Teach Your Dog These 4 Basic Commands
Have you seen those cute little videos of puppies and dogs that can follow the commands of their owner? Those are not just natural gift; the dogs are trained to do so. If you just got a puppy, you better start training them. It’s not a form of slavery, trainings and commands can help save you dog’s life in unexpected situations. It’s also a form of bonding between an owner and the pet. The function of such training depends on the correction and reward.
In this article, we will teach you how to train your dog in the following commands as instructed by San Luis Obispo dog trainer.
- Teaching How to Come
Do this dog training in a quiet area. Move into a squat position and open your arms. Say “come”. Not all dogs will move right away so you have to be persistent. If he starts moving towards you, praise her. An encouraging tone will make them think that it’s fun and not scary. When she gets close to you, just gently reach out and softly stroke his head or belly. The goal of this command is to get your dog stop right in front of you. If you have difficulties making him move near you, just guide him and praise him.
- Teaching to Heel
The goal of this command is to get your dog walk on your left side on a relaxed manner while you loosely hold the leash. Avoid pulling your dog, let him walk comfortably. You can say “forward” or “let’s go” to get them to walk with you. To begin the training, hold the dog’s leash in your left hand and a squeaky toy in the other. The toy should be above yet slightly in front of his head. When you do the command, encourage him to look up at the toy. Start walking forward, and be consistent with the toy. Once you get his attention, let him play the toy and start over again until he can heel.
- Teaching to Sit
We are teaching you two methods of training your dog how to sit. First, get a treat and hold it and get down in front of your dog. Put the treat in his front as you say “sit” and then slowly lift the food. His initial response is to lift his head so you can reach the treat. But if he backs up, slowly guide him into a sitting position. Don’t forget to praise him and give him the treat.
Second, squat down next to him and place one behind his rear legs and the other hand on his chest. Say “sit” and apply a gentle pressure up to his chest which then will guide him into a sitting position. Don’t forget to give him a treat once he’s already sitting.
- Teaching to Stay
Once the dog has already learned the command sit, you can now proceed to the “stay” command. Turn around and face him, open your palm, and say stay. After few seconds, go back to your old position and slightly put your foot on the leash. Say the release word you have. Give him a treat for being a good boy.
