Have you just bought or adopted a dog? If not, then what are you waiting for? They’re the perfect companion – a little bundle of endless love and joy. (For more reasons on why a dog would be perfect for you, click here!).
But if you have just recently bought or adopted a dog, you would definitely need to do this…
TEACH YOUR DOG COMMANDS!!!
Basic dog training early on in a dog’s life is vital for handling difficult problems in the future. It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. Puppy training schools can be a great idea, especially since they also aim to build up the relationship you have with your dog in addition to teaching your dog tricks. But what if you just wanted to teach your dog some commands? Here are a couple of basic (yet classic) commands that every dog owner should know:
Sit
Ah yes, the good ol’ sit. A command that every dog owner should know, and every dog should follow. You’ll often find that dogs who understand this command are much calmer and more obedient. This command is also a good stepping stone towards more advanced commands. Here’s some tips to help assist in teaching your dog ‘sit’:
- Use treats. Treats are essential for teaching any command.
- Present the treat to your dog to get its attention (this shouldn’t be too hard!!!!), but don’t give him/her the treat just yet. Once his nose is fairly close to the treat, raise your arms so that the dog has to ‘reach up’ to eat it. This should cause your dog to involuntarily lower his rear.
- Once he is in the ‘sit’ position, say the command ‘sit’ and reward your pet with the treat. Repeat this process multiple times a day until your dog is able to sit on command. Then you can reinforce this behaviour by saying sit before taking him out for a walk, before feeding time, and any other situation you can think of.
‘Sit’ – the number one command you need to teach your dog
Stay
Another handy command that should be at your disposal. Once your dog knows how to ‘stay’, you’ll have an easier time controlling your dog. You will find this command to be very useful in a wide variety of different situations, such as not wanting to be disturbed or when you just need your dog to be out of your way for a couple of minutes. While not essential, teaching your dog the ‘stay’ command will be much easier if he/she has already mastered the ‘sit’ command.
- As before, remember to always use treats when teaching your dog commands/tricks.
- Firstly, tell your dog to sit. Open up your hand so that your palm is facing the dog, and then say the word ‘stay’ out loud.
- Slowly move back a couple of steps. Start off with a couple of steps. If your dog stays, then reward them with a treat. Repeat this process a couple of times until he/she stays when you ask them to everytime. Then steadily increase the number of steps you take backwards.
- This command can be very difficult for your puppy to follow, especially if they are full of energy. This is because this command is essentially a self-control exercise, and it will be incredibly difficult for puppies with boundless amounts of energy to sit still for a while. The most important thing is to be patient. Trust me, they’ll get the hang of it and follow your command after a while, no matter the dog.
Come
Once your dog can ‘stay’, you would want him to come back right? Come is another very useful command that should be at every dog owner’s disposal. Is your dog causing trouble? Or wandering too far from you? The dog will come back to you as long as you know this command. Here’s some tips to teach ‘come’:
- Again, remember to use treats.
- Attach a leash to your dog’s collar (the longer the leash the better). Tell him/her to stay, then walk a couple of steps away from him/her.
- Say ‘come’ out loud while gently tugging on his leash. Once he makes his way to you, reward him with the treat and some compassionate pats and ‘good boy’s/girl’s’.
- When your dog is able to do this consistently and without treats, practice training your pet in a safe enclosed area like a dog park.
‘Come’ – an incredibly useful command to get your dog to come back to you
Sticking with it
These commands are the easiest to get started with, yet they are the most useful. These basic commands form the foundation of dog training and you will definitely reap the benefits of this training later down the track.
However, like learning to play an instrument or speaking another language, training your dog will take time. So be patient, hold daily training sessions, and continuously reward your dog with treats and affection. So enough, all your hard work will be paid off.
Want to teach your dog more advanced commands? Stay tuned for part 2 where we provide more tips and tricks on more advanced commands to make your dog training easier.
