Both you and your dog will benefit if you teach him some basic obedience while he is still a puppy. For example, the command “Down” can come in very handy if your dog gets loose in an area with lots of traffic. Shouting out the command and having him throw himself flat down on the ground, can save your dog’s life. It can also save you some severe heartache! As you see, you’ve got everything to gain from teaching your dog some basic obedience. Let us look at how you teach your dog the two basic commands “Sit” and “Down”:

The first thing you will want to teach your dog is the command “Sit”. This is the easiest of all the commands and should not take too long for your dog to learn. Start by getting out some dog treats, like dog chocolates, and place them handy in your pocket. Take one of the treats in your right hand. See to it that you have your dog on your left side, perhaps slightly in front of you. Say a firm and definite “Sit” to your dog while moving the hand with the treat close to, but above, your dog’s nose. With your left hand, gently push on your dog’s rump. Your dog will be concentrating on the treat and will hardly notice that you are pushing his rump. He will sit down, and as he does, immediately give him the treat and praise him a lot saying; “Good Boy!” in a friendly and happy voice.

Do this exercise 5-8 times before you say “Go play!”, which will be the command to tell your dog that the lesson is over. If your dog has a favourite toy, play it a while with him.

Practise the “Sit” command both morning and evening every day until your dog sits down quickly on your command and without the help of your hand. Don’t forget to be firm with the command “Sit”, and to be quick to praise your dog when he has done what he was asked to do.

When your dog is really good at sitting on command, it is time to teach him the “Down” command. Start by having your dog sit down by your left hand side. Go down on your knees next to your dog. Take a treat in your right hand and move it temptingly near, but in front of your dog’s nose. Place your left hand gently on your dog’s shoulders. Say a firm “Down” while make a sweeping movement with the treat in your right hand from your dog’s nose, diagonally down towards the floor. If your dog does not follow the downward movement of your hand, press a little with your left hand on his shoulders. Immediately when your dog is down, give him the treat and praise him for having done a good job!

It is very important that the praise and the treat come at the very moment your dog does what he was asked to do. If you praise him too late, he will not understand what he was praised for.

Practice this exercise, like the “Sit” exercise, until your dog is really good at it, and you can thrust him. It will take you about five minutes every morning and every evening for some weeks to train him. You will, however, enjoy the result once your dog has learnt the commands well—think of the fun of showing off to your friends what you have taught your dog!

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This article was written in September 1998
© Sonja Wakefield

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