Dog Training Commands: The Basics
Dogs are amazing creatures that can be trained to do some pretty impressive tricks.
A good dog training program must start with the basics. Start with the basics and work your way up if you want your dog to obey you.
This blog post talks about the most important dog training commands that every owner should know.
Toys are not only for dogs to play with, they are also an effective and fun way to train them.
Dog Training Takes Patience and A lot of It
Effective dog training requires a lot of patience from the dog trainer, as well as the time to devote to training the dog properly.
When training your dog, avoid being loud, angry, or abusive. Remember that this is all new to him.
If your patience is wearing thin, walk away and try dog training again later.
Yelling at your dog will only delay his ability to learn commands.
A dog's reaction to hostility may even prevent him from learning commands or tricks. Train your dog with patience and love.
Common Dog Training
Let’s look at some of the most popular things to train your pup.
Along with the basics you may also want to begin teaching your dog some basic tricks. We've covered this in our 3 Cool Tricks to Teach your Dog blog post.
Sit
Before you can run, you have to learn how to walk. The most common command to learn is to sit.
This is a basic obedience command every dog should know.
Starting at the dog’s shoulder, use your left hand to lift up his right front leg and place your right hand just in front of his hip and say “Sit.” You will need to gently push down on his rump”
As soon as he sits, say “Good dog!” and give him a treat.
Stay
Once your dog has mastered the sit command, you can teach him to stay. This command is important for keeping your dog safe in potentially dangerous situations.
To teach the “stay” command, start by putting your dog in a seated position and step back one step to teach this command.
As soon as your dog gets up or moves, say "No" and put him back down. Once he holds his position for a few seconds, say “Good dog!” and give him a treat.
Come
Another important command that can help keep your dog safe is the come command. The come command tells your dog to return to you right away.
Take a few steps away from your dog while he is seated or lying down to teach this command.
As soon as he stands up or starts moving, say "Come" and run toward him while clapping your hands. Give him a treat and lots of praise as soon as he gets to you.
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Fetch
The most common way to train a dog with a dog toy is to fetch it. Besides being fun for you, using a basic tennis ball, or a smaller one depending on the size of the dog, can also be fun for him.
It may seem challenging at first, since Fido is naturally good at chasing objects. With a little patience on your part and some treats as motivation, your dog will quickly learn how to retrieve the toy.
Let's get them to actually give it to you so you can throw it again.
The first thing you need to do is teach the dog to release the ball. There may be a lot of patience and persistence involved, but persistence always pays off. Pull the ball out of the dog’s mouth while saying “drop”.
Drop
As you repeatedly teach your dog that "drop" means the ball is no longer in his mouth, he will become more receptive to the other tricks you will teach him.
If you are patient enough, you can have a well-trained dog that knows all the basic commands.
Just be sure to take your time, be consistent with your training, and always use positive reinforcement when he does something correctly.
Rewarding Your Dog Properly
Every time your dog follows a command correctly, or even if he only follows it half-way, it is important to reward him.
Your dog is trying to do things he has never done before. Be generous with the rewards during the first training stages of your dog.
What Should I Reward My Dog with for Good Behavior?
The question is tricky and sometimes controversial. We can reward dog training success with treats like a bone or kibble. This works well for some dogs and dog owners, but other dog trainers may frown upon it.
Positive reinforcement is another dog training reward method. Most professional dog trainers use it. Each time your dog completes a dog-training obstacle, show him some serious love.
If you are just starting to teach him these tricks, you will have better results if you praise him for at least trying the trick or giving you attention during the dog training process.
Be Consistent
If you practice these basic commands with your dog, he will respond to them like a pro in no time!
Rewarding Good Behavior
You will have to eventually wean the dog off of expecting a treat or excessive praise and positive reinforcement every time he obeys you.
It won't be long before you won't have to reward your dog each time he follows a command or pulls off a trick.
That does not mean you shouldn’t keep giving treats or praise at all; just not as often. You want the dog training you and the dog went through to feel like second nature for the dog.
Keep Adding New Tricks
There are a few basic dog training commands every owner should know.
Learn more tricks and commands for your pup.
Dogs love to please their owners, and with a little patience, you can have a well-trained pup in no time!
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