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Old May 13th, 2016, 06:29 AM
fruityj fruityj is offline
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Suggested Toys/Exercises To Help Train My Dogs?

Hi, we have two dogs, a welsh cocker spaniel and a red setter. The spaniel is around 13 months as the setter is closer to the 6 month mark. I was wondering what basic exercises we can do with them and what toys we can get that can help with their training? I don't need them to jump through flaming hoops or dance around for guests but I would like them to learn the basic commands well, teach them road awareness, stop them going crazy when they see other dogs or when people arrive at the house, that kind of thing. In the past we've admittedly never done enough work with our dogs and some have ended up being a handful. Especially the dog who we sadly lost last year, aptly called Beethoven (Yep, we were asking for it) :-)
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Old May 13th, 2016, 10:53 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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I think your best bet would be to enroll in an obedience class. A positive reward class will teach you how to utilize what works best to reward your dogs. I have used small food treats for all my dogs ( you learn how to fade the treats) but some have used toys like tugs, squeakies and balls. It's your dog who determines the reward you will use. I really like clicker training, you might look into that. Searching the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers would be a good way to find a trainer.

https://www.cappdt.ca/trainers
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Old May 13th, 2016, 04:29 PM
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Winston Winston is offline
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Well said Longblades! I was thinking along the same lines. What I would say is also listen to others, ask friends where they went, if they liked it etc. Some places are quite expensive and some not. I think everyone should do at the very least a good puppy class. They taught us things in our class that paid off so much down the road. For example, how to trim their nails. It was so worth it, cleaning their ears, then the other stuff like sit, stay, down so on and so forth. I found the class fun so I went on to the next level which was Grade 1. It was a great way to train and have fun with your dog and others.

Best of Luck and let us know if you have success
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Old May 14th, 2016, 01:09 AM
fruityj fruityj is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fruityj View Post
Hi, we have two dogs, a welsh cocker spaniel and a red setter. The spaniel is around 13 months as the setter is closer to the 6 month mark. I was wondering what basic exercises we can do with them and what toys we can get that can help with their training? I've come across a good Canadian website that has training toys for sale. I don't need them to jump through flaming hoops or dance around for guests but I would like them to learn the basic commands well, teach them road awareness, stop them going crazy when they see other dogs or when people arrive at the house, that kind of thing. In the past we've admittedly never done enough work with our dogs and some have ended up being a handful. Especially the dog who we sadly lost last year, aptly called Beethoven (Yep, we were asking for it) :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Longblades View Post
I think your best bet would be to enroll in an obedience class. A positive reward class will teach you how to utilize what works best to reward your dogs. I have used small food treats for all my dogs ( you learn how to fade the treats) but some have used toys like tugs, squeakies and balls. It's your dog who determines the reward you will use. I really like clicker training, you might look into that. Searching the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers would be a good way to find a trainer.

https://www.cappdt.ca/trainers
Thank you for the replies, I appreciate it. I guess it makes sense to get the professionals in. I do want to make sure that we are doing it right so an obedience class would be a sensible route to undertake. The youngest seems a lot better behaved naturally and possibly easier to train but the eldest, the spaniel, is a bit mischievous. I will have a look at the website you've referenced. Thank you again and to everyone who's responded.

Last edited by hazelrunpack; July 13th, 2017 at 08:09 AM. Reason: removed promotional link
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Old September 28th, 2016, 12:26 AM
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Honedge Honedge is offline
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Actually, you can train your dogs without toys. BTW, toys are for fun, not for exercise.
Using the stairs is a great way to tire out your dog. The steps add an additional challenge to a dog’s workout, as they engage different muscles than those used on a regular walk or run and add an extra level of difficulty with the change in elevation. Stand at the top of the stairs and throw a toy down to your dog. When your dog grabs the toy, call his name and have him bring the toy to you. After several rounds of this, he’ll be winded.
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