Puppy Training Tips: Teach Your Dog to Sit and Come

One of the most delightful parts of being a pet parent is teaching your puppy obedience skills and perform tricks. A well behaved dog is always a credit to the family he lives with. A puppy who can perform a few simple tricks is so much more fun to interact with and knows more how to behave appropriately around guests. The most important things to start teaching your puppy from your first days together are how to come and how to sit.

Many new pet owners make the mistake of trying to train their new puppy tricks before they’ve taught simple obedience skills. The first thing your dog or puppy must know before learning a trick is how to sit and come. These two simple commands are the foundation for a lot of other pet tricks. Dog training experts usually recommend that all dogs should be taught to come on command from day one along with potty training. This makes it less likely that your pet will ever get lost or separated from you, and helps you better enjoy each moment you spend with your new puppy.

Teach your dog to come

To teach your puppy or dog of any age to come on command all you need it are a few treats in your hand. You can train your dog to come inside the house or in the backyard but you shouldn’t try it for the first time at a dog park or open area.  Simply stand some distance away from your pet and stay calm and when your pet comes you give a treat. Do this three or four times in a row (giving a small treat or piece of kibble each time your pet obeys) until your pet seems to become bored. Then move on to something else like giving your dog a bone or playing with a favorite toy.

Teach your dog to sit

Once your pet is pretty good at coming on command then you can move onto helping your dog sit on command. To do this you’ll want to gather up a few treats like before and gently push your pets rear and down into a sitting position as you say sit. Keep doing this several times in a row, giving a treat (or piece of kibble) each time. Eventually your dog will not need to have you push down on his bottom and help him into the right position. He will automatically do it right. Once your pet has mastered sit and come he or she is ready to move on to a few tricks.

Some simple skills that dogs can commonly master include:

• Shake
• Roll over
• Jump through a hoop
• Respond to a bell
• Fetch

You can learn about the tricks your pet is ready for in other blogs at DenHaus, providers of fine indoor dog crates and beds. Click here to pick your favorite styles of designer dog crates, designed for your new puppy’s health and your classy decor in mind.