Five Helpful Behaviors Every Dog Should Know

In random order here are the top five helpful behaviors I feel every dog should know.

1. Sit - Not only is sit an extremely easy behavior to teach (and I don't mean pushing on your dog's butt–that's old-school training), but it can also be very useful.  Instead of focusing on telling your dog what you don't want him (or her) to do, redirect the unwanted behavior into something they already know, like "sit."

For example, you are just getting home from a long day at work.  The last thing you want is for your dog to annoyingly jump on you the second you walk in the door.  So why not substitute yelling "down" or "get away" with a clear concise cue of "sit." The more consistent you are in doing this, the more likely your dog will begin to default to this behavior when you get home. 

Up the ante by asking your dog to sit, and only give him your attention if he remains sitting.  The second your dog gets up to jump again, simply cease petting or talking, turn around and ignore your dog completely.  Eventually he will get the picture and sit back down (you may have to cue "sit" again, but don't overdo it. Give him a chance to solve the problem on his own; this may take several sessions, and that's OK.  He needs to figure out on his own that sit = attention).  Up the ante even more by stashing some treats in your car or just outside your front door.  That way when you come home, you are ready to reinforce the sit even further.  Sit is not only a staple in basic obedience, but can easily be your quick go to cue for redirecting unwanted behaviors.

2. Come -  This cue is important, particularly for safety reasons.  If your dog is bounding into the street, it is important to be able to call your dog back to you before the unthinkable happens.  One of the most common complaints I hear is, "my dog doesn't listen to me when I call him."  This can be attributed to our propensity for overusing our dog’s names.  For example: Your dog just got into the trash, what do you yell? "Rover!!" Your dog is barking too much, "Rover!!”  Your dog jumps on you, "Rover!!"  You want your dog to come to you, "Rover!!"  If you want your dog to come to you when you call his name, you have to make his name associated with good things, otherwise, why would he want to come to you if he is only going to get in trouble? 

Practice this in your yard or in your house.  Call your dog, and when he chooses to come to you give him a lot of praise and attention.  To reinforce this further, stash some treats in your pocket and give them when your dog chooses to come to you on cue.  This same theory can work for a whistle (which my dog knows as come for longer distances–see attached video "Recall with distance") or the actual cue "come."

3. Stay -  Again, an important cue for safety reasons.  On more than one occasion, I have had to carry something large out to the car, making it impossible to close the front door behind me.  Instead of worrying whether or not my beloved Teri is frolicking in someone else's yard, I simply give the cue stay as walk out the door.  This is a behavior that takes time and patience to teach but no intimidation, force of physical punishment are needed to teach a reliable stay!

Start by giving the stay cue, then take one step back, mark the behavior with a "click" (what is click? .) or a verbal "yes," treat, release the dog and start over.  Continue doing this, slowly adding more and more distance each time you see your dog is reliably staying.  Eventually you will practice this in a fenced area and then a non fenced area with your dog on a long lead (this is called “proofing the behavior” in the dog training world).  If you pup gets up and walks away, don't yell.  Simply put them back in the stay and go back to the last distance you had success. 

A common mistake in teaching stay, is reinforcing only the stay, but never adding or reinforcing a release cue like "OK" or "free" (this is something Teri and I are always working to improve).  To do this you would give the release cue and then throw a treat away from your pup causing her to move to get the treat.  Be sure to give the cue before tossing the treat.  Another way to teach a release is to give the cue and then pat your legs or start walking away causing your dog to follow you.  In this case you can treat directly from your hand.

Teaching a reliable "stay" is all about building value to the behavior one step at a time.  No rushing this one!  In the end you will be thankful you didn't.

4. Drop it -  Tired of playing tug of war with something your dog shouldn't have?  Tired of having your dog dash away with something from the trash?  Want to be able to play with toys with your dog without him getting too wild?  Drop it is a great way to manage your dogs mouth and bite inhibition.  Contrary to popular belief, this too can be taught without force or physical manipulation! 

Simply grab your pup's favorite toy, and encourage her to play.  Once she has a hold of the toy put a tasty treat up to her nose.  The second she releases the toy to get the treat, mark the behavior with a verbal "yes" or "yep" (it might be hard to use the clicker while your hands are full with his one, but it's still important to mark the wanted behavior).  Re-engage in play and repeat the process.  Once your dog gets the idea, you can begin to add the cue "drop-it" or "out" or whatever cue you want to use. 

Eventually you will fade out the treat by pretending to have one when you put your hand to her nose.  Only this time once your dog lets go of the toy to get the treat,  you show her you don’t have one in your hand, but she still gets one anyway from your pocket or treat bag.  Even further down the line you can fade the treats out all together by using the toy itself as a reinforcer (see the attached "Tug" video).

5. Wait -  Wait is a variation of stay, only used for short durations.  For example, during the wet rainy months of winter, this is a cue I use several times a day to stop my dog from barreling into the house with wet feet.  This gives me time to grab a towel and wipe off her feet. 

This is also a good cue for getting out the door for a walk Tired of having your dog rip your arm out of the socket trying to get out the door? Or need a second to put that towel down in the car before he jumps in?  This cue reinforces looking to you for guidance on what to do next. 

This one can be taught the same way as stay, except you will release after a short duration. (see attached video titled, "Hot Sauce?" Watch through the end and you'll see why it is called that.)

Training tips: 

When treating your dog, only give small pieces, that way you can give more without over feeding.  If your dog seems uninterested in the treat, it may be because the treat is not of high enough value.  Try real meat or cheese if you have this problem.  If your dog is happy to work for his regular kibble, reduce the amount you give him at meal times and instead disperse it during training sessions. I give my dog treat pieces about the size of a pea or smaller.  You can give a little bigger if you have a large dog. 

Also, while you are working with your dog, feel free to reward for other behaviors such as good eye contact.  Good eye contact, even if just for a split second, shows that your dog is focusing on you and not the treat.  Never reward while your dog is staring at the treat in your hand.  Wait your dog out and reward in that split second he chooses to look at your eyes instead.

Is there something you are interested in teaching your dog how to do, but are not sure where to start?  Is there a pet-related topic you want to know more about?  Let me know in the comments section what you would like me to blog about next!

 **For questions comments, concerns or to request more detailed information on teaching the behaviors listed above, please do not hesitate to email me at melsmenagerie@gmail.com.  More how to's on the way, so check back soon!