Training a dog is part science, part repetition and, occasionally, part wondering whether your dog has trained you instead.
The good news is that you do not need to be a professional trainer to teach useful everyday skills. Short, reward-based sessions can help your dog understand what you want, build confidence and make daily life calmer for both of you.
At Aubenord, we talk a lot about IVDD, recovery and mobility. But life with a dog is much bigger than a diagnosis. Good training can support safer routines, easier handling and calmer care — whether your dog is perfectly healthy or needs a little extra support.
Start with one simple idea: reward what you want to see again
Positive reinforcement means giving your dog something they value when they perform a behaviour you want. That reward might be a small treat, praise, a toy or access to something they enjoy.
The timing matters. Reward the behaviour as it happens, or immediately afterwards, so your dog can connect the action with the result.
Keep sessions short and easy to win
Five focused minutes can be more useful than half an hour of everyone becoming frustrated. Practise one or two skills at a time and finish while your dog is still interested.
If your dog seems tired, distracted, worried or uncomfortable, stop and try again later. Training should feel safe and achievable, not like a battle of wills.
Useful everyday dog-training skills
Sit
A simple sit can help with greetings, doors, food and moments when you need your dog to pause rather than launch themselves into the next adventure.
Wait
Teaching a brief wait at doors, kerbs or before getting out of the car can make everyday routines more controlled.
Settle
A calm settle on a bed or mat is one of those quietly brilliant skills. It can help during visitors, meals, vet waiting rooms and periods when your dog needs to remain calm.
Comfort with gentle handling
Gradually rewarding your dog for having paws, ears, mouth, harness or body gently handled can make grooming and veterinary care less stressful.
What about clicker training?
A clicker is simply a small tool that makes a consistent sound. The click marks the exact moment your dog did the right thing, followed by a reward.
To introduce it, click once and immediately give a treat. Repeat several times until your dog begins to understand that the sound predicts something good. You can then use the click to mark behaviours such as sitting, looking at you or calmly stepping onto a mat.
You do not need a clicker, though. A consistent marker word such as “yes” can work well too.
What if your dog does something you do not want?
Instead of relying on punishment or “alpha” ideas, think about what you would like your dog to do instead. A dog jumping up can be taught to sit for attention. A dog charging through a doorway can learn to wait. A dog grabbing something inappropriate can learn to swap it for something better.
Management matters too. Sometimes the easiest way to prevent an unwanted behaviour is to change the environment while you teach the alternative.
Aubenord practical link
Training that helps with real-life care
Calm crate entry, settling on a mat, waiting at doors and comfortable harness handling can all make day-to-day care easier. If your dog ever needs restricted activity, familiarity with a recovery space can also reduce the shock of a sudden routine change.
Where training fits into the Aubenord world
Training does not prevent IVDD itself. IVDD is a spinal condition with biological, breed and individual risk factors. But training can make safer habits easier to manage — for example calm handling, waiting at doors, using a ramp after veterinary clearance, settling in a recovery space or becoming comfortable with a crate before it is ever urgently needed.
If your dog is currently recovering from IVDD, follow your veterinary team’s movement restrictions rather than introducing new physical exercises. Our IVDD crate rest guide explains why activity limits can matter during recovery.
A simple positive-reinforcement training formula
- Choose one behaviour.
- Make it easy for your dog to succeed.
- Mark the correct behaviour straight away.
- Reward it.
- Repeat in short sessions.
- Gradually add distractions only when your dog is ready.
And remember: progress is rarely perfectly tidy. Some days your dog will look like a genius. Other days they may appear to have forgotten their own name. That is normal.
When to ask for professional help
If your dog is fearful, reactive, aggressive, highly anxious or suddenly behaves differently, speak with your veterinarian and an appropriately qualified reward-based behaviour professional. Pain and illness can affect behaviour too, so sudden changes should not simply be treated as a training problem.
The Aubenord view
Good training is not about having a “perfect” dog. It is about creating communication that makes life together easier, safer and more enjoyable — on ordinary days and difficult ones.