Basic Obedience Training for Your Dog
Dogs are naturally attentive to the body language and voice of their owners. By observing us, a dog learns to anticipate our intent. By consistently associating a certain word or phrase with a dog's specific action, you can communicate with your dog. Obedience commands allow you to teach a dog desirable behavior in any given situation. Practicing obedience skills with your dog is also good exercise for your dog and provides it with mental stimulation. In addition, your dog enjoys constructive social interaction, for which it is rewarded with your praise. Obedience training allows you to instill appropriate behavior in your dog and, with regular practice, ensures good habits for life. Your dog can learn how to reliably gain your attention with desirable behavior and earn praise for doing so, without resorting to undesirable behavior. Obedience training is not punishment but an enjoyable interaction for both owner and dog. There is no difference in training small and large dogs. Various obedience commands should be practiced during training sessions, and applied throughout the routine activity of each day and over the course of a dog's lifetime.
When to Begin Training
The best time to begin obedience training is the moment you acquire
your pet. As soon as a puppy begins exploring its environment,
it begins to learn what types of behavior are acceptable and not
acceptable. Behavior learned early, desirable or not, is the basis
for all future patterns as an adult. This does not mean that adult
dogs are untrainable; however, appropriate habits should be instilled
from the start, regardless of your pet's age.
Basic Obedience Commands
Five basic commands can be applied to set the limits for acceptable
behavior in an endless variety of situations. The 5 basic commands
are sit, down, come, heel and stay. Issue the command the same
way each time to avoid confusion. This is particularly important
when your dog is first learning to connect your command with an
expected action. Always say "come," not "come over
here" or "come here." Use the command alone, rather
than including it in the middle of a sentence. Say "come,"
not "you had better hurry up and come over here or I will
not take you for a ride in the car." Precede each command
by saying the dog's name in a firm but gentle tone. For example,
"Heidi, come." This will get your dog's attention and
keep it alert in anticipation of your next command. If the command
word is not preceded by the dog's name, the animal may
not realize that you are addressing it. Say any commands in a
firm and low tone. You need not shout to make yourself understood
or to make your dog understand that you are in charge. In fact,
raising your voice may only frighten the dog or raise its level
of excitement, which will make the animal more difficult to control.
Exhibit a calm but controlled attitude, conveying authority without
anger. There is, however, one exception. The command to "come"
should be said in a light and happy tone of voice. Your dog must
never anticipate any problem when you call it to come to you.
If it learns to associate punishment with this command, it will
not respond and could learn to avoid you. Inform all family members
or other frequent visitors of your rules. Everyone's consistent
commands will avoid confusion when interacting with your dog.
Review the command words and their significance with other people.
Practicing obedience training with your dog and visitors can be
an enjoyable activity for all.
Hand Signals
Consistent use of a gesture in conjunction with a verbal command
can be a useful addition to basic training. Hand signals may be
used under special circumstances when verbal communication might
be undesirable or as an extra challenge to both pet and owner.
In hearing-impaired and congenitally deaf dogs, this form of training
may replace verbal commands. By making the hand signal each time
you pronounce the corresponding voice command, your dog will eventually
make the association between your hand signal and its behavioral
response. You might even decide to rely only on hand signals,
without any voice commands. This is a more advanced level of obedience
training for both you and your dog.
Additional Commands
Once your dog has consistently demonstrated mastery of the basic
commands, you may teach additional ones of your own choosing.
It is important, however, to learn the basics first. Teach your
dog the command to "jump" (or "up," if you
prefer) and "off," for example, so that you can control
it if it jumps onto furniture or into bed. This training also
helps prevent inappropriate dominance in your dog. While your
dog urinates or defecates outdoors, say "hurry" or "do
it" and always give abundant praise. This teaches it to void
on command so that you won't freeze unnecessarily on a cold winter
night while the dog seeks just the right spot. During play, teach
your dog to relinquish objects by saying "drop it,"
or not to touch an object by saying "leave it." This
can help prevent undesirable guarding. Make sure that new commands
are distinct from each other and consistent in form so that your
dog will not become confused. It is often useful to introduce
a command that releases a dog from some other activity or command.
Release commands let your dog know when it is acceptable to be
at ease. Every dog should be taught to sit calmly before it is
fed. The dog should not touch its food dish until you release
it from
169sit/stay," for example, with the command "okay."
When you walk your dog on a leash, it should "heel"
on a short lead at your left side. If you choose to let the dog
investigate something along the way, say "okay" to release
it from the "heel."
Praise and Other Positive Reinforcement
At your dog's first sign of obedience to your command, offer
immediate and generous praise. Do not wait until after your pet
has complied. Praise the dog as it begins to obey your command,
even before its response is complete, so as to help the dog associate
your command with that action. If you delay, or worse, don't offer
praise, your dog may not understand what is expected of it. Praise
may be verbal, such as softly saying "good dog." Your
tone of voice should be soothing. If you excitedly praise your
dog for a successful "sit/stay," your dog will respond
to your excitement and break out of its position to jump at you.
You can also praise your dog using an affectionate gesture, such
as a caress or pat on the head. A food treat can help increase
a dog's motivation to cooperate but should not be continually
used, particularly for pups. If you are retraining a misbehaving
dog or a recently acquired adult dog, its cooperation may be better
motivated by supplementing your praise with a small food treat.
A food reward, unlike other forms of praise, need not be given
at every command, and may be given at intermittent intervals.
Your dog can learn which behavior is acceptable and which is inappropriate,
depending on your response. For example, when a young dog hears
a noise in the yard, its first reaction might be to jump at the
windowsill and bark. This behavior may be acceptable to many dog
owners. If you respond to this by saying "good dog"
and pat it on the head, chances are that your dog will bark the
next time it hears a noise outside your home. Some owners, however,
may be irritated by excessive barking and potential damage to
the windowsill. If you say nothing, the barking will likely continue.
If you respond by sternly saying "bad dog," your dog
may momentarily be interrupted from barking. After a pause, it
is likely to resume barking. If you respond to undesired barking
by saying "no" and follow this immediately with an alternative
and appropriate command, such as "sit," your pet will
learn not only what you disapprove of, but also what behavior
is acceptable.
Choosing a Collar and Leash
Nylon or leather collars are adequate and effective for many
dogs. For small breeds, lean-muscled dogs, or those with a medical
condition that would be aggravated by a collar, a halter can be
used. Metal choke chains are not necessary unless other collars
are ineffective to control misbehavior. For large dogs with muscular
necks and that resist training, a "toothed" choke chain
may be effective. Both ring and pinch-type choke chains should
be used firmly but without exaggerated force so as to avoid injury
to the neck. A less severe option to choke chains is a nylon lead
that encircles both the neck and muzzle of the dog. This forces
the dog's head down and toward its chest when gentle pressure
is applied to the leash. For training sessions, a short training
leash is best. A longer leash of 4 to 6 feet can be used if you
can control the slack. Retractable leads are awkward and difficult
to firmly grip, and provide little control for training. Retractable
leads and harnesses should not be used during training, but they
may be useful after your dog is fully trained.
Daily Training Sessions
During the initial phase of obedience training, you should practice
obedience commands in 1 or 2 daily obedience training sessions
of 15 to 30 minutes each. During these formal training sessions,
practice the 5 basic commands in every room of your home. In this
way, your dog will learn to obey you regardless of where you are,
in the kitchen or the den. Use a leash at first during indoor
obedience reviews so that your dog will be more compliant and
understand that you are in control. Once your dog is more reliably
obedient, you will not need to use the leash inside your home.
In addition to indoor training, practice obedience commands during
walks outside. This will teach your dog obedience everywhere,
regardless of distractions. Your dog should be kept on a leash
outdoors at all times, regardless of the leash laws in your area,
until it is reliably obedient in all situations. The leash is
not intended to prevent your dog from enjoying life. It should
be viewed as a life-line between you and your dog. If there is
any question as to whether your dog will obey you under any circumstances,
regardless of what may be occurring nearby, or if the dog could
be injured off the leash, use the leash. In addition to the formal
daily training sessions, obedience skills should be continually
reinforced by applying them to your interactions throughout each
day. From the moment you acquire your dog, make it earn its rewards.
Do not feed, walk, brush or play with it without asking the dog
to perform an obedience skill. For example, if your dog follows
you into the kitchen, call it to "heel" as it walks
by your side. Tell it to "sit/stay" as you prepare your
snack. Return to your place and call your dog out of its "sit/stay"
in the kitchen by calling it to "come" to rejoin you
in the other room. Make the dog "sit/stay" before its
food dish is delivered. Make it "sit/stay" while you
remove its leash. Obedience skills must be practiced throughout
a dog's lifetime so the skills are not lost. In the absence of
clear and consistent behavioral guidelines, your dog could regress
to unacceptable activities at any age. View every episode of misbehavior
as an opportunity to teach obedience. Just as wild and undisciplined
behavior can be intentionally or unintentionally trained, appropriately
calm and controlled behavior can be taught. Do not just scold
your dog when it misbehaves. Rather, show it a desirable alternative
activity by giving a command, such as "down/stay." If
your pup is chewing on your favorite easy chair, say "no"
and immediately place a rawhide chew toy in its mouth. If your
dog greets guests by jumping on them, place it in a "sit"
or "down/stay" position when visitors arrive. Training
should be consistent in a variety of similar situations. If you
want your guests to be greeted calmly, for example, train your
dog to greet you in the same way. Double standards of behavior
will only confuse your dog and create behavior problems. Consistency
is fundamental for a well-trained and socially acceptable pet.
Professional Trainers
Obedience training by professional trainers can be a positive
experience for both you and your dog. A competent dog trainer
can correctly demonstrate the skills that you, the owner, must
use to communicate your desires to your dog. The purpose of a
dog trainer is to teach you how to train your pet. Group classes
are also beneficial because your dog can learn basic skills in
a very distracting situation. If it can demonstrate obedience
while surrounded by other dogs and other people in an unfamiliar
location, the training should be easier to transfer (with ongoing
practice at home) to relatively calmer places. The advantage of
group lessions over private lessons is that they allow your pet
to socialize with other dogs and people. Do not send your pet
away to be trained. The purpose of an obedience trainer is to
train you so that you can then train the dog. You are the one
that must function from day to day with your dog; therefore,
it must be trained to obey you. To locate an obedience trainer
or training classes in your area, consult your veterinarian. Speak
with other people who have attended classes there. No recommendation,
no matter how glowing, can replace a personal visit to the location
of the class. Observe a class in session and speak with the trainer
after the class. Rely on your first impression if you have any
doubts. Group classes should be small, and the trainer should
be able to give personal attention to group participants. Force
should not be used to demonstrate a command or to restrain your
dog. Abuse is an unacceptable way to gain your dog's attention
or cooperation. Obedience skills set the tone and standards of
your dog's relationship with you and your family and friends.
Teaching acceptable behavior to your dog and rewarding it with
your praise are not only immediately gratifying to you, but they
also improve the quality of your dog's life.