Traditionally, we were taught that obedience training your dog involved monotonous, repetitive exercises. However, even with your busy day-to-day schedule, you can easily teach your dog how to behave in your home.

Start by paying attention when your dog is behaving in a desirable way. Let’s say you are watching TV and your dog is lying quietly at your feet playing with a doggie toy. Instead of ignoring him, take an opportunity to give your dog a treat or a big pet. If your dog gets up and starts getting overly excited, sit back and completely ignore him. When he quiets down again, toss him a treat. Your dog will quickly discover how to meet his own best interests - getting food from you.

A student in my training class asked how to teach his dog to leave his two rambunctious children alone while they were playing on the floor. I recommended this same approach. I told him to keep a leash on the pup and to have treats at the ready. When the pup looked at him instead of the children, even for a second, he should toss the pup a treat. Soon his pup will be learning to quietly stay by his owner so as not to miss out on a treat. The children can freely play on the floor while my student can relax while watching TV.

In time, you can gradually eliminate the treats and your dog will still be behaving calmly. By focusing on your dog’s positive behavior, training can be made easy.