12 Mar, 2019
Command are words that you and dog share with each other. The most commonly used commands: 'heel' (or 'close'), 'sit', 'down', 'off', 'wait', 'stay', 'leave',' 'come' and 'bed' are very specific in the way they are used: Dogs name followed by: Heel or Close = walk quite closely to my (usually) left leg (but ideally not touching it) Sit = sit down (and stay there – can be reinforced by the ‘stay’ command for long ‘sits’) Down = lie down (and stay there – can be reinforced by the ‘stay’ command for long ‘downs’) Off = get off an object or person (and stay off) Wait = wait in the same spot until I give you another command Stay = stay in the same spot until I return and release you Leave = leave the object, person, food, dropped item, etc Come = come straight to me Bed = go to your bed, blanket, etc These terms are pretty standard – with one benefit being that anyone who knows them can control your dog if you become incapacitated. However in some cases the dog may perform to different commands or perform a different action to the command given depending on past training.