The five basic dog commands that all small breed dogs should know include:
Can your dog do all of these? If not, don't despair, because this article will walk you through the steps so that your dog will master them in no time.
I am not a professional trainer but I have trained many dogs over the years, taking numerous dog obedience classes with my dogs and read countless books on training.
For a fact, I know these simple techniques work for most dogs. Puppies are easier, but older dogs can be taught new tricks.
I chose one of my dogs to train for this article and photographed his progress along the way. I just wanted to be sure that even "old dogs can learn new tricks."
To teach these basic dog commands, you will need:
These five simple commands can be accomplished using a clicker training tool and tasty treats or simply using your voice to “mark” the behavior.
By “marking the behavior, I am referring to the particular behavior you want to see, whether it is to sit, stay, come, down or whatever.
I use the word “yes” said in a relatively enthusiastic voice to mark the behavior. Others find the clicker to work equally well.
Clicker-training using a metal clicker to make a sound that marks the behavior.
Clicker training is a nickname given to a positive reinforcement training system based marker training.
The psychology behind this approach is to teach the dog what you expect him to do first and then pair a verbal command such as sit or stay with his behavior.
It is a positive approach that rewards behaviors that are desired or incremental steps towards the behavior you want.
The click or a clicker or the word, “Yes” is meant to mark the behavior. The dog will begin to associate what he is doing with your click or verbal response and a food treat.
When I use the word ‘behavior,’ I’m referring to the task you want to accomplish. We’ll talk about five simple behaviors you can teach your dog in this article:
Watch me or Look, Sit, Down, Stay, and Come in this article.
Here are a few dog treat pouches from which to choose.
The "Watch Me" or "Look" command is meant to get and keep your dog's attention.
You may keep your dog on a leash. If you are in your home, you may not need a leash. Outside? Use a leash.
For this behavior, your goal is to get your dog’s attention in a positive manner. You want your dog to look at you.
Eventually, you’ll want to reward intermittently, meaning that at first, every “look” gets a food treat but gradually, not every look will be rewarded.
It is best not to have a pattern such as
every 3rd look when you are teaching this basic dog command.
Keep the pattern random.
When teaching the "sit" command, if the dog jumps up, lower the treat.
If your dog backs up without sitting, back him into a corner and wait for him to sit. When he sits, mark it with an enthusiastic “yes" or click your clicker and give the treat.
Once he sits, say the word, "sit" to teach him the association with the word, the treat and his action.
You will need to do this repeatedly over time until he consistently knows the word and the action.
Once your dog sits easily on your cue, start to reinforce (treat, click and "yes" more intermittently. At first, every time the dog sits you will want to reinforce, but slowly skip one. Gradually, make your reinforcements even more random.
Once your little dog can sit, then it is time to teach him how to lie down.
If he doesn’t make it down onto the floor, start again but move the treat more slowly.
Click and
treat for any downward movement such as his head is down or moving his paw forward.
You may need to do these intermediate steps
until he figures out how to get down completely on the ground.
The technical term for rewarding these “baby
steps” is called shaping or rewarding
small parts of behavior until you see
complete success.
If you have no luck with this process, try it on a different floor surface such as a small mat, carpet, or hard floor surface – whatever you didn’t use in the beginning.
If these steps are not working, try this:
Sit on the floor with your knees raised. Have your little dog sit next to you. Hold the treat in one hand and place it under your knee to lure him under your leg.
He may lie down to get under you knee and craw forward to get his treat. If he does so, click and reward or say “yes” and reward.
Training is a slow process for some dogs. Do not get discouraged.
If you find yourself getting impatient or if the dog loses interest, stop the activity. Begin again when everyone is refreshed.
At first, we will make this basic dog command short and easy. As the dog gains experience, you can increase the time you expect the dog to “stay.”
When your dog can stay for 15 to 20 seconds, add a
distraction such as moving your feet or arms, or shuffling your feet.
Don’t add too much too soon. This is a harder command that requires our
patience and your dog's concentration.
After he can stay for 15 to 20 seconds with your distractions, start moving slowly away from him. Take a step back and then stop and return to him and reward.
Always go back to him rather than calling him to you. The come command will be covered next, but it is not part of learning to stay.
Also called a reliable recall, this command is more difficult to learn
and may be even more tough for some breeds. It is also the most important command you can teach, and one that could save your dog's life one day.
Your ultimate goal is to say the word, "come," and your dog immediately stops and comes to you without even thinking whether he’d like to do so or not.
Caveat: Don't call your dog to you to punish, reprimand or do something that the dog finds unpleasant such as taking a pill or getting his ears cleaned.
This is a challenging command and may take more time to master than the previous four behaviors.
Gently tug on the leash as you call his name and say the word come. If he gets up or makes some motion in your direction, reward.
Keep repeating this activity as long as your dog is interested, rewarding any "baby steps," or intermediate attempts to come.
Once you think the dog understands this behavior, play the “coming game” in your house.
Have a supply of treats on you and call out your dog’s name and repeat, “come.”
Reward if he comes to you.
Go about your business and continue to ask the dog to come increasing the distance between you and the dog.
Continue until you can call your dog to you successfully when you are in one room and your dog in another.
Do not practice this command outdoors in an open area until you are convinced the dog has a reliable recall.
A long training lead (10-12 feet) should be used when practicing this outdoors for safety reasons.
Continue to go through the same steps as above.
As you practice this skill, add even longer leads such as a 20-foot lead to increase the distance between you and your dog.
Some trainers recommend that you give your dog 3 treats every time he successfully comes when you call.
The rationale between this is that it takes about the same time to give 3 treats as it does to get your dog’s leash back on or in the case of a small dog, to pick him up to safety if he gets loose and you must call him to safety.
I think that is a good idea, but if you are going to do this, you must start training and rewarding with 3 treats each time.
Otherwise, your dog may not hang around long enough to get the three treats and then dart out again.
Once your dog is consistently performing these five basic dog commands, you will still want to practice periodically with and without treats.
Now it’s time to move on to some more challenging tasks.
Training should be an ongoing process throughout the dog’s life. It is a good way to bond and deepen the relationship over the years and a fun way for you to interact with your dog.
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