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Basic Commands
that Every Dog Should Know
Basic dog obedience training is the
cornerstone to having a well liked, trusted and faithful companion.
Although there are many things your dog can be taught to do, most of
these items are referred to as trained behaviors and should not be
considered to be part of basic dog obedience training.
 The
aspects of basic dog obedience are, The Walk, Come, Sit-Stay, No and
Down.
The Walk
Most dog owners do not recognize the profound importance of "The
Walk". They think that because they have a big yard or a playmate
for the dog, that the dog doesn't need to go for regular walks. This
could NOT be further from the truth!
Taking
your dog for a walk
serves several basic purposes. In the wild, a dog must work to find
food and water. They do this by traveling, so this makes "the walk"
a part of the dog's DNA. Traveling everyday is
like a job to your dog.
"The Walk" also serves to stimulate the mind
and the senses. If your dog doesn't receive this mental
stimulation it will make stuff up on it's own. If your dog makes
stuff up on it's own, you will not like it! When walking, the dog picks up
a lot of information about the
area, other dogs, and the people that travel in the area.
Walking obviously exercises your
dog's body, and that is the second important reason you should walk
your dog. While playing with other dogs on a regular basis is an
important way for your dog to build it's social skills, your dog
still needs to go out on structured walks.
The third reason that "The Walk" is
so vital to your dog's well being, is that it provides you the
opportunity to establish yourself as the "boss" or as some
people refer to it, "pack leader".
This "pack leader" status is key to building the dog's trust and respect for you. Without this
primal bond, you will have an almost impossible time
controlling and/or training
your dog to do anything you want it to do.
The "Come"
Command (Learn)
 The
"come" command is a crucial command
that your dog must know, and it may actually save it's life some day.
If your dog runs away from you when
you open the door, or will not come to you when you call it, it probably does not respect you as
the "boss". Respect comes ONLY from having a strong
bond with your dog. The bond will grow much faster if you walk and spend time
doing things with
your dog.
Second only to the "sit"
command, the
"come" command is probably the easiest one to teach. But if you do not
know how to teach a "come" command to your dog, we suggest that you
enroll in an obedience training class.
The "Sit - Stay" Command
(Learn Sit) (Learn
Stay)
All of the other basic training that your dog will receive revolves around the
"sit-stay" command.
If your dog doesn't "sit-stay" on your command, then by all means,
practice, practice, practice!!!!
Training your dog to "sit-stay"
without becoming distracted by things that may be going on
around it is very important. If your dog can not "sit-stay" on command, and it wanders
off, it could actually be injured or even killed, especially if you
live on a busy street.
If you do not know how to teach the "sit-stay" command to
your dog, we suggest that you enroll in an obedience training class.
The "No"
Command
The "No" command is an essential
command. It can be used for an part of training to let the dog know
that what he just did in not acceptable. When used in a firm tone,
your dog will get the message quickly.
The "Down"
Command (Learn)
The "down" or "lay down" command is a
very good command for your dog to know because it works better with
the "stay" command with some dogs. Because the "down" command
puts your dog into a more relaxed state of mind, it makes your dog
more willing to hold the stay command for a longer period of time.
If you do not
know how to teach a "down" command to your dog, we suggest that you
enroll in an obedience training class.
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