Dog Training Simple Commands Are the Best
April 21, 2008 by Rosana Hart
Filed under Dog Training
In dog training simple commands are much easier for your dog or puppy to understand than more elaborate ones. You’ll learn this in any obedience training class, but getting the habit does sometimes take a while.
For example, instead of just saying “sit” when that is what they want their dog to do, often people will repeat the command two or three times. Or they may go into a little speech like “Sit… I said sit…. you did it yesterday, come on, now!” This does not really get the obedience training any further down the road.
By using short, simple one-syllable commands in your training, you are creating a habit of response in the dog. Canine behavior is quite habit-based… actually, so is a lot of human behavior! When you use simple words with a dog or puppy, the words are much more recognizable as communication than if the animal has to figure out what you mean from a flow of language.
Of course, dogs can pick out words that way if they want to, as anyone knows who has had a conversation with another human is which they said something like, “Shall we take Buddy to the park?” Buddy may easily pick out his name and perhaps the word “park.” The domestic dog has had a lot of practice in listening to human speech!
So use one-word, easily pronounced commands — which, by the way, are also sometimes called cue words. That expression gets away from the idea that you have to be the boss and the dog has to obey! While there are certainly times that do call for obedience, such as when you need the dog to come rather than go into the street, by and large the best dog training evokes willing compliance from the dog.
When you are starting to teach a puppy, that’s an important time to use simplicity in your words. Sit, come, stay, down… these words are tried and true training commands.
By the way, since “down” means something like “Get onto the floor,” what do you say when your dog is jumping up on people and you want him to stop? A good word is “off.”
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