# What commands are mandatory for you and why?



## Baileyshuman (Apr 26, 2021)

Our pup is 16-weeks old and knows basic commands. He’s also currently doing all the usual naughty puppy things (from what I know at least). 

He knows;

Bailey
come
sit
down
stand
stay
wait
paw (both)
kennel
basic heel
look at me
don’t pull
wait at doors
working on “bring here” and recall

I have so many more things that I want to teach him - of course, we take it slow and our training sessions are short and fun. I just wondered, what are the commands that you use on a daily basis? Like the most important commands to you


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## ChickiefromTN (Jun 16, 2020)

I use the names of places a lot since we live on acreage. For example, home, the garden, the sticks (where we are cutting trees), barn, bedroom, etc.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

The first and most important ones for me are : Here and STOP!!!! (meaning stop what you are doing and sit). They know many more but the life saving ones are top priority. And.. they pick out words that are meaningful to them, during our normal conversations.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

OFF.
😄


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Every "command" given! You don't do your dog or yourself any favors by allowing any command to be optional.


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## Baileyshuman (Apr 26, 2021)

Thanks everyone! ☺


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## Baileyshuman (Apr 26, 2021)

tim_s_adams said:


> Every "command" given! You don't do your dog or yourself any favors by allowing any command to be optional.


thank you! Yep, none of our commands are “optional”, I was just wondering what I should teach next and wanted to see what you all teach your puppies 🥰


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

OK, (retired teacher nit-picking here) regarding the 'don't pull' command: as long as you have to say that, the dog still pulls. I believe in consequences for pulling, no verbal command. If the timing is off, even for a flash of a second, you will be marking the pulling with this command and thus increase the frequency of pulling.


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## 44eyes (May 17, 2021)

With a puppy, I use Leave it and Drop it more than any other command lol. It works for anything, my fingers, passing dogs, random sh*t on the ground.


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## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

Whats interesting is "commands" they learn on their own. Trin for example starts barking and herding the kids from going upstairs in the evening when I ask them to "Go to bed". She knows they will go upstairs and she wants them to stay so she barks at them to stay where they are and follows them barking all the way to the staircase. Never taught her that "command" she just made the association.


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## Rionel (Jun 17, 2020)

I also use "left" and "right". Working on "back" so she will backup. The left and right are handy when she's on a long line out in front of me and I want her to change directions.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

Here are some additional ones in no particular order: Last time, Go potty, Get some water, On by, Gee and Haw, Go ahead, Go find, Chase, Give, Gentle,Take it, No cats.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

"Mandatory" and " most important" are 2 different things.

Yah all commands are mandatory but #1 is "Come!" or "Here!" and #2 is way down the list.

Stand, too far, in, up, down, watch, listen, jump, gentle, stay, OK are all used.
If my dog(s) comes to me without hesitation on the double, we can work out almost anything from there.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Here
Down
Out

Everything else is dependent on your life with your dog.


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## JunoVonNarnia (Apr 8, 2020)

GSD07 said:


> Here are some additional ones in no particular order: Last time, Go potty, Get some water, On by, Gee and Haw, Go ahead, Go find, Chase, Give, Gentle,Take it, No cats.


What's gee & haw? And no cats means leave-the-cats-alone?


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

JunoVonNarnia said:


> What's gee & haw? And no cats means leave-the-cats-alone?


Gee and haw are left and right in horse speak.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

JunoVonNarnia said:


> What's gee & haw? And no cats means leave-the-cats-alone?


Yes, like David said, commands for changing directions right and left. No cats is the most important command that means 'Do not even think about chasing cats!'. He can hang out with cats just absolutely no chasing them.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

David Winners said:


> Gee and haw are left and right in horse speak.


Opposite
Slight correction for complete clarity; Gee is right and haw is left. In dog mushing too


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

Horse speak? I did not know that. It's what mushers/jorers use for directions to the dog too. I have run with a momma of an Iditarod and Yukon Quest finisher and she (obviously) had that down pat. Agis is still iffy with them but we're redefining our relationship with running and I never remember in other scenarios.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

WNGD said:


> Opposite
> Slight correction for complete clarity; Gee is right and haw is left. In dog mushing too


I use left and right, so I claim ignorance 

Thanks for the clarification!


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

David Winners said:


> I use left and right, so I claim ignorance
> 
> Thanks for the clarification!


I still have to hold my hand up and find the "L"


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

WNGD said:


> I still have to hold my hand up and find the "L"


Unless you're like me - one is a backwards L, one is a forward L, and I get confused about which one is which. Drives my husband nuts. For whatever reason, even as a child, the only place I can reliably tell L from R is in a car (which is a handy thing for driving, haha). That MAY be one contributing factor to Agis being a bit iffy on 'gee' and 'haw'.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

mmm...
i believe “come” should be the most mandatory for every dog owner.
specific to my dog, probably “drop it”
daily.... there are many (most?) days that i use no commands at all.
he’s 8, we’re in sync by now.


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## Baileyshuman (Apr 26, 2021)

wolfy dog said:


> OK, (retired teacher nit-picking here) regarding the 'don't pull' command: as long as you have to say that, the dog still pulls. I believe in consequences for pulling, no verbal command. If the timing is off, even for a flash of a second, you will be marking the pulling with this command and thus increase the frequency of pulling.


ah okay, thank you. that makes sense. My thinking was that I could eventually phase out the command? On our first walks, when he’d pull, I’d stop walking and say “don’t pull” - we did this for a few weeks. And as of now, he’ll walk quite good, unless he sees something that he wants. 

It’s been a little hard for me to figure out what corrections puppies get, as I’ve seen mixed reviews. For pulling, is stopping enough or is there something else that should be done?


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## Chloé&Buck (Jul 1, 2020)

The more a dog is naturally balanced (through solid socialization, enough freedom to learn to analyze and navigate the environment, and exercise) the less commands you will really "need" on a daily basis.
The dog from our local bar has never known any command (he doesn't even recall) and has never needed one. He navigates the neighborhood like a pro - he'll actually stop at crosswalks and drivers do stop to let him cross, it's fun to watch - and doesn't cause the least trouble. Even knows how to "use" random customers to get these automatic doors opened for him, and get food his owners' small grocery shop that is adjacent to the bar.
My female that I had as a puppy knows a lot of commands that I just taught for fun, but would do fine with only a good recall + a couple of convenience commands like "place" and "stay".
My male that I adopted as a young adult needs a lot more control from me, because he's slightly cukoo from lack of real life experiences when he was younger, so acts ways more intense in various situations. (he's made progress though, he's now mostly easy to control off leash).


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## Chloé&Buck (Jul 1, 2020)

Some commands do phase out naturally as you progress. 
My female was inclined to pull when she was younger (the Boxer kind of bulldozer), which I had to correct quite vigorously because she's a tough cookie and wouldn't give a **** about me just stopping or trying to distract her from the target. So I would give a firm snap and "A-Ah !" and ask to heel.
Over time of course that phased out and she became such a good listener. Now I can walk her anywhere off leash.
Fun fact, not only commands phase out but they can evolve in ways you hadn't originally planned. I taught her a very solid "stop" command when she was younger, because she was a chaser and I needed to be able to freeze her instantly in place in some situations. My "stop" command actually means stop+ sit+ stay where you are. So let's say we come across a deer, I say "stop !", she'll go into sit/stay right where she is, and I can go leash her if I deem necessary.
Now when we walk in urban areas, pavements, etc. I would originally use this command to make her sit/wait at crosswalks in the first phase, because I really wanted her to get that she can never put a paw on the road without permission.
But as we progressed and she became such a smart walker, the whole sit/wait routine became a bit heavy and unnecessary, so one day as I was lazy I just tested her by saying "sss sss sss" instead of the real "stop" command, I saw her slow down and kind of stop, but hesitate to sit, looking back at me like "what's this ?"
And what happened in the next few weeks is that through hesitation, this "sss sss" sound evolved into a new command of its own so to speak.
Now we have this communication mode where I won't even say a word most of the time. When we get near a road, I'll "sss sss" her to slow her down and get her attention, then I'll click my tongue, just tap my thigh if I want her near me, point to what direction she should go next, etc. So mostly non verbal. We've been rolling like this for a while and doing great.
I had absolutely not imagined we would get to this point, to be honest, I didn't even know it was possible before I experienced it.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

Sss, tong clicks, whistles, pointing fingers, clapping vs a word are all commands, it’s a handlers preference what to use to communicate. There is a competition obedience and there is functional obedience, and the latter is done in any way that helps us get in tune with our dog.


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## Chloé&Buck (Jul 1, 2020)

Partly true, but there are nuances.
Some of the sounds or other cues I use are not commands per se, and are not about obedience. They are more about feedback.
And the dogs have their say too, so more liké having a conversation than giving "commands".


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

Let’s call them cues then. Doesn’t really matter. They watch our body language, they learn routines of our lives. They still do what we want them to do as we teach them that through our feedback. Obedience training is not just yanking on the choke as often portrayed on this board. 
For example, I don’t like my dog to sit before crossing the street because I don’t want ppl to step on his tail accidentally. So I thought this behavior differently then you did. Now, when we approach a crossing we both stop, without a word or any other indication besides me stopping myself, and my dog does not choose to sit even though he has a choice. 

Obedience is for every day life too, not just for trials. We can call it magic and mind reading down the road but it all starts with basic training.


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## Chloé&Buck (Jul 1, 2020)

Sure, I'm not saying obedience is for trials. I don't do competition so I don't think competition.
I'm just distinguishing between commands and other types of feedback because I think it's interesting and it's part or the things I really enjoy exploring with my dogs.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

The root of this learning is pattern cognizance. If you are consistent with your communication (cues, commands, posture... They are all the same thing) the dog will learn what all those things mean. They will also pick up on things that you do unintentionally and you probably don't realize.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

jarn said:


> Unless you're like me - one is a backwards L, one is a forward L, and I get confused about which one is which. Drives my husband nuts. For whatever reason, even as a child, the only place I can reliably tell L from R is in a car (which is a handy thing for driving, haha). That MAY be one contributing factor to Agis being a bit iffy on 'gee' and 'haw'.


Do you spell left with a backwards L? 
*







*


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## Jedi Shepherd (May 21, 2021)

Command “Place” is probably going to be used a lot so for me I think that’ll be a top one.


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## xthine (Nov 9, 2018)

Hi Baileyshuman!!

Josie is now about 2 and a half years old now and we still do trick training on the weekdays twice a day.

Commands I find useful in our day to day lives:


bring
toss
switch and right
here
-halt 

hold
kennel
nose
touch
-place
- close and open 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Rionel (Jun 17, 2020)

jarn said:


> Horse speak? I did not know that. It's what mushers/jorers use for directions to the dog too.


Now I'm gonna have to go back and watch Togo again.


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## Rionel (Jun 17, 2020)

David Winners said:


> The root of this learning is pattern cognizance. If you are consistent with your communication (cues, commands, posture... They are all the same thing) the dog will learn what all those things mean. They will also pick up on things that you do unintentionally and you probably don't realize.


Very true.


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## Otisons (May 26, 2021)

I usually using
come; sit; down; stand; stay and wait 😌


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## Honey Maid (Dec 25, 2020)

The standard, Come, Sit, Down, Stand, Stay, Wait, Leave It, Open - for when I want to look into his mouth, Let's Go! - for when I want him to head in my direction, when I continue down the trail, Take it, Find it, I know there are others, but this old brain can't remember them right now.


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## Tennessee (Apr 13, 2017)

recall, leave it, go inside & outside, be quiet, bark.

Recall obviously it’s pretty important to be able to get your dog back to you if he’s not leashed.

leave it- immediately stop what you’re doing and leave that thing alone. This works for both calling him off chasing an animal, aggression towards a stranger, and to stop messing with all sorts of things around the house.

go inside & outside - I have two commands, one to go inside and one to go outside. It’s used as a release when they sit by the door & also works great for getting them in or out of the house if I’m not physically standing next to the door. Go inside is especially useful, I like being able to send them to the porch to wait for me if I’m outside and want them contained but I might be talking to a neighbor or something. Go outside isn’t as useful but it is convenient when I say it and they run ahead and wait at the door. A GSD and a Malinois at your feet can make stairs and tight hallways a chore.

be quiet - self explanatory

bark - nothing quite says back the heck off like a GSD or a Malinois going nuts when you say a word in an aggressive sounding foreign language. It makes me feel better when my wife goes for a run or takes the kiddo for a walk if she’s got our Mal with her. He’d back it up if need be but there’s not many people out there that’d try to go through an angry Mal K9. (He’s not actually a K9, he was trained in Schutzhund but every scumbag out there is gonna assume he’s my patrol dog and the missus has him out for a walk. And yes, obviously there’s female cops but my wife isn’t going to be mistaken for one).


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

@Tennessee Your thinking is correct! I had a police cruiser pull over, again! , because they thought exactly that, that he was a “patrol dog and the missus has him out for a walk” lol They told me so themselves. Not a malinois though, just a regular GSD.


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## Tennessee (Apr 13, 2017)

GSD07 said:


> @Tennessee Your thinking is correct! I had a police cruiser pull over, again! , because they thought exactly that, that he was a “patrol dog and the missus has him out for a walk” lol They told me so themselves. Not a malinois though, just a regular GSD.


Ha! It's nice to know, the people who would know think the same thing. I think it's a pretty safe bet that the criminal element have the same frame of reference. 

It's been my experience that people see GSD and think K9 way more than Mal. Cops know of course, but people are way more scared of my female than the male. Most people think he's a mutt or don't know the breed. Anybody likely to do something, knows better than to roll the dice with either breed so it's 6 one, half dozen the other I suppose. But "a regular GSD" is still the better deterrent in my view. And you don't have to live with a four legged crack head the rest of the time 😅


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## Beau's Mom (Nov 9, 2017)

Beau knows many commands/cues, and they all get used. As others have noted, a lot of them he just picked up, just from living with me day to day. Most of them are for fun or convenience or just conversation. A few are for safety - he has good recall, a good down/stay that gets used around little kids, a good heel for when we have to pass strangers in close quarters. Not competition good! Just useful daily good 🙂. I’d say the two commands that get the most urgent use are “Leave it” and “Stop”. He’s very curious, and some days I swear he wants to sniff or poke or nudge or lick or grab everything he encounters. And he can get very focused on an objective, or perseverate in defensive or territorial behavior, and when he gets intense about something it seems those two commands are the only ones that can find his brain. Especially “Leave it”. I can’t imagine living with him without that one.


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## AboutAbby (Jun 19, 2021)

WNGD said:


> Opposite
> Slight correction for complete clarity; Gee is right and haw is left. In dog mushing too


I'm lurking everywhere to learn, what I don't even know to ask and because of WNGD, I now have my signature. Thanks everyone. What great "trainers" y'all are.


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