THE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS IN DOG TRAINING

  

The four most important words in Dog Training are:

Sit.

Heel.

No.

Good.

SIT.  You want the dog to sit so you can both prepare – ie put on his collar and leash.  You also want him to sit as you wait to get off the elevator or cross the street or wait his turn in the dog parade.

HEEL.  You want the dog to move, to follow you.  If you say this word often enough, you won’t need to nudge him or pull him in the right direction.  He’ll know this means “walk this way” and he will.

NO.   This one word you can’t say often enough.  You must correct him.  You want him to learn what is right and wrong; what he can’t and can’t do.  This is for his and your protection. 

GOOD.   Also, you want to praise your dog whenever he does something right.  “Good sit.”   “Good heel.”   This will let him know he is doing his job and you are proud of him. Treats are optional, and if you do reward him, don’t over do it.  You don’t want him getting fat.

RELEASE WORD.   This is the fifth most important word in dog training, but it is a personal one; personalized for each dog.  Your release word let’s your dog know that school is out and he can play.  It can be whatever word you want, but pick one that you don’t say too often.  For example, ours is “Free”.   We say “free” and Biggs knows that he can romp around, jump, play, et al.  You don’t want to pick the word “okay” for example, as it is used pretty frequent by all and you don’t want to confuse the dog as to when his play time is.

Many thanks to our friends Joe and Mike at the ABCs of Dog Training for their many lessons.  We are enjoying the free Saturday dog training classes, and we are practicing what they preach.

Good trainees.