The basic commands. Sit Spot. Come Spot. Down Spot. Stay Spot. We al know them. Many people shout them constantly. Sit Spot. Spot Sit. Sit! Sit, sit, sit! I've even heard a rather amusing variation of sit often uttered by 'macho' men, which consists of, "PUT YOUR BUTT TO THE GROUND!"

There is something about basic commands that many people miss. You must teach them to the dog. They do not automatically come with the understanding of sit, down, come, and stay. A dog must be shown a command until they understand it no matter where they are. Sit must be shown to having the bottom to the ground and the upper part elevated.

Plus, you must teach the dog that when you say, "Sit" one time that means to sit. Out of frustration many people have trained their animals to "Sit, sit, sit!". On the third sit, the animal sits. One time, and consistency is the road to proper understanding of commands. They must be used inside and out, in the store and at the vet. The voice tone must be firm, and when the command is completed you MUST reward your dog.

Now, this is also missed. You have to teach your dog what it means to be rewarded. Puppies are rewarded with attention. You must say "good puppy" while rubbing and tickling the puppy. After a few weeks, your puppy will associate "good puppy" with rubbing and good stuff. The reward has been learned and you need only to say "good puppy" and later "good" for the dog to become ecstatic and happy that they have pleased you.

When you teach your dog to come, never smack, scream, yell, or anything else when the dog comes to you. Even if it has been running wild for fifteen minutes. Once you get the dog always tell it good. I know it's irritating. I've run after a dog down a highway more then once. BUT. If you punish the dog when it comes to you, it will not want to come and you only destroy your work. The dog does not understand the punishment is for the running and not coming, it only knows that it came and you yelled at it. Therefore coming to your makes you yell, so it is defiantly a bad thing.

Time and patience. It takes months for the dog to consistently respond to the commands in all situations. You must be consistent, you must be repetitive, and you must reward the dog for every action. You may feel like a schizophrenic at times for screaming "DOWN" and then cooing, "Good Boy" but it builds a better, more confident dog, sure that its actions will bring you praise.