Content
- 1. Sit down!
- 2. Stay!
- 3. Lie down!
- 4. Come here!
- 5. Together!
- Other commands for more advanced puppies
- positive reinforcement
train a dog it represents more than teaching a couple of tricks that make us laugh, since education stimulates the dog's mind and facilitates coexistence and its behavior in public.
It is important to be patient and start working on this project as soon as possible, as it promotes your union and improves the quality of life for both of you. However, the question of "where to start" may arise, as canine training encompasses a whole new world for those who have just decided to adopt a dog for the first time. If this is your case, at PeritoAnimal we recommend that you start by taking your partner to the veterinarian, desparasite and vaccinate according to your instructions. Then you can start teaching him to do his needs in the right place and start with the basic commands for dogs. Don't you know them? Keep reading and discover them!
1. Sit down!
The first thing you should teach a dog is to sit. It's the easiest command to teach and, for him, it is something natural, so it will not be difficult to learn this action. If you can get the dog to sit up and understand that this is the position to beg for food, go outside or just want you to do something, it will be much better for both of you. That's because that way he won't do it with heels. To be able to teach this, follow these steps:
- get a treat or prize for your dog. Let him smell it and then tuck it inside his closed wrist.
- put yourself in front of the dog while he is attentive and waiting to receive the treat.
- Say: "[Name], sit down!" or "sit!". Use the word you prefer.
- With the dog's attention focused on your hand, begin following an imaginary line to the dog's back, passing over the top of the dog's head.
At first, the dog may not understand. He can try to turn or go around, but keep trying until he feels it. Once he does, offer the treat while saying "very good!", "good boy!" or any other positive phrase of your choice.
You can choose the word you want to teach you the command, just take into account that puppies tend to remember easy words more easily. Once command is selected, always use the same expression. If the tutor says "sit" one day and the next day says "sit", the dog will not internalize the command and will not pay attention.
2. Stay!
The dog must learn to be quiet in a place, especially when you have visitors, take him for a walk in the street or simply want him to stay away from something or someone. This is the best way to achieve these results effectively. What can you do to make him stay put? Follow these steps:
- When the dog is seated, try to be positioned close to him, on the left or right side (choose one side). Put the collar on and say "[Name], stay!" while placing your open hand next to him. Wait a few seconds and, if he is quiet, go back to say "Very good!" or "Good boy!", in addition to rewarding him with a treat or caresses.
- Repeat the above process until you can stay quiet for more than ten seconds. Always continue to reward him at the beginning, then you can alternate between a reward or a simple "Good boy!’.
- When you get your dog to be quiet, say the command and try to move away a little. If he goes after you, come back and repeat the command. Go back a few meters, call the dog and offer a reward.
- increase the distance gradually until the dog is practically quiet at a distance of more than 10 meters, even if someone else calls him. Don't forget to always call him at the end and say "come here!" or something like that to let him know when he has to move.
3. Lie down!
Like sitting, getting the dog to lie down is one of the easiest actions to teach. Furthermore, this is a logical process, since you can already say "stay", then "sit" and then "down". The dog will quickly associate the action with the command and, in the future, will do it almost automatically.
- Stand in front of your dog and say "sit". As he sits down, say "down" and point to the ground. If you don't get a reaction, press the dog's head down slightly while using your other hand to hit the ground. Another much easier option is to hide a prize in your hand and lower the hand with the treat to the floor (without letting go). Automatically, the dog will follow the prize and lie down.
- When he goes to bed, offer the treat and say "good boy!", in addition to offering some caresses to reinforce the positive attitude.
If you use the trick of hiding the prize in your hand, little by little you should remove the treat so that you learn to lie down without it.
4. Come here!
Nobody wants their dog to run away, not pay attention or not come when the tutor calls. Therefore, the call is the fourth basic command when training a dog. If you can't get him to come to you, you can hardly teach him to sit, lie down, or stay.
- Put a prize under your feet and yell "come here!" to your puppy without him noticing the reward. At first he won't understand, but when you point out the piece of food or treat, he'll come quickly. When he arrives, say "good boy!" and ask him to sit down.
- Go somewhere else and repeat the same action, this time without reward. If he doesn't, put the treat back under his feet until the dog associates "come here" with the call.
- increase the distance more and more until you get the dog to obey, even many yards away. If he associates that the reward is waiting, he will not hesitate to run to you when you call him.
Don't forget to reward the puppy every time he does, positive reinforcement is the best way to educate a dog.
5. Together!
You leash tugs are the most common problem when the tutor walks the dog. He can get him to come and sit and lie down, but when he starts walking again, all he's going to do is pull on the leash to run, sniff, or try to catch something. This is the most complicated command in this training mini-guide, but with patience you can manage it.
- Start walking your dog down the street and when he starts pulling on the leash, say "sit!". Tell him to sit in the same position (right or left) that he uses when he says "stay!".
- Repeat the order "stay!" and act like you're going to start walking. If you don't stay quiet, repeat the command again until he obeys. When you do, say "let's go!" and only then resume the march.
- When they start walking again, say "together!" and mark the side you have chosen so that he is quiet. If he ignores the command or moves further away, say "no!" and repeat the previous order again until he comes and sits down, which is what he will do automatically .
- Never punish him for not coming or scold him in any way. The dog should associate stopping and not pulling with something good, so you should reward him every time he comes and stays still.
You must be patient to teach your puppy basic commands, but don't try to do it in two days. Basic training will make the rides more comfortable and make visitors not have to "suffer" your pet's extra affection. If you have any questions or want to add a special technique you know for any of these points, leave your question in the comments.
Other commands for more advanced puppies
Although the commands mentioned above are the basic ones that all dog owners must know to start educating the dog correctly, there are others of more advanced level that we can start to practice once the first ones are inside.
- ’back" - This command is used in canine obedience to collect, receive an object. For example, if we want to teach our dog to bring the ball, or any other toys, it will be essential to educate him so that he learns the command " search" as "back" and "drop".
- ’jump" - Especially for those puppies that will practice agility, the "jump" command will allow them to jump over the wall, fence, etc., when their owner indicates.
- ’In front" - This command can be used for two different purposes, as a command to indicate that the dog runs forward or as a release command so that the dog understands that it can leave the work it was doing.
- ’Search" - As we mentioned, with this command our dog will learn to track an object that we throw or hide somewhere in the house. With the first option we will be able to keep our dog active, entertained and, above all, free from tension, stress and energy With the second, we can stimulate your mind and your sense of smell.
- ’Drop" - With this command our dog will return to us the object found and brought to us. Although it may seem that with "search" and "back" is enough, educating the dog to release the ball, for example, will prevent ourselves we have to take the ball out of his mouth and it will allow us to have a calmer companion.
positive reinforcement
As mentioned in each of the basic commands for puppies, the positive reinforcement it is always the key to getting them to internalize and enjoy while playing with us. You must never practice punishments that cause physical or psychological damage to the dog. In this way, you should say "No" when you want to show him that he must correct his behavior, and a "Very good" or "Beautiful boy" every time he deserves it. In addition, we remember that it is not recommended to abuse the training sessions, as you will only be able to develop stress on your dog.
He must Have patience to teach your puppy basic commands, as he won't do everything in two days. This basic training will make the walks more comfortable and visitors will not have to suffer from your dog's extra affection. If you have any questions or want to add any special technique you know to any of the points, please leave us your suggestion in the comments.
