When you get a new dog, whether it’s a newborn puppy or an adult rescue, obedience training is a must to tackle any behavior problems. A well-behaved dog will be a good neighbor to other dogs and people. You wouldn’t want your dog to run up and greet a child who is afraid of dogs or to tackle unsteady elderly neighbors. With proper obedience training, you will also help keep your dog safe out of harm’s way such as running and pulling into the street with speeding cars. With these 5 essential commands, you and your dog will be on the way to being good citizens without having to spend money to go to a class.
When should you begin training?
For a puppy that is less than three months old, you should begin right away with light training to begin implanting the commands into their brain. After three to fours month of age, you can begin with basic commands – such as the ones in this guide.
What tools do I need to begin training?
You will need a proper training collar and leash for dog depending on his size and weight. You will also need dog treats that you have stashed in your pocket or bag to both motivate and reward him after he follows your commands. We recommend using your dog’s favorite treats for training.
Here are the 5 basic commands that every dog should learn: heel, sit, stay, come, and no.
Heel: All dogs should learn to heel, or walk by your side, especially if you are in an urban area where there are lots of speeding cars and not a lot of room on the sidewalk. With this command, your arm will thank you as it will limit the pulling your dog does during walks and keep them from pulling you into a busy street.
- Begin with your dog next to your knee, and then start walking with the leg closest to your dog as you say the “Heel” command.
- Once they follow the command without pulling, reward them with a treat and positive reinforcement.
- If your dog does not get the hang of heel right away, just give a small tug on the leash to bring him back to the starting position and begin again.
Sit: One of the easiest commands to teach your dog because they naturally know how to sit. This is a great command as it is a transitionary command, leading to many other commands like lay down, stay, and come. A dog who knows how to sit will be calmer and easier to control, especially at the crosswalks in urban environments.
- Hold the treat close to the dog’s nose, then move your hand up so that your dog’s head will follow. Naturally, their bottom will lower after this.
- If not, give a light tap to their bottom as you give the command.
- Once he is in the sitting position, say “Sit” and reward with praise and a treat.
Stay: Similar to sit, the stay command will make your dog easier to manage and keep him out from under your feet or out of harm's way. Before moving onto this command, make sure that he knows how to sit on cue. If not, go back and reinforce the command before moving to this command.
- Begin with the "Sit" command.
- With the palm of your hand open toward him, say "Stay".
- Slowly walk back and reward with a treat and praise if he stays.
- If they move toward you, stop and say "No".
- Gradually increase the number of steps you take back before you give treats.
Come: This is another command that can ensure your dog's safety, and should be one of the first commands that you teach your dog. It can save their life if they ever come off the leash or wander into an unsafe area. This command is taught after "Stay", since you can easily follow up with "Come".
- Put a leash and a collar on your dog.
- Go down to the same level and say "Come", while gently pulling on the leash.
- When he gets to you, reward with treats and affection.
- You can also use an open palm with your fingers pointing downward to also give visual cues for where your dog should go toward.
- Once your dog has gotten a hang of the command with a leash on, you can practice more in a safe, enclosed environment with the leash.
No: Some trainers have multiple commands for slightly different situations like "Leave it" if you do not want your dog to investigate something or "Off" when you want your dog to jump on the couch or other people; however, sticking to one command like "No", keeps things simple and prevents confusion for your dog. "No" is a good, versatile command to keep your dog from doing anything you want him to not do.
- Start with a leash on your dog.
- Place a treat on the ground away from your dog.
- Walk towards the treat.
- Say "no" and slightly pull on the leash toward you.
- Reward with a treat from your hand.
- You can also reinforce this command when you are training other commands such as "No, sit" to correct and to make sure they follow through on the command.