you are not teaching him, and never yell or act aggressively toward him while the session is going on.
Any kind of meat, canned food, or even peanut butter in small doses can be helpful for building up the toy's value. Stuffing it with Kong stuffing also helps. If the effort you are putting forth does not yield a result, stuff the Kong with goodies and then allows him to have it. When he is done, pick it back up. When he is really excited about seeing you get it for him, you know it has a high value to him. Then start teaching him basics through guidance. Sit should be a guided positioning by raising the toy so he has to look up at it.
Of course, as soon as he does you want to present the reward along with a very happy "sit!" Avoid naming any behavior until he understands what it actually means. Otherwise you are simply asking him to do what he can not comprehend.
For any kind of training, a Kong toy really offers you a lot of versatility as well as durability. It is a fantastic aid for teaching your dog that responding to your cues leads to a good time. This will motivate him to perform for you. Once he understands that this is reward he receives, you can start giving him dual rewards like throwing the toy so he can chase or swim after it.