How Teach The "Off" Command
Welcome to the best free advice you can find online about dog behavior training. If you have been searching extensively through both online and offline books and magazines, then you probably have discovered the huge amounts of information that exist on the subject of dog behavior training. Luckily you have found the perfect home here that goes the distance with dog training information.
In today's article we are going to cover a basic dog behavior training command called "Off" or "Down". However you prefer to call it, the meaning is the same. This command simply means "do not touch" and that is the ultimate way by which you want your dog to understand when he hears it.
You will use the "Off" command to warn your dog not to jump on top of you or jump on top of other people. There has probably been at least one time when you were outside at the park or at the beach and then someone's dog, who seemingly has had no dog behavior training, literally jumps all over you when you reached out to pet him.
This is a perfect example of what you are trying to prevent your dog from doing by teaching him to adhere to the "Off" command. You can start this dog behavior training practice by showing your dog a piece of food or a snack and then encouraging him to jump to get it. You then say "Rover, Off"! And if your tone of voice is not enough to get him to go down then use a firm (but positive) push down.
Now here is the important step within this dog behavior training method: As soon as your dog has all four paws on the ground praise him lovingly and give him the snack that you were holding. This will act as the reward he will experience from obeying your command and lowering himself down off of you.
After you have repeated the above dog training step as many times possible then the next step is to take out another piece of food or a dog snack and make sure he sees it. The dog's instinct will make him want to jump up again.
Catch him before he does and warn him with the "Off" command immediately before the dog tries to jump. In time, he will restrain from jumping and so you can reward him and praise him for it. The entire process within this dog behavior training instruction is quite easy to teach your dog.