Training your dog to understand basic commands is about more than just obedience. It's about establishing meaningful, effective communication with your dog, ensuring your dog's safety, and strengthening the bond you share as you learn to work together as a team. You are the captain, of course, but your dog is capable of being the most loyal and dedicated teammate you’ve ever had. Teaching commands like 'Sit,' 'Stay,' and 'Come' can significantly enhance your dog's behavior, making your pet more disciplined and manageable. These commands can also come in handy in various situations, from keeping your dog from running into traffic to preventing unwanted behavior in public places.
These commands are sometimes called “action commands” as they are desirable behaviors that we want our dogs to engage in. The two easiest ways to train desirable behaviors are using “behavior capture” and “positive reinforcement.” The effective communication that you are pleased when the dog performs these desirable behaviors is accomplished by “marking” the behavior when the dog does the requested behavior. The behavior is “marked” by using a clicker or a “marker word,” such as 'Yes' or 'Good boy (girl),' and immediately following the mark with a food reward.
“Behavior capture” is the easiest way to train a dog to repeat behaviors you like. But it also requires the most patience because you wait for the dog to engage in the behavior you want. When the dog does the behavior, you“mark” and reward the behavior. Throughout the day, our dogs naturally engage in behaviors we like. They sit, they approach us (recall), they lay down, they give us eye contact, and sometimes they stay where they are when we get up and move away from them and then come back to them (stay). The behavior capture method, along with patience, requires the human to be intentional about noticing when the dog engages in these behaviors. The only way behavior capture works is if, when the dog does the behavior, the human must notice it, mark it, and reward it.
“Positive reinforcement” simply means we are increasing the likelihood of a specific behavior happening again in the future (reinforcement) by the addition of a food reward (positive) when the dog completes the behavior. Positive reinforcement is an excellent method to train desirable behaviors. But since “reinforcement” means increasing the likelihood of a behavior happening again in the future, that means you cannot use positive reinforcement to get a dog to stop engaging in behaviors you don’t like. But that’s a discussion for another day.
Dogs do not understand spoken language. Dogs can learn that a specific sound or sounds are cues for certain things, but dogs cannot communicate via spoken language. Humans place a heavy emphasis and reliance on spoken language within our species and also when we try to communicate with our pets. But the very last part of any command cue that a dog understands is the spoken portion of the cue. One of the most common mistakes humans make when trying to train animal behavior is that they start with a verbal cue. They understand your non-verbal body language first. Therefore, you shouldn’t even use the verbal cue for the behavior you want to teach at first. Use your body language, hands, and food luring to prompt the dog into performing the behavior. When the dog completes the behavior, “mark” and reward the dog. Repeat this several times without using the verbal cue. When the dog reliably performs the behavior using only non-verbal body language, then you begin to add the verbal cue as the dog is completing the action, not before. This is a very important detail and will take practice on your part.
To clarify the understanding for the dog of what the verbal cue means, the dog must hear the verbal cue not before he does, but rather while or immediately after doing the behavior. After the dog has had several repetitions with the verbal cue presented at the completion of the behavior, then you can begin saying the verbal cue immediately before the dog does the behavior. The timing of the mark indicates to the dog the exact moment he has completed the desired behavior, and the reward is the positive communication to the dog that the behavior was indeed desirable to the human. That is the formula for using positive reinforcement to train desirable behaviors. There is a saying amongst professional dog trainers: “Don’t name it till you love it.”
Basic Command 1: Sit
To use behavior capture to teach your dog to sit, all you have to do is be observant while waiting for your dog to choose on his own to sit. The moment his but touches the ground, “mark” the completion of the sit and deliver a food reward to him without him getting up. Immediately reload another treat into the cupped palm of your hand, drop your cupped hand to the dog’s snout level and begin moving away from the dog as you say “break” to release the dog out of the sit. After your dog collects the “break” treat, praise the dog and give affection, and then go back to doing something that doesn’t involve the dog. Keep track of what the dog is doing with your peripheral vision, so when the dog sits again, you can repeat the process. Dogs learn very quickly using behavior capture so be ready for your dog to start approaching you and offering up sits to see if you can be trusted to reward behavior you like. Build trust by marking and rewarding every chance you get at first. Then you can begin rewarding the behavior randomly. But you can never completely stop rewarding the behavior because then the dog will stop practicing the behavior.
Teaching your dog the 'Sit' command with positive reinforcement starts by holding a treat close to your dog's nose and then moving your hand up and in an arc over the dog’s back, allowing their head to follow the treat, causing their bottom to lower. Once they're in the sitting position, “mark” the behavior with a clicker or the word 'Yes,' give them the treat and share affection to reinforce the action. Immediately reload a treat into your cupped and open hand, drop your hand with the treat to the dog’s snout level, start moving away from the dog and say “break” (or “free”, or a release cue of your own choosing). The retreating treat in your hand will cause the dog to break out of the sit and approach you to collect the treat. You have just given your dog permission to come out of the sit. The reason why so many dogs sit for a treat but then immediately break out of the sit position and wander off is because there is no cue given to the dog that the sit operation is over. After you have successfully completed several repetitions using your body language and food luring, start adding the verbal cue 'Sit' when your dogs butt touches the floor. Repeat this sequence a few times every day until your dog masters it. After your dog shows a clear understanding of what 'Sit' means, stop rewarding the dog when he sits, and only reward the dog when you say “break” and release him out of the sit. This will cause your dog to hold the sit position because he’s waiting for the reward with the release cue. Add time incrementally between when the dog sits and when you use the release cue to get longer and longer periods of sitting, and thus an implied 'Stay' command. Then, ask your dog to sit before mealtime while you put the food bowl down and use the release cue to give him permission to approach and eat his food, when leaving for walks, and during other situations where you’d like them calm and seated.
When troubleshooting common issues in teaching the 'Sit' command to your dog, patience and location is key. Start teaching the dog in the house with little to no distraction so it’s much easier for your dog to focus and figure out what you want. If your dog isn't sitting, try using a higher-value treat or toy to lure them into the position. Some dogs might be uncomfortable sitting on certain surfaces, especially tile, because it’s very slippery and the dogs paws tend to slide, so try different locations. If your dog pops back up after sitting, don't reward them. Simply restart the process and remember to say “break” as you’re moving away from your dog with a treat cupped in your hand to lure the dogs nose into your hand. After your dog has learned to reliably perform the 'sit' command in the house, move your practice sessions to the backyard. After becoming reliable in the backyard, move your practice sessions to the driveway. Each time you are raising the distraction index for your dog and creating a reliable sit command no matter how much stimulation is in the environment. But you can’t start training these skills in a high-distraction environment. That’s too much for your dog to handle. You have to start easy and build up their ability to perform the behavior in the presence of distractions. Remember, training should be a positive experience for your dog.
Basic Command 2: Stay
To teach your dog the 'Stay' command using behavior capture, you must be able to take a step or two away from your dog while your dog is sitting or laying down and chooses not to get up and follow you. When you notice that your dog will remain stationary, take one or two steps away, “mark” the choice of the dog to remain stationary, come back to your dog, and drop a reward in front of his nose. Admittedly, this process may take a while.
To use positive reinforcement to teach 'stay,' it is much easier to teach this concept if you attach a leash to the dog’s collar so when he breaks the stay you can simply grab the end of the leash and lead him back to the same spot he decided to leave and try again. First ask your dog to 'Sit' or lie down. Then, open the palm of your hand in front of you with your arm outstretched like a traffic cop. Use your body to face the dog and take one step back. If he stays when you are one step back, “mark” his choice to remain stationary, take the step back to him and drop a reward in front of his nose. Repeat the process with your arm outstretched and palm up in the “stop” position. This time take two steps back, “mark” if he makes the right decision, return to the dog and drop a food reward in front of his nose. Repeat the process again taking three steps. At some point, you will have gone too far away from your dog and he will break his position to follow you. When that happens give your dog a noise that means he made a mistake (this is called a “negative marker,” and it’s use is the opposite of a positive marker). I use the sound “uh uh” to let him know he made the wrong choice. Swiftly approach your dog to use spatial pressure to see if that pushes him back into a sit at the spot where he was practicing the stay. If your approach pushes him back into position, “mark” and reward his good decision to put himself back into a stay position. If your approach does not push him back into position and he begins to walk toward you or wander off, don’t get frustrated or scold him. Simply grab the end of the leash and lead him back to the practice location. Start the process over again, but this time take one less step than the number of steps that caused him to fail. This distance has become your “working distance.” When your dog can reliably stay at the working distance 8 out of 10 attempts, you are ready to add one more step to the working distance. Your dog will always let you know when you have tried to take one step too many because he will break the stay. A common mistake made by people is to ask your dog to do too much too soon. When you discover what the working distance is, do not try to add more distance until your dog reliably holds the stay 8 out of 10 attempts. Then, only add one more step to your dog’s working distance until he can stay at that distance 8 out of 10 attempts. Another common mistake people make when teaching the stay command is that after the human has moved away from the dog, the human commonly calls the dog to them. This is a mistake because the dog is now practicing a recall, not a stay. Always reward your dog for staying put, even if it's just for a few seconds. This command can be a little more challenging for them, so be patient and keep the training sessions short but frequent.
Once your dog learns the concept of 'Stay' while you back straight away, you should then begin practicing the stay in more difficult situations. Ask your dog to stay and move to the left instead of straight back. Then to the right. Next, walk around the dog. Each one of these variations must be practiced with your dog, almost as if it’s a new operation. With your dog, it is a new operation. Each time the contextual (environmental) picture has changed, for the dog it is a different operation and must be practiced. Then practice going around a corner and out of sight briefly before coming back to reward your dog for staying put. Then practice going into a different room and shutting the door momentarily before returning to reward your dog.
You should also practice stay repetitions with distractions. With a leash on, ask your dog to stay. Throw a ball or a toy or a piece of food away from where your dog is stationary. Your dog will likely try to get up and get the thrown object. When he does, use the negative marker sound to let him know he made a mistake. Use the leash to put reverse pressure to guide your dog back into the spot where he was and remind him to stay. When your dog settles into his sit, he has submitted to your request to stay. Ask for eye contact and when the dog looks at you, release him to get the object. Repeat the exercise with different objects, different distances, and different intervals before releasing.
If your dog can’t successfully do this exercise in the house, your dog will never be able to do it outside on a walk when you might really need him to. Too often we ask our dogs to do something they haven’t practiced and in a context they’ve never practiced it in. You have to start at the very beginning and work your way up to that kind of performance.
Look for every opportunity, however insignificant it may seem, to practice a stay repetition with your dog. When your dog knows that if you ask him to stay, you will always come back to him, then you can begin to recall him from a stay after you’ve given him the release cue.
When teaching the 'Stay' command, you may encounter a few common issues. Your dog might struggle with staying in one place, especially if they're young or high-energy. In this case, start with very short 'Stay' periods and gradually increase the time. If your dog gets up before you've given them the cue to do so, don't reward them, but again, don't scold them. Just calmly return them to the initial spot and try again.
Basic Command 3: Come
Training a rock-solid recall is probably the most valuable and useful skill you can teach your dog. A bulletproof recall could literally save your dog's life. But it is crucial to understand, and often overlooked by most humans, that a successful recall repetition always involves a reinforcement value calculation by your dog; until the recall action command has been cultivated into a conditioned response. With a conditioned response, the dog has practiced so many thousands of successful repetitions of a given command that when the dog hears the command, he goes on “autopilot” to execute the command. When a 'Sit' command response is conditioned, your dog’s butt will be glued to the floor even before you’ve finished saying the three-letter word. It takes a lot more effort, time, and repetition to condition a dog’s recall response than it does to condition a sit response.
It is absolutely imperative that you understand that, until the recall is a conditioned response, your dog is always evaluating the reinforcement value of coming to you. In other words, if your dog is sniffing a bush in the backyard and you open your back door and tell him to come to you, your dog is evaluating what decision is more valuable to him in that moment. If sniffing the bush has more reinforcement value than coming to you, your dog will not come to you. If you’re at the dog park and your dog is having a blast playing with other dogs and you decide it’s time to go, so you call him to come to you, your dog is evaluating what action has more reinforcement value to him in that moment. If playing with the other dogs is more reinforcing, he will not come to you.
The key to creating rock-solid recall is to teach the dog that there is no higher reinforcement value than coming to you. The most common mistake that humans make is that they get frustrated and angry at the dog when the dog chooses not to come to them. If you finally do succeed at getting your dog to approach you, you are often angry at the dog and punish him verbally or physically when he gets to you, thus reinforcing his decision NOT to approach you the next time.
When teaching the recall and throughout the conditioning phase, you must provide a more reinforcing consequence than the one you are asking your dog to leave. Humans make the mistake all the time thinking that their dog is “stubborn”, “obstinate”, being bratty, or trying to get back at the human. None of this is true. The dog is simply going to whatever has the highest reinforcement value. If your dog chooses to approach you, you must make it a highly rewarding and reinforcing event with a positive consequence each and every time. You must be in control of your emotions and energy so as not to punish your dog physically or verbally for doing the very thing you asked of him.
Another mistake people make when training the recall is that they start with the verbal cue. This is not effective. Dogs live in the moment. If your dog does not have a conditioned response to the 'Come' command, then your dog will associate whatever he’s doing in that moment with the verbal cue of 'Come." Therefore, if your dog is sniffing a bush or moving away from you and you command your dog to come, your dog is going to associate whatever he’s doing in that moment with the verbal cue of 'Come." The solution to this problem is one of timing. You do not say the verbal cue 'Come' until your dog has committed and is already moving towards you. Clap your hands, whistle, drop your shoulders, and start moving away from him. This nonverbal body language communication, in addition to the movement away from the dog, will draw his attention to you, and he’ll start moving toward you. That’s when you say 'Come."
You should never ask your dog to come to you before he’s already on his way unless you are 100% sure that he will. If you’re not 100% sure that your dog will comply, you should go to him.
You should never get mad or punish your dog when he does decide to come to you. That will only “poison the cue” of the verbal command of 'Come.' You should never use a food reward to lure the dog to you so you can punish him for not coming to you. That will only poison the cue of using food to teach desirable behaviors.
You should always have a reward that has reinforcement value to the dog when the dog comes to you. If the reward you’re offering doesn’t have reinforcement value to the dog, it’s not a reward. It doesn’t always have to be food, but it does ALWAYS have to be something that the dog sees as a reward. It could be a quick game of tug, it could be being released to retrieve a ball. It could be affection, chest and chin scratches, or belly rubs.
Author’s note: it is a very human thing to pat our children on the head to show affection. Most dogs hate this and will appear visibly distressed and even shy or move away so they’re out of reach of the human hand. Patting your dog on the head is most often a punishment to the dog and will teach him not to come to you if that’s the consequence he normally receives.
You should never stop practicing the recall command. Every time you successfully practice a recall with your dog, the neural pathway that drives that behavior gets deeper and more ingrained. What a dog practices is what a dog is going to do. That’s because each and every time your dog repeats a behavior, the neural pathway for that behavior becomes stronger.
Use food liberally when teaching the recall. Food is a 100% effective, can’t miss method of telling your dog that you approve of what he just did. Using food liberally as a reward also teaches your dog that you are a trustworthy and benevolent leader. When using food as a lure, put the food reward in the palm of your hand, bend over, drop your shoulders, and begin moving away from your dog. Your body language is an invitation to play, and your moving away from him initiates his “prey drive.” He wants to chase and catch you. The food provides the obvious motivation. Do not say 'Come' until the dog is moving toward you and has obviously committed to reaching you. When your dog reaches you, “mark” the completion of the task with a click or the word 'Yes' and then give him the reward.
Recall is most effectively practiced with a leash on the dog so that you can keep the dog on task. If your dog begins approaching you and gets distracted by a blowing leaf, squirrel, or any other object, you will simply grab the leash and lead him to you. Start by practicing in the house where the distraction index is lowest, and it’s easiest for your dog to focus on you and what you want him to do. Always reward the dog when he comes to you. Remember, you’re building reinforcement value for yourself in your dog’s mind.
Start with small distances and gradually increase the distance from across the room, then between rooms. If you can practice with another human, have one human restrain the dog while the other human moves away while making playful noises and movements with a toy or food. That will create drive and motivation for the dog to get to you as fast as possible. The other human releases the dog, who will likely shoot out like a cannon towards you. As the dog is running towards you, say 'Come,' and when the dog reaches you, “ mark” and reward. Rinse, lather, and repeat 1000 times.
As your dog’s performance rises, move the practice to the backyard. Use a long line (an extended length leash like 20, 30, 50, or even 100 feet long). When your dog successfully completes the recall from a distance 8 out of 10 times, move your practice repetitions to the driveway. Always have your dog dragging a leash for safety if he gets distracted and decides to wander or run off. Scatter food at one end of the driveway. Start at the other end of the driveway, walking towards the food. When your dog begins pulling you to the food, stop moving. Don’t allow your dog to reach the food. Let him struggle at the end of the leash for no reward. He will eventually give up and disengage from the food. That is your moment to get his attention; start moving backward with a piece of food in your hand and say, 'Come.' Mark and reward when he gets to you. Repeat this many times, always stopping short of the food so your dog can’t reach it. After many repetitions (remember, you are ALWAYS marking and rewarding your dog when he gets to you), give the dog permission to get the food on the ground. You will become your dog’s hero!
When teaching the 'Come' command, you may face a few common issues. Your dog might be easily distracted or uninterested in following your command. In such cases, try using a favorite toy or treat to grab their attention. If your dog doesn’t respond to the 'Come' command, don’t chase them. This could turn into a game for them. Instead, try moving away from them or going down to their level to make yourself more inviting. Remember, never use the 'Come' command as a punishment or in a negative context. This command should always lead to positive rewards for your dog.
Recap
Training your dog to understand basic commands like 'Sit', 'Stay', and 'Come' is essential for clear communication, safety, and strengthening your bond. The 'Sit' command can be taught by luring with a treat, and the 'Stay' command requires a gradual increase in distance. The 'Come' command is taught by gently pulling on the leash and rewarding the dog when it comes to you. Patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement are key in dog training.
Known as the three-D’s in dog training, Distance, Distraction, and Duration are the three elements in the environment and out of your control, for the most part, that make it more difficult for your dog to understand and comply with what you want. Blowing leaves, flying birds, flapping flags, loud vehicles, scooters, bikes, golf carts, strange humans and other dogs, lizards, and everything else is competing for your dog’s focus and attention. Every single stimulus present in the environment has a “reinforcement value” to your dog. The equation is very simple: your dog will focus and attend to whatever has the highest reinforcement value to your dog. If your dog doesn’t pay attention to you in the outside environment, it’s because you haven’t cultivated a high enough reinforcement value in yourself to your dog.
By beginning your training of these basic commands in your house, you are stacking the deck in your favor and making it easier for your dog to focus on you and understand what you want. By marking the behavior when he performs the behavior, you are making it very clear what it is that he just did that earned him access to a reward. By rewarding the completion of the behavior with food, you are building a bond of trust with your dog. You are proving to your dog that you are a valuable and trustworthy leader, and if you ask him to do a job and he does it, you will reward him for it. And the sum total of all your behaviors will raise the reinforcement value of you in your dog’s mind.
When you move the practice repetitions out to the backyard, you are also raising the “distraction index.” You are now competing for your dog's attention and focus with everything else in the environment that your dog finds reinforcing. After your dog becomes 90% proficient in the backyard with these commands, move your practice repetitions to the driveway and prove the behaviors there.
Comentários