(Newswire.net — May 23, 2020) —
Dog ownership comes with many responsibilities; one of the key requirements for being a proper companion to your canine is training. Untrained dogs are hazardous to other humans and animals. Whether your dog is tiny or giant, training is essential. Some key tips to keep in mind before teaching are to be patient, to be consistent, not to push too hard in the beginning, avoid distractions, make things fun, do not punish, and make training sessions a consistent event. There are five essential basic commands to teach a puppy or dog.
Watch Me
Any command requires the dog to have its attention on its handler. The command to watch you calls for the dog to make eye contact with you, thus turning its focus on you. To teach this order, keep eye contact while offering a favored toy or treat in your hand. Move the hand from the nose of the dog up and toward your face. When the dog’s attention turns from the treat or toy to your eyes, praise the dog with a reinforcement of the command. “Good ‘watch me’!” is a common way to do this.
Come
This command is particularly beneficial if the dog is allowed off-leash, slips its collar, or otherwise manages an escape from its handler’s control. In the beginning, have the dog on a leash. Use the command you wish and draw the dog closer by pulling lightly on the leash. The precise moment the dog arrives before you, reward and offer the dog praise. This exercise must be practiced repeatedly on a daily basis. Eventually, the command should be so well ingrained in the dog that it will break away from chasing something to come to you when it’s called.
Sit
This command can be taught to puppies as young as 7 or 8 weeks of age and is useful in a variety of situations. It is also the precursor to other commands. To teach a dog to sit, put the reward close to its nose, and move the treat up to lure the dog without actually allowing the dog to take it. Use a hand signal and praise with the command when the dog’s rear touches the ground. Hand signals are important; if it gets loose and does not yet have the command to come perfected, you can have it sit until you reach it.
Wait
When a dog thoroughly learns to wait, it can be trusted even when you are out of sight to remain where you left it. To teach this command, have the dog sit. Then give a hand signal to wait while saying wait; this signal is usually an outstretched flat palm and fingers. Start by rewarding short waits, then insist on longer and longer durations. Get further away from the dog as time and training progress. Eventually, you should be able to leave the dog’s field of vision and have the canine wait faithfully until released from the wait.
Leave It
This command is particularly useful when out on walks or when the dog shows interest in something with which it is not permitted to interact. One never knows when harmful substances will be encountered when out and about. This is also helpful to teach dogs to leave you alone while you eat, to discourage begging. Hold a treat in each hand to teach this command. Put one hand close to the dog’s face. When it loses interest, say “Leave it” and reward the other treat. Continue until the dog understands that the command means it is necessary to ignore the object it is investigating.