2 Commands That Could Save Your Dog's Life

For some people having a well-trained dog is a must. For other people having a well-trained dog would just be nice. No matter which way you look at it however there are two commands that are absolutely essential for any dog. These are commands that could save your dog's life. 

The Down Command 

Yes the down command is one of those life-saving exercises that should be taught to every dog from a young age. In fact the down command is the exercise that develops that master dog relationship. I always tell my clients that when your dog is 20 feet away, you say down and it immediately drops to the ground without you doing anything else will be the day that your dog says you are the master. 

Another added bonus is the fact that a lot of things have been written about aggression and one thing that many of them talk about is that if your dog had been taught the down command at an early age you probably would not have seen the aggression. 

As I mentioned the down command can also be a life-saving exercise. For example your dog sees that squirrel and starts running after it toward the street and here comes a car. You yell down and the dog drops to the ground before it ever reaches the street. The command just saved your dogs life, I've actually seen this happen on multiple occasions. 

The Come Command 

As you can imagine the come command or the recall is another exercises that can save your dog's life. This is another exercise that should be taught to your dog at an early age before it realizes it doesn't have to come when you call. I tell my clients to keep their dogs on a leash until their dog learns how to come so it never learns it doesn't have to. 

In teaching this exercise you want to do something spectacular every time your dog comes when called. That can be by giving it a ton of praise, a toy, and even a treat. What we are trying to do in the beginning is to develop a habit in the dog so that when he hears the command come he does it each and every time without even thinking about it. 

And here's one important thing to remember you never want to punish your dog when it finally does come to you. For example, it got out the front door and is running around the neighborhood, you are frustrated, you are angry and finally the dog does come to you. You have to give it praise. Punishing the dog at this point will only teach it not to come to you again. 

At this point you may be saying to yourself why is it important to teach both commands when one should do the trick. I have found over the years that most dogs respond better to either the come command or the down command. By teaching your dog both commands you'll have two tools that can accomplish the same job and maybe save your dogs life one day.

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