What do you feel is the most important command to train?

[gemy]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

Good question!

I agree, leave it and come are critical. But the one I've used most successfully and am thankful for is STOP. It works 100 percent of the time on both Yorkies, whereas our COME isn't perfect. If they've got something better going on, come doesn't always work first time. STOP, however, is critical. If there's a hazard between me and the dogs, I don't want them to come. If another dog is harassing them, I don't want them running to me and inciting the other dog. I want them to stop and let me take care of the problem.

I agree 100% STOP is the command that is invaluable. Leave it and drop it are very important too. Next is Come

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by bettyeanne

I suppose we thought that our perfect little angel would come home understanding what we said!! We tried what the books said and wound up hiring a trainer because we couldn't even teach Toto to walk on her leash. When we put her tiny harness on her, she flattened herself out flat on the floor like we had swatted her with a fly swatter and wouldn't move for anything. Anywho, her trainer had us make a list of the words we were already using as "commands" and trained her accordingly. She quickly learned from Paul.

Theennnnn ........ he "trained us"!!! Seriously ... "stay" has been the best and most useful command. If she runs, has something in her mouth, etc., as soon as we sternly say "stay", she either stops in her tracks, drops whatever she has in her mouth or whatever she may be doing wrong, she stops immediately. She also knows "no", when walking on the leash "stay with me" means to trot in front of us and on the left side. We can say a few things in "conversational tone" such as "we have to go somewhere and you have to stay" at which time she drops her little head and slowly goes to her "safe place" where she naps until we return. Or we can say, "want to go?" and she dances her happy dance and we tell her "kennel up" and she jumps in her carrier or on her blankie that we are taking her out in. If we tell her "up" she immediately comes to either be picked up or jumps in our lap. We have found that the fewer simple one word commands the better.

Holy blast from the past, Batman! Nice to hear from you, Bettyeanne! What a great training success story. Good for you for hiring a trainer! What a great payoff!

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by my2boyz

The 2 commands I feel are the most important are the 'come' command and 'stay' command...either of them could save the life of your pet...after that would be 'drop it'.

[sweet_tikka]

For Pooter its definitely kennel now. He is quite scary with visitors... he is 98% bark and as soon as you reach down to pet him he runs. BUT he has nipped at our Gpa and a couple kids on walks once. When he came over Pooter what barking at the door and Gpa reached down to get him and NIP! right on the hand.

So for the safety of visitors Pooters as soon as I say Kennel NOW. To go there and not come out until he is calm enough to handle the visitors. And when we are on walks he knows that a tug on the leash means to sit and wait for others to pass us.

For Tikka... well it would definitely be Come! She is the ultimate Yorkie... loves chasing birds, squirrels, and sniffing around large parks... Although we are still working on it since I just got her and she knows nothing but sit.

[deonk1]

Drop it was the first thing I ever taught Harley. I neglected "come" and regret it now. One thing I did teach him was "go home" when we are walking, if I say that he goes straight up the stairs and waits at a door, I always say it at my door step, but I figure if he got lose I could yell that and he'd run up the first doorstep he finds and wait for me.

There really are so many vital cues, that make life easy, a lot of people used to criticize me for doing so much training with my dog because he's a "pet" or my "baby" and I'm a "mean mommy", but he LOVES it, today we started shaping heel, and now he walks beside me looking at me almost the whole time. I look at it this way if I can teach my dog 20-30 vital cues I know he'll listen to me when there is an emergency.

I think third place goes to "ici" I've taught him "ici" means come jump up my knee and into my arms. I've already used that in an emergency situation in puppy class where a large retriever thought Harley's toy was more interesting than his and raced Harley for it I was able to call him off the toy to me, where as "come" means come sit at my feet.

[yorkietalkjilly]

"Stay" "Stop" "Wait" - I teach all 3 to stop him in his tracks or keep him in place. I use several words with Tibbe that mean "do not move" in case, in my excitement, I might use a word he's not trained to respond to. He's one who comes very naturally so I don't worry much about him coming when called in an emergency but I want him freezing when I use one of those 3 words.

"Leave it" is the next most important. When I say "Leave it", he will drop his object and back far off. It's funny - like he doesn't want to be too close to what he's just dropped. He's so smart!

[bettyeanne]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

Holy blast from the past, Batman! Nice to hear from you, Bettyeanne! What a great training success story. Good for you for hiring a trainer! What a great payoff!

Thanks, Mike! Yes, Paul, the trainer, taught us so much. We couldn't get Toto to "understand" us, when in reality, we should have been understanding her. After realizing that she is very smart and learns quickly, it all fell into place. She even lays on her back while I groom her underbelly, her legs, clip her nails, etc. All I have to do it put her on the table on her back and tell her to "stay" ... she has lain there for 45+ minutes for me.

BTW, I haven't told you lately that I love and enjoy your videos, pictures and posts about Eddie, Jillie and Rusty. Thank you for that. I may not post much but I do try to keep up and read my friends updates, etc.

[Deuce]

Stop! is a fantastic one, and I think #1 in my book, followed by come, drop it, sit, and down.

Stop is great just in case they get off leash and run across the street. Rather than risking your pups life again, you tell them stop, Rizzo goes into down position and waits for me to come get him. So far Stop! works 99.9% whereas come only works about 85% of the time.

[dands]

Go potty

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by dands

Go potty

LOL, great answer! That should be first in all our books!

[Rachael1983]

Come when called and drop it.

uh uh is what I usually say when Troy has gotten into something he should have or doing what he isn't supposed to and he will immediately stop.

I like to have him under control when we are out so a good "recall" is important. Which he has.

He's good with down and "chill out" which are my commands for stop jumping/get out the way/go lay down somewhere.

[bWY39]

We all have our own values when it comes to commands for our loved one.
Mine is the command "NO" as my cherub is just 10 weeks old and is in to everything including bighting my toe when I am asleep.

She has now learned the command and will stop doing whatever it is as soon as I give the command "NO".

[My lil friend]

"SIT" is my favorite command,next would be "come" and then "go sniff". I have had a dog or toddler in a run across the yard and yelled "sit" and they stop dead in their tracks,sit and look at me. From there I have their attention and can tell them to come. I use the word no instead of drop it,because sometimes I want them to stop before they get something in their mouth.

[gumbysuz]

How do you train STOP!???

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by gumbysuz

How do you train STOP!???

Ha, someone else asked me that and I was embarrassed to say I FORGOT how we learned it 5 years ago in class! So I sent my trainer a note, and she thinks I got the lesson mixed up years ago. She teaches an emergency sit. All it is is a distance sit, and below is how she teaches it. (My STOP still works for me, and I'm sure I taught it the same way without requiring the sit.)

From Alaska Dog Sports:

We teach the Distance Sit by first asking for random sits when the dog is a couple of feet away - step into the dog if he tries to move toward you, sit him and then step back to where you said Sit from.

Step 2 - toss a treat a few feet away & let the dog go out and get it. Right after he eats the treat give the Sit cue - again step into him and sit him if he takes a step forward then move back to where you started. Count to 5 and release.

Step 3 - using a target (plastic lid) place it 10 feet away. Put dog in a sit/wait, go put a treat on the target & return to the dog. Release dog to go to target. and cue the Sit right after he eats the treat. See if you can get him to sit right at the target.