5 Basic Dog Commands
Dogs can be a source of great joy for their owners. They can also be extremely frustrating. A well-behaved pet will be with you, where they belong. An ill-behaved animal will spend his days in a pen, on a chain, or worse of all, end up being sent to the local pound. Moral of the story: Your dog must behave. It’s not cute, and it’s not funny – obedience is not optional for your children, or for your dog!
On the Leash
I hate to preach to you about your dog, but I want to leave you with one more consideration before we begin talking about the 5 basic commands every dog (and it’s owner) should know. You either have children, or there are probably some in your neighborhood. You almost certainly have visitors come to your place of residence. Do you want a pet that can’t be trusted around children? Do you want to endanger your elderly neighbor with a 80 lb Labrador who jumps on people? I didn’t think so.
The last consideration that you should take into account is the safety of your own pet. What if he gets out of your control? Can you trust him to come when he’s called? What if your street has a lot of traffic? Are you sure your pet won’t run out in the street? How many pets have been killed needlessly because they didn’t learn a few basic commands?
5 Commands Every Dog (and his owner) Should Know
- NO. This is arguably the most important. Your dog should stop when he is doing something he shouldn’t be. His life could depend on it.
- Sit. If he will stop when commanded and sit down, you can keep him under control and safe.
- Stay. Again, if you need your pet to remain where he is, this one is very important.
- Lay Down. The ‘down’ command lets your dog know it’s time to take a break.
- Heel. How many times have you seen your neighbor being dragged by his dog? This one is important for many reasons, but namely it helps reinforce YOU as the pack leader. The dog that leads is the dog that LEADS.
Whatever training method and program you use, you should start with these Basic 5 Commands. Get help if you need it. We offer a lot of valuable information on this website, and are ebooks, downloads, and tutorials available. In the near future, we’ll be providing even more information to help you get started with your dog (especially a new puppy).
In closing, there are a couple of more commands that are important, and should be incorporated into your training program.
The ‘Kennel’ command tells your dog to go to his kennel, get in, and stay there. You’ve got to be patient with this one, but you can use it to get him into his pen, or into his crate in your house. You are crate training, aren’t you?
‘Go Potty’ is very easy to teach. Just use this phrase every time he goes out and starts to do his business. Soon he’ll get the idea. You can then use this command when you want him to empty his bladder. Great for before he comes in the house, or before a long car trip.
‘Down Stay’ is similar to ‘stay’, but you should use this one for times when he’s going to be laying down for more than a minute. It’ a cue that it’s time to curl up, go to sleep because nothing exciting is going to be happening for a while.