(DISCLAIMER: We are dog trainers and pet sitters. Any tips or information in these blogs are things we have found helpful in our years of experience. We are not veterinarians and any questions about health or nutrition should be directed to your veterinarian.)
Greetings Pawty fans! We are happy to introduce “Pawty Pointers”, a series within the Pawty Blog to bring you helpful tips and information. We hope that you find Pawty Pointers useful and educational!
“Wait” and “Stay” are two commands that will help your dog with impulse control as well as help to keep them safe. In today’s blog we will discuss 10 ways to use these helpful commands.
1. Door Darting: The front door is a very exciting place for your dog. They go out to go on a walk, their family comes home through it, and groceries and the pizza guy come through it. However, it can also be a dangerous place. If your dog runs out the door, they could knock someone down, run away and become lost, or get hit by a car. Teaching your dog to sit and wait at the door until you give him permission to go out can help protect him from these things.
2. If your dog gets excited at meal times, teaching him to sit and wait until you set the food bowl down will help keep your dog from knocking the bowl out of your hands.
3. Is your dog underfoot while you a trying to cook? Teaching your dog to stay out of the kitchen while you are preparing meals can help keep you from tripping over your dog and hurting yourselves. This will also protect your dog from any hot liquids or foods that may spill while cooking.
4. If your dog has a habit of jumping up on you or guests, teaching your dog to stay in a specific place such as a dog bed or a rug can help break them of that habit.
5. In the house, stairs can be a potential hazard. If your dog runs up or down the stairs at the same time as people do, someone could trip and fall. This is especially true if there are children or elderly people in the house. To prevent this, you can teach your dog to wait at the top or bottom of the stairs until the humans are finished using them.
6. Busy parking lots can be a dangerous place for your dog. By teaching your dog to wait after you have opened the car door, you can look around to make sure that no cars are coming before you allow your dog to get out of the car.
7. Besides parking lots, busy streets can also be a dangerous place. It’s a good idea to teach your dog to sit and wait at intersections until you give them permission to cross the street. This will keep them from running into traffic and potentially getting hurt.
8. “Wait” and “Stay” can also keep your dog from getting into things that could be potentially harmful. If you drop a glass and it breaks or you drop a bottle of pills on the floor, you can have your dog sit and stay while you clean up the mess. This type of situation is where the “Leave It” command is also very helpful. We will discuss this command in a later blog.
9. Impress your friends! You can show off how well-behaved your dog is when you have him sit and stay while you walk out of the room or have him sit and stay for 30 seconds or more.
10. “Stay” and “Wait” are also building blocks for more complicated tricks such as balancing a treat on your dog’s nose or learning to jump up and sit on a stool or block. Once your dog knows basic obedience skills, they can learn all sorts of fun tricks!