Basic commands ebook

Copyright Bob Leland, 2010 LovingTouchPuppyTraining.com Page 1

Puppy Training: The Basic
Commands

Bob Leland


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Copyright Notice: 2010 Bob Leland. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use,
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be reproduced in any manner whatsoever, without the express written consent of
the publisher. Published under the Copyright Laws of the Library of Congress of
the United States of America by Bob Leland


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This ebook is designed to provide helpful and useful advice regarding the
subject matters covered. However, it is understood that the author does not
engage in the practice of providing professional advice and the laws and
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accidental, or other damages. As always, legal, professional, and any other forms
of advice should be sought from a professional and is in no way implied in this
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About the Author

Bob Leland is a dog lover and has spent many years trying to find the best training
methods for new puppies. He has read every book and article he could find on
dog training and has accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge on the
subject. His philosophy is: a well-trained dog is a joy to a home. He believes that


it is easier in the long run to train a dog properly than to train one poorly and
have to deal with years of frustration for the dog and its owner.


Table of Contents
Introduction
Training Tips
The training schedule

The training area

Short but sweet commands

Positive reinforcement

Rewards that puppies like

The importance of proper timing

Consistency and patience

Basic Commands Your puppy Should Learn
COME

SIT

STAY

DOWN

HEEL

Advice on collar and leash training

Final Words


Introduction
Owning a puppy is a big responsibility. Apart from caring for his or
her physical needs – food, shelter and overall well-being, your
puppy will also need the proper training. A pup that is well trained
will quickly become a valued member of the family.
Many new puppy owners or even those who have had puppies in
their care for many years think that training a puppy is a job for
professional puppy trainers. They find it daunting to teach their
puppies even the most basic commands. On the other hand, some
who do train their dogs apply the wrong training technique. This
causes their canines to develop behavioral problems which could
have been avoided with the proper training method.
You are not expected to teach your puppy every single command or
trick in the book. But you should teach it basic obedience. Here you
will find how to be successful in training a pup to the basic
commands it needs to learn. Once you manage to train your loyal
furry pal the five basic commands outlined here, you may even be
inspired to teach it a neat trick or two.


Training Tips
Before you even begin the training, there are a number of guidelines
that will guarantee success in teaching your canine student. It is
important to follow these tips so you know what to expect once the
actual training starts.
The training schedule
Establish specific times of the day when you plan to conduct your
puppy‟s training. Dogs are creatures of habit. Having a daily
routine will let them know what to expect and they will be more
accepting. Choose a time when it is conducive for it to learn. After
a long sleep is not the ideal time nor is after meals. Schedule one
formal training session during the morning and one in the afternoon.
The length of the training session will depend on the age of your
puppy. It has a very short attention span, so start with 5-10 minute
sessions. With older puppies, 15-30 minutes will be sufficient.
However, you must play it by ear at the beginning. Do not force the
training if you see that your puppy is clearly distracted and not in the
mood to train. You need to be flexible and learn to adapt to possible
changes in your puppy‟s training schedule. But don‟t worry, as you
establish the training routine, your puppy will soon be 100% on
board with you.
On the other hand, don‟t miss informal training opportunities as
well. During the course of the day, you can find ways to incorporate
some of the basic commands. For example, you can make your
puppy sit or come to you during feeding time. Or if you are on the
couch, you can always call your pup for some back rubs and quality
time, reinforcing the “Come” command. Informal training
opportunities can be as important as the formal training sessions.
The training area
It is quite impressive to watch well trained puppies that do not
flinch, even when their environment is busy and noisy. But you
must remember that these are highly trained canines that have put in
long hours of work to get to where they are. Don‟t expect your
puppy to be perfect the first time around. What you should expect is
that your furry angel will hear every sound, see every movement and
smell every scent around her.
Puppies are very curious creatures and natural explorers. If you

want its full attention during training time, select an area with the
least possible distractions. An enclosed room or garage is a good
choice. Once you are comfortable with its progress, you can move
to your garden or backyard. Slowly increasing the amount of
distractions it is exposed to is part of advancing its training in the
basic commands.
Short but sweet commands
Puppies only need to know the gist of the command. Keeping the
commands short ensures that they completely understand what is
expected of them. One word commands work best, two at the most
so that nothing is lost in translation. Use the following commands:
 Sit! Instead of „sit down‟
 Stay! Instead of „don‟t move‟
 Down! Is shorter than „lie down‟
 Off ! Is better than „get off of the bed‟ or „go down from
there‟
 Stand! Instead of „get up‟ or „stand up‟
 Come! If you want to say „come here‟
 Heel! Instead of „walk beside me‟
 Leave it! Is shorter than „don‟t touch that‟
Whatever command words you use, make sure to be consistent.
Don‟t use two command words or phrases for just one action. This
may confuse your puppy. It is also advisable to post a list of the
command words you plan to use where all the members of the
household can see it. This way, everyone will know which words to
use.
Positive reinforcement
Puppies, like people, are strongly motivated by positive
reinforcement. They like to be rewarded with praise, a pat on the
head, a scratch behind the ear, and a rub on the neck, a chance to
play with their favorite toy and the most popular, an edible treat.
Positive reinforcement is a way of training your puppy where you
reward it for doing what you asked it to do. Your puppy will gladly

repeat a command or action when it knows that there is a wonderful
prize at the end.
Rewards that puppies like
A reward is not just an edible treat. It can be anything that keeps
your pal motivated. You may need to experiment with different
types of rewards to see which one gets your puppy to do what you
want it to do.
 An edible reward should be very small and easy for your
puppy to swallow. You don‟t want it to be chewing on something
big, especially if you want its attention on you right away. Don‟t
stay with one brand or type of edible treat. Try to mix it up for some
variety. Keep the edible treats in your pocket or in a small pouch
attached to your waist.

 Non-edible treats that some puppies like are getting their
favorite toy, short play, pats on the head or other forms of petting.
Be careful when giving your puppy her favorite toy. She may just
run with it and not participate in the training session anymore. Make
sure she gives it back to you so you can continue with the training.

 Whether you give edible treats or non-edible ones, always
combine this with verbal praise. Say “good puppy” or “great job” in
a positive tone. But don‟t be overly enthusiastic. Keep the verbal
praise short and lively but heartfelt.
The importance of proper timing
Part of giving your puppy positive reinforcement is timing the
reinforcement properly. The reward must be given immediately
after your puppy performs the command you ask. Otherwise, if
there is a lull in between, your puppy loses the association between
its performance of the command and the reward it gets. For
instance, if you ask your puppy to stay, and it does but then moves
towards you after a few seconds, then you give it a reward, it will
associate its moving towards you as the good behavior, not when it
was at the stay position. In this example, the reward should be given
right after it stays for the duration acceptable to you.
This is why before you even begin any training session, all your
tools must be at hands‟ length. If you use edible treats, place them
in your pocket or in a small bag that you can put around your waist.


If the reward you use is a toy, make sure you have it on your person
or right next to you.
Initially, rewards are given each time the puppy performs a
command. Even an attempt at doing the command should be
rewarded. You want to continuously reinforce its attempts in the
hopes that it will soon be able to do the command properly. Once it
has mastered the command, you can start lessening the amount of
rewards. You now go through a period of intermittent
reinforcement. The verbal praise should continue, only the
occurrence of getting a treat is decreased. You are aiming to shape
your puppy to perform a command only for verbal praise and maybe
an occasional treat.
Consistency and patience
It is always advisable to have only one family member do the actual
formal training of the puppy. This way, the commands and hand
signals will be consistent. However, it is important to let the other
members of the household know what commands and signals you
use so they don‟t confuse the puppy when they ask it to do
something. Post a list of this information where everyone can see it.
Be consistent as well in rewarding your puppy. Make sure that the
reward is given only for good behavior, never for an unwanted
action. For instance, when you come home and your pet jumps up
towards you, ignore it until it has calmed down. Giving it immediate
attention, where it is to say hello or to reprimand it is already a form
of reward. Why? The puppy is jumping towards you to get your
attention, and by acknowledging its unwanted behavior you are
reinforcing that behavior.
Consistency should be coupled with patience. You will need every
ounce of patience you can muster if you want to train your puppy.
Don‟t compare your puppy with other puppies. Some learn faster
than others. And never use physical or verbal punishment when
your puppy is not able to do something right. Instead of respect, you
will be instilling fear into your furry friend. A fearful puppy may
not learn the proper behavior you are trying to teach it. But a puppy
that trusts and respects you will be more than happy to perform the
commands in order to please you.


Basic Commands Your puppy Should Learn
COME
One of the very first commands that you should teach your puppy is
to answer to your call for it to go to you. By teaching your puppy
the “Come” command, you can actually save its life or keep it and
others from harm‟s way. As dramatic as this statement sounds,
consider this: What happens when your puppy suddenly runs off in
the direction of a busy street? If your puppy knows exactly what to
do when you say “Come!” followed by its name, then it will be
beside you in no time. However, if your puppy has never mastered
this command, it is putting itself, as well as possibly putting the
drivers on the road, their companions and the pedestrians in the
vicinity, in danger.
1. While in the training area, move away from your puppy so
that you are not too close to each other. Make sure its attention is
not on you.
2. Say your puppy‟s name followed by the command “Come.”
Use an enthusiastic tone of voice. You may want to bend or crouch
down to further entice you puppy to come to you. If you wish, wave
a treat in front of you.
3. Once your puppy reaches you, praise it verbally and give it
the treat.
4. Next, let your puppy wander in the training area for a few
seconds then try the command again.
Don‟t expect your puppy to get this command the first time. Be
patient. In order to achieve success in teaching your pet this
command, it must associate the “Come” command with something
positive. Never ask it to go to you when you want to give it a bath,
clip its nails or punish it. You can use this command when it is time
to feed your puppy. As you begin to put down the food bowl, call it
to “Come” to you and praise it when it does.
If your puppy is too distracted or busy with something, don‟t teach it
the command “Come” during this time. Unless it has mastered the
command already, it will probably not budge. This may even teach
it that it has the option when it wants to follow your command.

Finally, never let your doggy outside without a leash until it has
mastered the “Come” command and you are confident with its
ability to follow you. You can however, use a long leash when
teaching your puppy the “Come” command outside of your home.
This way, it cannot run off and you are still in complete control of
the whole situation.
SIT
The “Sit” command is an easy command to teach puppies of all ages.
Your puppy can surely master this in just a few sessions. It is a great
confidence booster for your puppy and the foundation for other
commands. This gives you more control over it when necessary.
One way of teaching your puppy the “Sit” command is by using an
edible treat as a lure.
1. Place a yummy treat in your hand. Close your fist.
2. Stand in front of your puppy. You should be facing each
other.
3. Position your closed hand with a treat in front of its nose.
Slowly move your hand up towards its head, passing between its
ears. Make sure the hand is always close to your puppy‟s head.
This discourages it from leaping towards your hand.
4. As your puppy follows your hand with its nose, its behind
will slowly move down into a sit. When it does, praise it and give it
a treat. If your puppy backs away instead of sitting down, it may be
because your hand is too far from its head. To remedy this, make
sure to keep your hand close to its head or position it against the wall
or a corner so it has no choice but to sit down.
5. Move away so your puppy stands up then repeat the steps
earlier several times without saying the word “Sit.”
6. Once your puppy has been repeating the “Sit” command
successfully without you saying the actual command word, then you
can move on to the next phase. Perform the same luring action, but
just before your puppy starts to drop its behind down for a sit, say
the word “Sit.” Continue practicing and building the association
between the command word “Sit” and the action. Remember to
praise and reward your puppy.


By practicing and reinforcing this command, pretty soon you won‟t
need to use edible treats; only praise and an occasional pat on the
head will do.
A different training technique that you can apply in teaching your
puppy to sit is by using a leash.
1. Stand side by side with your puppy on a leash. Hold the leash
straight above its collar.
2. Push down on your puppies back close to its hips and say the
word “Sit.”
3. Reward and praise your puppy as soon as it sits down.
Practice and reinforce.

STAY
The “Stay” command is another very important obedience
command. By asking your puppy to stay in position, you can be sure
that it doesn‟t move at all so as to cause damage to property or injury
to itself or to others around it. It is a way of controlling the puppy
by keeping it from jumping, running or bouncing from its position.
Some trainers believe that the “Stay” command is unnecessary if the
puppy is well trained. But while this is true, the “Stay” command is
an extra insurance to make sure that your puppy stays put.
It is very natural for your puppy to follow you around. After all, it is
the nature of pack animals to stay close to their group. This makes
the “Stay” command rather difficult to teach at first. This is why
when teaching this command, it is important to keep things simple in
the beginning. Do not set high expectations but instead increase the
level of difficulty as you become more confident in your pal‟s ability
to hold its position.
1. Place your puppy in the “Sit” position. Make sure you are
standing right in front of it and looking at it the whole time. If it is
able to stay seated for more than two seconds, give it a verbal praise
together with a treat.
2. Allow the puppy to move freely after the reward has been
given. In effect, it is released from the “Stay‟ command. Some
trainers use the command word “Release” or “Ok” to let the puppy

know that it is free to move. It is entirely up to you if you want to
add this extra command word.
3. Repeat step 1 again but this time, wait for more than 3
seconds before you give the reward. Don‟t give the puppy a treat if
it moves from position before the 3 second mark. Instead, start over.
4. Once the puppy is able to stay in position for more than 3
seconds at a time, introduce the command word and a hand signal.
Right after it sits, hold your hand in front of your puppy, palm
towards it (you are actually using the international hand signal for
“Stop”) and together with this say “Stay” in a controlled voice.
5. After the puppy has held its position for more than a second,
praise it and give her a treat.
6. Repeat steps 4 -5, gradually increasing the number of seconds
before your praise and reward your canine pal. You should practice
moving away from your puppy as you issue the command “Stay.”
Just make sure you move back towards it when you give it the treat
and verbal praise.
To make the training more challenging for your puppy, you can
move the training to a place with some distractions. Make sure not
to move the training area to a high traffic area (whether it is human
traffic or vehicular traffic) immediately. The introduction of
distractions should be gradual. Another way to advance your
puppy‟s training is to increase the number of steps as you move back
away from it. Only reward it when it stays in position. The puppy
should never get a reward if it moves towards you, even if it has
stayed in position for some time.

DOWN
The “Down” command is another fundamental command your
puppy should learn. It is a good way to establish your position as the
Alpha dog. The prone pose is considered a submissive position
which your puppy should learn as part of its obedience training. In
this position, the puppy is not disturbing anybody nor is it chasing
cats or acting as a rabble rouser.
Training your puppy to go down and stay in that vulnerable position
is not exactly easy, but it is well worth all the hard work you will put

in. Make sure it knows the “Sit” command by heart before you start
on “Down.”
1. Place a yummy treat in your hand. Close your fist.
2. Stand in front of your puppy. You should be facing each
other.
3. Ask your puppy to sit while you squat in front of it.
4. Position your closed hand with a treat in front of its nose.
Slowly move your hand downwards. Make sure the hand goes
straight down. This prevents the puppy from moving forward
towards you. You want to lure it to go down. It may be necessary
for you to hold your closed fist on the floor for a few seconds until it
is down on all fours.
5. As soon as your puppy is on its belly, praise it and give it the
prize in your hand.
6. Move away so your puppy stands up, then repeat and
reinforce the training without saying the word “Down.”
7. Once your puppy has been repeating the “Down” command
successfully without you saying the actual command word, then you
can move on to the next phase. Perform the same luring technique
but just before your puppy starts to drop down on all fours, say the
word “Down.” Practice and apply positive reinforcement each time
it goes down successfully.
It may happen that luring your puppy with a treat will not be enough
to make it go down. In this case, you can put your other hand, the
one without the treat, on its back between its shoulders and coax it to
gently go down on all fours. This gentle push needs to be done
simultaneously with luring it with a treat.
Once your puppy is comfortable performing the “Down” command,
make it stay in the “Down” position for a few seconds at a time
before praising it and giving it a treat. An advanced training
technique is to attempt to distract the puppy while she is staying in
the “Down” position. Scatter some edible treats around it, bounce a
ball or place its favorite toy in front of it. A well trained puppy will
only move when you ask it to do so.
A variation to this command is having your puppy go down from the

standing position. This comes with practice. As with the “Sit”
command, you should also aim for having it go “Down” without
using an edible treat as a lure. Verbal praise should be enough to
make it want to please you by lying down on its belly on command.

HEEL
Training a puppy to heel whether on a leash or not is the dream of
every canine owner. Heel means to walk beside the owner. The
puppy should neither walk ahead nor behind her owner. A puppy
that heels is a wonderful walk companion. It benefits the puppy
immensely because you are more likely to take it out for long walks.
Teaching your puppy to heel is quite a challenge. After all, puppies
are very curious creatures that are easily distracted by different
sounds, objects and scents. Your patience is required more than ever
when you tackle the command “Heel.”
You can teach a puppy to heel while on a leash or off it. With a
leash, there is sometimes a tendency to drag the puppy around. This
is something that you don‟t want to happen, because your puppy will
probably not respond positively to all the yanking and dragging. If
you are using a leash, make sure to hold it loosely.
1. Stand beside your puppy with both of you facing in one
direction. Whether it is to your left or your right is a matter of
preference. However, as soon as you decide on its position, make
sure it stays on that side every time you train it. For now, assume
that you want your puppy on your left side.
2. Place a treat in your left hand then close your fist. Hold this
hand near your waist just above your puppy.
3. Call the attention of your furry pal by saying its name. Make
sure you look at it and it looks at you. Make it aware of the treat in
your closed hand.
4. Walk two steps forward before stopping.
5. Praise her verbally and give her a treat if she walks forward
with you while maintaining the “Heel” position.
6. Repeat the same steps as soon as it is done with its yummy
treat. Remember only to give it a treat if it “Heels.” You can

encourage your puppy verbally.
7. Increase the number of steps you move forward once your
puppy is heeling properly each time. Make sure to apply positive
reinforcement each time it “Heels” correctly.
8. Introduce the verbal command “Heel” when your canine pal
has been confidently heeling for longer distances. Say “Heel” before
you step forward. Repeat this command each time in order to build
an association between the act of walking beside you and the verbal
“Heel” command.
To advance its training, walk with your puppy outside. Start slowly
using a loose leash in an area with moderate distraction. A level up
would be using a loose leash in an area with lots of human and
vehicular traffic. You can train your canine pupil to heel while off
its leash in an area with little distraction, moderate distraction and
lastly with lots of distraction. A word of caution when doing off the
leash training: make sure you know the local laws in your area. Find
out if your puppy is allowed off its leash when in public places.


Advice on collar and leash training
If your puppy has never worn a collar or a leash before, you need to
take the time to train it to become comfortable with these two
training tools. Start with getting a collar made of lightweight
material like nylon or leather. Place it on your puppy when it is
about to be fed. This way, it is more distracted with the food rather
than the collar. If the puppy tries to take it off, resist the urge to give
in to it. Instead, take it off when the puppy is calm and no longer
distracted by the collar.
Next, introduce it to the leash. Again your goal is to allow your
puppy to be comfortable with this new device. Attach the leash to
its collar and let it drag it around. Make sure the leash is light
weight as well. Avoid buying a fancy or expensive leash (and collar
for that matter). Wait till it is comfortable with these two items
before spending good money on fancy ones.
Once your puppy is comfortable with the leash, you can pick it up
loosely. Allow it to follow you around. You can verbally praise it
for doing so. Make the training sessions with the leash short and
fun. Never yank your puppy using the leash when it sits down or
starts to strain. Otherwise, the puppy will begin to associate the
leash and collar with something that brings it pain. Instead, call it to
come to you and when it does, praise and reward it.
You should also stop using the leash when your puppy uses it to
walk you instead. Allowing this to continue will reinforce a
negative behavior. Simply stop the leash training and restart it at a
later time.


Final Words
Puppies and later on when they become adult dogs can be a
complete joy. They are loving, devoted companions. If you begin
with training them properly they will know what is expected of them
and maybe even more importantly, you will know what to expect of
them.
There are so many untrained or poorly trained dogs – through no
fault of their own. Their masters never took the time to train them
properly. Unfortunately this can lead to their mistreatment. Just think
how much easier life would have been for that unfortunate dog and
his master.
This ebook has provided you with puppy training techniques which
you can build upon and train your puppy to grow up to be a well-
trained, well-behaved dog, a canine that anyone would be proud to
have as a devoted pal.
For more information on dog training and dealing with dog training
issues, be sure to visit: http://lovingtouchpuppytraining.com .


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