Training your dog is an important part of ensuring your family pet is well-behaved at home and when you take it out into public. A dog that doesn’t listen can be incredibly frustrating as you’re constantly chasing it, trying to get it to get down from jumping on friends, and trying to get it to stop chewing on shoes. At Russell’s K9 Academy, we have some K9 training tips for you regarding good behaviors every dog should know. Read our short guide below to see if your dog needs more training.
Sit
Teaching your dog to sit is one of the first things we go through in training. Learning patience with this basic command is a great way to ensure that your dog isn’t going to run out an open door, jump on a house guest, or do other unwanted behaviors. Furthermore, teaching your dog to sit is the first step to teaching more commands as down, stay, and others will come more easily.
Stay
After teaching your dog to sit, the natural progression is to teach stay. Learning to stay in place is a great way for your dog to be more tolerable of new people coming into your home or making it easier to leave your home without squeezing your body out the door. It’s not uncommon for some dogs to naturally stay after being told to sit, as they might be waiting for another command or some reward.
Come
No matter how friendly or sociable your dog is, letting it wander freely can be dangerous for it and others around you. While many cities and states have leash laws requiring owners to keep their dogs on a leash while out walking around, it’s not unusual for a dog to get off a leash or bolt out an open door or gate. Teaching your dog to return to you on command can help to ensure that it’s not at risk of getting hit by a car, hurting a person, or getting injured by another dog.
Down
Dogs are social creatures, so it’s normal for them to get excited when somebody new comes to the house. They might even jump up on those they’re familiar with as a way of showing affection. Despite the display of affection, most people don’t love having dirty paw prints on their clean clothes. Even if your dog isn’t overly excited at the entrance of house guests, you might have a dog that likes to climb up to the counter to inspect your food. Not only does this pose a danger to you by introducing germs to your meal, but your dog might also eat something that it shouldn’t. Teaching your dog to get down is an effective way to ensure that you’re not inconveniencing guests, and your countertops are safe from germs.
Leave it
It’s no secret that dogs love to chew, which is why we give our dogs chew toys. What we want to avoid with every dog is chewing things that aren’t for them, like shoes, furniture, kids’ toys, and more. Teaching your dog to “leave it” helps it learn that note everything is its chew toy. Certain things in your home are considered off-limits for the dog and need to be left alone. Learning to drop or leave an item also helps to prevent choking hazards as some items can break into small fragments that can be easily swallowed by mistake.
Contact us for more
You can learn more K9 training tips by getting in touch with us at Russell’s K9 Academy. We teach dogs these basic commands and others to help reinforce good behavior. Reach out by calling 386-265-3501 or sending a message using our online contact form.
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