The relationship between you and your dog will probably last at least 8 years and probably as long as 15 years. If you take the time to teach your dog obedience, he will respond to your verbal direction and not need physical restraint. Being able to talk to your dog will make your relationship with him a pleasure. Obedience training establishes you as the pack leader and teaches your dog to look to you for direction. Being able to tell your dog to "SIT," "STAY," "DOWN," "COME," and "NO" is basic obedience control. If you develop your control where it is functional, you won't have to worry about what your dog is doing while you're not there.
Our environment of people, limited space, and cars poses a constant threat to your dog's well-being and the safety of people. If you must rely on physical control only, you are at a great disadvantage. Dog bites and car accidents are really the fault of the dog's owner, not the dog. Part of the responsibility in owning and loving a dog is to train him to be a good citizen. Obedience training establishes this and much more. Being able to control your dog verbally can save his life and save you the cost of veterinary bills or lawsuits. Start training early: From 8 weeks on. Developing good habits early is easier than correcting poor ones. Proper training will establish behavior patterns which will last for the rest of your dog's life.
Basic Commands
Training a puppy can be a lot of fun and very rewarding for the whole family.
There are the basics you will need to control your puppy: SIT, SIT-STAY, DOWN, COME, and leash
training. You will have greatest success when you limit your training sessions to five minutes
several times a day. Puppies have short attention spans and tire quickly from rigorous training.
Master one command at a time in a controlled environment before confusing your pup with distractions.
Linking your command with a food reward and praise is the most effective way to train your puppy.
Sit
Let's start with SIT. The easiest way to teach your puppy to sit is with food. Milk-Bone
Puppy Biscuits are perfect for this.
- Place a biscuit in your right hand.
- Lift hand
directly over your pup's head and command "SIT." (See diagram 1.)
This will make his head reach up to sniff your hand and cause his hind
quarters to rest on the ground. Lavish praise on him, scratch his chest and
tell him how smart he is. Repeat this as often as possible. Don't hold the
biscuit too high or the pup will jump up instead of sitting.
Make the learning fun. Have patience. Be enthusiastic and genuinely pleased when he performs.
If you do not tell him, he will not realize he has done what you want.
Sit-Stay
Training your puppy to SIT and STAY should be started with a leash, preferably a 6-foot canvas lead attached to a flat leather collar. STAY is a stationary command. DO NOT move too fast or too far. Your results will be much faster if you work in a positive way. This means getting your pup to STAY where you can return to him and praise him for staying there.
- After the pup has learned to SIT, have him on your left side with your left hand palm toward the dog's nose. (See Diagram 2.)
Command "STAY."
- With the slack of the leash gathered in your right hand, place your left hand palm on the leash.
- Slowly step off with your right foot in front of your pup. You should be directly in front of your puppy. (See Diagram 3.)
- Slowly continue around your puppy, saying "STAY."
- If he attempts to get up, command "SIT-STAY." Scratch the top of his head and circle him. Use a quick (not hard) snap of the leash, if he attempts to get up.
- If he stays, return and praise him from the starting position. (See Diagram 4.)
- If he breaks away, get him back into position and start again.
- As he begins to understand what you want, slowly increase speed and distance.
- If you find he is not remaining in position, make
sure you are not too far away or moving too quickly too soon.
Again, always come back and praise him for staying. To release him from STAY, tell him he is all done and allow him to get up.
Down
The DOWN command is critical. DOWN is a submissive position. Getting your dog to get DOWN is one of the most difficult of all the commands. It is also one of the most important. If you want your dog to stay for any length of time, the DOWN command is necessary. DOWN can be taught from the SIT position by placing a Milk-Bone Puppy or Dog Biscuit in the palm of your hand and making a downwards motion with your fist. It is important that you bring your hand down in front of his nose as you say "DOWN". (See Diagram 5) If he doesn't get DOWN, he doesn't get a treat. If he does, turn your fist over, open your hand, and reward him with the biscuit. Scratch his neck and back and tell him how smart he is. As you work with him, gradually start bending at the waist and then back to an upright position, using a downward movement with your right hand. Do not scratch his stomach or he'll turn on his back every time you command "DOWN".
Come
The COME command is one of the most useful and also the most infuriating of all the obedience
commands. Yelling, stomping, and screaming will only confuse and frighten your dog,
consequently he will stay away rather than come to you. To teach a pup to come to you, you must
make it as pleasant as possible, yet you must be firm.
- Start with short distances without distractions.
- Squat.
- Call your pup by name and immediately follow
up with the command, "COME". Be enthusiastic and loving. (See Diagram 6)
- Praise him as he comes to you.
Using a food reward helps the process. Start in the kitchen and call your pup "FIDO, COME." Praise him when he reaches you, and give him his reward. Pet him and tell him how he has made your day. Gradually make it more difficult for him to find you. Make it a game and keep calling him until he reaches you. As you progress, hiding is allowed and is a good way to teach him to search for you. After he has mastered your command COME inside the house, start working with him outside without distraction.
Start from the beginning. Taking your puppy to a new field and playing Hide 'N Seek helps to develop a consistent response to your command, "COME." As he comes to you, you can use the same hand motion that you did for SIT. (See Diagram 1) By doing this you accomplish two commands: COME and SIT. Again, lavish verbal and physical praise on him.
Leash Training
Leash training can be difficult with many puppies. The feeling of the collar and the restraint of the lead will cause many pups to resist. Start this training slowly. Let your puppy wear the leash and collar for a few days. Let the leash drag only with supervision. He'll adjust to the pressure and restraint. A great way to help him adjust to walking on a leash is to allow him to follow you around while he is wearing it.
- Take your pup to an unfamiliar open area where there are no distractions and no busy streets.
- Let the leash drag.
- Coax him to start walking.
- When he follows, lavish praise and many "GOOD DOG" comments.
- Pick up your leash and as you are talking to him, slowly change directions.
- Squat a little as you turn. This will help him
understand that he is to follow you.
A number of sessions will train your pup to walk on the leash with you. One of the biggest mistakes is to drag or pull him with the leash. A dog has a natural reaction to resist this pressure. If you pull him forward, he will fight to go backwards. Squatting and coaxing, with quick easy snaps of the leash, will communicate your intentions.
