How to Train a Dog

by Lauren, age 9, from US

Hi! My name is Lauren, and I am 10. I am a great dog lover and have two of my own, named Max and Tess. Tess is a 4-year old Bitsa, and Max is a 6-month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the Ruby shade. This article is about training your dogs. If you practice, they'll be obedient in no time!

The command "sit"

This is one of the most common commands. Just push your dog's bottom down, and say sit at the same time. Give praise and a tit bit. Practice this all the time, until you can say the command and the dog will sit by itself.

The command "come"

This is the most important and easiest commands. Start off with the dog on a long lead. Go a short way from your dog. Call "come" and show the dog a tit bit. When he/she comes over, reward with praise and give him/her the tit bit. Every day, increase the distance in between you and your dog. When you're ready try it with the lead off and finally with no tit bit.

The command "down"

Put your dog in a sitting position. Very gently hold down the back and pull the legs forward. Make sure you do this very gently. Say down. Give the dog a tit bit. Practice this every day until you can call the word and the dog will automatically lie down.

The command "stay"

This is a tricky one. Put your dog in a sit position and hold your palm in front of him. Say stay. Walk back one step. Wait for 5 seconds and praise when the dog does the right thing. Every day increase the distance.

In every command you may want to use a lead. Remember, if you don't have the time, you may want to send your dog to obedience training instead.

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