For example, show her a treat in your hand, and then say “no” before closing your fist around the treat. Let her sniff and lick at your hand, but don’t give her the treat. Once she stops trying and turns away, offer her plenty of praise and provide a treat from your other hand—not the enclosed one. [1] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source Use a stern voice to issue the command, but don’t yell or otherwise make your dog think you’re punishing her. Use a neutral, stern voice as opposed to the happy voice you usually use with your dog, so she doesn’t mistake the command for positive reinforcement.
Space the trials out as well to stop both of you from getting frustrated. Try a few times a day over the course of several days. [3] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
Instead of immediately offering praise when she turns away from your enclosed fist, don’t say or do anything. Since this isn’t what she expects to happen, she’ll look up at you for instruction. As soon as she does, offer the praise and the treat (still from your opposite hand). [4] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source Repeat the exercise until your dog immediately looks up and makes eye contact with you when you say “no” instead of staring at your fist for several seconds before looking to you. This may require lots of repetitions—up to forty or fifty. [5] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source You can make her focus and show even more self-control by slowly increasing the amount of time she needs to keep eye contact with you before offering the praise and treat. [6] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
To help make this successful, use a treat she likes but doesn’t love on the floor. Reserve her favorite type of treat for when you provide the praise and treat when she leave the one of the floor alone. [9] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source Be very consistent with the positive reinforcement. Remember that you should wait to provide the treat until your dog looks at you when you say “no. ”[10] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source The process will require patience and lots of repetitions.
For instance, hide a treat along your walking path before you actually take your dog out for a walk. When she gets a whiff of it and begins heading toward it, issue the command and keep walking. If she pulls at her leash toward the treat, then stop out of range. Wait for her to stop pulling and to look up at you, then offer plenty of praise and give her a treat from your pocket—not the one you planted. [11] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
This is also a great precaution to take even when you are home while she’s still learning the command and doesn’t yet always obey.
For instance, say your dog consistently keeps trying to get up on the couch. Rather than saying “no” over and over all afternoon, say it once. Then say, “Where’s your toy?” Proceed to go get her favorite toy and toss it or play tug-o-war with it for a moment. Her attention will shift away from the sofa. Distraction is another great step to take while your dog is still learning the no command. Make sure to interrupt your dog before she actually displays the undesired behavior—when she sniffs at the couch or paces in front of it, for example. Otherwise, she might begin to associate you playing with the toy with her as praise for the behavior.
Make sure to check an inconspicuous spot on the object first to make sure the repellent spray doesn’t damage the item. There are also electrical mats or chargers that you can place on or around items. If your dog comes in the vicinity (shock collar type) or touches the object (direct contact type), the mat or charger will give the dog a slight shock to deter him from coming in contact with the article.
For instance, if you tell her “no” before she runs across the yard, but she runs off anyway, then it’s beneficial for your dog to respond to a command like “come. ” You can begin teaching this command by saying it before making your dog chase you and then offering positive reinforcement. [15] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source You can find more information on teaching your dog this command at How to Train a Dog to Come Similarly, teaching your dog “down” if she jumps up on people after being told “no” can also help. To do so, completely ignore her as she jumps up on you except for issuing the command “down,” and then give her plenty of treats and praise as soon as all four of her paws are back down on the floor. [16] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source This is more effective than pushing her off, which she can mistake for play.
