As dog trainers, we sometimes forget that not everyone is familiar with the terms we use. To the average pet owner, “dog tricks” means they jump through a hoop or fetch the newspaper. In truth, every behavior we teach, from sit, to walking on a leash, to fetching a drink from the fridge, is just a trick.
When you are teaching a behavior, don’t make yourself part of the environmental cues in dog training for performance. If you always ask for a down with the dog directly in front of you, or always stop next to the contact zone on the dog walk, your dog will rely on your position as part of the environmental cues for the behavior.
When setting up for an exercise or at the start line for an agility run, the first thing we need is for the dog to be facing the same direction we are. Simplify your life by training a completely solid heel, side, or “between” (between your legs) cue. This ends the struggle to position and reposition your dog and lets you spend more time on the exercise and less getting set up.
Starting your dog training session with a behavior your dog already knows has a ton of benefits.
The keys to training a specific behavior are to reward where it happens, while it is happening, and be consistent with both rewards and resets.