Basic commands to teach your dog

A puppy has arrived at home. You have its food bowls, its bed, the best food for it… But, as well as getting used to its new home, the dog will need some behavioural guidelines.

Dog training is essential for a peaceful coexistence based on respect for both the dog and the family. Perhaps he is small now and everything he does will be funny (even his wee-wees or chewing on furniture), but the dog will grow up and if the basics are not well learned, his behaviour can be a problem.

The keys to teaching a puppy

There are 3: positive training, patience and affection.

Positive training: scolding a puppy when he does something wrong is not very productive and is usually counterproductive. It is better to be forceful but without shouting and, of course, never resort to violence. And it is more effective to reward him when he does something right.

Patience: dogs are very intelligent animals, but they need time to learn, so don’t expect everything to be right the first time. The puppy will learn by repetition.

Affection: whether it does well or badly, the dog must know that you love it. Cuddles, hugs, caresses… he will always appreciate them.

The 3 basic commands to teach your puppy

The best thing to do is to start with commands that are easy for him to understand, even if he is a puppy, or precisely because of this, you will see that he will end up assimilating them.

1. Sit down

Try to use a short word and accompany it with a gesture that reinforces the action, so that it is easier for him to remember. It could be the word “sit”, accompanied by your index finger pointing downwards, so that he understands that he must sit. The most important thing is that all the rules you want to teach him are always done in the same way.

2. Standing still

This is one of the most difficult commands to achieve, but one of the most important at many times, especially if he has to stop because you are coming to a place where cars are passing, if he is going far away and you want him to wait for you, if he is running away and you can’t catch him or you need him to come for some reason.

You can teach this rule in a very simple way by applying the first rule “sit” and placing your hand flat as a “stop” signal a few centimetres from his eyes and saying “stop” or “stop” or repeatedly, while you move away from him and keep your hand in that position.

Start with a short distance and gradually lengthen the distance and when you think it is convenient, give him the command “go”, so that he understands that he can come and look for you or continue running. You can reinforce this command with a characteristic whistle, always the same. This will allow you to enjoy walks in the open air and off the lead (as long as the regulations allow it), because you know that when necessary he will come to your call.

3. Do not pull on the leash

Another of the basic rules, and one of the hardest to implement, is that he should walk with us, without pulling on the lead. When he starts to pull on the lead, you should make him sit down and wait for a moment until he is calmer and then resume walking and tell him “together”, “near” or some word that identifies the action of walking close to you without pulling.

If he does not obey you, say “no” and sit him again. This command is based on patience and you can reinforce this idea by giving him Picart Select croquettes as a reward or a toy that you only use for this type of moment.