Basic Obedience - Stay / Wait

A strong "Stay" command is absolutely invaluable to any dog owner, and can even be a lifesaver. It is also a highly important command to have if you are considering taking up sports, such as agility.

This command should be taught as soon as possible, and is usually covered in Puppy Training Classes. Again, this is taught with the use of a clicker. If you do not wish to use the clicker (though I highly recommend that you do,) follow the same procedure, but replace the click with the verbal "Good Boy / Girl."

To begin, the dog should be on a lead.

Have him in a Sit or Down, facing you.

Take a step away from the dog, whilst using your hand to signal "Wait." I use the universal signal of holding my hand in front of me, palm facing the dog. DO NOT USE THE VERBAL COMMAND AT THIS STAGE.

If the dog remains in the sit / down, step back to him, click and reward with a treat.

If the dog moves, do not speak (you CAN use a short "Ah" only IF the dog understands that this means he has done the wrong thing - as long as you do not use it as a punishment. It is a verbal cue.) Instead, return the dog (NOT forcefully) to his original position and ask him to sit / down again. Repeat the above until the dog is reliably staying.

Once the dog will stay with the hand signal, you can begin to teach the verbal command by saying "Stay" or "Wait" (choose ONE to avoid confusing the dog) before you click and reward, and adding "Good Stay / Wait" after clicking and rewarding.

You can then gradually increase the distance you move away, each time following the above procedure until the dog is staying reliably.

Once you have accomplished this, you can vary the routine, by walking around the dog, walking out of the room and back, calling the dog to you instead of you returning to the dog, etc.

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Basic Obedience - Down

Teaching your dog a reliable "down" can be a lifesaver.

I was certainly relieved when I was put in an awful situation where, had I not taught Lunik to "down" on command, she could have ended up seriously hurt or even dead. I had her off leash in an area that is fairly quiet, although there is a small track that runs through it. She was off running around, and I saw her heading straight towards the track, with a car coming. I called her name and followed with a short, sharp "DOWN," at which point she immediately dropped to the floor. I held her there with "stay" until i could reach her and put her leash back on. Had she not learnt this command, I may not have been able to get her to stop.

You may find it easier to sit on the floor with the dog for this exercise, so you do not hurt your back by constantly bending.

It is easier to begin teaching this from a sit, but once the dog has learned what you want it to do, you should vary the routine, so the dog does not always sit before it "downs."

Have the dog sit in front of you. Hold a treat in front of its nose, and slowly lower it towards the floor between the dogs paws. The dog should take its head down. As it does this, slowly pull the treat along the floor, away from the dog's body. If you do this too quickly, the dog may stand up, so make sure you do it slow enough so that the dog can keep its nose in contact with your hand.

As soon as the dogs chest is on the floor, click and reward. Repeat this exercise until the dog is lying down reliably. ONLY then can you add the verbal command. Repeat the exercise, and when the dog lies down, say "down," (or whatever you choose as the command) in a nice tone. Click and treat. You should repeat this until the dog has learnt the verbal command. If you think your dog has learnt the command, try it. If it does not respond, DO NOT keep repeating it. Go back to teaching the command (by using it before the click) until it will.

Once the dog is doing this reliably, you can remove the lure, and replace it with a similar gesture, such as pointing at the floor. After practising this, you will be able to stand in front of the dog and point / speak the command. With Lunik, all I have to do is flick my finger downwards and she will immediately lie down. However, she is a very fast learner, so it may take a while to get your dog to this stage. Remember, all dogs are different, and some will take longer to learn than others.

If you are having trouble using the above method, try this.

Instead of having the dog in front of you, sit on the floor with your knee bent so it forms a "bridge." With the dog on one side, use your opposite hand to lure the dog under the "bridge" of your leg. It may take a few attempts for them to understand what you want, but be patient.

Again, as soon as their chest touches the floor, click and reward. Keep repeating until the dog picks it up. Then follow the above exercise. 

It may take a little longer, but this is definately a very useful thing to teach your dog, even if it just to get them to lie down in the house, so you can have five minutes peace!

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Basic Obedience - SIT

"Sit" is one of the first things a dog should learn. It is good manners for the dog to be sat down in any social situations, especially if it is a large breed - not many people will appreciate being jumped on by a 160 pound Mastiff.

The best time to teach the basic sit is in puppyhood, as their natural clumsiness means their bums will hit the floor without too much effort on your part. I have also found this is the case with larger breeds. However, all dogs are able to learn it with patience, but you may need to experiment a bit to find out what works for your dog.

To teach the basic sit, you need to have the dog stood in front of you. Holding a treat in front of their nose, slowly lift it up and slightly back, so that their head follows it. They should naturally put their bum down. Click and reward immediately, but DO NOT say a verbal command.

If you are having trouble getting the dog to sit (for example, they keep stepping backwards instead of sitting), try positioning yourself so that the dog is between you and an obstacle that will prevent it from stepping back. Please Note: I do not recommend doing this if you have a dog that does not like to be cornered, as it could provoke a negative reaction. Instead, try placing your hand LIGHTLY on the dogs bottom, so as to stop it from moving back. DO NOT PUSH on the dogs rear, as it may be sensitive, and again, this could cause it to react in a negative manner. 

Repeat the above exercise until your dog is reliably sitting with the lure. Once this has been accomplished, you can begin to add in the verbal command "sit."

Lure the dog into the position and before you click, say "sit" in a nice voice. Click immediately and reward. At this point, it is important to note that the dog does not yet understand what "sit" means, so do not be tempted to say it BEFORE the behaviour.

Repeat the exercise until your dog is sitting reliably every time. When you get to this stage, you should be able to stop using the lure, and instead just make the hand gesture (similar to how you would hold the treat.) When I taught my GSDX this, I would stand in front of her and hold my closed fist above her head, so it still had the effect of her looking upwards.

Once your dog has learnt the correct response, you can stop using the clicker. The dog should now take the verbal / physical cue, and will display the correct behaviour. 

You should aim to practice this as often as possible, preferably several times a day. It should be incorporated into daily activities, such as on walks and at feeding time, and you should vary the rewards, so they don't expect to be rewarded EVERY TIME they display the appropriate behaviour.

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