Continued from page 1
"Here," of course, is
terse call in order that tells pup to come to you. It is obviously more concise and effectual than "Come on in to me, now" or "Get in here, right now" and helps to avoid confusion. "Sit" and/or "Stay" are crisp directives that set up both owner's authority and grab pup's attention. Actually, “Sit” command should also mean for dog to “Stay,” until released with “OK,” or “Alright.” "Kennel," is a short, business-like order that encompasses a variety of meanings and eliminates need for additional commands. For dog it means “Get in house,” "Get in your bed," "Get in your kennel run," "Get in your doghouse," "Get in car," or "Get in crate in car," depending on circumstances of moment. Obviously, such single-word commands are much more effective and time-saving than all of above-mentioned separate ones Thus, his vocabulary has been slimmed, but not his understanding of, or obedience to, your various orders.
His later training will expand his vocabulary with new directives of "Heel," "Wait" and "Down." Since you've used "No" to stop your dog's various unwanted acts, such as jumping up on people, word "Down" can now specify only one thing to dog: lie down. Eventually, he can be taught still more commands, such as “Off,” to tell to get off furniture or your bed. Always keep in mind that these should be selected on basis of crispness, simplicity and whenever possible, pertinence to a variety of situations.
The use of fewest and shortest commands possible cannot fail to make your job of training and dog's job of learning much faster and easier. There's just no sense in overloading his vocabulary. Keep it and his body lean and you'll raise an alert, responsive, well-behaved, healthy dog…a pooch you can be proud to own.
John R. Falk has authored many magazine articles and four books on dogs. He is the webmaster of his own website: http://www.dogs4ever.com where current and prospective dog owners can find a varied menu of interesting, informative items on our best pals.
