The Dog Site

Have you taught your dog basic behavior and obedience commands like sit, stay, fetch yet?

Many dog owners know the importance of dog training and teach their dogs commands such as sit, stay, fetch to communicate and train their dogs in proper behavior. However with so many different dog commands, which are the truly important and effective commands to know?

Well, essentially, there are 12 dog commands that we believe that every dog needs to know to get along happily with the rest of the world. Here are the 12…

[Come]

This is the first and most important command in your dog’s command repertoire. Usually taught together with your dog’s name, it’s a command that you will use actively to recall your dog back to you if he/she breaks free from the leash or is running around disturbing other people in the park.

[Sit]

This is one of the easiest commands to teach, and also one of the most useful especially to control your dog from getting too excited while you are preparing its meal. Dogs who understand the “Sit” command are easier to manage and are also less likely to misbehave like jumping on people, chasing animals or fighting with other dogs.

[Stay]

Often used in combination with commands "sit" or "down," the command "stay" is useful to keep your dog out of harms way should he/she approach something it's not suppose to or attempting to run across a busy street. Not the easiest command for dogs as sometimes their curiosity and animal instinct might take over instead of staying put when told.

[Wait]

Different from the “Stay” command which is more often use to keep your dog away from danger, the “Wait” command is more of a obedience command to keep your dog in check, letting him/her know he/she has to wait till your next command. Commonly use on dogs that have a habit of rushing through doors or pull ahead on a leash.

[Down]

Unlike the “sit” command, the “down” command means your dog goes down on his/her stomach. This command is an essential part of doggy etiquette. It’s also more comfortable than a sitting position when you want your dog wait for you for more than a minute or two.

[Stand]

This command tells your dog to stop moving and be still. It’s useful for when you are having a veterinarian examining him/her over or when you are bathing and grooming him/her.

[Okay]

The “Okay” command is use to release your dog from a previous command you have given earlier. For example, your dog is now free to walk through the open door after you had early given the “Wait” command.

[No]

Depending on the situation, the “No” is usually use to discourage or break up undesirable behavior such as chewing, biting or jumping. This is an important command that you should teach your puppy from the beginning.

[Off]

The “Off” command is useful to teach your dog to get off that expensive sofa or your bed and is also applicable for telling them to stop jumping on you or other people.

[Leave It]

Dogs are inquisitive animals and sometimes give in to their instinct to explore things that appeal to their senses. The “Leave It” command is perfect to stop dogs that fancies poop eating or having a fetish chewing habit to chew everything around the house.

[Drop It]

The “Drop It” command is necessary to get your dog drop whatever it is in their mouth especially items like your expensive leather shoe or unknown substances that might be potentially harmful. This command is also useful when you start teaching your dog how to “Fetch”.

[Heel]

“Heel” simply means that your dog will walk on your left without lagging behind or running ahead of you. This is extremely useful for your dog to understand this command to prevent him/her pulling you on the leash while going for walks. This command becomes all the more necessary if you have a large dog.

Knowing these 12 voice commands will give you the essential fundamentals to having a well behaved dog in your every day life.

If you are interested to learn how to execute these commands correctly and effectively, Sit Stay Fetch will teach and guide you Step-by-Step all the basic 12 commands and many other more… to having an obedient and well behaved dog!

The truth is there are so many dog obedience schools that offer their services to anyone willing to pay them. The problem though is not all schools will meet your standards or your expected guarantees. Here are some points of considerations when trying to choose a good school for training your dog.

Reputable

Reputable has different meanings to different people- for some it is the capacity to yield good results regardless of the means, for others it is the popularity of the school itself which makes it highly recommended. Knowing the school by reputation is a good indicator as to the popularity of the school and the training methods used. It also reflects how many people have trusted on them.

To find a school with excellent reputation you could ask around or search through websites. Veterinarians usually have several names of schools and trainers to give you, your dog breeder could also provide you with some references and ASPCA or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can provide a list of registered names that are sure to use humane methods approved by the organization.

Methods of Training

Any self-respecting training school uses responsible dog agility training methods. The school must have equal concern to your dog as you do, treating your dog one of their own. Beware of schools that employ trainers who still use old training methods such as yelling or hurting the dogs for there exists many of this kind.

A good school should use humane techniques that promote positive training and limits the use of risky negative reinforcement techniques. The former covers praises and the use of dog treats in recognition of the desirable behavior while the negative reinforcement techniques include practices like alpha rolling, choking and yelling.

Sufficient knowledge

The knowledge on training of the schools must range from the oldest unreliable method to the latest training techniques for dogs. Having extensive orientation in this field would optimize the capacity of your dog to learn since it would be exposed to all possible trainings to which it could respond well.

When researching training schools, look for information on seminars with dog trainers for a good idea on what they offer. Remember that you would pay hefty amounts to get your dog trained, it is but proper that you and your dog receive proper compensation for your investment.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that the school’s exposure to widespread training. There are schools that claim of specialization while others advertise that they have sufficient knowledge on all fields of dog training. Your choice should depend largely on the scope of knowledge the training school has.

Classroom Set Up

There are two types of classroom set-ups- group classes and private lessons. The main advantage of the group class is that it promotes socialization and good behavior in the presence of other dogs. Also, when the owner trains alongside his dog, the owner could benefit from exposure to other handlers’ mistakes and techniques.

At the same time, these private sessions could not yield these advantages. There is also a good chance that the transfer of learning and obedience to command given by persons other than the trainer is poor.

It is easy to pick any dog training school but choosing the right one for your dog could prove to be a tedious process.

If a dog owner wants to train his dog, he should prepare for the right mindset. This would prevent him from violating any dog rules, an act that could really detriment the dog’s interest on learning.

Following the rules of training will also prevent the owner from doing the things that could harm his relationship with the dog. There are certain rules in training a dog that must be followed including the following:

Stay focused

Incompletion of a task usually leads to confusion. Make certain that when a command is given, both you and your dog will follow through. Try not to be distracted whenever you order a command.

If you are commanding your dog to sit. When the command is given, make sure both of you follow through with it. Do not tug on the collar of your dog and stop halfway and be distracted. Always finish one command first then move on to the next.

The dog should sit completely and not just bend his rear legs. If you do not make this happen, the dog will think that next time you give the command it would be okay for him not to complete the task or to ignore it completely. Always stay focused, this way, you would eliminate the possibility of confusion and maximize the obedience to a command.

Rewards and punishments

Many owners are anxious to let their dogs hear a string of praises or be rewarded with several cookies instead of one whenever a command is accomplished. On the other hand, a lot of owners give too many punishments on a single wrong thing that the dog did instead of punishing him just once. Both may affect the training of the dog.

Don’t over emphasize the rewards or punishment due to the dog’s behavior. If you are using praises as reward, do not over praise the dog. Praising your dog will make the dog realize that you are in favor of his abilities. This should be said immediately after the command is accomplished.

In the same way, a single pulling of the check cord will be enough if the dog did not follow your command. This would send him the signal that something is wrong.

The dog will become distracted from learning if you continue to offer rewards or punishment. He would only remember the praises or the punishments and not the thing he did or he did not do.   

End with a positive note

For every training session, make it a point that the training will end with a positive praise. The dog will welcome the next session as they will feel the need to please you. Also, ensure to it that the last command was accomplished correctly so that the dog is oriented properly to following commands.

Never lose your patience

Often when trainers don’t get the results they want, they get impatient with the dog. They then may do something that will ruin the training.

Dog training lessons should be an enjoyable experience for you and your pet. You should try to determine your pitfalls if you begin to lose your temper and your dog remains disobedient.

Dog training is really a difficult business. If you are not prepared for it, you could get help from dog training classes and instructors.