In my never ending research on dog ownership, I came upon one method of training that I have found to be very beneficial. The term is "NILIF". This acronym stands for "Nothing In Life Is Free". For everything that your dog would like to do, he has to say please. She has to pay you something in order for you to satisfy whatever need she has. For instance: When Roxy approaches me and obviously is seeking my attention, I make her sit. A simple "sit!" will tell her that she has to say please before you pet her. she is not allowed to dictate when I give her attention. She does not get to demand my attention. She must aske for it!
I can call Roxy to myside as many times a day as I like to, as long as she says "please" first. Roxy has this one down. When she wants my attention, she comes to me, sits and gives me eye contact. I ALWAYS reward this sit because she is approaching me calmly and saying please. Occasionally when new people are around or I am just getting home, her puppy energy gets in the way of her sitting. I ignore her until she does sit down (say please).
This sit (or whatever command I want to use) is her token for the thing she wants. I use this with food, treats, going outside, and toys. For more information on this training method you can read this article:
This is a video of Roxy saying "please" and waiting until she is given the cue to eat!
