LUCKY you, you have a dog. How many children would love to have a dog and for one reason or another, they can't have one? Some families have a dog but don't realize what a gem they have. When you have a dog, you have the chance to connect with another species. You have the chance to build a relationship - an amazing relationship with a canine.

Training can open the door to communicating with your dog. Communication with your dog is simple and rewarding when you give it a try and put some effort into it. All you need is patience, understanding, a watchful eye and a little education for all. Soon you will see that your dog is trying to communicate with you as well.

Basic obedience can lose the interest of children, but trick training can be all that is needed to create interest between your family and dog. By assisting your children to teach your dog, you encourage interest. Once you have interest you have interaction. The more interaction between your family and your dog, the more you will understand each other. Numerous times I have seen a sparkle in a child's eye as they have a canine connection. That one moment when a child realizes they have taught their dog a trick, it's a great confidence booster for both child and dog.

Repetition is the main ingredient of any training system.

Most dogs come with built-in talents, standing on hind legs, jumping, running or catching. Go with your dog's natural talent when you start teaching tricks. When you begin your trick training, keep it simple so neither of you become frustrated. Use hand signals and verbal cues for new behaviours. Purchase a trick training book for ideas on what cute tricks you can train, the sky's the limit.

Dogs are amazing ... amazing just the way they are, but some people need a little convincing on just how amazing the canine species is. By educating your canine, you make it possible for others to see the unbelievable connection humans can have with canines. With both species giving, both species receive. When you have made that special connection, you'll know it, and you'll be hooked. Now get training.

Shake
Put a piece of yummy treat in the palm of your right hand. Cover the piece of food with your thumb. Put your hand palm up in front of your dogs chest, and wait. You are waiting for your dog to paw at your hand. He will first lick and try to pry the food out with his muzzle. Then, finally and they always do, paw at your hand. You say "good" or "yes" right away and open your hand and let him take the food out very quickly. Keep doing this until your dog is reliably touching your hand, now add "shake", the verbal cue.

Now take the food out of your hand, keep your hand exactly the same as when there was food in it. Feed the treat from your other hand when he touches your hand. People always want to shake a dog's paw - your dog should be use to having its paw shaken. Grab the dog's paw and shake it while delivering the treat. Then slowly wean it off the treats.

High five
Slowly, inch by inch, move your hand from the "shake" position to the "hi five" position. Do not use a verbal cue until your dog fully understands the new behaviour. By moving your hand inch by inch, it will seem like the same exercise for your dog. Do not put your hand up too high or your dog will either jump up or give you 10 instead of five. Now that they are "high five-ing" add your verbal cue "give me five".

Wave
The wave is an extension of the "high five". Without a verbal cue, have your hand in the "high five" position but just out of reach. When your dog reaches up to touch your hand, say "good" and treat. You want your dog to just make the motion, not actually touch you. Move further and further away, until you can stand and wave at your dog. Treat the really high waves and ignore the slow, low ones. Once they are reliably waving at you, add a little wave to your hand and your verbal cue "wave". You can add hello or good-bye to your cue as long as you say "wave" with it. Work at getting some distance away from your dog. Your friends will be amazed.