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All these positions are taught in a similar way, using a tasty treat to lure you dog into position. The command is given only as your dog goes into position and is rewarded as soon as the position you want is reached. With the sit, down and stand do not repeat the word or hand signal command.
Sit
Teaching the sit – do not use the word command yet
While your dog is standing, hold a small piece of tasty treat just above their nose, as your dog raises its nose to take the treat move the treat very slowly slightly up and back towards your dog’s tail, keeping it just above the nose all the time. Hold the treat tightly so your dog does not get it until in a sit and as your hand slowly moves up and back your dog should automatically sit. Reward immediately with the treat and praise enthusiastically.
If your dog jumps up the treat is too high
If they back up the treat is held too far back, or moving it too fast
Giving a command for sit
When your dog is going into a sit each time the treat is near their nose, you can introduce the word sit and a hand signal.
When your dog goes into the sit each time you say sit, stand up straight and introduce a clear hand signal whilst saying sit. Remember to get your dogs attention first. If they don’t go into sit, bend down and use your treat to lure them into sit. After many repetitions you dog will learn to sit on command and will not need the lure.
Down
Teaching the down – do not use the word command yet
With your dog in a sit position, use a treat to lure their nose down slowly to the ground. When you hand is on the ground hold it there with the treat, making sure they do not get the treat, wait patiently for your dog to lie down. As soon as they lie down give them the treat and praise enthusiastically.
If your dog stands and walks around, put them back into the sit and start again. The down can be difficult for some dogs, so please be patient, let your dog work out for themselves what they need to do.
Giving the command for down
When your dog goes into the down each time with the treat on the ground you can introduce the word command, for example ‘Down’.
To introduce the hand signal, when your dog is consistent with the down when your hand is on the floor, hold your hand with the treat next to your ankle and wait for your dog to lie down, when they do treat and praise. Slowly move your hand with the treat up your leg about an inch at a time, each time waiting for your dog to lie down and when they do reward with the treat and praise. Eventually after repetition you will be able to give the down hand signal from standing up straight.
Stand
Teaching the down – do not use the word command yet
With your dog in a sit, using a treat, take it to their nose and slowly draw it forward at nose level, your dog will then take a step forward and stand.
If they shuffle forward in the sit, your treat may be a bit too high
If they lie down, your treat may be too low
If they do not move, you may be moving the treat to fast.
Giving the command for stand
When your dog is going into a stand from being lured with a treat, start to add a word command for example ‘stand’ every time they go into a stand and treat. Each time you hold the treat on their nose and draw your hand away from them hold your hand out away from your body and eventually after repetition this will be your hand signal.
Phasing out the treats
Over a period of time take the treats out of your hand and ask your dog for one of the positions using your voice and hand signal, remember to only ask them once. If they perform reward the really quick responses with a treat or a game. If they take their time to respond, be patient, do not repeat the command, when they do respond, reward them with a pat on the head. If your dog does not respond, go back to luring them into position with a treat, but do not let them have the treat, give them a small praise and try again.
Stay
It is good to teach your dog to stay as it is very valuable in future training. Getting them to stay whilst you put their lead on, waiting before getting out of the car, waiting before going through doors and walking across roads. With this command you can repeat the stay/wait voice command
Teaching the stay – stage 1
Encourage your dog into the sit position and praise. If your dog is able to sit in the same position without moving for a very short time (few seconds) give them your word command e.g. 'stay' and hand signal e.g. hold your hand out flat towards, make sure you stay still and do not excite your dog, then bend down calmly and reward with a tasty treat.
If your dog moves either when you are standing up straight or going to treat them, withhold the treat, ask them to sit and repeat the stay for less time and when you go to treat repeat the 'stay' word command.
If your dog is a wriggler, you may need to hold a treat on their nose to keep their bottom on the floor, ensuring that your hand is very still.
Teaching the stay – stage 2
What is important at an early stage with stay/wait is to repeat the word and hand position command to remind your dog what you are asking them to do.
Keep repeating the exercise when standing next to your dog each time increasing the time from 2 seconds to 3 seconds to 4 seconds and so on repeating the 'stay' word command and hand signal at this stage every second and reward when you have reached the desired time. If you find your dog moves when you try 6 seconds go back to 5 seconds and reward. Make sure you set a realist time for your dog so that they succeed
When your dog is able to stay next to you for about 10 seconds take a small step away from your dog, repeating the 'stay' word command and hand signal. Slowly increase the difficulty by increasing the distance away from you dog and the time.
If your dog moves or wriggles towards you, they need to be put back to where they have come from, using food to lure them and start the stay exercise again. You do not want your dog to learn that it can move.
Leave it
What you want to achieve is for your dog to leave something nice that they want or interested in and come back to you. Therefore it is important when the 'leave it' is taught, it is done in a gentle, calm voice and rewards, such as food, play or praise are used when your dog complies.
When teaching 'leave it', the reward needs to be more valuable to your dog than anything else around them.
Stage 1
Put a finger in your dog's collar to restrain them. Whilst doing this place a treat on the floor, not too close to your dog. As your dog goes towards the treat, restrain them by the collar, say 'leave it' in a calm voice and take the treat away. Repeat this until your dog pauses for thought and does not pull towards the treat, quickly take the treat from the floor and reward your dog. Repeat this until your dog is able to leave the treat on the floor, reward each time. Don’t forget to repeat with your dog in different positions and different places.
Always pick the treat up for your dog and do not let them get it from the floor.
Stage 2
The goal is to get your dog to look at you instead of the treat.
Once your dog is leaving a treat, instead of your dog getting the treat they have been asked to leave, you give them a better treat from your pocket. Therefore your dog will learn that he does not get the treat from the floor and will get a better treat from you. Repeat this exercise and increase the time you want your dog to leave a treat or toy.
Once your dog has realised the treat comes from you and not from the floor, you want to teach your dog the 'leave it' and get them to look at you. Then when you use the command in the future your dog will look at you and you can add another command for example, come, heal, sit, etc. This is good for stopping your dog from chasing bikes or animals for example.
To do this, make sure you get eye contact when you ask your dog to 'leave it', one way to do this is to cough, or scratch your head whilst your dog is looking at you, if this does not work hold the treat next to your face, once you have eye contact reward. Repeat this, increasing the time your dog looks at you.
Lead Walking
It is important that your dog learns that pulling on the lead means that he stops rather then proceeds forward. Start in the house, then the garden, slowly building up to outside with small amount of distractions.
With your dog on a lead, encourage them to stand somewhere close to your left leg (or right if they walk on the right) by luring them with a tasty treat. Praise with a treat when they get to your side.
With your dog by your side, hold some treats in the hand on the side which your dog is and the lead in the other hand, whilst on a loose lead, bend down and hold the treats just in front of your dog's nose. Walk a few paces forward getting your dog to follow the treat, for small dogs you will have to bend down. If your dog has followed the treat and stayed by your side, praise with the treat. Repeat this for a few more steps, over time increase the number of steps before you treat your dog, but remember to only treat when your dog is next to your side. Whilst they are by your side, talk happily to your dog, praise them, and make it a happy place to be, start putting a voice command, for example 'heel'.
If your dog pulls forward in front of you, stop, stand still and with your treats lure your dog back to your side, treat them for coming back, wait until your dog is calm by your side before moving forward again.
If your dog goes behind your or across you, again stand still and bring them back to your side by luring them with a tasty treat. Do not reposition yourself; your dog needs to learn to come back to where you want them to walk.
It takes patience and time at first, but improvements will soon be seen after a few sessions.
Recall
When practicing recall, always have a reward ready for when your dog comes back to you, this could be a tasty treat, toy to play with and always greet enthusiastically and be really pleased with your dog when the first reaches you.
Only do this exercise when you are reasonably sure of success, if you call you dog when they are far too excited by a distraction, you could potentially be teaching them to ignore you. In the early stages, never call them at this moment, always wait until the excitement has gone and you can then distract your dog and call them to you.
Never punish your dog if they have taken their time to come back to you, your dog will see this as punishment for coming back and will be less inclined to come back the next time. Instead, if they come back quickly give them lots of fuss and a really good treat, if they take their time to come back, treat them with a small treat, like a pat on the head.
Never call you dog when you want to do something that they don’t like, such as giving him a bath, instead go and get your dog.
When on a walk call your dog back often, rewarding with tasty treats or a game, then let them go free again. Therefore you are not teaching you dog to come back just to go on the lead and go home, make the recall something that could end up being good. Otherwise they may see being called as the end of freedom and not come back.
The object of this exercise is to make your dog want to come back to you, because they want to be with you.
Teaching the recall
When teaching the recall, to get your dog to come back to you, make sure you use a word command rather than just their name, for example, 'come', 'come here' as the word will strengthen the recall.
Get a friend to hold your dog, show your dog that you have a tasty treat, or a toy, and walk a short distance away. Turn towards your dog, bend down and call your dog to you with an enthusiastic voice. When you dog comes to you, hold the treat by their nose, take hold of their collar then treat your dog. Hold their collar for a short time then release your dog. You want your dog to learn to come to you and stay with your for a short while rather than grab the treat and run off. Repeat this exercise, over time you can add distractions.
If your dog does not come to you straight away, jump up and down, slowly run in the opposite direction and call them excitedly, do not chase your dog.
Tips
• In a safe environment away from traffic and distractions let a dog off the lead as soon as possible as they will want to stay with you for safety, the recall is easier to practice.
• Take your dog to unfamiliar territory first to let them off, they will feel less confident and want to be with you.
• Make being with your dog fun when on a walk, do not spend too much time on the phone, or talking to your friends, you dog will find this boring and needs to interact with you to find you interesting. Talk to your dog, and praise them for being with you and giving you eye contact. Praise can be just attention
• Your dog needs to learn to keep their eye on you to see where you are, therefore to teach them this, whilst on a walk change direction without telling your dog, keep your eye on your dog whilst walking in the other direction, soon your dog will look for you realise you are walking another way and will want to be with you. First do this when there are no distractions.
• When calling your dog back make your voice enthusiastic and your body language animated. Clap your hands, stamp your feet, jump up and down, run in the opposite direction waving your arms. If necessary hide, but keep an eye on your dog, when they look at you, then appear and call them to you
• Always use a cue word, for example “come” “this way”
• If your dog is distracted when calling them back, bend down and pretend there is something interesting on the floor, say “wow what is that” and point at the ground.
• If you have more than one dog walk them separately so each dog learns the recall and not just to follow your other dog
• Only call your dog to the “come” command for good things.
• Put them on and off the lead regularly during your walk
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