Canine Obedience Training – The Basics

September 25, 2008 by Richard Cross

To give proper canine obedience training, it is vital that you and your dog can do two basic things. The first requires that you be able to get your dogs attention, and the second requires you to be able to release him from a command. These are the foundation on which all other obedience training is built, so make sure you master these before you move onto actual commands.

1. Getting your dogs attention
Most people use the dogs name for this, but you can use any word you like really. If you want to give your dog a command, then you need him to at least be paying attention to you. This is where the attention aspect of canine obedience training comes into play.

A lot of owners make the mistake of thinking that their dog will automatically learn to respond to its name. That may be the case, but a little training can help a lot.

To train your dog to respond to its name, practice this exercise. Say the dogs name clearly, and as soon as he looks up at you give a treat or reward.

Try not to use the dogs name every time you see him or her, but instead just when you want its attention to avoid confusion.

2. Releasing from a command
This is also important. You need to have a command that you can use to tell the dog the exercise is over and he can move around. Again, you can use whatever you want. I personally would use “release”, but that’s your decision.

To train your dog in this command, it helps if you’ve already learned the sit and stay commands. Get the dog to sit and stay, and then say “release”. As soon as you say it, get the dog to move around by distracting it. Practice this as much as possible.

Conclusion
These are two very basic things that form the foundation of all canine obedience training, but many owners neglect them. If you train your dog in these two exercises from an early age, you’ll find it much easier to train the dog later in life. Once you’ve done the basics, you can move onto other things like Training Tricks