in Dogs

Basic Obedience in Dogs

updated

Seat, place, foot. These three words are among the most important dog commands. These are the first commands that your four-legged friend should learn.

However, new dog owners are often confused by the abundance of information about basic commands, dog commands, impulse control, or obedience.

What does your dog need to learn? And what do all these terms mean? We explain the terms, and important dog commands with exercises.

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Basic obedience: what does your dog need to learn?

Dog training is a very broad topic. You may feel a little unsure about that. How you train your dog depends entirely on what tasks your dog is given. This includes what he should or must learn.

Service dogs, assistance dogs, hunting dogs, or rescue dogs have special tasks. They have to learn their job intensively.

So-called family dogs, on the other hand, do not have to complete such a training program. However, what they should also learn are the most important basic commands.

What are basic commands for your dog?

The basic commands are a few commands. You need them to be able to move easily with your dog in the company. With these commands, you can call your dog to you. And you can put him to rest.

There are six basic commands. These are essential in living together with your dog. These include:

  1. Seat
  2. place
  3. stay
  4. here
  5. off or no
  6. foot

Ideally, you should already teach your puppy these commands. These basic commands are important for dealing with other animals and people. And your dog should be good at them.

The “sit” command

Sitting is usually the very first thing your dog learns from us humans.

Exercise: To do this, stand in front of your dog. Hold a piece of food over his head. Slowly guide it backward Your dog will sit down to keep an eye on the treat. Once he sits down, give the command ” sit ” and reward him.

The “place” command

Hold a treat in your closed hand. Place this on the floor in front of your dog. As soon as he sniffs it, slowly withdraw your hand.

He will follow the hand and lie down on the ground. As soon as it is correct, give the command ” Place “. You reward your darling.

The “stay” command

The command begins with a “sit” or “down”. Once your dog is in position, look at him and give the command ” Stay .”

Exercise: Slowly take a few steps back. If your dog stands up, start over. However, if he remains lying down, return to your four-legged friend. Reward him immediately. Slowly stretch the distance and time further and further.

The command “Here”

This command is one of the most important of all. If it works, freewheeling is possible. If it doesn’t work perfectly, your dog should never be left off-leash.

Exercises: Begin exercising in an environment that is as distraction-free as possible. Put your animal down and walk away.

Now call your dog over to you. If he comes to you immediately, reward him. If he doesn’t come, start over. Practice in a fenced area first. You can use a towline during the walk and train command with it. Increase distractions. Only let your dog off the leash when he comes to you reliably on your command.

The command “heel”

This command is especially important on the road. Then when things get tight. Have your dog sit next to you. Then slowly walk away.

Exercises: Start with the leg that is on your dog’s side. Give the command “heel”. Your dog should walk beside you. After a few steps, let him sit down again.

Repeat this exercise a few times. Stop when your furry friend has done the exercise well. Don’t forget its reward and always practice the same side.

Do you want your dog to “heel” on both sides? Then don’t practice the second side until the first works well.

The command “Off”

This command can be very important. Because it can help you to ensure that your dog does not eat anything forbidden. Your dog should give something away. For this, he gets a reward.

Exercises: As soon as your darling has a toy in its mouth, offer it a treat. Once he releases his toy, give the reward.

When your dog gets a command right, never forget to give him plenty of rewards. You should underline this with words like “fine”, “good” or “super” in a particularly friendly voice.

When practicing commands, always use the same word. If you yell “Come” once and “Here” once, your dog won’t know your way around.

Hand signals support dog commands

You can always reinforce commands with hand signals. The rule here is always using the same hand signal.

  • A raised index finger can symbolize ” seat “.
  • The flat hand pointing to the ground can be your cue for ” space “.
  • Pat your thigh when you want your dog to “heel .”

What is impulse control in dogs?

Impulse control is often mentioned in connection with training a dog. In principle, impulse control is part of basic obedience.

Impulse control means that your dog can carry out your commands under distraction. Your animal should not follow its innate impulses. He should react calmly and calmly.

This includes, for example, your dog coming to you on the command “ here ”. And this even though something exciting is happening.

Your dog should not pounce on its food. Instead, he should sit quietly in front of his food bowl and wait for your release. Ringing the front doorbell and the barking that follows fall into this category.

Ideally, you practice impulse control with the command ” stay “. This requires a lot of control from your dog. You can also use this pattern to practice putting down the food bowl or staying calm when the doorbell rings.

Practice impulse control early

You should practice impulse control from a young age. The sooner the better. However, how well your dog masters this training depends on many factors.

So there are livelier and calmer dogs. A very active animal has significantly more problems controlling its impulses than a naturally relaxed dog.

Age and race also play a role here. The younger your dog is, the more difficult it is for him to practice impulse control. Stress creates difficult training conditions.

However, you can make the exercises much easier for your four-legged friend:

  • Establish fixed processes and habits.
  • Work with food rewards
  • Be patient and work in small increments.
  • This is how you achieve the best results.

How you train your dog is entirely up to you. You can teach your dog basic obedience yourself. You can also consult a dog school or a dog trainer. your dog must have a good command of the basic commands.

Subordination

Are these commands not enough for you? Do you and your animal enjoy the training? This allows them to learn more in-depth lessons. Then submission would be the next step.

Subordination used to be considered absolute obedience of the dog. There are numerous exercises for this. Your dog should submit to the dominant human pack leader. Partially forced obedience was meant here.

To this day some trainers work according to these outdated methods. However, a lot has changed for most dog trainers in recent years. Loud commands or even physical punishment are very rare in dog schools today.

Obedience and positive reinforcement

In the meantime, there is much more emphasis on understanding and positive reinforcement. Forced obedience to your dog is not necessary. This shows modern dog training. Your dog should understand the command and execute it accordingly.

Dog sport obedience is a little more demanding. This is referred to as the ” high school of subordination “. The exact and exact execution of the commands is important.

Your dog should be controlled from a distance by the handler. However, outdated, strict approaches are not desired here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you have to be able to do in the companion dog test?

In the first part of the companion dog test, you have to prove your specialist knowledge of dogs and dog ownership. The part mainly contains multiple-choice questions (to tick) and also some open-ended questions that have to be answered in the long text. Depending on the association, the questions vary somewhat.

How do you teach a dog a role?

First, run your hand up to the dog’s back and then over it towards the ground. If the dog wants to keep following the treat, it first has to turn its head and then its entire body. It automatically performs a rolling movement.

How many tricks can a dog learn?

Everyone usually changes between two to four tricks when practicing on-site. As long as there are biscuits, the dogs usually join in enthusiastically. And for many participants, after 2 to 5 days, the first 1, 2, or 3 new tricks even work during the seminar. And others just need a little more time.

How many repetitions does a dog need?

5000-7000 repetitions. It is advisable to repeat every exercise from time to time, even if the dog has already mastered it well, and to reward it from time to time. That’s why it’s important to always be calm and relaxed when training and communicating with your dog.

What should a puppy be able to do at 14 weeks?

The puppies increasingly try to sit, stand and walk, but they are still very clumsy. Skin and fur care are also becoming increasingly differentiated by nibbling, licking, g, and shaking.

How should a dog sit?

The dog should sit up straight. – Sounds easy, right? You should consciously pay attention to this: The dog should not tip over to the side with its buttocks (pelvis), i.e. the pads of all 4 paws have contact with the ground; viewed from the front, I see the dog’s two knees parallel and at the same level.

How can I train my dog to be a companion dog?

The dog must be at least 15 months old and chipped to be admitted to the test. Of course, age and breed don’t matter, mixed breeds and older dogs can also be trained to be companion dogs.

How do I teach my dog to roll over?

Holda treats in front of his snout, he’s welcome to sniff them too. Now move it and the treat away from his snout so that he has to follow it. If he follows her, give him praise and reward him with a snack. The next step is to incorporate the rotation.

Mary Allen

Written by Mary Allen

Hello, I'm Mary! I've cared for many pet species including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, fish, and bearded dragons. I also have ten pets of my own currently. I've written many topics in this space including how-tos, informational articles, care guides, breed guides, and more.

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