Improve your pet’s behaviour without splurging on training with our simple tricks
MANY pets loved lockdown with their owners at home 24/7.
But what knock-on effect did that have on their behaviour?
If you’re struggling with your pooch, you don’t have to spend a fortune on training — there are some simple tricks to get your furry friend up to speed.
I spoke to the experts at pet supply store Animed Direct for their top tips.
DROP: This is an important command to teach as it could prevent your dog from eating something that could cause them harm.
Wait until your dog has their favourite toy in their mouth. Then grab a few training treats and put them right in front of their nose.
When your dog drops the toy or chew, praise them and give the treat as a reward. Offer your dog the toy or chew they have just dropped.
You want to make sure they know they won’t lose it. After you have practised this a few times, you are ready to add in the command “Drop”.
My tip: When it comes to training rewards, I’m a fan of the Wagg dog training treats, 75p, at fetch.co.uk, down from £1.
STAY: Ask your dog to lie down (your dog will need to know this command before moving on to “Stay”).
Give your dog a hand signal, like a stop sign with the palm of your hand.
Wait a few seconds and say “Stay” and then reward with a treat. It’s important to reward your dog while they are still lying down and not if they are standing.
Next, you can start to increase the distance between you and your dog. Start by only taking one step back before giving them the reward, and so on.
GET OFF: Teaching your dog to “get off” is useful if you don’t want mucky paws on your sofa. If you see your dog on your settee, say “off” and encourage them to come to you. When your dog comes off, reward with calm praise and use the other basic command “sit” instead. This can also be rewarded. Consistency is key.
TOILET TRAINING: Your dog’s toilet habits are more likely to be regular if you feed them at regular times. Give your dog a 30-minute window to eat their food, and then remove it. They will learn to eat it in time.
Let your dog out every 30 to 60 minutes when you first begin house training. This means that they won’t have a chance to have an accident.
- For more information about Animed Direct and for cut-price pet healthcare, go to animeddirect.co.uk.
Deal of the day
ENJOY a night in for two with The Co-op’s dine-in meal deal – a main and side for £6. Includes pork meatball linguine, usually £5, and asparagus and tenderstem broccoli medley, usually £2.50.
SAVE: £1.50
Cheap treat
I AM obsessed with the scent of Treaclemoon honeycomb bath & shower gel. It is half-price at Tesco, now £1.50 down from £3.
SAVE: £1.50
Don’t miss this…
SHOPPERS at Superdrug with a members’ card can get £5-worth of points when they spend £20 on selected skincare until Tuesday. It’s the ideal time to stock up on your favourites.
- All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Top swap
I LOVE this Blue Vanilla cream teddy coat, £40 in the sale at New Look. But I found this similar one for just £30 at studio.co.uk, which is a steal.
SAVE: £10
Giselle’s Little Helper
YOU can now buy Cath Kidston face coverings featuring some of the brand’s famous prints.
They are double-layered with an insert pocket for a filter and are made from upcycled offcuts of archive cotton. Available in kids’ and adults’ sizes at £6 and £8 respectively from cathkidston.com.
Most read in Money
Play now to win £15,000 on The Sun Raffle
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.
Every Sun Savers code you enter will earn you a ticket for our £15k monthly Raffle.
There is no limit to how many tickets you can collect.
So the more you enter, the better your chances.
To take part go to sunsavers.co.uk or open the Sun Savers app.
Then opt in to each month’s Raffle by clicking “Yes!” when prompted and start collecting the Sun Savers codes printed daily in the paper.
Every time you scan or enter a code into Sun Savers, you get a Raffle ticket in the £15k Raffle.
Not yet a Sun Savers member?
Just go to sunsavers.co.uk or find “Sun Savers” in the app store to get started.
- T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs at sunsavers.co.uk/faqs.
Fancy a free fiver?
Download our easy Sun Savers app and quickly scan your code using your smartphone.
Or go online and enter your code at sunsavers.co.uk.
With Sun Savers, we give you the best hacks, deals and tips to save money every single day.
TO JOIN: Don’t worry, folks — joining takes just 30 seconds, in three steps.
- PRICES correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.