Basic Dog Training Online Course
Section 5 – Foundation Behaviors
What You Will Learn:
- This section covers the foundation behaviors of name recognition, sit, down, and watch me.
- You should cover Section 3 before beginning this section. You should have a good start with these behaviors before moving on to Sections 6 and 7.
The behaviors in this section are what we call the foundation behaviors because these are the building blocks to pretty much everything else we will cover. Sit, for example, leads us into waits and stays. Eye contact builds us toward better focus and connection which can help tremendously with things like great leash manners. These will all lead us toward a very well-trained dog.
These behaviors can also help lead us toward a well-behaved dog. By rewarding these behaviors, we build more value for them. So when your dog sees you starting to prepare dinner, or getting ready to go for a walk, if you have practiced these behaviors in certain contexts, your dog will start to learn to offer these types of behaviors because good things happen as a result. So, while we want our dogs to be able to perform these behaviors when cued, we also want our dogs to be able to offer these behaviors when there is something they want. This leads us closer to that well-behaved dog we want.
Handouts: The handouts below are in PDF format. Please click to open. You can save them to your device if you wish.
Video (below):
- The Name Game
- Sit: Luring
- Sit From a Down Position
- Sit: Troubleshooting
- Down
- Down: Troubleshooting
- Watch Me
What to do:
Work on these foundation behaviors and incorporate them into your dog’s daily routine. As your dog begins to understand what you want, work in different locations and different contexts.