Training
The most important skills to teach a dog is to sit, stay,and to come. You must practice these skills many times for your dog to get used to the command. Remember to have patience, and remember your dog will not learn the command in 1 day.
To Teach Sit:
- Get on your puppy’s level, either on the floor or in a chair next to him.
- Hold a treat close to his nose and let his head follow the treat as you move your hand up.
- As his head moves up, his butt will lower.
- When his butt hits the floor, release the treat to his mouth. Immediately praise him for his brilliance.
- Repeat multiple times every day. Pair the behavior with the word “sit.”
To Teach Stay:
- Put a leash on your dog and have him sit comfortably next to you.
- Wave a flat palm toward his muzzle and say “Stay.”
- Step in front of your dog, wait a few seconds, and then step back beside him.
- Reward him for not breaking his stay.
- If he moves, calmly say “Oops” or “Uh uh” and put him back where he was initially. Again, give the stay command along with the hand signal.
- Practice this multiple times every day in different locations.
- After rewarding him with praise and a treat for success, teach him a release word, or the word you will say when it’s time for him to be released from the stay. A good release word is “okay.”
To Teach Come:
- Clip a light line to your dog’s collar and let him drag it around.
- After he is accustomed to the line, pick up the end and hold it as you follow him around the yard. As he gets used to this, he’ll begin to understand that the two of you are attached.
- With your marker word in mind—“yes”—and a few treats, walk backward, encouraging him to follow along. When he twirls around and comes toward you, say “Yes!” and treat. Tell him that he’s the cleverest dog in the world.
- Begin to pair the behavior with the word “come.” Every time he responds correctly, praise and reward him. Make the come command a game that your puppy wants to play.