Things You'll Need
- 6-foot leash
- 30-foot leash
- Small, meaty treats
Instructions
Teach "Wait"
Place your dog on a 6-foot leash and stand at a boundary -- like a front door or curb -- you don't want your dog to cross. Use your body to block the boundary. Don't pull up on the leash. The leash is only there for an emergency.
Block each movement your dog makes to get past you by moving your body. Then, step toward your dog to back it up. When your dog steps back to look at you, say "wait" and hold up your hand, as if motioning to stop.
Take a step backward. If your dog moves to follow, step forward to block. If not, praise and give a release command, such as "OK" or "go free." From now on, each time your dog reaches that boundary, you must give the release command before it can cross.
Practice until your dog can wait several minutes, even with you as far as 30 feet away. If your dog breaks the wait command, you're training too fast. Go back to the last place your dog was successful. Once your dog has accomplished that challenge, you can begin asking for the wait command any time your dog approaches a new boundary. You can also begin practicing without a leash, as long as there are no distractions. As your dog gains more skill, slowly build in distractions that will make the wait command more difficult.
Teach "Come"
Put your dog on a 6-foot leash in an area with no distractions.Toss a treat so your dog moves away from you. Begin to run backward and call your dog excitedly so it starts to chase you.
Once your dog is chasing you, stop running and give the "Come" command. As your dog approaches, hold a treat above your dog's nose so it drops in a sit. Then, reward profusely with treats, praise and petting.
Once your dog can do this, begin adding distractions. You should be able to call your dog off anything
-- people, other dogs, squirrels and whatever else it may encounter. When your dog can do that, change locations. Now attach your dog to a 30-foot line. Start with few distractions again and work your way up to more. Once you can call your dog off anything, anywhere, you and your dog are ready to try an off-leash excursion.
Teach "Emergency Down"
Begin with your dog on a 6-foot leash in a low-distraction area. Use a treat to lure your dog into a down from a stand, not a sit. To do this, move the treat slowly between your dog's front legs toward his back legs. When your dog drops, praise and reward it. Release your dog with the "OK" command so it knows when it is allowed to get up. Don't let your dog decide this on its own.
After a few repetitions with the treat, take the treat out of your hand and repeat the exact same hand motion. Reward with a treat from your pocket when your dog finally drops into the down.
Once your dog accomplishes the emergency down, begin building up the amount of distance between you and it when you ask for the "down." Take one step back and give the hand signal. Reward. Continue to practice until you can get your dog to "down" from about 30 feet away in a distraction-filled area. If your dog breaks the "down," you're trying to train too fast.