Basic Dog Training Tips

Training your dog can be incredibly fun and rewarding. They are naturally fast learners and rely on you to be their pack leader and set their boundaries and limitations. Training your pet also brings you much closer to your furry friend and makes them less stressed and more balanced pets.

Young puppies make eager students, so as soon as your new arrival comes home, it’s time to start training. They are like sponges, waiting to soak up all the learning you can throw at them. But old dogs an learn new tricks too, it is all about praise and reward!

Below we have listed three of the most common commands sit, stay and come.

1. The sit command 

This is one of the easiest commands to teach, all it takes is a couple of minutes each day and you will master this in under a week or less.

The steps:

1. Get the attention of your dog and show them you have a delicious treat in your hand.
2. Hold the treat just above your dog’s nose (not too high or they could jump).
3. Then, say your dog’s name followed by the word “sit,” spoken clearly and firmly.
4. Move the treat back towards your dog’s ears.
5. As soon as your dog’s rear lands on the ground, say “good sit” in an upbeat tone.
6. Give your dog the treat followed by petting and praising.
7. Repeat 5-6 times.

Tips:

1. If your dog does not sit on her own after a few tries, avoid pushing them into a sitting position. Instead, spend some time watching. Anytime they naturally sit, say “good sit,” then praise and reward her.
2. Hold short training sessions throughout the day in various locations, both indoor and outdoors. Include the front door and food bowl as regular training locations. This will make her more likely to sit when greeting guests or before feeding.
3. Once your dog becomes and expert at sitting, you no longer need to give a treat every time – only occasionally. However, rewarding with praise is always a good idea.

2. The stay command

Training your dog to stay is one of the hardest basic commands to teach because they love to keep moving, but this is of the most useful.

With short, frequent practice sessions, this training can be mastered and is incredibly useful to maintain the safety of your dog.

The steps:

1. Get your dog’s attention and show that you have a treat in your hand.
2. Say “stay” in a steady tone of voice and put your hand out in front of you with your palm facing forwards.
3. Wait a few seconds, then reward your dog for staying put. Be sure to say “good stay” in an upbeat tone. Practise this several times.
4. Next, ask him to “stay” again, then take a step back encourage him by saying “good stay”.
5. After about three seconds, step forwards and reward him. Praise him for being really clever.
6. Gradually increase the length and the distance of the ‘stay’. But don’t try to do too much too soon.
7. If your dog breaks the ‘stay’, don’t shout at him. Simply not rewarding them is enough. They key to remember is that getting cross is counterproductive, dogs just love praise and reward.

3. The come command

The come command is another very useful technique. You want to be able to safely take your dog to off leash areas and for them to behave and come on command in all situations.

The steps:

1. Start in an area with low distractions. If you are in an enclosed space, you do not need a leash. If you are outside without fences, use a leash, long-line, or light rope to make sure that your dog does not run away but never use the leash to pull them towards you.
2. Have some delicious treats ready or something that your dog loves. This can be small pieces of high-value food or your dog’s favourite toy.
3. Show your dog the treat you have, and immediately move quickly away from your dog. You can walk backwards, (look behind you first!) or turn and walk at an angle away from your dog. Turn towards your dog and crouch down with your hands down in front of you, held close to your body.
4. As soon as your dog starts to move towards you, say “Yes!” and praise them.
5. When your dog gets to you, give him his treat – several small pieces of food or his toy, and praise him. Hold the treat close to your body so that the dog is near you – within your arm’s reach. At the same time, make it a habit to reach out and gently take hold of the dog’s collar.
6. After a few repetitions, when your dog is responding correctly start saying the command “come” with your dog’s name in front – (“Ralph, Come”). Start by saying it in a happy voice. (As you continue to practice, switch to the voice you will really use if you are calling your dog in a moment of panic or anger – but always reward the dog with happy praise).
7. After several repetitions, try calling your dog to you without moving – or taking one or two steps to get his attention.
8. Then, continue to practice this and gradually introducing more distractions, your dog will soon master this technique and do you proud!

It is important to keep up the training as dogs can get a little rusty over time. But by making it fun and rewarding it can be a terrific bonding experience and bring you closer. Dogs also love the mental stimulation so you will find continual training will keep them from misbehaving and become the perfect pet.

Do you train your dog? Have you had some funny experiences? Share you dog stories with us today…