Train a dog it’s more than just teaching some fun games. Indeed, it is of fundamental importance for the health and quality of life of the animal as:

  • Educate to adopt the most appropriate behaviors according to the situation,
  • Teaches to socialize in the right way ,
  • It is an important source of stimulation for your brain .

Training can sometimes seem like a difficult task , especially if we are a beginner, but with the right consistency , great satisfaction will be achieved in a short time for both the animal and the owner.

Before embarking on this beautiful adventure, and starting to teach your dog the most fundamental commands, we recommend that you learn which are the correct fundamental methods to approach training, without which this job would be much more tiring if not frustrating for both you and your four-legged friend. (Read the dedicated article: “How to train your dog: introductory methods” ).

THE FUNDAMENTAL COMMANDS TO TEACH YOUR DOG

Now let’s see together what are the most important commands to teach your dog immediately. We remember that the procedure is the same, whether it is a puppy or an adult dog.

Here are the main commands that every dog must know in order to have a good basic education:

1. “SITTING” or “SIT”

This is the first command and also the simplest to teach the dog, but at the same time it is the most important because it is the basis for many other types of training.

Knowing and knowing how to correctly execute this command will allow us to manage some unwanted behaviors and help the animal to calm down when it is needed.

Once learned, we will then have to make him understand that this is the position to take when he wants to ask for something: be it food or going out for a walk. In this way we will avoid that he suddenly jumps on us or turns around us insistently causing agitation in both of us.

Before showing you the teaching procedure, one last but very important precaution: as with all commands it is important choose a word and always use the same word! If once we tell him “sit down”, another one “Sit” and yet another “sit still” the dog will be confused and will not be able to memorize the command.

Here are the steps to teach the “Sit” command :

  1. Get yourself a reward and hold it tightly in your hand (ideally a piece of one of the Life Natural snacks ).
  2. Make the dog sniff his closed hand, to make him understand that inside there is a greedy prize for him.
  3. Bring the hand up, so that the dog follows his movement with his head.
  4. At this point, pronounce the command with the chosen word, for example: “SITTED!”, and start bringing your hand towards the back of the dog. If the animal, not understanding, turns around, repeat the action until it sits down.
  5. At this point, grant the dog the prize, praising him and giving him lots of compliments for how good he was! Use both positive words and a cheerful and cheerful tone of voice.
  6. Repeat this action several times a day until the dog does it more and more quickly and automatically, without the need for a reward.

2. “AL PASSO” or “PIEDE” (to walk on a leash).

When we go for a walk with our furry dog, he will hardly be by our side in a natural way, but he will tend to walk in front of us, sometimes pulling the leash with force to direct us where he wants .

Instead, we have to teach him to walk next to us , so that he can lead the walk with ease and at the same time make the bike ride more enjoyable for both of us.

Therefore, while this is perhaps one of the most complicated commands to teach , it is certainly one of the most useful and most requested by dog owners from trainers.

Let’s see one of the procedures for teaching this command:

  1. After getting your furry friend to wear a collar and leash, hold the leash in your left hand and a greedy treat or favorite game in your right.
  2. Before you start walking, put him in a sitting position.
  3. At this point, hold the prize above the animal’s head and start walking by following you and saying the chosen word, for example “in step” .
  4. If the dog overtakes you, start pulling and walking in front of you, stop immediately and restart from the “sit” command.
  5. Repeat the exercise until the dog walks alongside his right hand for a few seconds. At this point, grant him the prize!
  6. Once you have achieved the first success, repeat the exercise increasing the side walk time before granting another reward.

3. “ON THE GROUND”

This is certainly another of the most difficult commands to teach , because lying down , for the dog, corresponds to a position of submission , and therefore will tend to assume it unwillingly.

However, it is very useful because it allows you to control any negative behavior of the animal, and can be very helpful for dogs who are anxious or who tend to get scared easily, to restore serenity and calm.. In addition, this position is the basis for other more advanced training (such as teaching the dog to roll over).

Here are the steps to teach your dog to lie down on the ground:

  1. Get a coveted treat to hold in your hand, with a clenched fist.
  2. Command the dog to sit up.
  3. Put your hand close to the animal’s face so that he can smell it and understand that there is something special there for him.
  4. Lower your hand towards the floor, letting the dog follow the hand with its muzzle.
  5. As he approaches the floor he pronounces the word “EARTH”.
  6. If the dog lies down, grant him the promised reward and give him lots of compliments!

4. “REMAINS” or “STILL”

This is one of the most useful commands because it allows us to make the dog sit still and good in different situations in which it could prove fundamental: if new guests enter the house, if we are on a street and vehicles are passing by, and in general in all those potentially dangerous situations from which it is necessary to keep our dog away and safe.

In this way the management of the dog’s behavior, both in public and in private, will be facilitated by the use of this command. Here’s how to teach them:

  1. Have the dog put in the “sit” position explained above.
  2. Stand in front of the animal, with the palm of your hand raised facing it (as in a sign of “stop” or “halt”), and step back one step.
  3. If the dog understands and stays still (for at least 10 seconds), you can feel very satisfied and reward him with a nice prize!
  4. Repeat the exercise several times, gradually increasing the distance from the dog and continuing to reward the animal each time it remains still.

5. “LEAVE”

It is a very useful command, both for the survival of the dog, and for that of all the objects in the house that he chooses to gnaw, be they shoes, furniture legs or anything else.

But above all, it will be useful when you see your dog chewing on something of dubious knowledge and potentially dangerous for him .

Procedure for teaching the “Leave” command :

  1. Grab a toy (at least at first avoid his favorites), and throw it so that you bring it back with it in your mouth.
  2. When the dog comes back in front of you with the toy in his mouth, start giving him the command “Release”, while pointing your finger at the floor, and placing the dog’s attention on it.
  3. If the dog does not drop the toy, be more incisive, perhaps lowering yourself to the ground and placing your entire palm on the floor, always repeating the command at the same time.
  4. As soon as the dog drops the toy from his mouth, reward him immediately with cuddles, a piece of snack or one of his favorite toys.

Even if it takes a few tries, always try to repeat the command calmly, quietly and calmly. and never agitated or angry. Rather, postpone the exercise for another time if we don’t feel ready.

6. “COME” or “COME BACK”

One of the most important commands in dog training, as well as the basic one of the recall. Teaching the dog to perform this behavior will be very useful in many situations : both to remove the dog from dangers, and to facilitate you in daily actions.

Once you have learned this command, for example, it can be useful to get the dog to come back to you after a good walk outdoors, or call him at our side if we have noticed a potentially dangerous situation, or even let him come to us simply to make him cuddles, because the baby food is ready, or to put the collar on for the walk.

That is why it is important to use this command frequently with your dog, so that it is one of those behaviors that he always has in mind.

Procedure for teaching the dog the command “Come” (or “Come back”):

  1. When you are in a quiet place, stay away from your dog and make sure he stays still and away from you.
  2. At this point, sit down and call your dog by name.
  3. If the dog starts coming to meet you, you often repeat the chosen command, as long as it is always the same (eg “Come”).
  4. If the dog catches up with you, praise him and give him a small treat. It is very important to associate the arrival with us immediately, with something extremely positive.
  5. Repeat the exercise several times, increasing the distance, until the animal returns to you even without the reward.

In this article we have reported what we believe to be the basic commands, essential for starting the training and education of the dog. There are many others, but if we decide to deepen the training , we always recommend contacting specialized dog trainers .