Things You'll Need
- Easy Walk dog harness
- Leash
- Treat Pouch
- Treats
- Fetching toy
Instructions
Invest in a harness, such as the Easy Walk dog harness. to give you more control of your cocker spaniel. The Easy Walk dog harness is designed to gently discourage your hyperactive dog from pulling. Fit the harness on your dog and attach the leash to the front ring.
Clip the treat pouch onto your belt or pocket. Fill it up with treats your Cocker Spaniel is particularly fond of. To make training easy, invest in small-sized treats that are soft and easy to swallow.
Pull the leash to the side turning your dog towards you the moment your cocker spaniel forges ahead of you. When the leash is slack, praise and reward your dog with the treats. With time, your cocker will learn that walking calmly besides you brings a slack leash along with praise and rewards, whereas forging ahead causes tension in the leash.
Teach your cocker spaniel to use its nose. Take a tasty small treat and hide it somewhere easy to find and then tell your Cocker to search for it. Gradually, hide the treats in more challenging places. Your cocker spaniel as a good hunting dog, will love the game, and nose work is surprisingly tiring for dogs, explains dog trainer Pat Miller in an article for the "Whole Dog Journal."
Play a good game of fetch together. Since cocker spaniels were used to flush out and retrieve small game such as quail, pheasant and woodcock, she may enjoy this game. To teach her self-control, do not toss the toy until she is nicely sitting or laying down, then toss the toy and tell her to fetch.
Introduce your cocker spaniel to the ''Chill Out'' game. This game will train your dog to turn on and off its arousal state, ultimately teaching self-control. Get your cocker very excited by making him chase a toy; when he is aroused by the game, freeze suddenly and quietly ask for a sit. Once your cocker is sitting, start the game all over. This game teaches that the calm sit is ultimately what gets the game going again, explains dog trainer Dee Ganley.