{"id":5202,"date":"2021-06-18T13:31:44","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T17:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.us\/?p=5202"},"modified":"2023-11-21T08:10:41","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T13:10:41","slug":"how-to-teach-your-dog-middle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/how-to-teach-your-dog-middle\/","title":{"rendered":"How to teach your dog Middle \u2013 Dog Training"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teaching your dog the “middle” command has several practical benefits. This command essentially means for your dog to position themselves between your legs or at your side which can come in handy in many different situations. <\/span>Here is why teaching \u201cmiddle\u201d is one of the best things you\u2019ll ever do with your dog:<\/span><\/p>\n

Priceless bonding<\/b><\/h3>\n

Imagine how you feel when you hug someone or hold their hand\u2026 safe? Happy? Connected? That is what \u201cmiddle\u201d will do for your dog. It also means they can communicate with you. If they are worried or scared and deploy the \u201cmiddle\u201d position without being asked, you know something is up. How cool is that!<\/span><\/p>\n

Reliable recall<\/b><\/h3>\n

As your dog starts to learn that being in \u201cmiddle\u201d reaps rewards, it will become their happy place and will never pass up the chance to be there! This is fun and useful for your recall games and practice. It\u2019s also very handy should it become time to put the lead back on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Managing sticky situations<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cMiddle\u201d is unbelievably useful when it comes to managing a nervous or reactive dog. By getting them to adopt the \u201cmiddle\u201d position you can distract them from the dog\/person\/thing they are scared of and help them to focus on something positive. It can also help to give wildlife the chance to escape an otherwise exhausting or potentially traumatic chase. Calmly call \u201cmiddle\u201d and spin around to face another direction \u2013 crisis averted!<\/span><\/p>\n

Calmer vet visits<\/b><\/h3>\n

Get ready to become \u201cteachers\u2019 pet\u201d at the vets with \u201cmiddle\u201d. Remember, by this point, \u201cmiddle\u201d is a calm and happy place for your dog to relax so you can patiently wait your turn. The real magic with \u201cmiddle\u201d is during your appointment. By being in the \u201cmiddle\u201d position, you can reassure your dog and help build a positive association <\/span>with the vets using positive reinforcement <\/span>while giving the practitioner a calm patient to vaccinate or examine. Gold star for you!<\/span><\/p>\n

Control in crowded areas<\/b><\/h3>\n

When your dog knows how to “middle,” they can walk or stand close to you in crowded places, ensuring they don’t get tangled in the legs of people or other dogs. This is especially helpful in busy parks, markets, or public events.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anti-Theft<\/b><\/h3>\n

Sadly, thefts are at an all-time high at the moment and \u201cmiddle\u201d should be your weapon of choice should you be confronted or intimidated. Even if you meet someone asking strange questions\u2026 \u201cmiddle!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tip-top dog training tool<\/b><\/h3>\n

When you start a training session all parties want to get \u201cin the mood\u201d and how better to start than with some quick wins. You\u2019ll be setting the tone and warming up their brain ready for work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Preventing Jumping<\/b><\/h3>\n

Dogs that have a tendency to jump on people can be trained to “middle” when greeting others. This keeps them from jumping on people and maintains a more controlled and polite greeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to teach your dog Middle<\/b><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Take a <\/span>high value treat<\/span><\/a> in both hands<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. With one hand lure your dog behind your legs<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. With the other hand use the treat to lure them through so that they are standing between your legs<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. When they are standing or even sitting nicely between your legs, say \u201cmiddle\u201d and feed them a few treats in a row\u2026 yum yum yum!<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Hold your dog\u2019s collar or say, \u201cleave it\u201d, throw a treat out in front of you and say \u2018OK\u2019 to release them<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Repeat frequently to master but always end on a high, don\u2019t wait for you and your dog to get tired or distracted<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When teaching your dog the “middle” command, use positive reinforcement and practice in a variety of environments and situations to reinforce the behavior. It’s a versatile command that can improve your dog’s behavior and safety, making it a valuable addition to your dog’s training repertoire.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Teaching your dog the “middle” command has several practical benefits. This command essentially means for your dog to position themselves between your legs or at your side which can come in handy in many different situations. Here is why teaching \u201cmiddle\u201d is one of the best things you\u2019ll ever do with your dog: Priceless bonding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6051,"featured_media":5203,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","family-puppy","content-activities","content-puppy-training","content-training","behaviour-daily-walks","behaviour-puppy-training","behaviour-trick-training","content-entity"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6051"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5202"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15892,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202\/revisions\/15892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}