The Name Game

Generally the first thing that any of us want to teach our dogs is their name. But let's look at this from an unconventional approach; from the dog's point of view.

What is a name? It's a sound that you make which is interpreted by the dog as a "hey!" Dog's don't really have the concept of "name" in their vocabulary. Sure, they will respond to sounds, and some dogs will respond to many sounds, but that's through our conditioning. What we desire is that the dog responds to his/her name in a positive manner, and is excited to be around you.

So how do we teach the puppy or dog his/her name? The easiest way is through "The Name Game." This is an exercise that we can use to teach a great deal of behaviors, as well as bond with our dogs as a family unit- so it's very important to get the entire family in on this one.

What you will need will be the dry kibble portion of the dogs meal, portioned out between all of the participants. (Children under 12 should be paired with an adult.) You will also need a an open space with some separation between the participants.

Bring the puppy/dog into the room, and everyone station themselves in a circle, or at two opposite ends of the room. One person says the puppy's name "Max" in a high pitched, excited voice. When the dog goes to that person, the dog gets a few pieces of kibble. After the kibble is finished and the dog is ready to eat again, the next person calls the dog in the same manner. This is repeated until the food is gone.

If you perform this exercise at dinner time for the first week your puppy is home, your puppy will learn his/her name in no time.

Advanced lessons can include Sit, down, stay, wait...there is no limit on what you can teach with advanced versions of this game!

Introduction

I'm not a professional trainer. I'm not trying to sell my services. I'm not going to promise anyone that my tips will work 100% of the time. I'm not trying to sell you anything.

I am trying to begin a dialogue and note a few observations that I've made. Some of these observations are made from watching people interact with their dogs, and some are watching dogs interact with their people, or other dogs. The most important tool that any of us have is our sight. We can watch how our dogs behave on a daily basis. We can watch their body language clues.

I will also be discussing some very basic tools that we, as dog owners, should have and should use/reinforce daily. I'm not a big fan of dominating dogs, whether by threat or force. As these blogs progress, you'll see just how I reinforce my leadership position within the family.