Giving commands to your dog - Page 1

When training your pup, is it desirable or even acceptable for more than one person to give commands? Will the dog respond to these commands given by a second family member or perhaps a total stranger at the park? I'd like my wife to have command over the dog, for example, but not my neighbors or complete strangers. It would be embarassing I think for me to tell my dog to sit and stay and a stranger having the ability to effect a command on the dog as well simply by telling it to the dog. But handlers and such command the dog, do they not? My primary question then is as follows: How does one instruct the dog on who is authorized to give him commands?

When we give our dog a command and the dog responds correctly we praise our dog! We incorporate the command we used in to the praise that the dog recieves For example we command a dog to sit, the dog sits, we pat the dog gently and tell the dog good sit! Then if the dog breaks that command before the release we correct it with a level of correction that the dog responds to. Never repeating that command! Where your question comes into effect is here. When the handler gives a dog a command the dog should only respond to the handler and no one else. So how do we teach the dog this discretion? If your wife is the handler and she commands the dog to sit the dog should sit if not he or she should be corrected. If a stranger or another family member who is not handling the dog gives the dog a command and the dog listens the dog should then once again be corrected. I would usually give and alternate command. For example if a stranger tells my dog to sit I would counter act by telling my dog to down. i would then ensure through correction that my dog keeps his or focus on me the handler. A more serious situation in which you should be asking this question is if a stranger or a non-handler releases your dog and your dog breaks your command for that other person. Once again the dog should not be re -commanded but corrected and placed back into the obedient excersise that you were exhibiting before the non handler released it. When the dog re exhibits that excersise correctly we then once again praise the dog with the command we originally used. We do this to reinforce the command that we gave in a positive fashion thus reinforcing the communication level between us and our dog. I like to set the dog up by giving the dog a command and having a freind release the dog. When the dog breaks the command I correct it and then praise it with that command when he or she is correct! thus giving it the discretion of when I give you a command only I can release you! The more you do this the more discretion you will give your dog! Dogs learn by repitition and consistency. So if you do this excersise frequently you will reinforce the excersise of the dog only focusing on you. In the beginning you mentioned that the dog was a puppy. If this is a dog less than 5 months old I would be adamant in telling you that all of his or her training should be done by positive reinforcment. Let a puppy be a puppy! a dog is born knowing how to sit and lay down and come to you! If you praise the dog everytime he or she does it on their own with the command you want to use as an adult you will bridge that ever so important communication gap between you and your puppy. What you will also accomplish is a positive recollection of those commands as well. Thus having our dog doing things 4 us because they want to please us not only because they have too and because they were pressured to do so. An example of this method is every time my pup sits I pat him or her and say good sit and every once in a while I give it a treat and praise it with the command you want to use in the future. The dog will put 2 and 2 together as it matures and when you do give it a command that you positively reinforced as a puppy it will recognize the tone coming from your voice and it will associate it with the act of sitting. Thus giving us a dog that is happy to work. Dog training is basically the art of communication!

Clap!!! Clap!!! Clap!!! Clap!!! Clap!!! Clap!!! Clap!!! Clap!!! Clap!!! Thats an excellent way to teach sawtooth Contributions like yours make this site worth visiting

Thank you and I would love to answer any training based questions if need be.

ok sawtooth, what is your take on clicker training? I have always been against it, but I have noticed more and more people singing it's praises. So what's the deal?