In this article on our site we offer you a guide to learn how to train basic level obedience exercises on a small scale. Keep in mind that if what you want is to train yourself to dedicate yourself professionally to canine education, this is not the way. You must inform yourself in the different schools to obtain the precise degree.
In this short guide we will show you the five stages that make up the n basic level of training for any dog and we will name the exercises what you should do. Among all of them, we highlight the clicker load, a fundamental tool for better results. In this way, if you still do not have a clicker, we encourage you to get one to be able to practice the commands that we detail below.
Remember that the key to a good dog educator lies in patience, perseverance and the use of positive reinforcement. No dog is born knowing and they all require time to internalize commands and changes in behavior. Follow the basic level of dog training and tell us the results.
Basic level: first stage
The first stage of the basic level of dog training consists of obtaining the desired responses in your dog, generalizing them in different places and times, associating them with visual and verbal signals, and eliminating body language so that it does not interfere on your signs To do this, we recommend starting with the exercises listed below:
Load the clicker
Since the best way to train a dog is through positive reinforcement, the clicker will be your great ally. Get hold of it and consult our article in which we detail how to load it. Once you have controlled this tool and know how to use it in canine education, you can start working with your dog.
Recognize name
If your dog is a puppy, without a doubt the first thing you should do is get him to recognize his name. To do this, all you have to do is say your dog's name in different places and situations, and reward or congratulate him every time he responds to it.
Follow Meal
In general, all dogs tend to follow food with their eyes, but if your dog doesn't, you should practice this exercise to achieve it. To do this, place a piece of food in your hand, or a treat, bring it close to your dog's snout, move the hand with the food to the right, click with the clicker and offer it to him. Perform the same exercise to the left, up and down. It is very important that a few seconds pass between the click and the offering of food so that the dog associates that if he follows it he will get it.
Answer the call
Although your dog comes to you when you call him by his name, we advise you to find another word to indicate that he comes to your call during training or other everyday situations, such as "come". Since this exercise is really useful, it is interesting to start working on it from the first stage of the basic level of dog training.
The exercise is simple, take a treat, say "come", place the treat between your feet, click the clicker when the animal comes towards you, let your dog take the treat and repeat the process. You should practice the exercise in different rooms of the house for a better result. We follow this strategy to capture the animal's attention and get it to come without having to say the complete command. For more details, don't miss our article in which we teach you step by step how to train your dog to come to the call.
Attention
What we want to achieve with this exercise is for the animal to look at us from time to time during walks in order to verify that we are still by its side. In parallel, it will be essential to educate the dog so that it learns to walk with us, following the instructions in our article.
To get him to look at us and be aware of us, the exercise should be practiced outside, during walks. Take the clicker with you, it is the key to success. So, during the walk, every time your dog turns to look at you, click and give him a treat to reinforce the behavior. It's that simple! Eventually, you should stop offering food and move on to complimenting him.
Let
With this exercise we want our dog to learn to control himself and not jump on us every time he smells food from our hand, or wants to get something we have. To do this, sit on the floor or on a chair, depending on the size of your dog, take a treat, cover it with your hand, bring it close to the dog's snout, let it smell it, bite your hand, lick it, and do everything Do your best to get the prize, but don't give it to him. The moment the animal walks away, no matter the reason, click the clicker and give it the treat. Repeat the exercise until the dog associates the act of walking away with getting what he wants
At this point, you can introduce the word "let" into the exercise after showing the animal the treat and before bringing your hand to its nose. Thus, you will get your dog to move away just by saying the command.
Seated
This command is one of the most basic in dog training, which is why we include it in the first stage. Teaching our dog to sit will help us in countless situations in daily life, since we can tell him to sit down before crossing the road, when we have visitors, etc. To get him to internalize it, we advise you to consult our article in which we detail how to teach a dog to sit.
Basic level: second stage
In the second stage of the basic level of training, the exercises carried out during the first stage should be deepened and mild distractions added, as well as eliminating body language, eliminating foodand learn how to use other rewards. In this way, you will have to continue practicing the exercises and progressively eliminate the sweets to replace them with gestures that attract their attention, such as clapping hands, and effusive congratulations when they act correctly.
In the case of the "leave" exercise, to progressively eliminate food you must show it in the palm of your hand, the ground or your dog's food bowl so that it learns to control your impulses in any situation. Likewise, all the exercises must be carried out in different spaces to offer "distractions", make the orders difficult and get him to carry them out at any time.
In addition, you will practice new exercises:
Lie down
Teaching your dog to lie down is very simple. First, order him to sit down. Then he grabs a treat, brings it up to his nose for him to sniff it, and immediately lowers his hand to his front paws so he instinctively lies down. At that point, click and offer the treat. If your dog does not lie down but follows the food with his eyes, click, bring the treat close to his snout and begin to lower his hand slowly so that he follows the food with his body, you will get him to lie down and you can click to give him the reward.
As the dog advances in the exercise and manages to lie down more quickly, you must introduce the command "lie down" while he lies down so that he associates it with the movement.
Look at me
This exercise is really useful to get your dog's attention, especially during training walks to walk with you. Getting it is very simple, you must sit in front of your dog with a treat in your hand, as soon as the dog looks you in the eye, click with the clicker and give him the treat. Repeat this exercise until you see your dog moving forward. At this point, just as your dog looks at you, he introduces the command "look at me" and follows the guidelines of the exercise.
Basic level: third stage
What is intended to be achieved during the third stage of the basic level of dog training is to increase the duration of responses. To do this, you must perform the exercises and mentally say the word "thousand" before clicking and reinforce the behavior. Little by little he goes on to say "one thousand one", then "one thousand one, one thousand two", "one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand", and so on until he reaches "one thousand five". If the dog is not able to wait, say "No" and start the exercise again.
In addition to making the dog wait to get his treat, you can work on the following new exercises;
Walking without pulling on the leash
This exercise is essential for calm, relaxed walks without altercations. We advise you to consult our article in which we detail the steps you must follow to teach your dog not to pull on the leash.
Greet people properly
Whether we are used to receiving visitors or not, educating the dog so that it does not jump on people and be patient when greeting and welcoming will free us from more than one embarrassing situation. Check out our article on how to prevent your dog from jumping on people and learn how to greet people correctly.
Basic level: fourth stage
In the fourth stage of the basic level of dog training, the aim is to further increase the duration of responses while maintaining their position and to achieve that the dog responds while you perform different activities. Most likely, you will have more difficulties than in the previous stages to achieve the desired results. Therefore, you must be patient and constant, remember that educating a dog takes time.
At this stage, instead of counting mentally what you should do is take a few steps away to get the dog to stay still while you walk. To do this, you can use the "lie down" command, walk five steps away, and use the "come" command. When he walks towards you, click and pet him warmly so that he interprets that he has done well, as long as he has remained lying down while you walked away. If you don't hold the position, start the exercise again. You can work the different exercises using both the command "lie down" and "sit down".
Since this stage has a higher degree of difficulty, we do not recommend introducing new exercises.
Basic level: fifth stage
The last stage of the basic level of dog training is to increase the response distance, even if it's just a few steps. This way, you will get your dog to obey you without having to be glued to it.
The exercise is simple, you simply have to repeat the process carried out during the fourth stage, increasing the number of steps. Remember that at first it will not be easy and your dog will not hold the position throughout your journey. However, with perseverance, patience and positive reinforcement you will get him to stay still for as long as you want.
