How to teach your dog to listen to your commands

It's quite common for us to receive pups that already have some training before they come to us.

Owners often boast that their dog can sit, lie down, or even come when called.

Depending on my mood, I might ask the owner to show me their dog's skills. This is something I also experience when learning from other trainers.

Typically, the owner will call their dog and give a command, but most of the time, the dog just looks at them. The owner might repeat the command, using hand signals or pretending to hold a treat to coax the dog into position.

This reminds me of when I asked my own puppy to lie down in front of an audience, and she just sat there, eagerly anticipating my next instruction.

Despite numerous attempts, we're convinced our dogs understand the command.

However, the real test is whether the dog can follow the command without guidance.

So, what's the takeaway from these anecdotes?

It's simple.

We're often showing our dogs what to do before giving the verbal command, when it should be the other way around: give the command first, then guide your dog into position, reward, and repeat.

Training a new command should look like this: say "Sit," then use a treat to lure your dog's nose upwards, and when your dog sits, mark the behavior and reward.

Some may argue they already train this way, and that's great. I usually do too, but haste can lead to mistakes.

Try it out. Ask your dog to sit while you're not facing them. Did they sit?

If yes, well done!

If not, it might be worth revisiting this explanation.