Dog Training Basics: Start With "Sit"

Many people's experience with dog training can be described like this; when their dog is six months to a year old, they sign up for a dog obedience class; some make it through the six or eight week course and some do not; but for many, that is the end of their dog's education, and they describe their pet as "an obedience school dropout."

To these people, I say, "Let's be honest." The dog didn't drop out. You did. After all, who didn't drive to the class or decided to skip the session?"

The Problem with Obedience School

But in fairness to dropouts, let's also admit that a dog obedience class can be a frustrating experience for both dog and owner if this class is the dog's first experience with training. Obedience classes traditionally begin with the heel command, which is actually one of the more complex things you can ask a dog to understand. It's like expecting a child to learn algebra when they haven't had basic arithmetic.

When you give a dog the heel command, what you're asking her to do is not one specific thing. What she is supposed to do depends entirely on what you're doing. She should walk when you walk, turn when you turn, and stop when you stop. Add to that the fact that if this is her first training experience, your poor dog doesn't even understand that training is what is going on. She's not a bad dog, and she's not a stupid dog, but she not only doesn't know what you're asking her to do, she also probably doesn't even understand that you're asking her to do something!