Button Training
Button training is gaining popularity in the dog training world! Our four-legged friends cannot easily communicate with us, so it is great to have a tool such as this to help them do so. Thankfully, our dogs are very intelligent, making it easy for them to pick up these new communication methods. Please continue reading as we will discuss button training in further detail.
What is button training? It allows your dog to communicate with you by the push of a button. It is a simple way for you to get your point across to your dog. Throughout button training, your dog will learn to associate certain actions with the action of pressing the button. When you continue this process over and over, your dog will learn to communicate that action. There are many techniques involved, which include going outside, playing, eating food, and more.
There are a few tools that you will need when button training your dog. You will need buttons for each action that you would like to train them on. Training treats and rewards should also be offered during the training. As always, time and patience are crucial for success!
It’s time to start training! You will need to decide which button will represent each action. Setting this up before the training will prevent confusion. Next, you need to come up with cue words for each action. It is important that you choose cue words that are easy to understand and will not be confused with any other cues. For example, you can use ball, water, food, etc.
This is where the fun starts! It is time to introduce your dog to the button. Before you do so, you must help them understand the correlation between the button and the command. You can do this by pushing the set button each time you perform and action, help your dog connect the type with the repetition. Once your dog has a great understanding of the commands, it is time to teach them how to push the buttons themselves. Do this by holding the button in your hand, and having your dog make contact by asking them to give you their paw.
Once the dog knows how to hit the button themselves, you must then ask them to hit it each time they perform that action. If your dog wants to go outside, they will hit the button to prompt you to open the back door. It is important to praise your dog each time they use the buttons correctly. Doing so will ensure that they repeat the process going forward!
