Chapter 5
Basic Commands
Training your dog is part of loving your dog, as it gives her the tools and understanding to be a “good dog.” Training gives your dog access to more freedoms, as she is no longer a prisoner of her own misbehavior and will be able to go more places with you.
The foundation behaviors contained in this chapter will come in useful for the rest of your dog’s life in a variety of ways. They are the basis of many skills we will be learning in this book, such as boundary training to direct your dog to stay out of the kitchen or how to politely greet visitors without jumping on them.
Teach using positive reinforcement by rewarding your dog for correct behavior instead of punishing her for incorrect behavior. And, as always, patience is key.
Focus / Eye Contact
TEACH IT:
All training begins with attention. And you don’t have your dog’s attention unless you have her eyes. Teach focus as the first step to all training.
1 Hold a treat to your dog’s nose.
2 Say, “Focus … focus …” and draw the treat back to between your eyes. Keep eye contact with your dog the whole time. If she looks away, tell her to focus again.
3 After two seconds of eye contact, bring the treat straight back from your eyes to her mouth and let her have it. Over time, increase the duration of the eye contact.
4 Once your dog has the hang of this game, use just your pointed finger to draw her eye contact instead of the treat. Again, give a treat when she has held eye contact.
WHAT TO EXPECT: This is a pretty easy skill for a dog to learn and a useful one. With a week of practice, your dog will significantly improve her eye contact. Ask for no more than a few seconds of attention.
STEPS:
1 Hold a treat to your dog’s nose.
2 Draw it back to your eyes.
3 Trace it forward to your dog’s mouth.
4 Try it with a pointed finger.
Sit
TEACH IT:
A sit is often the first command a dog learns and is the start of a lifelong rapport with her owner. Have fun!
1 Hold a treat to your dog’s nose to get her interest.
2 Say, “Sit” and move the treat slowly up and back. This will get her head pointed up, which should cause her rear to go down.
3 The instant her rear touches the floor, release the treat.
4 If your dog keeps backing up instead of sitting, try this same technique near a wall.
5 Finally, once your dog is getting good at this command, graduate to just using a raised palm as the hand signal for “sit.” Continue to give a treat, as this will build a reward history with your dog.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Some dogs can be very squirmy at first, but once you get those first few sits things will rapidly progress. Be sure to give a treat for EVERY sit (as this will make learning go quicker).
STEPS:
1 Hold a treat to her nose.
2 Say, “Sit” and move the treat back to get her head up and rear down.
3 Release the treat.
4 Try this technique against a wall.
5 A raised palm becomes the hand signal for “sit.”
Down
TEACH IT:
Once your dog has learned to sit, teach her to lie down.
1 Start with your dog in a sit (shown here). Hold a treat to her nose.
2 Say “down” and move the treat to the floor. Experiment with sliding it either toward or away from your dog to get her to lie down.
3 If your dog stands up, try to slide the treat to a place that puts your dog in an uncomfortable position.
4 If your dog goes into a bow position, just hold the treat there until she gets tired and drops her rear. It can help to push the treat a tiny bit toward her nose.
5 As soon as she lies down, release the treat.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Depending on age, leg length, and other factors, your dog may be more or less likely to drop into a down. Most dogs will figure this skill out within two weeks.
STEPS:
1 In a sit, hold a treat to her nose.
2 Move it to the floor.
3 If your dog stands up, slide the treat to make her uncomfortable.
4 If she bows, hold the treat still or push it toward her until she drops.
5 When she drops, release the treat.
Stay
TEACH IT:
A “stay” will be much easier to teach when you put your dog on a pedestal. This prop makes a natural barrier, which will help your dog be successful.
1 Put your dog on a pedestal such as a stool or an ottoman. Have her sit (shown here).
2 Present your palm in front of her face and say, “Stay.”
3 Keeping your hand up the whole time, take one step back, then one step forward.
4 Walk ALL the way back to your dog before you present a treat. If you show her the treat too early, she will break her stay.
5 Once your dog is stable on the pedestal, try the stay on the floor. This will be harder for your dog, so ask her to stay for only a short time at a short distance.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Much of the success in this exercise comes from your strong body posture, eye contact, and hand signal. Stand up straight and solid, and your dog should respond accordingly.
STEPS:
1 Have her sit on a pedestal.
2 Present your palm and say, “Stay.”
3 Keep your hand up. Take a step backward, then forward.
4 Walk all the way back before you give the treat.
5 Try it on the floor, going back to a shorter distance.
Come
TEACH IT:
A recall is the most useful command to teach to your dog. Reward your dog every single time she comes, whether it be with a treat or play or happy praise.
1 Get down on your knee and call your dog happily to “come!”
2 Don’t show her the treat until she comes. Then break it out and surprise her with it. That way, she’ll never know if you have a treat on you or not.
3 Crouch down and say, “Ready … set … come! Come! Come!” and run away from her, engaging her chase drive.
4 Help your dog learn this new word by saying “come” and using a leash to draw her in and help her be successful. Give her a treat when she gets to you, even if you guided her with the leash.
WHAT TO EXPECT: “Come” is a lifelong work in progress. By continuing to use treats and rewards, even sporadically, you will maintain your dog’s motivation for coming to you.
STEPS:
1 Get down on your knee and call “come.”
2 Pull out a surprise treat.
3 Engage your dog’s chase drive.
4 Use a leash to guide your dog to success.
Drop It
TEACH IT:
Whether it be your shoe or your lunch bag or a dead rat, there are times when you’re really going to want your dog to “drop it.” We will combat this unwanted behavior by using positive redirection.
1 If you just yell “No!” your dog may run off. Instead, tell her what to do. Show her a treat and say, “Drop it.”
2 Keep insisting that she drop it.
3 As soon as she does, send her enthusiastically to her pedestal. You can even run with her.
4 Reward her on the pedestal with a treat and praise.
WHAT TO EXPECT: By using positive redirection, we are redirecting the dog’s attention from a bad behavior to a good behavior and then rewarding that good behavior. The dog does not get a treat for taking and then dropping the shoe; she gets a treat for going to the pedestal.
STEPS:
1 Show her a treat and say, “Drop it.”
2 Keep insisting that she drop it.
3 Send her enthusiastically to her pedestal.
4 Reward her on the pedestal.
Leave It
TEACH IT:
When you don’t want your dog to eat something—or to even approach it—tell her to “leave it.”
1 Put a treat on the ground. In an authoritative (but not loud) voice, tell her to “leave it.” Keep your hand ready to cover the treat if she goes for it.
2 When she moves in on the treat, tell her “no” and cover the treat with your hand.
3 Repeat this process until your dog refrains from moving toward the treat for a second or two. Say, “Good” and hand her a different treat from your pocket.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Always reward your dog with a treat from your hand, rather than allowing her to take the treat from the floor, as allowing her to take the treat from the floor would teach her to fixate on that item. You instead want her to ignore that item.
STEPS:
1 Tell your dog to “leave it.” Keep your hand ready.
2 When she moves, tell her “no” and cover the treat.
3 When she refrains, say, “Good” and hand her a treat from your pocket.