From there, McMillan explains his playful, careful, and kind approach to training the 7 Common Commands he teaches every dog: SIT, STAY, DOWN, COME, OFF, HEEL, and NO.
More specifically, a well-behaved pup should respond to seven directions in order to become a good canine citizen: Sit, Down, Stay, Come, Heel, Off, and No.
Essential Command #1: Sit
“Sit” may be the most helpful obedience command you can teach your dog and it might even be the first they learn. While it might seem lackluster in terms of excitement, “sit” is crucial to your pup's safety and development.
“Come” may be the most valuable command you can teach your puppy because it could realistically save their life. A puppy's curiosity can often draw them towards life-threatening situations - during these situations you want to trust that your puppy will respond to your voice above all else.
Sit. Unlike teaching your pup to stay down, “sit” is the easiest command to teach your furry friend. To teach your puppy this trick, make sure to follow the next steps carefully: Kneel in front of your puppy with a treat in your hand.
Essentially, your dog wants your approval. So, rather than yelling or constantly saying “No”, quicker progress can be made by teaching your dog a 'no' signal – one that tells him to stop whatever he is doing whenever he hears it. A suitable command can be “Leave”.
You can train them on more than one command in a day but try to stick to just one for each session. An exception might be if the session is not going well and you want to get your dog to do something it knows so that the session will end on a positive note.
Commonly used release words are “okay,” “break,” and “free.” Often a release word is followed by another command such as “come.” When teaching stay, you should have already chosen a release word.
According to Ray, the basic commands that every dog should learn (in this order) are heel, sit, stay, and come.
Handled by owner & family members twelve (12) times a week – Hold under arm, hold to chest, hold on floor near owner, hold in-between owner's legs, hold head, look in ears, hold paws, hold and take temperature (with veterinarian's assistance), hold like a baby, hold & trim toenails (with veterinarian's assistance), ...
When it comes to where dog's get their daily calories, we recommend following the 90/10 rule: 90% of calories from a complete and balanced diet, 10% from treats! Treats can be considered the splurge, but more often, the actual act of giving a treat means more to the dog than the actual treat itself.
The 80/20 Rule states that 80% of results come from only 20% of the efforts. This is widely proven across many fields and industries. As a professional dog trainer who has helped hundreds of dogs and owners, I know this principle is directly applicable to raising a dog.
They can understand commands in two, four, six, ten different languages, if you really want to expand their repertoire.
Even though young pups may be more actively curious, dogs never stop learning. In fact, adult dogs are often easier to train than their younger canine friends specifically because they are not as active. Older dogs are not as easily distracted as pups and can focus for longer periods of time.
Keep your training sessions short.
Five minutes per session is more than enough. Anything longer, and you risk having your dog become bored or frustrated. If you keep things fun and stop before your dog loses interest, it will help build enthusiasm for future training sessions.
Yelling encourages bad behavior
That shows your dog she has no incentive to come back. Instead, call your dog and when she comes back, praise her and give her a treat.
Among dogs, staring is a threat. When a dog holds their body very still and stares at you, avert your gaze and turn your head to show that you mean no harm. Hold very still to avoid escalating the situation to a bite.
Start by making sure your dog can follow a command with no distractions. Then, work on the command with people in the environment talking, eating, engaging with each other. Then, work on the command out in the yard and start with minimal distractions and work up to more significant distractions.
You need an incentive to encourage your dog to come back - a really tasty treat or a fun game with a toy. Show your dog the toy or food. Run away a couple of paces then call your dog's name and say "come" in a friendly, exciting tone - getting down low can also encourage them to come back.
Some reasons dogs don't come when called include distraction, confusion, or fear. Gradual training and positivity are ways to help build a reliable recall so your dog will come when called.