Dog Training: Training Commands and How to Use Them - Lesson #1 "Sit"
 The Basic Commands: and How to Use Them! This is the foundation of all your training. Without mastery of these five commands, you will not have a trained and obedient dog. Any pack leader will be able to administer any one of these five commands, and receive instant acknowledgment of obedience. These commands are easy to learn, but hard to master. The way in which you introduce these commands should be both fun and gratifying. Sit, Wait, Down, Heel, Crate, and Leave It will serve as the primary means of communication with your dog. You will follow the same phases for all of the five commands. The three stages are learning, reinforcing, and distracting. Although there will be slight variations depending on which command you are trying to teach, you first teach your dog with food, reinforce with a Comfort Chain Dog Collar , and then distract with loud sounds and objects. You can always add more as you build into a strong pack, but learning the basics is a must. Here is a detailed yet simple how to master the five basic commands, enjoy this one. Sit- Since sit is the easiest to learn and master, it is where you should always start. I don’t care if your dog is 8 weeks old or 8 years old, teaching a dog to sit is simple. When your puppy is 8 weeks, start with a nylon leash and collar.  
Take a treat and place it in your hand. Once you have the treat, make a fist and roll it over the top of the dog’s nose, forcing your dog into the sit position. As soon as they sit, give them the treat, and as much verbal and physical positive praise as possible. Repeat this process until your dog has mastered it. It would be helpful to start using a marker or clicker training device. All you do is hold your Authority(reg) Adult Health & Wellness Dog Treats in one hand, the clicker in the other. Ask your dog to sit, and when they comply click the clicker and give the dog the food reward. Here you begin positively reinforcing a behavior by means of clicker. As your dog gets older and has matured and knows what sit means you will want to bring your Comfort Chain Dog Collar for reinforcement and Premium Latigo Leads 3/4 in. x 6 ft. for proper leash corrections and reinforcement. Make sure you have the right sized chain collar properly secured. Take a nice strong leather lead and attach it to your dogs training collar. Have the dog walk with you and ask them to sit. If they sit, verbal praise as much as possible. If your dog does not comply, snap the leather lead quick and firm. And say, “no, sit.” Once you have the proper technique with the chain collar, you are all set. The dog will now begin to work for a praise reward rather than always food. Comply; get food or Comply; get verbal praise. The snap of the leather lead should be quick and sharp. Always snap the leash and never hold the chain tight for extended time, doing so will choke your dog. It should only take a few times until your dog begins to sit when told. Just remember technique before anything else. The dog should be challenged, but never hurt. The final step and pattern is consistent with all of the other 5 basic commands. Once your dog has the ability to sit and wait for an extended period of time, you then introduce distractions. Distractions are things such as basketballs, loud noises, treats.I found that Air KONG(reg) Squeaker Dog Toys worked the best with my dog. Learn how to use these items to your advantage. You want to build a nice strong dog; and should never startle easy. However, if you add the distraction to soon, your dog will be afraid. Don’t add the distraction at all; your dog will be easily startled. Many people make the mistake of adding distractions too early. A general rule of thumb is waiting until the dog has mastered sitting and waiting before adding distractions. Build slowly and skillfully. Once your dog reaches 10-14 months, this is the ideal time to introduce distractions. With older dogs, make sure u do not transition into adding distractions too early. Very simply, an 8 week old puppy is going to be afraid of a basketball, time and patience with distractions is essential to having a well trained dog. 
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