During ‘train your dog month’ we’re not only giving you more information about dog training itself, but also help you train your dog! Some people have experience with teaching the dog certain commands, while others don’t have any experience at all. It doesn’t matter to which side you belong; we’ll help you with tips and tricks. That’s why this week’s blogpost is a ‘how to’ article, with some of the basic obedience commands you need to know and more important: how to teach your dog to do it!
Sit
The command ‘Sit’ you can start teaching your dog the moment it comes into your house. It’s a command that’s not hard to learn, as long as you follow the right steps. One of the methods you can use for this, is luring. You hold a treat in your hand and lure the dog in a sit position. When the dog sits, you give the treat and praise it. Eventually you bring in the verbal command and a hand signal if you want to.
You can follow the following steps:
· Stand in front of your dog with a treat in your hand
· Hold the treat near your dog's nose
· Slowly move the treat from your dog's nose over their head and toward their rear
· When your dog sits, say "sit" and give them the treat
· Repeat the steps until your dog consistently sits when you say "sit"
· The hand signal comes when the dog is consistent with the verbal command.
When you start, make sure you’re not holding the treat too far away from the dog’s nose. This will make the dog stand or do something else to get to it. Instead, hold it close so the dog will follow your hand. Eventually you want to make the dog sit without using the luring method, so make sure that you train consistently and make the behavior solid.
Down
The command ‘down’ is also a command you can teach your dog using the luring method. You can start out teaching this behavior when the dog is in the sitting position. This makes it easier for the dog to follow your hand. Later, you can also practice it while the dog is standing up. With teaching the dog ‘down’ it is important that you use treats or another reward that’s high value.
You can follow the following steps:
· Hold a treat near your dog's nose while they're sitting
· Move the treat down towards their chest, then straight to the floor.
· Your dog should follow the treat into a lying down position.
· When your dog lies down, praise them and give them the treat.
· Once your dog is consistently following the treat, start saying the word "down" as they're getting into position.
It is important that you have patience teaching the dog ‘down’. For some dogs it’s harder to do this behavior than others. Therefore, you can also reward the dog for every time it’s in a down position, even if you didn’t ask for it. Make sure to use the verbal command when you do this, so the dog starts to realize why it is getting a reward. You can also start using hand signals. Some dogs work better with these signals than a verbal command. Whatever you do: the surface should be comfortable. If the surface is not comfortable or it’s wet, it’s possible that the dog doesn’t want to lie down. The same goes for an environment where the dog doesn’t feel safe.
Heel
For teaching a heel you’ve got multiple options. The first option is starting out with teaching your dog to touch your hand. By making the dog touch your hand, it is easier for the dog to follow you and your hand when you start walking. The other option is to lure the dog right away to walk with you. It depends on the dog which method works best.
You can follow the following steps:
· First you teach the dog touch.
· Hold a treat in your hand. Every time the dog sniffs or touches your hand with its nose, you reward.
· When this is solid, you place your hand next to your leg.
· Make the dog sit, say touch and let the dog do the same as during the first steps.
· When the dog touches multiple times, start rewarding after you take a few steps.
· Start luring the dog in a heel for a longer time before rewarding
· Add the verbal command ‘heel’
· Fade out the lure when the dog is focused for a longer time
Teaching your dog ‘heel’ can take a while. You have to have patience when you’re teaching your dog to walk next to you. Make sure that you don’t fade out the lure too fast. Especially if you want the dog to have full focus on you in public. If the dog gets distracted while walking, turn around and walk the other way. You can also use cones. Place them in a square or rectangle and follow. Make sure the dog is in between you and the cones. You can use the cones to make turns or weave through too.
Between
In some situations, it is not safe enough to have your dog sitting next to you. Think about crowded places, where people can bump into the dog. Sometimes you also want more control over the dog when you pass other people or dogs. One of the commands you can use for this is ‘Between’. It is also a command that’s based on trust. The dog must know that you protect him, while he’s vulnerable in between your legs.
You can follow the following steps:
· Start with a treat in your hand
· Guide the dog through your legs and reward for the behavior
· Move your hand closer to your body and make the dog stand in between your legs
· Reward when the dog is not rushing through your legs
· Make the dog sit in between your legs and reward
· When the dog is comfortable make the dog stay between your legs and start walking.
· Reward every few steps
· Slowly fade out the lure and add a verbal command
· You can add hand signals too
Don’t rush this command. You must build trust before the dog is able to sit and walk in between your legs. If the dog only wants to walk through your legs, you need to reward for that. Eventually you will be able to make the dog stay in between for a longer time.
More commands during private training
There are way more commands and tricks that you can teach your dog. Most important is that you find a way that works for your dog. If you want to learn more or bring the best out of your dog, you can book your private training. This in person training session is not only to help your dog get trained, but also to teach you how to do it!
