We provide the edge that unlocks your mind and empowers your future.
Home  Search  Articles  Book Reviews  Newsletter Storefront Contact Us  

Information Connection: Training Your Dog to Wait

Is your dog a waiter?

By Sally the Trainer, of  http://www.sallysangels.com

For more tips on helping your dog be his or her best, see http://www.sallysangels.com

Sally's Angels Training Tip:   The best command in the world. Wait.

Wait is a life saver. Your pooch's life. When a dog learns to wait, then the chances of the dog's running out the front door and/or into the street become less. Practice this command everywhere. Wait for service dogs means don't cross this threshold or line. Wait in a room and don't come into the next, wait in the house while you go outside and leave the front door open, wait at the curb and don't go into the street, etc. For someone in a wheelchair, the dog needs to wait often.

Wait until the chair goes thorough the door first and then you are commanded to follow. Wait at the curb. Wait in the car, etc. Wait to be fed. Wait is a wonderful command for any dog owner.

 How do I train, you ask? Easy. Always use wait in your daily tasks. When you go on walks say wait when you come to a curb or a spot in the road where there needs to be caution. Say the command a few feet before you are ready to stop, then stop and make the dog stop. Do not use a flex leash to train on this one! A short training leash please. In public, I say "Wait" step, step, stop. "Good wait." "Sit." "Good Boy." (I usually have the dog sit at curbs for safety reasons while he is waiting). Have the dog at your side when you are walking in public.

Practice wait at the door or room by saying "wait" then walk away. Put the dog back when he starts to follow you across the threshold, and say "no" or "don't." Start slow. Have the dog wait at a threshold only for a few seconds at first before you say "Good Wait." Then, release the dog. The command for releasing the dog is "Release." But you could say anything, as long as it is consistent.

Repeat, repeat, repeat. This where a leash is the best training tool you have IN THE HOUSE. Periodically put the pooch on his/her leash in the house, and as you walk thorough a doorway say wait. You go through the doorway and the dog stays. Then release the dog to follow you with lots of hugs and pets. If you do it as part of your day, s/he will learn it fast. Let's say someone comes to your front door. Talk to the person on your porch and have your dog wait on the house side of the threshold (the door is open). Praise your dog off and on while s/he is waiting at the door. "Good wait. Good wait." Release your dog when you want him/her to leave the area. The more you do it, the longer s/he will learn to wait.

Wait is not a stay command. Stay is one spot. When you are confident that the dog knows wait then try a flexi-leash and teach him to wait when he is farther away from you.

Some places to use wait:

  • at thresholds (don't cross this doorway or area, but the dog can wander around in the room if he wants)
  • at food dish until you tell him/her to eat
  • at curbs and streets (means stop and don't cross until you say so)
  • at car (you need dog to wait so you can load something first, then command "car" or "get in")
  • in car ( you want dog to stay in car while you take stuff out for instance, then command "out")
  • in yard (wait in yard while you take out trash, for instance)

 

Have you ever wondered about those seeing eye dogs, police dogs, and the dogs who assist the mobility-challenged? How do their trainers get these dogs to perform with such precision and reliability? Well, we refer to these dogs as service dogs, and you have to agree they are wonderful. At http://www.sallysangels.com, we recognize them as the angels they are.

The "secret" to their training involves two factors: "repeat, repeat, repeat," and consistency. These are two factors you can apply to the training of any dog, to forge a mutually beneficial and happy relationship. Don't give the command if you are not going to enforce it. And use lots and lots of praise--this is the reward dogs most enjoy. You'll find the dog will reward you, too.

Special note on Sally's Angels: http://www.sallysangels.com is a fun site about and for service dogs.  Service dogs are our passion. Be sure to visit TLCSD, Tender Loving Canine Service dogs, to read about their unique way of training service dogs. And make sure to follow our monthly progress report of a TLCSD dog in training. Service Dogs really do make a difference in people's lives. They truly are angels.

Thanks for the free tips, Sally. Mindconnection is proud to host your article, and we recommend http://www.sallysangels.com to anyone interested in dogs.
-- Mark Lamendola, Mindconnection.com

Dog Resources

Dog Items Quick Links
Dog Books

For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend by Patricia Phd Mcconnell (Paperback - Aug 28, 2007)

Animal behaviorist, dog trainer, syndicated radio talk show host and prolific author on all things canine, McConnell (The Other End of the Leash) presents a compelling combination of stories, science and practical advice to show how understanding emotions in both people and dogs can improve owners' relationships with their pets. This is more than a simple dog-training book: much of what McConnell discusses concerns how dog owners can learn "the language" of dog by recognizing important signals and reading them correctly.

She provides numerous helpful examples of how owners can observe dog behavior, especially differences in posture and facial expressions, in order to help dogs be better behaved and help dog owners to be better handlers; her discussion of the meaning of a dog's "tongue flicks" is alone worth the price of the book. Her overall goal is to help owners provide their pets with "a sense of calm, peaceful benevolence," and she skewers current dog-training fads that emphasize "dominance" over a dog. "Don't fool yourself: if you yell at your dog for something he did twenty seconds ago, you're not training him; you're merely expressing your own anger."

 

Dog by Matthew Van Fleet and Brian Stanton (Hardcover - Feb 6, 2007)

In Matthew Van Fleet's captivating new multiconcept book, twenty breeds of capering canines demonstrate action words, opposites, synonyms, and more. Cleverly designed pull tabs and flaps plus ten pettable textures provide interactive treats that will have toddlers arfing along.

 

The Loved Dog: The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior by Tamar Geller and Andrea Cagan (Hardcover - April 24, 2007

In The Loved Dog, Tamar gives you all the instruction, insights, and tips you need to teach your dog good manners, as well as to troubleshoot specific problems and unwanted behaviors. She helps you and your dog learn a common language, resulting in a loving, respectful relationship that will bring you years of joy and companionship.

 

Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Debra M. Eldredge, Lisa D. Carlson, Delbert G. Carlson, and James M. Giffin (Hardcover - Aug 27, 2007)

The guide dog lovers have relied on for more than twenty-seven years, this handbook has been extensively revised to include the latest information on everything from canine healthcare to nutrition to holistic treatments. Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Fourth Edition, is the definitive guide for every dog owner. It puts vital information at your fingertips, with:

  • An index of signs and symptoms to help you find information fast
  • Clearly written, step-by-step directions for handling common canine ailments and problems

A chapter on emergencies that explains what to do immediately for shock, broken bones, burns, dehydration, heat stroke, poisoning, insect stings and bites, wounds, and more

  • Hundreds of photos and drawings that illustrate what to look for and what to do to provide the best care for your dog
  • A glossary of terms

With this guide, you'll know when to rush your pet to the vet and when you can begin treatment at home. You'll communicate more effectively with your vet. You'll have the latest information on every aspect of your dog's medical care when you need it. This is the hands-on reference you'll trust again and again.

 

A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life by Jon Katz (Paperback - Jun 26, 2007)

Barking, lunging and nipping at visitors, terrorizing school buses and crashing through a window screen to pursue a cat in a neighbor's house, the hero of this absorbing, if melodramatic, memoir hardly seems a good dog. But Orson's fangs are firmly set in the heart of dog journalist Katz (The Dogs of Bedlam Farm), who tries everything to soothe his frenzy—acupuncture, chiropractic, "Shen calming herbs from China," sessions with a "shamanic soul retriever"—then moves to a farm where the border collie's native sheep-herding instincts might flourish.

Ultimately, the therapeutic benefit accrues to the author, who finds in Orson a "soul mate" who saved him from mid-life crisis in the New Jersey suburbs and brought him to an ecstatic communion with nature. Katz's flagrant anthropomorphizing and his intense emotional involvement ("I was nearly crying with frustration, torn by my growing love for this dog") and heart-to-hearts with Orson ("[w]e can't go on this way," he sobs after a school-bus incident) will resonate with dog lovers, while perhaps puzzling others. When he Katz gets some psychological distance, though, his subtle, evocative descriptions of the beasts around him—including Rose, another border collie whose brilliant herding steals the show—vividly capture the fascinating, enigmatic lives of animals

Just Gus: A Rescued Dog and the Woman He Loved by Laurie Williams and Roslyn Banish (Hardcover - Feb 9, 2006)

Gus was a lucky dog. Injured and abandoned, he could have become another of the 7 million animals euthanized every year. Then Stephanie Williams entered the picture. A successful journalist, she had been diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at the age of 30. On medical leave and living alone, she wanted a warm four-legged companion. When she saw Gus's soulful eyes and goofy grin, it was love at first sight: she would rescue him, and he would return the favor.
Just Gus is about how much one dog did to make a dying woman happy — giving tireless love, comfort, and support. This extraordinary story shows how one dog brought joy and hope to a woman's last days.

 

Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food by Ann N. Martin (Paperback - Sep 28, 2007)
 

The commercial pet food industry has a secret to hide — and Ann Martin wants to make sure you know it. Her research reveals some startling facts: that the pet food industry conducts animal testing in order to improve their product, and includes euthanized cats and dogs in the mix to heighten protein content. In this revised and updated edition, Martin continues to explore the shocking processes by which commercial pet foods are produced. She offers alternative recipes for feeding pets, nutritional advice, and an exploration of "Pet Peeves," in which she explores several scams aimed at pet owners. This groundbreaking book gives us a glimpse into exactly what we are doing when we buy pet food.
Dog DVDs

Nature: Dogs That Changed the World ~ Various (DVD - 2007)

Academy Award-winner F. Murray Abraham narrates this NATURE miniseries about the remarkable and enduring relationship between dogs and humans, and why dogs have earned a unique and fundamental place in the human heart. More than 750 million of us share our lives with dogs. We love and cherish them. But this most adored of animal companions was once the wild and savage wolf.

How did this astonishing transformation take place? In spectacular location footage, NATURE shows how indispensable certain breeds have been to their people, from the Arctic's native Inuit and their sled dogs to desert dwelling Jordanians and the speedy saluki.

 

My Dog Skip (Keepcase) ~ Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson, and Kevin Bacon (DVD - 2006)

Not only will the dog in "My Dog Skip"-an adorable Jack Russell Terrier-make you ooh and aah, but the story will melt your heart. It's sweet and well-told, good entertainment for a Saturday night with the family.

The time: the 1940's, during World War II. Nine-year-old Willie Morris, played by Malcolm In the Middle's Frankie Muniz, is not exactly the tough neighborhood kid. When his only friend, his next-door neighbor and town high school jock named Dink, goes off to war, Willie's left alone-until his parents get him a dog. He and his dog Skip forge a strong and lasting bond, the kind the words "a boy and his dog" have always meant in the deepest sense.

Based on a true story, the tale follows Willie Morris' own childhood memories, poignantly illustrating the struggles of growing up. If you don't own a dog, you'll wish you had one, especially if you have an only child. If you do own a dog, you'll snuggle up with him after the movie is over.

Muniz does a great job of making us laugh and get teary-eyed. Diane Lane is perfect as his mom, and Kevin Bacon is excellent as Willie's stern but loving father. Luke Wilson charms everyone as Willie's changed-by-war neighbor, Dink. Funny and heartwarming, you can enjoy this one with the whole family-again and again. A 2000 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor.

 

Our Good Dog, 7 Weeks to an Exceptional Pet (DVD - 2006)

Is your pet everything you want him to be? Does he walk nicely on a loose lead? Does he sit and down on verbal command and on hand signals? Does he "leave it" and "drop it'? Does he stay? Does he come when called? Is he polite when meeting new people? Does he pay attention to you? If the answer is NO, then this is the training program for you! This program has been developed for the pet owner who wants a well-mannered, confident, fun and enjoyable pet! This is a 7 week program designed for the pet owner using behavior modification and positive reinforcement. It is actual filming of a class with RESCUE dogs and their owners. You will be able to follow along, step by step, through this program that will teach you to train your pet to be an EXCEPTIONAL companion! If your pet is between 10 weeks old and 12 years old, this PROGRAM WORKS! We have also included interviews with my Veterinarian on finding a Vet, Vaccinations, Heartworm Disease and, Microchips. There is also information on traveling safely in car with your dog, and preparing for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test and Therapy Dog certification. 90 minutes (c) Our Good Dog, Inc.

Dealing Dogs (DVD - 2006)An undercover investigation of Martin Creek Kennel by the animal rights group Last Chance for Animals. A young man named "Pete", who is an animal rights activist, gets hired by the Martin Creek Kennel. The owner is C.C. Baird and he is the one they want to bring down.

 

Dog Movies

Where the Red Fern Grows by James Whitmore, Beverly Garland, Jack Ging, and Lonny Chapman (DVD - Oct 14, 1997)

Wilson Rawls's novel about an Oklahoma boy's devotion to two hunting dogs during the Great Depression was the basis for this appealing 1974 film made by a former Disney director, Norman Tokar. Stewart Peterson is very effective as a 12-year-old, hurtling down the path toward manhood with hounds at his side.

Eight Below (Widescreen Edition) by Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, and Jason Biggs (DVD - Jun 20, 2006)

Walt Disney Pictures presents EIGHT BELOW, the thrilling tale of incredible friendship between eight amazing sled dogs and their guide Jerry (Paul Walker). Stranded in Antarctica during the most unforgiving winter on the planet, Jerry's beloved sled dogs must learn to survive together until Jerry — who will stop at nothing -- rescues them. Driven by unwavering bonds of friendship, enormous belief in one another, and tremendous courage, Jerry and the dogs make an incredible journey to reunite in this triumphant and inspiring action-adventure the whole family will treasure

Cave of the Yellow Dog ~ Nansalmaa Batchuluun, Babbayar Batchuluun, and Buyandulam Daramdadi (DVD - 2007)(Foreign/Drama)

Oscar-nominated director Byambasuren Davaa’s follow-up to the hugely successful The Story of the Weeping Camel is a thought-provoking mix of documentary and drama that tells the story of the age-old bond between man and dog. The eldest daughter of a nomadic Mongolian family finds a small dog and brings it home. Believing that it is responsible for attacking his sheep, her father refuses to allow her to keep it. When the family moves on, Nansal must decide whether or not to defy her father and take her new friend with them

Breed All About It, Toy Dogs: Puppies Forever by Animal Planet (DVD)

Animal planet presents: Breed all about it. Toy dogs: puppies forever. DVD 2000.

 

Dog Video Games

Pocket Dogs by O3 Entertainment (Game Boy Advance)

You'll be able to converse with your dog, with the dialogue changing depending on the species. You'll also be able to make the dog play games by sharing toys with it. As the player, you'll be able to play games for yourself via three mini games included in the title.

The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack by Electronic Arts (Windows 2000 / 98 / Me / XP)

  • Adopt dogs, cats, birds, and guinea pigs for your Sims to play with.
  • Your Sims' pets have their own genetics. Cross different breeds to create designer pets or make new ones and register them to appear in Create-A-Pet as a unique pedigree.
  • Pick your Sims' pet's personality! Is your pet gifted or goofy, hyper or lazy? You decide!
  • Choose career tracks for your Sims' pets. Skilled pets can work their way up to be Pet Show Biz Stars, part of an elite security Pet Corps, or a heroic Rescue pet.
  • Show off your pets! Share your favorite Sim pets with other players through an online exchange

Dogz by Ubisoft (Game Boy Advance)

  • Features 49 different dogs across 18 popular breeds
  • Control a main character and his interaction with your puppy
  • Hang out with your puppy in the living room, yard, kitchen and bedroom - even take your puppy for a walk on a leash!
  • Includes 3 mini games - Puppy Run, Puppy Reversi and Puppy Quiz
LAN cable connectivity allows your puppy to go visit your friends house

Fetch! by ValuSoft (Windows XP)

  • Dress your dog in funny clothes, hats, and collars; buy accessories and toys
  • Play, train, and compete with your new best friend in this fun game
  • Choose from Labradors, German Shepherds, Boxers, Chihuahuas, and more
  • Use Gesture Recognition system to get your dog to obey your commands
  • Put your training sessions to the test in obedience and agility competitions
More Dog Books
Dog Posters

 

Dog Quotes
  • The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.
    -Anonymous
  • Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
    -Ann Landers
  • If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
    -Will Rogers
  • There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
    -Ben Williams
  • A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
    -Josh Billings
  • The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
    -Andy Rooney
  • We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made.
    -M. Acklam
  • Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.
    -Sigmund Freud
  • I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
    -Rita Rudner
  • A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.
    -Robert Benchley
  • Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.
    -Franklin P. Jones
  • If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
    -James Thurber
  • If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise.
    -Unknown
  • My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money.
    -Joe Weinstein
  • Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!
    -Anne Tyler
  • Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
    -Robert A. Heinlein
  • If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
    -Mark Twain
  • You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'
    - Dave Barry
  • Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
    -Roger Caras
  • If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them.
    -Phil Pastoret
  • My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am.
    --Anonymous
Other Dog Websites

Dog toys
Dog gifts
http://www.solvingdogproblems.com
Assistance Dogs International
Dogs by the Bay
Toys for dogs

Check out this pet resort site: http://www.meadowlakepetresort.com.

 

 
 

 

 

 

Storefront

Articles | Book Reviews | Free eNL | Search | Weather || Contact Us | Home

Get cool posters
Stores and great deals

This material, copyright Mindconnection LLC. See About Us for policies and contact information.
Don't make all of your communication electronic. Hug somebody!