BDTC courses
Traditional training courses use the voice command followed by physically showing the dog what you expect it to do. This can take the form of raising the titbit above its nose so it naturally ‘falls’ into the sitting position, followed by the word and then the treat. The repetition of the exercise will encourage the dog to sit on his own just by saying the word.
Pros:
- All the family can join in, as long as the command word stays the same;
- most owners are used to using this method on previous dogs;
- it is natural to talk to your dog, even if he can’t understand you!
Cons:
- The dog learns through following rather than working it out for itself and therefore can forget behaviours quickly.
- it can be hard to stop emotion creeping in to your voice, which the dog will readily pick up on;
- it can take the dog a long time to understand a new command.