Basic commands your dog should learn. If you have already decided to adopt a puppy; you should be aware that you will have to implement several changes. You will have to decide where you will sleep or where you can defecate. You’ll also need to budget for the most essential expenses, such as food, health care, and accessories. You even need to organize your daily activities to set a schedule to play and walk your pet every day.
But sometimes we forget one of the most important aspects of having a dog at home; and we refer to the education you should provide. We refer to the training of the dog. This issue is fundamental to form the behavior and temperament of your pet from an early age.
Surely, at this moment, you are wondering: where do I start training my dog? For this reason, we are going to introduce you to the basic commands that your dog should learn. Don’t stop reading!
Basic commands your dog should learn.
Sitting
The first basic command your dog should learn is “Sitting.” This indication is really the simplest of all, because it is a natural position of the dog. In addition, it serves so that your pet can communicate different situations, for example, asking for food to go outside.
How can my dog learn this command?
The most effective way to teach this command to your hound is as follows; show him a treat and let him sniff it for a few minutes. Then put the treat in your hand, close it and with your fist draw an imaginary line from the head to the back of the dog, while you indicate the word “sitting”. After several attempts you will notice that the dog sits when you perform this action.
We strongly recommend that you always use the same word to give this order, It is not good that you constantly change it to some synonym of it, because otherwise, your dog will not be able to efficiently learn this indication.
Still
The second basic command your dog should learn is “still” This command may seem boring to you, and even unnecessary, however, it is one of the most useful and indispensable commands. You should learn to be still, especially when there are visitors at home or on breaks during walks in the park.
How can I teach my dog to sit still?
Once your dog has learned to sit, ask him to do so. Then show the palm of your hand, give the command: “still” and go back two steps. If the dog does not move, it backs up two more steps; if your pet continues not to move, you reward him with a treat and a positive phrase, for example: “good boy” or “well done”. You will have to repeat this activity several times, but each time increasing the distance between you and the dog. The time will come when your dog will learn this order without needing to give him a treat.
Lying down
The third basic command your dog should learn is to lie down when you ask him. It is essential that you learn this order when we want our dog to stay by our side, resting.
Basic commands your dog should learn
How do I teach the “lying down” command to my dog?
The first step is to give your dog the order “sitting” Once there, you must take a treat with your hand. Then, you should move your closed hand slowly to the ground, indicating to the dog that it should lie down, following the course of your fist.
Like the previous ones, after several attempts the dog will understand and relate both the word and the movement to this order, and will do so automatically when you indicate it.
Come
Many times we have seen situations where the owner of a dog opens the door of the house and his pet runs out into the street and ignores the calls of the owner. This situation can put the dog at risk, get lost or even suffer an accident. For that reason, it is of the utmost importance to teach your dog the command “come here”; get your dog to immediately come to your call.
How to teach the command”Come”?
This command requires a little more practice than previous orders. However, it is not a complex process. In principle, you should place the reward on your hands or feet, without the dog noticing.
Then, call him with the command “come here” when the dog approaches, offer him the reward you saved and a word of motivation.
At first you may not understand, however, you must repeat this activity several times and for several days so that the hound associates your call with the reward. Try the same exercise keeping more and more distance, in this way it can be useful even if they are several meters away.
Walk with its owner
Walking alongside you is the last basic command your dog should learn, but it’s no less important than the previous four orders. However, it is the most complex. For that reason you need to invest more perseverance and have more patience in training.
As we already mentioned, it is a process with a greater degree of difficulty, because it is normal, in a walk, that the dog pulls the leash to run faster than you, or wants to stop to sniff or observe something.
How can you teach this command?
The usual thing is that during the walk, when the dog begins to pull the leash, you give him the order to sit down. Once done, tell him to stay still and try to resume the march.
If you don’t sit still, try again. And this time, when resuming the walk, he signals to the dog with a “let’s go” or “go ahead”, which should walk next to you.
If he tries to walk away again, using the word “together” practice ordering him to go on your side. If he doesn’t obey you, say “No!” And he indicates the order again, so he knows what you mean.
An important aspect is to always select the same side for the march in this way, the dog will understand the walking pattern at your side progressively.
Command Loose
Another important command that you can teach your dog is “Loose”, It is very common to see dogs take some object with their muzzle and not want to return it. Teaching him properly that he must return the object voluntarily; without having to remove it by force, will help us to have a calmer and more balanced pet.
The way you can teach this command is to approach the dog calmly make a sign with your hand and give the indication “loose. It is possible that on the first occasions you must remove the object from your dog’s muzzle yourself. But if you constantly repeat this indication and reward him when he performs the action; in a short time he will have learned this order.
After having described the basic commands that your dog should learn, we want to mention that there are other orders that help improve the behavior of your beloved pet. In this article we will only mention them and in the future we will be publishing another article where we will describe them in greater detail and the way in which your dog can learn them.
Other commands
Bring. This command teaches our pet to bring objects that we have thrown. It also helps our pet stay entertained and release tension
Find. This command stimulates the dog’s exploratory sense, smell and mind. It is a progressive learning because to bring the desired object, the dog must perform a search, until it is found and returned.
Go. Also known as “forward”, this order is usual to instruct the dog to run or move freely.
Jump. A very useful order in canine training, and the realization of exercise routines. This indication is more common when dogs practice sports such as Agility.