Basic Obedience Dog Training

Familypet Vet - dog hi-five

Here at Familypet Vet Puppy Pre-School, we teach you and your puppy to follow basic commands:

When teaching these commands, we try and get the puppies to know the action first, and then bring in the verbal command once they have mastered that action.

Sit

  • Position yourself in front of your puppy, making sure he or she is facing you.
  • Get the puppies’ attention by calling him or her and showing you have a treat.
  • Hold the treat in your fingers and right in front of the puppies’ nose. Do not move your hand around otherwise the puppy will move, jump up, or on you.
  • Raise your hand slowly upwards, keeping the treat in front of its nose and eyes and then over its head.
  • Ideally, puppies’ nose will follow, head will go up, and bottom will go down.
  • Reward straight away and give lots of praise!
  • Once your puppy can do this well, start using the verbal command “sit” when the puppy sits down.
  • Practise this every day, and get your puppy to sit for any kind of food or attention.
Familypet Vet - dog handshake

Drop

  • Start by getting your puppy to sit.
  • Hold a treat in front of your puppy’s nose and then lower your hand to the ground keeping your hand right in front of your puppy and between the legs/ paws.
  • As you near the ground move the treat away from the puppy along the floor.
  • The puppy should lower its body to the ground.
  • Rewards within half a second and say drop.

** You may find your pup will want to lift their bottom/ or stand back up, while attempting to drop, if this happens just use your other hand to prevent them lifting their back end. Sometimes a bit of gentle pressure may be needed on their shoulders to get their front legs lying down.

Stay

  • Get your puppy to sit. Position yourself right in front of your puppy.
  • Hold a treat in front of your puppy’s nose without moving it.
  • Start with moving with one foot only, stepping backwards once. Do this while keeping the treat right in front of your puppy so they don’t have a reason to move.
  • Say stay and reward immediately.
  • Repeat as above, gradually moving both feet, then eventually move further and further backwards.

** Take this very slowly, moving a small distance every few days. Also when teaching stay, never call them to you, go back to them, and then reward.

Come

  • Always use a happy high pitched voice.
  • Move away from your puppy, call their name and say come.
  • Once they are at your feet reward immediately.

This is a good one to practise around meal time. Never punish for them coming, particularly after they have run off or not come straight away, otherwise your puppy will be too scared to come back to you.

Settle

This is a good one to practise around meal time. Never punish for them coming, particularly after they have run off or not come straight away, otherwise your puppy will be too scared to come back to you.

** When doing obedience training with your puppy, don’t go on for too long they will lose concentration quickly. 5-10 minutes is plenty. Pick a time that your puppy isn’t too lively, but not asleep either.

If you're attempting to do some training with your puppy and they are not paying attention, don’t force it, have a break, and try again in half an hour or so.

Interested in joining our Puppy Pre-School classes?

Please contact our clinic on (08) 8370 3500 for more details on dog training classes to suit your needs.