Dog Tricks

There are some basic commands that must be mastered before you attempt to teach your dog advanced dog tricks.

Learning just a few basic dog commands can make sure you have a properly trained family member.  Properly training your dog the first time is vital for dog owners. For example, dogs that have been bred for their aggressiveness, such as pit bulls, Doberman pinchers and German shepherds need proper training.

In addition, proper training of your dog is needed for families with children as young children can torment dogs and cause them to bite. So it is important that the dog learns how to deal with this situation.

Every dog must know these basic commands – “Heel”, “No”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Down” and “Off”.  Your dog should master these basic commands as they are the cornerstone of any proper training of your dog.   Unless these basic commands are learned it will be impossible to move onto more advanced commands, or to correct problems that your dog may develop.

Heel
The heel command is the fundamental first step in teaching a dog to walk properly while on leash.  Your dog needs to walk at your side and  neither lag behind nor strain to get ahead.

If your dog forges ahead on the lead, you should first gently tug on the leash.  This causes the training collar to tighten up and give the dog a proper reminder to fall back into his proper place.  If your dog begins to lag behind, gently urge your dog forward.  A lure or some type of toy is a good tool for a dog that constantly lags.

When your dog is consistently walking at your side, change your pace and encouraging the dog to match his pace with yours.  Your dog should always adjust his pace to you; never ever adjust your pace to your dogs pace.

“No!!!”
No is an important word for dog training.  It is important that your dog learns to respond to a sharp “No” in a prompt and obedient matter.

The “Sit” command
The sit command is another vital dog training command.  Teaching a dog to sit via voice commands alone forms a groundwork for future training.  It is important for a dog owner to master this vital command.

The sit command needs to be combined with the heel command.  As you walk alongside your dog you need to stop abruptly.  If your dog does not promptly stop when, sharply tug on the leash.  Many dogs  stop.  But, other dogs need to be reminded, to obey, through the use of the leash and training collar.

When your dog has stopped by your side, urge your best friend to sit by pressing gently on its hindquarters.  Do not use too much pressure, or push your dog down quickly. If you do that you may frighten, or injure your furry friend. Rather, you need to apply steady downward pressure.  Most dogs will eventually recognize this as the sit command. It is imperative that you to say sit as you are doing this.

Next, you need to repeat this procedure by walking, stopping and making your dog sit.  After a few repetitions, your dog will probably begin to sit down on his own every time he stops.  It is important to say the word sit every time, so that the dog will eventually learn to respond to voice commands

The “Stay” command
The stay command is a vital building block.  For instance, the stay command is vital to teaching the dog to come when called and it is necessary for proper leash behavior.

The stay command can be made into an extension of the sit command.  Have your dog sit, and while he is sitting, slowly back away from your friend.  If your dog follows you, come back to the dog and make him to sit again.  Repeat the process until you can reach the end of the leash without your dog getting up.

When the dog is reliably staying where you want him to, you should then try to drop the leash and then back further away.  It will probably take your dog some time to stay down.

The “Down” command
Teaching your dog to lie down, on command, is much more than an entertaining trick.  The down command will help you regain control of your dog, or stop a dog who is engaged in improper behavior.

The “Off” command
The “Off Command  forms the basis for later training,  For example, especially when you are training the dog not to chase people, cars, bikes, cats, etc.  You can do this by training your dog to remain still when a bicycle goes by, the owner would stand with the dog calmly on the leash.  If the dog strains against the leash, the owner sharply issues an “Off” command accompanied by a leash tug.  Eventually the dog will learn to respond to your voice alone.