Everyone remembers their favorite teachers--those who took the extra time to explain those tricky equations to you, or the ones who made history come alive as they told it. Teachers like this prove that the way we're taught something has a huge impact on how well we learn and remember it.Our dogs are affected by teaching techniques in the same way. The right approach will make all the difference in how quickly they learn commands like "
Sit" and "
Fetch."So what can you do?
Teach yourself a few tricks!ย The professional dog trainers at
ECAD (Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities) have learned that dogs respond best to CUES and PATTERNING.
Learn how to use physical cues and patterning, and eventually you and your dog will be using verbal commands only.
Physical cues: hand signals, body positions
Verbal cues: sounds, words, kissy noises, commands
Patterning: doing something over and over until it becomes automaticYou and your dog will make your old teachers proud!