It's really nice to have a pet dog running around with all day, pooping up the place, chowing down on his favorite pet food and taking a bite every now and then from your favorite bed slippers. It would also be nice if you could train that dog to respond to simple dog commands that will disallow him chewing on those bunny rabbit slippers. There are a lot of different simple or easy commands and tricks you can teach little Spaz or big Bill. These simple commands will help you as the dog owner to communicate with your pet on a regular basis. Not only will these simple commands help you to communicate with your Dog, you may just end up having a better behaving dog after. So let's look at some simple dog commands you can practice with your pet dog.
Simplest Commands To Train Your Dog With
1. SIT. The sit command is a must to be taught by every dog owner to his/her dog. The sit command will help your dog to react calmer in certain circumstances. Let's look at some ways in which the "sit command" can improve your dogs unwanted behavior. Dogs will be dogs and will exhibit natural doggy behavior such as rushing to the food bowl and chowing down even before you even put the plate down. You can teach him the sit command so he waits until his meal is completely available before he dashes to it. We all love when our dogs show us affection, some will pounce on us, some lick our faces and some simple just come and cuddles with us, but if you have a constant pouncing dog you can train him with the sit command to reduce his pouncing.
Saying the word sit to your Dog is one thing, but how does he know what sit means? All in his mind you could be saying that the moon his on his head! So to execute this command you will have to put words into motion. Lets look simple methods to teach your dog the sit command.
A. Commanding voice
- When you are giving the animal a command, let it sound like a command, not like a you are asking the animal a question. Correct way in executing the command; Sit! Incorrect way Sit? Even though you are executing a command, ensure that you do not shout at the animal, instead use mild authoritative tones. You don't want to frighten the animal or let him become scared, you just want to teach him a command.
B.Demonstration
- You can not just say sit and expect the dog to sit, you have to show him what sit means. This means that each time you execute the command, you have to place his butt on the floor by gently pushing down on his rear end. You will also have to be apart of this command process, meaning that when you say "SIT" you will have to demonstrate by also sitting. when demonstrating the sit command do not sit in a chair, instead place your own butt on the floor. Remember that every command takes time so you will have to be patient. You dog will catch on soon.
2. STAY - This is a must command to train you dog to respond to. The "Stay Command" has numerous advantages when taught to your dog, one of which is that it may keep your dog out of danger and it could also keep your dog from putting another dog or person in danger. The stay command can be quite useful if you have visitors and you don't want you dog mingling with those persons for any reason at all. So just like the "SIT Command", the "Stay Command" Will take a lot of patience and time to be taught. So lets look at how we teach this command to our dog.
A. Demonstration
- Say the words with authority to your pet, "Stay!" While you are telling him to stay, place you hand in front of you with your palm facing the dog and make a stop signal. Don't say the word stop, just exhibit a stop signal while saying the word command "Stay". If the animal continues to come to you, walk up to the animal and stop him/her right there while saying the command "stay". This is a repeated process and your dog will catch on soon.
3. Come. May be one of the easiest command to teach your dog. Somehow i believe that many dogs already have this command built in. So how useful is this command once taught properly? Very useful. Lets look at this scenario. You may be out walking with your Dog in the country area and stumble upon a very poisonous snake. Most dogs will eventually bark and annoy the snake which then turns defensive and then offensive. Most likely the snake will try to strike at the animal. The "Come command will immediately take that dog out of danger once executed properly.
A. Demonstration
- When you are teaching the come command to your dog, you must practice demonstrations. Tell you dog to "Come" While saying the command use you hand to demonstrate the command. Some dog trainers will clap to get the dogs attention and then use the hands to demonstrate a come to me gesture.
4. LEAVE IT. This command is quite self explanatory. This command will teach your dog not to pick up or touch things he is not allowed to pick up, touch or things which may be dangerous to him. Dogs are explorers and inquisitive with their surroundings. They all try to pick , chew on or play with just about anything that allows picking up or chewing on. You don't want your dog picking up something that he may choke on or even poisonous. The "Leave It" Command is a must for basic dog commands.
A. Demonstration.
- Have some pieces of paper crushed and place them at strategic points. Place a couple balls in the yard that is not a part of the Dogs toys. Place the leash on your dog and then walk him along the areas that you placed the objects. Notice his reaction keenly when he sees these objects, if it gets his attention and he goes for it, execute the command leave it while gently pulling him away from the object. Do this until you feel comfortable that he understands the command. Remove the leash and do the exercise again and log your results.
They say that encouragement sweetens labor. So if your dog does well in following your command you can reward him with a little treat, pat his head and tell him he is a good boy. You must remember that not all dogs are of the same temperament and some will grasp the commands easier than others. Don't give up on training your dog with these simple basic commands. They will eventually get it and you would have become a proud dog trainer.