When you give a dog any command, you have automatically assumed a dominant role and put the dog into a submissive one. Standing is a somewhat dominant canine posture, whereas the Sit and the Down are submissive canine positions, so it is sometimes difficult to teach a naturally submissive puppy to Stand when told. Given the command “Stand,” many dogs will obey, but quickly lower their tails, ears and head - all submissive body language. Be gentle and patient. A perfect puppy Stand has four feet on the ground (that’s the hard part), but it’s also nice to see the head up and the tail wagging. Don’t worry if at first your puppy would rather be a clown than stand still. Eventually they all grow up.

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Mutual trust and understanding are required between the hunter and his dog before a satisfactory retrieving companion is developed. The intelligent Labrador Retriever, brought up as a house pet with the love and understanding of the person who is to take him hunting, requires a minimum of training in order to accomplish the job. Much of this training can be done in the house and a few minutes a day is enough. Such things as blind retrieves and hand signals can become a game in the house with the dog learning to trust his nose as one of the important by-products.

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Now that your Pit Bull has learned to follow the command come, he is ready for his next trick. Another very useful behavior that you can teach your dog is to learn how to sit. Sit is one of the simplest tricks to teach. Learning this behavior is vital because it is an effective way to control your dog and also help you set the foundation for other training to follow.

It is very easy to teach your Pit Bull how to sit. Stand right in front of him while holding a treat slightly above his eye level. Say sit and then move the treat closer to him until it is just above his eyes. You may have to put your other hand on his rump to prevent him from jumping up. If he takes a step back instead of sitting down, place his rear against a wall. When he begins to look up and bend his hind legs, say good and then give him the treat. Repeat this process again. Have him bend his legs more and more this time until he is in a full sit position before saying good and giving him the treat.

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Teaching your dog to heel is one of the most basic and important dog training commands you can teach. With an active and younger dog or puppy, it can be especially difficult, but with patience and consistency, it doesn’t really have to be that hard to train your dog to heel.

The best time to practice teaching your dog to heel is before you’ve begun going on walks. Your dog is easily distracted out on the street and you will need his attention to properly teach the heel command. Also, you want to be in a patient and pleasant mood. Do not begin this, or any other dog training session, if you are angry or in a testy mood. You should not train your dog in an unkind or rough manner. Furthermore, it is best to teach the heel command after your dog knows his name and the “Sit” command.

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If there is only one command that you can teach your Pit Bull that command should be to come to you when he is called. Aside from being a neat trick, being called on command can actually save your dogs life. You can never be sure that he will not bolt through the door or escape from his collar. For this reason, getting him to come back to you is very important and should be the first training lesson that he gets.

If you think about it, your Pit Bull already knows how to come. He automatically comes every time he sees you holding the food bowl, his favorite toy, or his leash. You may have even used the word come to get his attention, which gives you a good head start. The trick is to have him respond to come all the time with the same excitement that he has during mealtime.

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The “Sit” command is an easy way to have your puppy show off his good manners. He can sit when visitor comes, when you meet a friend out walking, when you are preparing his dinner, or when he has to wait for just about anything. It is also one of the easiest exercises to practice because you can ask him to sit whenever and wherever you like. A Sit is especially good for little everyday things, like having his leash attached.

The command is to say his name and then Sit! All commands should be preceded by the dog’s name; that is to get his attention so he knows you are not talking to anyone else. Puppies are proud to have a name. It is when they reach adolescence that they, like other teenagers, pretend they do not hear you. Any time you see the puppy about to sit, quickly say, “Sit, good dog.” If he is already sitting nicely give him a “good sit” reward.

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In teaching your puppy the “Come” command, position yourself several feet away from him. Kneel or bend down, say his name and then come, at the same time you are clapping your hands. Repeat this several times if necessary to get the puppy to come to you. As the puppy begins to understand this exercise, and as you begin to get his attention more easily, move back a few feet farther.

Do not make the mistake of calling him from a distance of twenty-five or thirty yards when he is not paying attention to you. If you do that and he ignores you, you are teaching him that it is okay to ignore you. You are defeating the purpose of puppy pre-training, which is to pattern him to pay attention to you and to do what you ask of him.

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If you have a child, you’ve probably heard those familiar words, “Can we keep him?” Dog’s aren’t just a man’s best friend anymore; they’ve become the whole family’s friend. If you’re like any typical family, the children will probably spend the most time with your new dog. This is why it’s very important you teach your child how to take care of him. Here are a few dog rules to teach them:

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Teaching a young puppy to come when called starts off perfectly. The puppy learns his name and that people use it when they want to give him something fabulous like dinner or a new toy, so he comes running. Well, he soon learns it is not a perfect world. He may hear his name called to come in from outdoors just when he is having fun or while enjoying a nap.

The biggest, the number one mistake people make with this command is to say Come!” when there is no possible way to enforce it. The puppy only has to disobey a few times when he hears “Come!” and you have taught him (and he has learned) that he has an option. He can come, or not.

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