Dog or puppy training may be one of the most rewarding experiences that come with owning a pet. When you do it right, you’ll enjoy a lifetime of living in harmony with your beloved furry friend. Of course, this also means your heart will be filled with pride as your neighbors praise your dog for having impeccable manners when you take them outside.
Before you get carried away and imagine the blissful future, you should know that training your dog will take time and lots of patience on your part. But if you’re ready to take on the challenge, you should start with these five essential commands that are the easiest to teach:
1. Sit
This is where it all begins. When you successfully teach your dog to sit when commanded, it’s a good sign that they can follow instructions. Once they know this command, you’ll notice that they’ll develop a sense of calm that you would not find in a dog that wasn’t taught this command.
To teach your dog to “sit,” you start by holding a treat above his or her head. You then slowly move it behind your dog’s head as you say the word “sit.” When they crouch, say “sit” again and give the treat.
2. Stay
Another useful command that works similarly to “sit,” the command “stay” also calms the dog down. However, you should first master “sit” first before you move on to this one, as it could overwhelm your pet when they receive two commands at once. On top of that, the “sit” trick is kind of a prerequisite for this one command. But once your pet mastered this, it’s a good command to use for when you don’t want your guests to be intimidated by your lovable dog or if you have tasks to finish and need your canine friend to stay put for a while.
To teach this, get your dog to “sit” first, then back away slowly. If the dog moves, you immediately say “no” until they stop, then you say “stay.” When they get it, you give the treat.
Down
Compared to the first two, teaching the command “down” is a trickier one, but it still looks adorable. It’s also useful for when your dog gets too excited about something, and you want them to stay in place.
To teach this command, you start by holding a strong-smelling treat in front of them until they smell it. Then, slowly set the dog treat down on the floor and wait for your dog to follow. Once their belly hits the floor, say “down” and reward them.
Come
Another one of the first commands that your dog should learn is “come.” This is not just a cute trick but also one that could possibly be life-saving because it can keep them from running off to unsafe areas like a busy street.
For this command, you’ll have to put the dog on a leash and say the word “come” as you lightly tug on their leash. Then, you can give them a treat when they follow your command.
Leave It
This is a command that your dog should learn, especially when you regularly take them outdoors. As naturally-curious creatures, dogs tend to “pick up” stuff that they should not, which is why this command can be helpful in such a situation.
For this, you are going to need two treats in each hand. Show one of the goodies to your dog, then close your hand while keeping the other one behind your back. Keep saying the phrase “leave it” while holding the treat you initially showed them in your fist. When they back away from the treat that you showed them, give them the other one you’re hiding behind you.
Conclusion
At this point, you now know five basic commands that you can teach your dog. You can also enroll your furry friend in dog training classes for them to learn these commands. But if you want to have a go, just remember to have the right attitude and patience to do it (because they’re going to take lots of repetitions daily)!
If you want to learn more about dog obedience training, you can check out more articles from Dog Obedience Training Blogs. We provide you with easy-to-follow guides on how to help your dogs become the most well-behaved canine citizen in your neighborhood!