Dog vocabulary

There are some words and phrases every dog should understand:

- Dog's own name

He needs to know his name so you can call him or praise him or scold him from a distance.

- hey!

He should understand this as the short version of "Whatever you're doing, stop it!" He should react instantly.

- No

This isn't something you yell at your dog. It can be spoken politely. It's just to let him know he isn't supposed to do a certain thing. If you see him beginning to do something he shouldn't do, he should stop when he hears you say no. If he doesn't stop after one "no" he needs to be corrected.

- Drop it

This one applies to toys, food, random things on the street, or whatever. If you explain to him what it means without emotion, it will make your life much simlper. He will pick up things that could be dangerous if swallowed. If he does and you yell at him and try to grab it away from him he'll probably swallow it quickly just to keep it away from you. I frequently ask a dog to drop something, and when he does I pick it up and admire it, then give it back to the dog. Now he believes he can safely drop things if I ask him to.

- Sit

This one is very useful for getting him to stop jumping around with excitement while you put on his leash, or fix his dinner, or answer the door. Don't forget that if you tell him to sit while you answer the door and he doesn't, and you let him get away with it he'll learn you don't mean it when you tell him to sit. If you aren't going to make him do it, don't tell him to.

The word "sit" should have an implied "stay" attached to it. It doesn't mean touch your bottom to the floor, then get up and return to whatever you were doing.

- Stay

This one is a little redundant, since "sit" includes "stay." But sometimes you may want him to not come through the door with you, or stay where he is standing, or lying. And it's useful with "sit" if you intend to leave him there for an extended time, just to let him know he won't be moving soon.

- Come

This doesn't mean come if you feel like it, or when you get around to it. It means come, right now. And there should be some definition of how it's completed. To me "come" means come to me immediately, sit in front of me and stay there until I release you. It doesn't mean run toward me, run past me, and go back to what you were doing. You haven't really taught your dog t come if he doesn't know what to do when he gets to you.

- Get back

This is a safety issue as well as a convenience issue. If he starts through a door, or approaches something he doesn't recognize as dangerous, he should be recallable. Also, if your guests are annoyed by his attentions it can come in very handy.

- don't touch

Useful for things you bring into the house that he doesn't recognize, or things that could hurt him, or that he could damage. Also, if he hasn't yet learned to leave people alone while they are eating, this can be a reminder.

- excuse me

This one's my favorite. I've amazed many people with this one. If I'm carrying something heavy and there's a dog in the way , I just quietly say excuse me, and the dog gets up and goes away.

The dog knows "excuse me" means "If you're still there in 5 seconds I'll kick you." But your friends don't know that. So they're astounded.

- thank you

I like this one almost as much as "excuse me". It means "you have done what you were supposed to do, and if you're lucky you may get a treat. But don't count on it.

It's really a pleasure to have a dog do what you want it to do just to get you to say "thank you."

Sister sites:
Auntie Donna's Dog care and training tips

Russian Dolls and Treasures Office Furniture Furniture and More Fuzzy Stuffed Toys Books I Loved Gifts for all occasions Electric Scooters Goodies and Cheeses Discount Smokes Pet Stuff Shoes 'n Socks Tarps and Covers Fiberoptic Patch Cables Bring your own shade Plants and Stuff Satellite Systems