We all start out with the best of intentions when we take on a puppy or a new dog. Most of us will attend puppy classes and dog training, even going on to take part in agility, heelwork training or learning to be an assistance dog. We teach our dogs skills that will stay with them. Now is a great time for revisiting those skills and polishing up our basics using positive training techniques and remembering the importance of a good relationship with your dog

Leave it!

This is a useful command to teach your dog, whether it is leaving your sandwich which you have just placed on the coffee table or something your dog is showing interest in outdoors that could be harmful. It is always useful to be able to call your dog away.

Greeting visitors

This might be a little trickier if you live alone but it would be great to rope in an assistant if you have others in your household! Practising appropriate behaviour when someone arrives at your home will make life easier in the long run, although if your dog does find this very exciting we would advise not to practice ringing the doorbell too regularly for the sanity of others in your house!

Stay

This is another useful skill for everyday life. Perhaps you may have spotted a danger that your dog has not and you would like him to stay where he is until you are safely able to reach them.

Drop it!

Dogs are brilliant at searching out all sorts of things left by others on a walk, or occasionally stealing things they shouldn’t. Making sure you can take these items back from your dog is very helpful.

Crossing the road

With current restrictions on movement in the UK, most people will be walking their dogs from home where possible. This means that you might be following the same or similar routes more often. It is great to practice safely crossing the road, especially if your dog is likely to get excited at the prospect of good sniffs on the other side! There are different ways that people like to train their dog to ensure they are safe, one of which is to ask your dog to sit and wait whilst you assess the traffic situation before moving to cross the road.

Toilet on command

Your dog may have mastered toilet training when they were a puppy, but another useful skill is to be able to ask your dog to toilet on command. If you are in a situation where you only have access to a suitable toilet area at certain times of day, or you ever need to collect a urine or stool sample from your pup, you will be grateful you spent the time teaching this command.

Carnilove treats provide a great high-reward incentive when training your dog. They come in a variety of different tempting flavours, in both crunchy and semi-moist formats which easily break up into smaller pieces if required.

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READ MORE: Games to play with your dog

READ MORE: Check out these great resources for further information on dog training:

Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme

Association Of Pet Dog Trainers

Here are some home grooming ideas to ensure that your pet remains in tip top condition while your usual dog groomer is closed. Grooming your dog is also a great for bonding with your furry pal!

If you have a long haired or fluffy dog, make sure that you brush them daily to keep them comfortable. Pay special attention to areas that are more likely to create friction such as under their collar or between their legs to make sure you do not miss any knots or tangles.

Even very short haired dogs will benefit from a good groom with an appropriate brush which will act like a massage and leave them nice and shiny! It is a great opportunity to check your dog for ticks or any lumps or bumps they may have acquired.

You might normally leave bathing your dog up to the professionals and indeed bathing a fluffy dog too often can increase the formation of matts and knots in their coat. If you do need to bathe your dog before you can get to the groomers again, here is some advice for those with fluffy dogs:

• Remove knots before bathing – the process of bathing the dog can often make these knots harder to remove.
• Do not dry your dog by rubbing them with a towel. This friction will create knots and matts in their fluffy coat. Instead pat dry, or even blow dry (on a cool setting) to keep the coat as straight as possible.
• Use conditioner on fluffy or wool type coats to help reduce matting.

Of course, every groomer will tell you good diet is essential to maintaining a great coat. Upgrade your groom to a full pampering package by using Carnilove wet dog food smeared on a Lickit mat as a treat during the grooming process!

If you are looking for more information about grooming your dog, this article from the Blue Cross is a good place to start: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/how-groom-dog. Alternatively there are many breed specific online forums where you might find ideas for dealing with your dog’s coat.

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