Training Your Irish Setter to Listen to You
Why Won't My Irish Setter Listen To Me?
This is a common question that most first-time Irish Setter owners ask me. Before I answer your question, let me ask you a few instead:
- Do you use cookies, collars, head halters or clickers to make your Irish Setterlisten to your commands?
- Do you have to raise your voice every time you want your Irish Setterto listen to you?
- Does your Irish Setteralways come or sit on command - anytime and anywhere you want him to?
If your answers are mostly in the negative, its time you seriously reconsider your role as a sincere Irish Setter trainer and an ideal pet parent.
Get Your Irish Setter To Listen To You
Before you begin any training, you must first establish yourself as the "ALPHA dog" of your family. Your Irish Setter must know that you’re the leader of the pack and it is YOU who is in charge.
Here is a list of simple DO's and DONT's that you must follow if you want to be the Alpha:
- Always go out or come in through the door first - remember you are the leader;
- Always eat first - give your Irish Setter something to eat only after you've finished your meal;
- Don’t circle around your Irish Setter when he is lying on the floor - make your Irish Settermove out of your way instead;
- Don't let your Irish Setterset the rules - pay attention to him when you think fit and not whenever he demands;
- Don’t permit your Irish Setter to sleep with you in your bed - demarcate his sleeping area clearly.
Once you successfully established yourself as the Alpha, training your Irish Setter and making him listen will be a lot easier than you can imagine. Remember, if your Irish Setter does not learn to "listen", all your training efforts will be in vain!
Does your Irish Setter know his name? Does your Irish Setter look at you whenever you call him by his name? This is the first and the most critical step involved in Irish Setter Training. If your Irish Setter doesn't respond to his name, you cannot have his attention for teaching him any other commands.
To make sure that your Irish Setter recognizes his name, take a treat in your hand and hold it away from your body. Call your Irish Setter's name. He is most likely to look at the treat in your hand. Continue calling his name until he turns and looks at your eyes. Give him the treat immediately. Repeat this exercise by holding the treat in the other hand. Once you're sure that your Irish Setter has learnt to recognize his name, just call his name and reward him for looking at you by petting or with a hug.
You must understand that Irish Setters respond far better to positive reinforcement than they do to coercion or force.
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