De-Mystifying Puppy Training - necessary commands

Puppy Pre-School:

Whether it’s called Puppy Pre-School, Puppy School, Puppy Play-group or anything else, the primary goal is to give your pup exposure not only to other pups, but also to different people and various stimuli (sounds, textures, experiences) than they are experiencing at home. In the weeks between you getting your pup and him being able to go out for walks, giving him exposure to these things in a safe environment where you can limit the number of new experiences that he’s having at one time makes it much less of a shock than if he’s suddenly experiencing many of these things all at once, potentially on his very first walk. Ideally you’ll also have a sports bag, backpack worn on your front, or similar, whereby you can walk around your neighbourhood with your pup safely off the ground but still able to learn about this alien world that he is now a part of.

What a pup should get from puppy school:

Guided socialisation with other pups (the trainer may also have a safe older dog for your pup to engage with), reinforcing the cues given to him by the other pups and ensuring that other pups are also engaging appropriately with yours.

Engagement with other people who may be of various ages and types of mobility (an older person will move differently to a younger person, for example) and even from unfamiliar cultures, who may look or smell different from what he’s experienced. This is all helpful to him for when he encounters diversity in the real world.

Exposure to different items that are commonly encountered – skateboards, scooters, umbrellas, flapping coats, hats, etc., and finally, different sounds.

Puppy pre-school may also give you guidance on puppy issues like toilet training, biting, crying, etc, however ideally you’ll have an in-home session with a dog trainer or behaviourist shortly after pup comes home to get a good understanding of these issues and how to resolve them. This enables you to get on top of those issues quickly, which is far less stressful for all involved.

Obedience commands - Teaching commands to puppies (or adult dogs) in a social situation is, in my personal opinion, setting them up to fail. Ideally your in-home lesson will cover these so that you and pup can learn in the calm and quiet of your own space, with someone who is guiding you in a way that works for you. You can then reinforce these commands in that more stimulating environment (whether at puppy pre-school or at the park, when appropriate).

Primarily I want to compare the traditional commands that we teach puppies, versus the current common puppy school teachings, based on what I’m encountering with my clients when I then work with them in home when their dog is older. More importantly, I want you to notice the practicality of the command and how it may or may not give you, as a new puppy parent, the appropriate communication to control your pup in the real world.

I’ll offer my perspective of the advantages and disadvantages of each of these commands so that you can decide for yourself as to their usefulness and relevance to you personally.

The following commands are those that we teach pups (from 8 weeks of age) in their in-home lesson:

Use of pup’s name:

Purpose: to get pup to look at you

Advantage/s: having gotten his attention, you may then ask him to do something for you

          Disadvantage/s: none, unless you use his name correctively and create negative associations

Come (or Come ‘ere, etc):

Purpose: to get pup to come to you

Advantage/s: the most important command to keep him safe

Disadvantage/s: - none

Sit:

Purpose: to stabilise or settle pup

Advantage/s: so that once pup has come, he doesn’t run off again, can reduce jumping up

Disadvantage/s: being the first, and often most practiced command, dogs will sometimes default to this, making teaching another command slightly more difficult – we resolving this with well-timed praise

Release (Go, Go on, Free, etc):

Purpose: whether you use this word or something like ‘free’ or ‘go’, for example, this command gives your pup permission to go, so that he doesn’t run off as soon as he’s gotten a treat, praise or strokes. Sometimes people use ‘ok’ as their release command, however due to the frequency of use in conversation, a pup or adult dog can easily think that he’s been released when he hasn’t, whether hearing it from you or someone nearby in conversation.

Advantage: If you have taught the release command properly, then whatever command you have asked for should be maintained until you have released OR moved – ideally you always release prior to moving.

Disadvantage: None

Heel:

Purpose:  to have your pup walk next to you, traditionally on your left – ultimately the best place for him to be when a pedestrian passes by

Side:

Purpose: the equivalent of ‘Heel’ but on your right-hand side – ultimately the best place for him to be when passing a busy café or similar which is on your left

Advantage: as above, these commands place your pup on either your left or your right-hand side, ideally just behind your leg, so that when you encounter something that might be challenging to him, he’s in a space where he feels safe and protected

Disadvantage: There is no disadvantage unless you keep your dog there for more than 20 or so seconds at a time. This will frustrate him and can then promote pulling on leash

Come on/Let’s go: We also like to clarify the use of ‘Come on’ or ‘Let’s go’ which, although not trained as such, is used to encourage your pup or dog to go in the same direction as you.

These are the commands that even a 10 week old puppy has an understanding of by the end of our in-home session, and that any puppy can have by he end of puppy pre-school.

Next post, however, we’ll look into commands that we find ARE being taught in puppy school, those that we used to teach and now don’t (and the reasons why) and also one or two that we would teach for a higher level standard of obedience.

What's your opinion? Do you teach these? If not, what do you teach instead? All respectful comments and discussion are welcome

This is what we want when we call our dogs to us!