Have you recently welcomed a new dog into your home? If so, you will almost immediately need to think about training. Training will help ensure that the animal is safe, particularly when out of the home and that they are an absolute pleasure to live with.
There are four basic commands that you need to help your dog learn.
Sit
Sit is usually the first command you’ll teach your pup. You can do this at an early age. It’s a key step to obedience.
To train a dog to sit, hold a treat close to their nose and then move it up over their head. A dog will instinctively follow the treat and their back half will lower. Once they reach the sitting position, say ‘sit’ and provide them with the delicious snack. You’ll need to repeat the process about three or four times. If you are having trouble getting your dog to sit, you can gently push their back half down. A pup will quickly understand this is the expected position.
You’ll see as we dive deeper into this article treats are key to training. However, this doesn’t mean they have to be unhealthy. You can get nutritious treats for your dog that taste great and provide health benefits too! More details about whether a treat is healthy can be found on the website of the company that makes them.
Stay
Stay is easier to learn if you teach your pup to sit first. Once your dog is sitting down, you can then open your palm and say ‘stay,’ Eventually, the dog will learn this means to wait where it is and you can reward them with a treat or praise. Once they start to obey increase the distance between the two of you until you can get them to stay, even when you are not in sight. Remember, you need to make sure you reward them for staying in place, even if they only manage it for a second or two.
Come
Come is quite simple for your dog to learn. This is going to be important when they are away from home. In an unsafe environment, you need to make sure your pup comes to you without hesitation. To do this, put the pup on a lead and then gently pull the lead while saying the word ‘come.’ When they respond, provide them with a treat as well as affection to show they have performed well. Once they learn the command on the lead, you then need to practice it off the lead too.
Go Potty
Finally, it can take a while to get your pet to be accustomed to going to the toilet outside rather than in your home. Puppies won’t immediately know the difference between grass and the weird grass inside. You’ll need to teach them this.
It’s actually quite easy to do. When dogs are still young, you need to take them into the garden regularly. As you notice them preparing to go to the toilet, use a command. This can be anything that you think is relevant. The dog will associate this command with the action and will quickly learn this is where they should be completing their business. You can also reward the good boy or girl with a treat as they enter the house.
