Answers to Everyday Questions : what should my dog learn in obedience?

what should my dog learn in obedience?

4 Responses to “what should my dog learn in obedience?”

1. threenorns said :
   September 26th, 2010 at 9:39 am

   sit
   lie down
   stay
   come
   heel
   walk on leash without lunging or pulling
2. Bob said :
   September 26th, 2010 at 10:34 am

   Aside from the standard sit, lie down, stay, etc., I would want to know some sure-fire ways of making my dog come (out of the street), stay (while I open the door), and to stop eating the sofa while I’m gone.
3. Lizzie said :
   September 26th, 2010 at 10:38 am

   Most traditional (choke collar) training beginner classes all offer the same things: heel, sit, stand, down, stay and come. Once you master the basics, you can go on to directed jumping, scent discrimination and more. Unfortunately, many people give up at the beginner level and then complain that the classes were no good. The truth is that after 6 or 8 weeks in beginner classes, unless you work hard and practice with your dog often, you won’t have made much progress and may have to repeat the beginner class several times.

   Clicker training classes, in general, offer you a bit more flexibility (if you want), about what you teach your dog (or you can stay with the basics and then go on as in traditional classes), and you get more one-on-one attention in them. If you’re interested, go to http://www.clickertraining.com and click on Find A Trainer to locate a good clicker trainer in your area.

   It is not engraved in stone anywhere what a beginner class “should” teach. Dogs and puppies seem to learn faster and enjoy learning more in clicker classes. With traditional training, you must keep the dog drilled in all he or she has learned or the dog will tend to forget it. With clicker training, once a behavior is fully learned, it is permanent learning, no need to drill.
4. I love to help! said :
   September 26th, 2010 at 10:57 am

   Beginners classes will most likely use positive reinforcement techniques (treat/reward based) which is all you need for basic commands.

   The things we are covering in my puppy class are: getting the dogs attention, sit, lie down, stay, take it, leave, drop it, come when called (these three are life saving for dogs to know), stay, shake a paw (it’s nice to have the dog do a cute trick or two), combining commands, loose leash walking (not heel, that is taught after loose leash is mastered) …. I’m probably missing some (we’re only part way through the course).

   We are also learning how to reduce the use of the treat as a reward and use more verbal reward when the dog gets close to 100% reliable with each cue.

   We also went over basic potty training techniques and learning how to correct and deter unwanted behaviour (like chewing, biting, etc) which we talk about at the beginning of each class with our trainer.