Obedience Training - Getting Your Dog To Behave

Obedience training has a wide variety of meanings. Some trainers opt to train their dogs in obedience for participation in obedience competition an in pursuit of obedience titles. Other trainers may simply wish to train their dogs in basic obedience commands simply so the dog will be well mannered and easy to manage in a variety of different situations. During participation in obedience trials, dog will be required to perform desired behaviors while off leash with only verbal or visual clues from the handler. In novice competitions these commands may be rather simple and include commands such as heel, stay and come. More advanced obedience competitions will require more complex skills such as heeling in a figure eight pattern or heeling with changes in speed and direction. However, for the purposes of this article we will discuss obedience training as it applies to dog owners who do not wish to compete in trials but simply want to teach their dog basic manners.

Dog owners who wish to train a dog in basic obedience should carefully consider the types of commands they wish to teach their dogs. This is important because some commands may be more important to some dog owners than others. For example, I personally do not mind when dogs jump up to say hello and even encourage my dogs to do so but many people find this behavior to be offensive. As a result I still encourage my dogs to jump up on me but have taught them an off command which I can use successfully when they jump on others who may not welcome such an enthusiastic greeting. We will describe a number of commands in this article which the reader can use to determine which commands are most useful in his situation.

A recall command such as the come command is a very important part of basic obedience. This is often referred to as a come command and simply means the dog comes directly to the handler when called. This is an important command especially when a dog is off leash because it can allow you to regain control of your dog very quickly if he is a distance away from you. To execute this command, you may either call the dog by name or call out a command such as, “Come” or “Here.” Dog owners can begin training a recall command when the puppy is still very young. This can be accomplished by using the chosen command and then rewarding the dog with praise or treats if he displays the desired behavior by coming to you immediately. An owner may also call out the chosen command any time the dog is running towards him. When the dog reaches you, reward and praise him. While praising him you may want to say, “Good come,” or “Good here,” to reinforce the command.

Sit and down commands are also very popular basic obedience commands. These commands simply relate to the position in which the dog is placed. A dog given the sit command will sit upright on his hind legs and a dog placed in a down will lay flat on his stomach. Teaching these commands is generally considered to be stepping stone commands because they can be used in conjunction with other commands such as the stay command.

A stay command is also very common in basic obedience. Dogs may be asked to stay in a sitting position, a down position or even a standing position. Some owners choose to put the dog in the desired position and then give the stay command. This can be a difficult command for many dogs because they may not want to be far away from the owner. However, the ability to put a dog in a stay is very important to some owners. For example the owner may want to have a stay command to use when waiting for traffic lights so the dog does not attempt to run into the street. A stay command is also useful in situations where the dog can get hurt or cause injury to someone else. One example of this is when the owner is on a ladder. Putting the dog in a stay will help to prevent the dog from bumping into the ladder and potentially injuring himself or the owner. When training a stay, the owner should also train a release command for this behavior. The release commands is a word such as, “Okay,” which tells the dog it is acceptable to release the stay position. In the example of the owner working on a ladder he may put the dog in a stay before he climbs onto the ladder and may then say, “Okay,” to release the dog once he has exited the ladder. Ideally the dog will remain in the stay position until he is released.

An off command is one which many dog owners use for dogs who like to jump up on people, counters or furniture. Verbal cues such as, “No,” or “Off,” are commonly used with this command. When training this behavior the owner may give the verbal command each time the dog jumps on a person, counter or piece of furniture. If the dog immediately returns to the ground offering praise and a reward will reinforce the desired behavior. Dogs typically like to jump up on visitors when they first enter the house. Therefore, training an off command may require the owner to have people come to the house often and pretend to be visiting for training purposes. It is helpful to have a few different people participating in this exercise so the dog does not get used to one particular training person and learns the off command should be followed regardless of who enters the house.

A leave it command may also be useful. This command instructs a dog to ignore a person, animal or object. Owners may use this command when the dog is on leash and they pass another person, animal or object which attracts the dog’s interest. Regardless of whether the dog is displaying playful or aggressive behaviors towards the person, animal or object the owner may not wish to allow the dog to interact with this being or object and may give the leave it command to get the dog to focus on the owner instead of the other being or object. Owners may use verbal cues such as, “Leave it,” or “Watch me,” when using this command.