Q&A for How to Teach Your Dog Basic Commands

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  • Question
    What are the most important commands to teach my dog?
    Osama Maghawri
    Professional Dog Trainer
    Osama Maghawri is a Dog Trainer and Founder of OneStopK9, a dog training service in Miami, Florida. Osama utilizes balanced training methods to teach communication between owners and dogs. He specializes in basic obedience and behavioral issues such as resource guarding, fear-based aggression, and leash reactivity. Osama also helps owners understand the behaviors of their breed and how to continue training on their own in the future.
    Professional Dog Trainer
    Expert Answer
  • Question
    How long does it take a dog to learn a command?
    Jessica Powell
    Certified Professional Dog Trainer
    Jessica is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and the Owner of Proud Paws Dog Training, a small business offering private coaching and in-home dog training services to dog parents across the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. With nearly ten years of experience, she has extensive knowledge and experience in dog behavior, effective communication techniques, animal welfare, manners training, behavioral modification, and enrichment. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Management and is also an experienced shelter professional.
    Certified Professional Dog Trainer
    Expert Answer
    It depends on the dog. Avoid training your dog if you’re in a hurry or aren’t clear about what you want to achieve. Remember to consider your dog’s physical abilities and what expectations are realistic for their age group. Many behaviors and tricks require layers and progressions to reach the end goal, so stay motivated.
  • Question
    How do I start training my dog?
    Jessica Powell
    Certified Professional Dog Trainer
    Jessica is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and the Owner of Proud Paws Dog Training, a small business offering private coaching and in-home dog training services to dog parents across the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. With nearly ten years of experience, she has extensive knowledge and experience in dog behavior, effective communication techniques, animal welfare, manners training, behavioral modification, and enrichment. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Management and is also an experienced shelter professional.
    Certified Professional Dog Trainer
    Expert Answer
    It’s important to get into the appropriate mindset when training your dog. Think about what it is you would like to teach them, how the behavior will function for you in real everyday life (what it’s going to be used for) and keep it simple, working one step at a time. Your dog has to feel comfortable in order to learn.
  • Question
    How do I teach my dog verbal commands?
    Jessica Powell
    Certified Professional Dog Trainer
    Jessica is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and the Owner of Proud Paws Dog Training, a small business offering private coaching and in-home dog training services to dog parents across the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. With nearly ten years of experience, she has extensive knowledge and experience in dog behavior, effective communication techniques, animal welfare, manners training, behavioral modification, and enrichment. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Management and is also an experienced shelter professional.
    Certified Professional Dog Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Use rewards that truly motivate them and keep your training sessions short and fun. Given the nature of how dogs communicate, they also generally pick up on visual cues and gestures first and foremost, so don’t be in a rush to add lots of words and names to things too soon as this can cause confusion. Teach one behavior, or part of a behavior, reward and repeat.
  • Question
    Is it ever too late to start training a dog?
    Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
    Veterinarian
    Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.
    Veterinarian
    Expert Answer
    No, it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. Just be aware that they are slower to learn, so be patient and practice plenty. Also, an older dog may have stiff hips, so don't put too much emphasis on the perfect sit.
  • Question
    What commands should I teach a dog?
    Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
    Veterinarian
    Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.
    Veterinarian
    Expert Answer
    The most important commands are the ones that keep a dog safe. "Look" is a much under-rated command as it distracts the dog and can keep them out of trouble. Other important commands are a solid recall, and sit.
  • Question
    What are the seven basic commands for a dog?
    Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
    Veterinarian
    Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.
    Veterinarian
    Expert Answer
    In my personal opinion, the most important basic commands to teach are: Sit, Stay, Look, Recall, Down, Heel, Leave It, and Toilet. That makes eight commands, but it does include toilet training!
  • Question
    How do you discipline a dog?
    Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
    Veterinarian
    Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.
    Veterinarian
    Expert Answer
    To 'discipline' a dog implies they have done something wrong. Dogs don't do mental time travel so discipline can be inappropriate as the dog simply won't put two and two together. For bad behaviors, such as a puppy that gets over excited and nips, the best discipline is to end the game and withdraw attention. Think through each situation, work out the dog's motivation, and then change the circumstances for next time.
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