Orlovia
Since you are obviously particularly interested in the commands and commands, as I can guess from your lively comments on the social network, I have continued to deal with them. And this time with how you get your dog to do it when you are out and about without a leash, that he finds his way back to you on command, and with how you calm him down, so to speak. Here a distinction is made between real stopping, i.e. when your four-legged friend has the impulse to run away, possibly after another animal, and the well-known “Stop”. And inspired by yesterday’s report about dingoes, I will also describe in the following article how your dog only approaches his bowl when you give him the okay.
The Classic: Off!
The typical classic, which also includes the command “Off!”, simply has to be uncompromising. If there is a quarrel with another dog or your darling has something in his mouth that he should let go of immediately, this command is used. Your tone of voice must be strict and clear here. For example, if your dog has a slipper in its mouth, now is the time to do it: bend forward a little and raise your flat hand to get your dog’s attention.
If your sweetheart doesn’t drop the shoe immediately after your sharp tone, you have to show physical effort. You grab the object and, while still in your dog’s mouth, pull it toward the ground. Here he has to release it. An equally clear “Ugh!” is desirable. If that doesn’t work either, you trade with him or her. Your dog should release the item in return for a treat. And last resort is the mustache grip. Because if you press his lips together, the pressure on the gums will be uncomfortable and the learning effect will be emphatic.
To learn this pattern from scratch, practice with a puppy using two objects that he likes to play with. He has to keep releasing one to have in his mouth for second place. Because only then can he take the beloved another toy in it. As soon as he lets the first toy slide out, you call the command “Out!”, which may also be limited to your sweetheart releasing something. With this, your little fur child learns very quickly that if it obeys, it will immediately receive a reward.
Stopping When Your Dog Puts His Hands on His Legs
Especially when it comes to dogs with a strong hunting instinct, I often hear, “But there’s nothing stopping him and he doesn’t listen either. Well, he’s a hunting dog!” – complete nonsense. Of course, a dog has a hunting instinct and a Russel certainly has that more pronounced than a Chihuahua, but let’s be honest: Every dog is an animal, so every dog also has a hunting instinct and does not free it from obedience! After all, a child is also a child and likes to play so much that it doesn’t stop on the street when Mom calls? That would be fatal. Therefore, once very clearly, as well as the unavoidable command: Of course, your dog can listen to you, as long as his ears work, which they also do when there is a meal 🙂 So the “stop” command is uncompromising. Your tone of voice should therefore express this unequivocally and firmly.
An additional signal, which can also be heard from a distance, could be a whistle. If you can’t whistle loudly, just clap. Your dog must immediately turn around and return to your left when you give this STOP command. If it doesn’t work when practicing this command to bring your dog back completely and with a single-use, the leash can fly in this case. And clearly in the direction of your sweetheart. Here you have to assert yourself from the start, otherwise, your darling will run away from you one day and you won’t be able to stop him. If an object like the leash hits your four-legged friend, his hunting instinct is interrupted in his concentration and his attention is all yours again.
That is the purpose of this exercise. And this line throw only works as long as you are still within reach. So you have to be wide awake yourself. If you have eye contact, you can then add “Here!” so that your dog knows exactly that he belongs on your left side. You can practice with him when you go for a walk by sending him to the “sit” position and walking on. He has to stay seated and only get up and come to you when you tell him to. Very important, however: Always allow a moment to elapse between two commands so that your dog does not get confused.
Eating on Permission Command
Now one or the other reader will ask themselves what this command is supposed to do. There are two senses here: The animal eats in a controlled manner, i.e. not too much and nothing foreign, which also eliminates the risk of poisoning from poisoned baits. In addition, you are the leader, you prove that when your dog waits for your signal.
This means that your dog will not accept anything from strangers, which is definitely an advantage, especially if it is guarding the house and yard at the same time. For example, the command you give him or her the food could be “okay”. Short and to the point.
To do this, you bend your head in the direction of the bowl and give the command. You have previously filled and put the bowl in sight of your dog, but given it, the command “sit”, which you only solve with the “okay”. Accordingly, your sweetheart is now sitting there and waiting for your proverbial okay. So your four-legged friend is only really allowed to go to the bowl when you say “okay”, so please wait a moment so that he has to “sit” while still being able to see the food.
You can also practice in between with individual treats that he has in front of his nose but only gets if you ask him to. The water bowl for drinking must always be accessible to your sweetheart.