Being a pet owner brings with it a lot of responsibility. Training your dog to respond to specific commands can ensure his security in certain situations and can make life with a dog even more enjoyable. Having a dog that responds to commands is particularly helpful if you like to take your dog with you on outdoor adventures. Many dog owners find dog training is both fun and rewarding. So we share the 5 essential dog training commands that can help make life with your dog even better:
- Sit – this is one of the easier commands to teach your dog. Hold a treat above your dog’s nose and raise your hand upwards. Then gently ease the rear of the dog to sitting position, saying “sit” at the same time. If this is repeated regularly, the dog will soon respond to the verbal command and the hand signal without needing to have a treat.
- Stay – this is an important command to develop self-control in your dog. It’s helpful in a variety of situations including when you open the trunk of the car to ensure your dog doesn’t bolt. You first need to use the sit command. When your dog has sat, you raise the palm of your hand in front of you and say “stay” at the same time. You then step backwards. If your dog stays sitting, you praise that behaviour. You gradually increase the steps backwards so the dog stays in a sitting position until you call him to come to you.
- Down – Place a treat in your closed hand and let the dog smell it. Then move your hand down to the floor and say the word “down.” Your dog should follow the treat down to the floor so that he is lying on the ground. Again, praise this behaviour and repeat it regularly so that the dog gets used to the verbal command.
- Heel – This command is great to teach your dog to walk at your side, rather than pulling in front of you. Put a leash on your dog and hold it in your right hand with the dog walking at your left hand side. As you start to walk forward, use the word “heel”. Use a squeaky toy and squeak the toy above the dog’s head so that the dog looks up as he is walking and is positioned slightly behind you. When the dog walks like that for a while give him the toy as a way of praising him.
- Leave it – An essential command especially if your dog tends to pick up random things from the ground when you are out on a walk. Put a treat in both hands and show the dog one of your closed fists and say “leave it”. When the dog stops trying to get at the treat, praise him by giving him the treat from the other hand. The next time you do this, wait until the dog has fully moved away from your closed fist before rewarding him.
