#commands every #dog should know: including bring pretty #blond

When you said "come",  I heard "come to bed."

Commands every dog should know

Sue Manning | The Associated Press/6/11

LOS ANGELES —Three veteran trainers were asked by The Associated Press to share the first five or six things they think every dog should know.

         "I am often amazed at how many animals do not know their names," said Lauren Henry, co-owner of Talented Animals.

           Here are some other commands that every dog should know:

Pay attention. Henry says this is "the behavior on which I spend the most time with any new animal. If they are not paying attention, none of the other commands will matter. After name recognition, they need to learn to keep their attention on the person and not get quickly distracted."

Come. "The key is repetition and building up a strong reward history, letting the dog know good things happen when it comes," said Van Wye. "Don't call them when you know they won't come and if you are mad at the dog and when he gets there you are going to scold him." Henry said teaching a dog to come when called is "the single biggest lifesaver."

Down and/or sit. "You can keep your dog out of all sorts of trouble with these," Henry said. " Your dog cannot get into trouble if it is lying next to you." 

Stay or wait. "Teaching a dog to wait at a door when it's being opened or wait in the vehicle when you open a car door and not bolt out is definitely critical for safety," said Henry.

     Van Wye also thinks "wait is better than stay. Wait is like a pause button”

Let's go. "This is not a formal heel but an informal loose leash, a command to walk next to me and don't pull on the leash," Van Wye said.

     My comment: I’m trying to teach Gizmo the command “do income taxes,” but progress is slow.   Also: the command bring me pretty blond.

“I was a dog in a past life. I'll be walking down the street and dogs will do a sort of double take. Like, Hey, I know him. - William H. Macy