Cats are notoriously curious animals who love the great outdoors, but letting them wander isn’t always an option. If you live in an area with lots of traffic or a local population of feral cats, both can pose great danger to your pet. If you’re willing to provide supervision, then walking your cat can be a good solution. Since cats are often less cooperative than dogs, however, you’re going to need to invest some time into training your independent feline before escorting it outside.
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Off
Off is the correct command when a dog is jumping up on you or the couch. If your dog has jumped up on the couch, literally push him off while saying off. If he is small enough, you can just pick him up and put him on the floor. As soon as he is off the couch, say good boy!. If you have allowed him to get away with this in the past, it may take many tries before he learns it. And, once he learns that he can’t jump onto the couch without being told to get off, he might stay on the floor and put his front legs on the couch. It’s up to you if this will be acceptable or if you want him to keep his paws off the couch also. If so, take both his paws in your hands, push them gently toward the floor while saying off, and say good boy! as soon as his feet are off the couch.
Your dog likes to jump up on your dress with muddy paws just before you leave for the office. But, he is only trying to give you a hug or get some attention, but he has to learn that this is not acceptable. As he is jumping up, turn your body away from him while saying off! He should then simply sit down, at which time you immediately pet him on the head and tell him he is a good boy! He wants your attention, not your back! Even if he has already jumped on you, turn away.
Or, since you already know that he will jump up on you, you can try to beat him to the punch. As he starts to jump up, put your hand out quickly and pet him on the head and start to bend over. This action would encourage him to stay off or to sit. This is an acceptable position for him to be in when he first sees you in the morning or when you get home at night. If he is sitting patiently waiting for you to pet him each time, go greet him quickly by petting his head (while saying good boy! or hello!) or bending down to take his paw and saying good boy! or shake. He won’t see the need to jump on you to receive a greeting if you greet him first.
Come
This is a fun one, and possibly the most important command you can teach your dog.
“Come!” means to come immediately and sit right in front of you. (“Come here” in a loving, questioning voice means that he is allowed to come to get a hug in a minute or so – at his own pace – when he wants to. For this kind, you can even start down on your knees.) Before he is trained, you may find he is running all over the yard before he comes to you. Never, never, never tell him no or scold him when he DOES come to you or he will think that is what he did wrong!
Start with him sitting next to your left heel. Say stay while pushing your hand in front of his face, and go stand in front of him. Push your hand in front of his face again and say stay again. Now back up a few feet. Say come! as you give a little tug on his leash. If he is coming slowly, repeat come over and over excitedly. As soon as he gets an inch or so from you, loudly say sit!. Technically, he has not come until he is right in front of you and sits, so don’t say good boy! until he sits. Practice this way for a week. If the sessions are going well, you can back up more and more each day until you are at the end of the leash.
Stand
Stand is a necessary command for the show or obedience ring. And, it can also be quite useful around the house or yard, like for having him stay standing while you bathe him.
Have your dog sit on your left. As you say stand, pull his leash forward with your right hand and move your left foot forward like you are going to start heeling. Say good boy! as soon as he stands up.
Here is another way to have your dog stand. Have him start in a sit and bend down to him. As you say stand, pull his leash forward just a little while you push your entire left arm backward from just behind his front legs. Your pushing backward should make him stand up. Good boy!
Stay
Have your dog sit next to you in the heel position. Once he is not excited and is settled down into a relaxed sit, “push” your open hand directly in front of his face as you say stay, and take two or three steps to get right in front of him. Just the action of a hand seeming like it was going to hit him in the face (do not actually make contact!) will shock him and almost push his butt farther onto the ground long enough for him to actually stay put. Only make him stay for a few seconds – not giving him time to move, and say good boy!. He did it. Each time you do this, you can increase the time a little, but don’t yet increase your distance. And, don’t look him in the eye because it will make him want to leave the position.
After your dog is able to stay nicely for a minute or two, you will start to increase the distance. Stand a little farther back, next time going farther back, and farther still the next time.
Stay will become old hat to him, boring, and easy as pie. Then, put your hand in front of his face while saying stay and walk all the way around him. This one may cause him to try to get up and go with you. If he attempts to get up, say no, sit, and push your hand in front of him again while saying stay. After making him stay for just a short time, say good boy!
Down
Down is not to be used when he is jumping up on you – that is off. Down will mean to lay down. And, don’t say “go lay down,” as that is another command still.
Get your dog to sit. If he is sitting next to you, reach over and push your arm from behind his front legs. As you say down, slowly and gently force his legs forward, and his body will go down to the ground. It should not take much effort on your part since it is a natural reflex for him to move his own legs once they are being bothered. As soon as he is lying on the ground, say good boy!. He will probably pop right back up. That’s fine because he did lay down.
If you prefer, you can have him sit in front of you. Grab both of his front legs, down by the bottom, and gently pull them out toward you as you say down. Say good boy! as soon as he gets all the way down. Each time you give the down command, try to have your own body less stooped or bent over. If you continually are bent over when you give a command, he may not respond later when you give the command from a standing position.
Sit
Even with a puppy as young as five or six weeks old, he will learn to sit after only a day or two of you putting him into a sitting position while saying sit if he gets praise each time.
Sit training is easiest with the choke chain collar and leash.
Sit training is easiest with the choke chain collar and leash.
Have your dog at your left side. Say sit as you pull up on the leash with your right hand, and gently “push” his rear end down with your left hand. This “push” is only a gentle guiding. As soon as he is in the sitting position, say good boy!, good boy! Do this several times, and he will understand what sit means. If you have a very large dog that just grins at you when you try to push its rear end down, you could stand in front of him (facing him), say sit as you lift his face up with your hands and start to walk toward him (almost into him) and push his head back just an inch or so.
Heel
Heeling is when your dog walks calmly on your left with his head next to your left heel. Once trained, he will be at your heel whether you are walking, running or stopped. He will not be trying to run ahead or off to the side, and he will not be yanking as hard as he can at the leash to pull you along.
Attach the leash to the choke chain collar, and put the collar on your dog. Give him a few minutes to relax and get used to the collar. When he tries to walk too far away, just stand firm and let him see that he can’t go any farther. He may try this a few times. Don’t yank on the leash but do talk to him and pet him, and he should soon figure out that the collar won’t bother him if he stays near you.
While training your dog, your praise is his reward. Praise him every time he does the correct thing, even if you had to force the correct thing to happen. The more he hears good boy!, the more he will try to do the correct thing so he can hear even more praise. Your approval and praise are what he lives for!
Getting Started
Beginning training sessions should be in a safe area with no distractions. After you and your dog have finished this “course” and he has the commands down pat every time, try moving the sessions to a park so he will eventually learn to follow commands despite any distractions.
You should only concentrate on one new command per week. Once you start your dog’s training, you will need to practice the new command for at least fifteen minutes every day. After adding a second command, practice both every day. And so on. It won’t take long for your dog to forget these new things if you don’t keep practicing. Not all dogs learn at the same pace, so don’t feel discouraged if you need to practice each command for two weeks instead of one.
