THE BASIC DOG TRAINING COMMANDS
Sit!
Teach the pup to sit as his first lesson. There are several good reasons why you should start with this command. First, sitting comes naturally to dogs since they often sit to rest. Two, teaching the pup to sit is relatively easy, a lesson that he will learn very quickly. Three, you will find the sit position an excellent base or jump-off spot from which to launch the other commands. When the pup is sitting, he is quiet and under control. The sit position is akin to the five basic foot positions of the ballet dancer. From the five positions, the ballet dancer can execute any number of steps or combinations, from an entre chat to a capriole.
The sit position has practical applications, it is not just a trick. When walking the pup, you will find the sit useful at intersections, when meeting a friend, and in various other situations where you want the dog to be quiet and under control.
Start the lesson with the pup on the leash. You can place him on your left side; later he'll be walking or heeling from that position. Hold the leash in your right hand, give the command "Sit!" and lift up on the leash. This will raise the pup's head. With your left hand, push down on his rear end. Repeat these movements until the pup sits down without your having to lean on him. Then unsnap the leash and give the command. If he balks or sits down only halfway, put him back on the leash and start over. He'll soon learn that when he doesn't obey, he'll be restrained with the leash. Praise him well when he gets the lesson right.
Next, introduce him to the appropriate hand signal. Move a pace or two in front of the dog, give the command "Sit!" and hold up your forefinger in an admonishing gesture. Let him see it. Keep repeating the lesson, using both the command and the hand signal. While the hand signal has its best use when working at a distance, such as in the field, there are many situations in which you will find it useful. One of these is when there is too much noise for your dog to hear your voice.
Stay!
Teaching the pup to stay after he's learned to sit at your command is a natural step. The combination of sit-stay is one that will help keep your dog out of trouble or possibly save his life. See that he learns it.
Even though the pup can now sit without being restrained on the leash, snap on the leash while you are teaching him to stay. This will be a more difficult lesson, for the pup will want to move or race after you. Hold the leash short in your left hand, give him the command or signal to sit, then follow with the command "Stay!" Show him the hand signal: palm of the right hand raised toward him. Keep repeating the command "Stay!" and at the same time emphasize the command by pushing your palm at the dog.
After the pup is staying (even though you are still very close to him), you can advance the lesson. Back away a few steps, give the command and hand signal, and hold him in position with the leash. Remember, the further away you move, the more eager the pup will be to go to you. Hold him in place with the leash, repeating the command and hand signal. Give him some praise.
Once you have him staying a few feet from you, the next move is to increase the distance between you and the pup. Move backward to the end of the leash. Give him the command to stay and reinforce it with the hand signal. If he breaks out of the sitting position and dashes over to you, reprimand him, give him a pat on the head, and take him back and start over again.
Gradually increase the distance between you and the dog. In a few weeks, you will be able to leave him and go out of sight. This will be the supreme test; if he sits and stays when you are out of his sight, he rates plenty of praise!
Come!
Most of the time the pup will come when you call him. Notice we said most of the time. That is not enough. You want him to come every time you call him, not when he feels like it or expects something. You cannot consider your dog properly trained unless he instantly obeys your command to come. There must be no hesitation on his part; come means come.
In addition to wanting to please you, the pup also wants to come to you. In fact, it's all he can do to restrain himself from dashing over to you. Fine. This makes a good place to start. Later, you will want him to come from any position and place.
Before starting the "Come" lesson, give the pup a warm-up. Run him through the sit-stay a few times to get him into the spirit of the lessons. Next, give him the command or hand signal to sit, follow it with stay, then move off about twenty feet. Now, give the sharp, clear command "Come!" (or use his name), at the same time slapping your knees as you bend over.
If the pup dawdles or bolts away for a romp, go to him, issue a reprimand and give him the sit-stay commands. Move back from him and repeat the command "Come!" If he still insists on giving you the "you-chase-me" treatment, go to him, chastize him, and make him sit-stay again. This time fasten a twenty-foot rope to his collar. Walk to the end of the rope, turn around and give the command "Come!" As you give the command, tug on the rope. If he digs in, haul him toward you and keep repeating the command. He'll come to you when you pull him, albeit very unwillingly. But when he gets hauled over to you three or four times, he'll prefer to come without the rope. Try him. If he goes astray, put him back on the rope.
Some trainers use a hand signal for "Come!" This hand signal has its uses, mostly in the field. But even in the field it is limited, especially when you are out of sight of the dog. For general use, the voice command is best or you can use a "silent" whistle.
Heel!
There is nothing more exasperating to watch (or get in the way of) than an untrained dog on a leash moving along a crowded sidewalk. He crisscrosses in front of the dog-walker, trips people, and lunges his way through traffic. He's a pest and a peril.
Once you've taught your pup to heel, walking with him will be a pleasure. When he's mastered the lesson, the pup will walk close to your left side, his head on a line from your left foot. And whenever you stop, the pup should automatically drop into a sitting position without a command.
Heeling is taught on the leash. Start from the sit-stay position, but first give the pup a warm-up by running him through the three commands he's already learned.
When the pup is warmed up and ready to go, put him into the sit-stay position on your left side. Hold the leash in your right hand, letting the leash loop toward the ground. Your left hand should grasp the leash halfway between the dog and your right hand, giving you a corrective hold when needed. You are now ready to start.
Give the command to "Heel!"—followed by the dog's name; e.g., "Heel, Buck!" As you give the command, step briskly forward with your left foot. You can expect one of several maneuvers from the pup: he will dash forward, remain sitting or lag behind. Each one of these requires instantaneous correction. If he dashes forward, feed out the leash and, when he gets to the end of it, stop him with a hard yank. Walk up to him, make him sit-stay, pat him on the head and start over again. If he remains sitting, step backward to him and repeat the command to heel, urging him forward with the leash. If he lags behind, don't drag him; wait for him to come up to you, then make him sit-stay and start again. Praise him each time after the reprimand, whether it's a voice or leash correction.
After the pup is heeling well on the leash, you can teach him to come to a sitting position when you stop. The pup already knows how to sit on your command. When he is heeling, walk him a short distance, then stop and give the command or signal to sit. Keep repeating this walk-and-sit routine and eliminate the voice command. Repeat the walk-and-sit, using the hand signal, until the pup has it down pat. Then do away with the hand signal. In a short time, the pup will automatically sit down when you stop.
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