When we first get our new puppy or a dog from rescue, we generally wish to know what sort of training, if any, the dog knows. Sit is about the first thing a dog learns so many dogs know this one, even puppies. But as we move thru life with our dogs it is extremely helpful for humans to be able to direct the dogs from one place to another.

Having a dog pulling on leash is a bad habit that needs correcting straight away. This behavior makes for annoyed owners and doubtless hurts the dog’s neck. There’s a way to change this behavior.

It sure would be convenient if our dogs could change direction or wait for a few minutes while we made our way to the car, around the block or even in the house? Having a dog dart across a busy street is scary and deadly. That is something that occurs too regularly and can be curtailed.

My dog trainer, John Spieser, claims the first 2 commands he teaches a dog or a puppy are “wait” and “this way”. Using these 2 commands he can get a dog to go just about anywhere he wishes them to and keep him safe along the way. This is also used to get a dog to stop pulling on the leash.

The command “wait” is straightforward to teach your dog. For some reason, wait, feels short lived to a dog so he’s more prepared to wait there than to “stay” somewhere for ages. “Wait” is good for street corners. Tell your dog to “wait” at the corner while traffic passes. Or perhaps your dog needs to wait while another dog, children, bikes or whatever passes by. Perhaps you need him to wait for his food. No matter what the reason, the dog learns that it is only a non permanent situation, soon to be followed by the release (which is rewarding ) and probably more definitely exciting for the dog.

The “this way” command trumps come. The recall or “come” command tends to get over used and dogs may get resentful after hearing it often. Using “this way” permits the dog to keep moving but in a different direction. If your dog is running away from you and does not come back to the typical recall command of “come”, then try implementing “this way” into your training routine. A dog hears this as an opportunity to please and still keeps moving. It’s much less restrictive to the dog and it is truly simple to teach this to a dog.

For more effective communication with your dog, try dog coaching commands that teach your dog how to move with you without being too restrictive. Consider making “wait” and “this way” a primary part of your repertoire.

These two commands are successfully used in changing the leash pulling behavior too. The two dog training commands that make the most sense are ones that give you a lot of versatility with your dog.

Get your dog or puppy moving where you want him using these two dog training instructions. Stop your dog pulling on leash. Listen in the free audio from my dog trainer John Spieser.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 2:05 pm and is filed under Dogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.