There are five important commands that every dog should know; "sit", "stay", "down", "come", and "heel". Once you know the basics of training, there are several training methods, each one having pros and cons. This article will give you explicit instructions for each command using vocal cues and hand signals.
Step 1
The first thing your pup needs to learn is how to sit on command. Sitting is the dog form of politeness. It is a natural action. It shows that she is not aggressive and that she is willing to wait. (yes, even when the butt vibrates around on the floor) As you enforce the 'sit' command, she will learn that when she wants something or you are busy, sitting and waiting is the right thing to do. And she will also learn that when you give the 'sit' command, it is time to pay attention or calm down.
As you say "Harley, sit!" (only if your dog's name is Harley, of course), place one hand under the chin or neck and gently push up while pushing down on the rear end. If your dog is on leash, you can pull up on the leash but don't jerk. (That would distract him, making him think he is being disciplined like his mom used to by grabbing the back of the neck) Praise, using the phrase "Good sit! Good sit, Harley!" He will connect the action phrase or word with the action and the praise. - As he learns the verbal command, stop assisting the action and begin to use an accompanying hand signal. A common one is to place your flat hand over and in front of his head and while saying "Sit", pull it up into a loose fist.
Step 2
There are some commands that can literally save your dog's life and the stay command is one of them. A pup has an instinctive understanding of how to stay when being threatened and the mother uses a very distinct 'stay' command as well.
- When your dog is in a 'sit' position, stand so that she is on your left side facing the same direction. (later this will be referred to as the 'place' position) Holding her collar, say "Candy, stay!" (assuming her name is Candy) while placing your open hand in front of (not touching) her face, tips of the fingers pointing down, palm facing your dog. Wait ten seconds. If she gets up, say "No, Candy, stay!" and start again with "sit" and proceed again to "stay".
- Do this until she stays for at least ten seconds and then praise her by saying (you guessed it) "Good stay, Candy!" "Good stay!" Repeat this whole sequence several times.
- When your dog learns this command well, you start to increase the length of time; start moving away during the stay. Always move off on the right foot so as to not confuse moving with heel.
- Gradually increase the distance. If she gets up go all the way back to the place you started and repeat the sequence, until you can move around freely during the stay. Have a certain command to release your dog from the stay such as "okay!" or "come".
Step 3
Down is another one of those commands that can possibly save your dog's life. 'Down' is usually combined with 'stay', and is meant to be a stronger command. 'Down' actually stops whatever action was happening before the command, so is useful in controlling behavior.
Start again with your dog in a 'sit' position. As you say "Trigger, down!" (Trigger?), hold your left hand above your dog's head, palm toward the floor. Lower your hand towards the floor while pulling down on his collar or lead gently. - Many times he will resist and you may have to either push on the shoulder blades (not the neck or back) to get the idea across. (if your dog is very resistant, lift up one front paw while, gently but firmly, pushing on the shoulder blades) Bend over him and crouch down to eye level if necessary. If he continues to resist, say "No, Trigger, down!". Once he is down and not trying to push against your hand, praise him by saying (all together now) "Good down!" "Good down, Trigger!" Repeat this sequence several times.
Step 4
The "come" command is also known as the "recall"
Teach "come" by gently pulling her towards you while saying "Sally, come!" in a more encouraging voice than you use for other commands. (you want her to want to come to you) Accompany the command with a gesture to show her what you want.
- First place a piece of dry dog food at your feet and point to it. After a very short time, the gesture of pointing at the floor in front of you will be enough, then later, only the command OR the gesture will be needed.
- When she reaches you, praise her using the phrase "Good come!" When interacting with your pet, take opportunities to call her from across the room by using her name (Sally, wasn't it?) and saying "Come!" and praising her when she gets there. This will make your dog familiar with the command.
Step 5
Heel is often the most complicated one to teach, but most dogs will learn quickly, if you are consistent. teaching your canine companion to heel will save your back, your shoulders, your dog's neck, and dignity for both of you (although, dignity may be low on the priority list for your dog). Your dog will want to jog at a canter and sniff and veer off in many directions. You need to show him that there is a time for exploring and a time not to.
- Using the regular walking lead, put your dog in a 'sit' beside your left leg facing the same direction as you. This is known as the "place" position. Always use left to avoid confusing him and other dog walkers.
Say "Arthur, heel!" while stepping forward with the left foot. Always start on the left. This will become a signal that it is time to move forward. He may either resist or hurry past you. In either case give a gentle pull and repeat the command "Heel!". - If he strays too far off to the side, pat your leg and say "Keep with me!" or "Over here!" or another short phrase, but always say the same phrase to mean that particular thing. If he moves out ahead, say "No, Arthur, heel!" and if necessary tug on the lead. When you stop, always stop on the left foot and say "Arthur, sit!" and if your dog moves ahead, gently pull or physically place him beside your left leg using the "sit" command.
- If things get a little to out of control, stop and place him in a sit at your side, praise him and start over. You should always adjust the dog to your position, not adjust your position to his. (if you adjust your position to his, he will eventually have his human well trained to obey him)
- You should get him used to not feeling any tension on the lead unless you are making a correction, or he will get into the habit of pulling constantly. Make your corrections by voice and gesture and only use the lead if he isn't listening.
- You may gently praise your dog while he is heeling well, but keep it toned down so as not to distract him.
- Once he is obeying the spoken commands consistently, remain silent and only use the spoken commands for correction. the length of time to learn is individual so don't be in a hurry to move things along.
Step 6
When you are ready to stop, you should stop on your left foot and say "Arthur, sit." After a few repetitions you should no longer need to use the sit command. Your dog will come to know that stopping on the left foot is the signal for him to stop and sit.
- When your dog is consistently obeying the "heel" command properly, start unexpectedly starting of with the left foot and stopping without verbal commands or hand signals.
- Also, when your dog is in the "place" position, occasionally step off with the right. Your dog will want to start with you, so you use the "stay" command and walk around him back to the "place" position. Alternate stepping off with the left and using the heel command and then stepping off with the right and using the stay command. After a while you can advance to randomly stepping of with either foot and reinforcing the appropriate "heel" or "stay" behavior. When you and your dog has learned this well, you will be able to function smoothly as a team no matter where you are.
Tips
- Training is best begun in early puppy hood, but older dogs can learn just as well, it may just take a little longer to overcome bad habits.
- Keep your early training sessions indoors or outdoors on a lead and in the same place to avoid distractions. After you have both learned the commands well, then start to have sessions in different places so your dog will learn to listen in spite of distractions.
- Teaching your dog to go into a down position from a distance is covered in advanced commands. If you were to be in a situation where your dog was running (either toward or away from you) toward a road or other dangerous area, you could stop him immediately with a down command.
Warnings
- Never, ever scold or discipline your dog when she comes to you on command, no matter what! Even if she was being disobedient before she came, the fact that she obeyed your last command will be the only thing she connects with the disciplinary action. Talk about mixed signals!
- Don't show frustration or irritation during training, or you will confuse and frighten your dog making training sessions a negative experience for both of you. If you become frustrated, move on or back to a command that she is better with and end your session on a positive note.
- Do not ever let your dog off lead until she is performing these exercises correctly 100% of the time. She only has to disobey once and get out of your reach to understand that you can't enforce what you can't catch. You need to have your authority firmly in place before you can start working successfully off lead.
