Three Things That Could Save Your Dog's Life

(Written back in February, thought I'd put it up here)






When people think of the first things they should teach their dogs, they think of things like "sit" and leash walking. While important (at least the leash walking) they aren't the three I consider absolutely essential. If not for the #3 on this list, I might be posting this morning about how my dog died. Instead, he's bouncing a ball off my foot.






#1 Down. Some sort of absolute "hold it right there and absolutely don't change position one bit until I tell you otherwise." I use "wait" for a "freeze" sort of thing. Nibbler's been known to not even put a paw down in this. This is above and beyond any recall because you can always just go get your dog. A dog needs to be able to hold stock still remotely. If they get out of the yard and wander across a busy road, you don't want them coming BACK to you. You want them to stay perfectly still while you go get their dumb little butts. I use it when I'm loading my bike on and off the bus and need Nibbler to hang out on the side of some busy road and wait for me. If you make no other command PERFECT, make it this one. It can also function as #2 and #3, with your dog freezing and you doing the rest.






#2 Recall. Recalls are beautiful, and the foundation for off-leash work. Even if a dog's "never" off-leash, there will be at least one point in their life where you'll need it. It keeps them out of danger and helps build trust. Also, recalls help you control your dog in situations where they'll approach something dangerous.






#3 Leave it. While 1 and 2 can function AS leave its, this tells the dog that the object is permanently off-limits, in a way. Not just that moment, but forever. A dog could come out of their down and go after it again, but this tells them what they need to avoid. Last night, I dropped a shard of broken glass on the floor, and it was covered in chicken grease. Nibbler dove for it (I'm a messy cook) and I screeched a "leave it." If he hadn't stopped with it probably halfway in his mouth, I would've been lucky to spend a thousand dollars at the emergency vet. I can't begin to imagine what it would've done to him, and I could've lost him on the way there.






I can't begin to stress how important these three are. I practice them all the time. Fetch games often have a "down" or "Wait" component to them, and I practice leave its all the time, often with treats. Recalls are trained really intensively as puppies, since our dogs run off-leash with us. I remember going through an entire gentle leader bait pouch of treats PER WALK when Adara was a young puppy. Sophie's recall was good for almost a mile, and saved her life several times.






If anyone I know ever, ever needs help training these things on their dogs, don't hesitate to ask. Anyone at all who can't afford dog training (I offer pretty cheap rates) will get help with these golden 3. All other training is fluff, really.