You could train you little pup to do tons of cool stuff such as picking up toys or giving you hugs and kisses. But it’s also valuable to teach your pup practical skills including how to spin or turn on your command.
This could be useful for various situations, from steering your pup away from a problematic or dangerous situation to changing directions when walking with you.
Teaching your pup to turn on command will be an excellent exercise for both of you as well. It will help you hone your luring and commanding skills and give your pup a sense of accomplishment.
Using a Lure
When encouraging your pup to turn, you can use a toy or treat as your lure. Place it close to the nose of your pup on the side where they’re walking on. You should also introduce the concept of turning with a verbal cue, such as “turn,” moving the lure in the exact direction your pup needs to go.
As the alpha, don’t forget to move in the direction of the turn as well so your pup will get used to following your lead and going in the direction you’re leading them to.
What to Expect
During the first few training sessions, you have to treat or reward your pup every small increment of their turns. As they begin to grasp the concept of turning on command, which is what you’re asking them to do, you can then increase bit by bit the distance between rewards, eventually giving her a reward once she’s made a full turn.
This is one of the most vital things you’ll learn when taking dog training classes in Jacksonville, FL. It’s also important to note that you should only teach your pup to turn in one direction at a time since different turns come with different logistics.
For example, if you’re turning left and your pup heels on her left position the lure to lead your pup to turn in place as you’re moving around her to the turn. But if you’re turning right and your pup still heels left, you should reverse the process; as you turn in place, position your lure to guide your pup through the turn.
Real Life Application
Once your pup begins to master turning on command, you can now work on removing the lure from the equation. You can do this by not always giving your pup a treat or toy every time they successfully turn on command and just pat or rub their head.
When your pup has gotten the hang of turning, you can move the training in your backyard or in the sidewalk where distractions of all shapes and sizes abound, and eventually in parks and while walking around your neighborhood.
Continue giving your pup the occasional reward to help them respond more reliably to your verbal cue since they never know when you’ll give her a reward. With patience, your pup will be turning in all directions accurately in no time at all whether you’re in the garden or out and about.
