A dog can be beautiful, friendly, a love bomb, a playmate for children, but it can also make everyday life miserable if not taught basic command words.
The five basic commands are “Bark!”, “Come here!”, “Sit!”, “Lie down!” and “Stay!”. Many people argue with this, but most dogs don’t even learn these in their lifetime, yet their owners wonder why their pets don’t behave and never listen.
1. Eww!
It is an important, if not the most important term, because puppies will lick and chew anything, be it a laptop or street litter.
When walking on the street, have a set of unused keys with you from the first time you go. If your puppy starts to smell something he shouldn’t, throw the knot on the ground right next to the dog, at the same time saying the command word forcefully. Repeat this every time, wherever you go, as consistency is key. The animal will associate the phrase with the unpleasant, sudden experience, and it will be fixed so that it will not put anything in its mouth when it hears the “Boo! Successful performance is not rewarded with a reward bite, because the cues are confusing.
2. Come here!
There are special leashes, felx leashes, more and more extreme equipment, but they are unnecessary if you start walking together in time. For adult dogs, we recommend a five-metre leash with a minimum diameter of 7 mm for training. The flexi has many advantages, but as soon as the four-legged friend chews on two of them, it breaks, the structure sucks in the tape and no dog, no leash – an expensive experience.
Let your toddler follow you around in a quiet neighbourhood repeating Come!, praise him constantly and give him a reward snack when he completes the task.
With an adult waxer, practice using a leash by walking him on foot only and by letting him out at increasing distances and giving him a very gentle tug on his collar when called. Rewarding is done in the same way as with the puppies.
3. Sit!
This is the easiest thing to teach them.
Any time they are given food, drink or a snack, and several random times throughout the day, start saying the word, preferably in a normal tone of voice, and gently squeeze their bottom. In between, you can show him the snack to let him know it makes sense to let you sit him down.
Some owners pair the tasks with hand signals, others use a clicker as a supplement, but one thing is important in everyday life: put your bottom down on command, whatever the circumstances. He doesn’t knock food out of our hands, doesn’t jump up, waits or travels calmly, is patient on the side of the road, and so on.
4. Get down!
It requires even more patience and obedience from the animal than the Sit command, but we teach it in a similar way.
This movement should be taken in turn after a secure sit, as it is easier to start the training from a sitting position.
Take a toy, a snack in hand, sit him, and then while repeating the key word, gently push down on his shoulder with your other hand.
It’s easier to ask him to do it by his nose, so while he feels the pressure from above, hold the snack firmly and pull it down to the floor in front of his nose. Repeat until and so that he can only take the snack from a lying position.
5. Stay!
It is a test for both the owner and the pet, but it is an essential command that demands maximum obedience and trust.
Start at home, off leash. Sitting, then moving away half a metre, repeating the command for a few seconds, then calling in, praise and sniff. Then increase the time limit for the first time, then start increasing the distance once the furball can stay in one place for 10-20 seconds.
Continue leashing outside the house where there may be some distraction. A fresh start may be a good idea, as practice is the mother of knowledge.
In the third phase, take him to a place to exercise where there are more distractions.
To teach the Stay! off-leash in an outside environment, try first where there is no danger of distraction or running around.
Stick to the principle of gradualness and give the dog time and strive for consistency at all times, so that in a few months you can train your kajla pug to be a handy, smart dog.
