4 WORDS YOUR DOG SHOULD KNOW
Whether you adopt, rescue, breed or buy a dog, it's necessary to teach him “life skills” to help you communicate with one another. To get started, here are four of the most important words you should teach him.
1 “Sit” is the common word and the easiest word to teach a dog. If your dog (let's name him Bingo)tends to jump on you to lick your face and greet you. asking him to sit prevent him from topping you over, keeps him from accidentally causing injury to both of you. Plus, when your walking Bingo and are about to cross the road, asking him to sit allows you to look around and make sure it's safe first.
2 “Down” is one of the corner stones for more advanced obedience skills. Teaching a dog to go into a “down” position is more challenging since you're asking the dog to go into a submissive position. If Bing is having a hard time with it, that’s normal. Ask Bingo to go “down” in the public place will make him less intimidating to other people. it also sends a message to other dogs that he means no harm and is less likely to end up in a fight when other dogs are around.
3 “Wait” is a word that differs from other words since it’s a concept rather than an action. Teaching Bingo to “wait” develops patience and “frustration tolerance”. Don’t confuse it with “stay”, which means “hold your position”. Bingo can perceive “wait” as holding himself back for a few seconds, in any position he prefers. It’s teaching him self-control. When Bingo gets excited during mealtime, ask him to wait a few seconds while you put the bowl down so you don’t spill food on the floor, He may go into a “down” or a “sit” or simply move away; it’s his choice. Or when visitors ring the doorbell, asking him to wait before opening the door teaches him to greet visitors politely instead of jumping up and frightening them.
4 “Come” Asking Bingo to come when called may be a difficult thing to do especially when he is off-leash, at a distance from you, and smelling cat poop in the bush. But teaching the word “come” enables you to call your dog back to you in a highly stimulating place like a park, and away from a potentially dangerous situation. Mastering this is not easy and involves bringing Bingo to different places and training him where there are a lot of destructions, But bingo must respond immediately upon hearing this word in any place, in any circumstance. Having a clear understanding of the word “come” will give Bingo greater freedom off-leash and even outdoors!
The ability to get attention and keep it is the key to training any dog. When a dog is both physically and mentally present, learning comes so much faster. All these words are best taught through positive reinforcement method to maintain a happy, enthusiastic dog…
