Karen Hapgood
The importance of obedience applies to more than just the everyday life of your dog. Imagine your family enjoying a BBQ on the front lawn; kids playing ball with your dog and the ball bounces toward the street with a car speeding by!! You can call your children away but what about your dog? A few simple commands of Stay, Come, or even Down could save his life.
These basic commands are easily taught with the proper instructions. At Paws Up we teach obedience with praise. We want your pets to happily respond to your commands. Dogs of all ages can be taught. Our basic obedience classes teach: come, sit, stay, down, wait, heel, stand, plus a few other words that can be used in your daily routine.
‘Heel’ is the command to have your dog walk calmly on your left side without all the pulling and tugging. ‘Sit’ can be used while you are preparing the dog’s meal. Simply have your dog ‘sit/stay’ while you place the bowl on the floor. This is especially useful when you have a dog that likes to jump up and knock the bowl out of your hands. What a mess! The command to ‘Wait’ is one you will find most useful on a daily basis. How many of you have experienced your dog nearly running you over as you try to go through an open door? Or to get in or out of your car? After your dog masters the ‘wait’ command you can confidently ask your dog to ‘wait’ while you go through the door and then invite your dog to follow. After a trip in the car you simply have your dog ‘wait’ until you open the door to let him out. This is much easier than having your dog climb over you and the steering wheel to bolt out the door.
Even your vet will be surprised when you go in for a visit and you tell you dog to ‘stand and stay’ while he is being examined. I know our vets LOVE it when they see our guys come in. It is also much easier on us in the grooming shop when we get a dog that will stand calmly while in the bath tub and on the grooming table. It cuts the time nearly in half compared to trying to groom a dog that spins the entire time on the table.
I hope I have given you an idea of what is possible for you to accomplish in just a few shorts weeks. Your life with your dog will be much more pleasant and you will enjoy having him around more often.