If you are adopting a dog into your family for the first time, you might not know what kinds of things you should be teaching your new furry friend. Consistent training is so important for dogs because it helps to build your bond, keeps them mentally stimulated, and teaches them good behavior – whether you’re at home or not.
As an aspiring nurse, Lauren Swist offers obedience and therapy dog training services while she pursues her nursing degree. She has always loved animals and is currently training her own dog to be a therapy animal in nursing homes, hospitals, and senior centers. Today she shares the 7 essential commands you need to teach your dog.
- Sit – this is often one of the first things people teach their dogs because many other commands build upon this one.
- Stay – you must teach your dog to stay put sometimes for safety reasons.
- Come – you must teach your dog this command before you ever let them run around off-leash outside.
- Wait – dogs get excited when people visit your home, so teaching them this will make sure they don’t run off or jump on your guests.
- Off – teach your dog this command if you want to get them off of furniture.
- Drop It – this is also essential for safety reasons because dogs can sometimes put dangerous things in their mouths.
- Watch Me – dogs can get distracted if they are outside in a busy area or if there are other animals around. Teach them this to get them to focus on you instead.
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