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How much should they know???

Princesss04
December 9th, 2004, 11:21 AM
I have two dogs Meat Loaf and Charming, they are both 8 mts. old (going through puppy years together :evil: ) anyway I was wondering how many commands and tricks should they know at their age. I mean where should they be at as far as development and things? Thank you all for your help.

Schwinn
December 9th, 2004, 11:43 AM
I would think that would depend on the dog and the person training. Daisy picked up the important ones VERY quickly (take nice, house breaking), and my favourite "whisper" (she barks quietly). But then the easiest one for most dogs was the one we had difficulty with (shake a paw). But I think that was technique, rather than the dog. We both taught her different things at different times, and she learned them at different rates. It also depends on the dogs DESIRE to learn, and what you are teaching them. For example, we had one dog that we taught to roll-over, and another dog that HATED if you tried to roll him over.

I would think the basics (ie. housebroken, sit, stay, come), but again, that depends on technique and consistency.

I guess the bottom line is, I'm no real big help! ;)

Lucky Rescue
December 9th, 2004, 11:44 AM
This is hard to answer. It depends on how much they have been taught, since that is all they will know. If you haven't taught them anything, then they won't know anything.:p

If they have been obedience trained, they should know all their basic commands very well, plus anything else you've taught.

Even very young puppies can learn quite easily, although they have very short attention spans.

Princesss04
December 9th, 2004, 12:03 PM
Meat Loaf know sit and take it easy and lets go outside and go potty but he will not shake for the life of me. (any ideas) and as far as bark quite I would love to teach him that one. LOL

Charming knows sit, SHAKE (ALL THE STINKIN TIME) LOL and than lets go outside. But will not take anything easy.

They both now lets get in our cage and lets go to bed.

But other than that I think that is all, oh yeah and Justin (hubby) when we are eatting makes them stay out of the kitchen and they know that. Or they know after you tell them. They know but hope you will forget each time so you have to remind them. So tell the out boys and point to the door and they go real slow and look back like mom dad please one more try. LOL

Schwinn
December 9th, 2004, 12:09 PM
When you say "take it easy", I'm assuming you mean like take nice? If that's the case, what I did with Daisy was held a treat in my hand so she could see and smell it, but could not grab on to it. Everytime she clamped down roughly on my hand, I'd repeat, "Take nice". When she would gently put her teeth on the treat, I'd then let go. I recommend using gloves for this, or in my wife's case, a meathead husband who doesn't mind getting his hand a little chewed up! :)

GunnerX
December 9th, 2004, 12:13 PM
Ariel's almost 9 months and she knows "paw" and "other paw" which is our version of shake. :D Sit, Lie Down, Rollover, Fetch and Up (stands up on hind legs). Trying to teach her to spin but she doesn't seem to get it. The hardest thing to teach her was Rollover but now she can do 3 in a row. :D

I can do all of those using both hand and speech or just hand or speech. Oh yeah, she also knows "walk" and most importantly "NO!". :D

I'm not sure what else we should be teaching her. Doing fancy things like "wave" and "speak" takes time and I'm too lazy. :D

sammiec
December 9th, 2004, 12:18 PM
At eight months Briggs had completed doggie obedience training. She could/can do the following;

heal
sit/stay (and extended)
stand/stay
down/stay (and extended)
come
shake
creep
high five
"go home" (to her crate)
"go to bed" (goes to her bed)
"drop it"
"wait"
"leave it"
gentle
"enough" (stops whatever she is doing and sits)
"pretty girl" -- (she play bows)

"stick 'em up" --> she stands on her back paws and sticks her front paws WAY up!

she stops and sits on the mat as soon as she walks in the door

They are VERY smart, it's all a matter of repetition... that's how she learned to shake a paw...
everytime we came in the door and I wiped her paws I would say "paw" as I picked it up and then "other paw"... she caught on... :p

Schwinn
December 9th, 2004, 12:23 PM
At eight months Briggs had completed doggie obedience training. She could/can do the following;

heal
sit/stay (and extended)
stand/stay
down/stay (and extended)
come
shake
creep
high five
"go home" (to her crate)
"go to bed" (goes to her bed)
"drop it"
"wait"
"leave it"
gentle
"enough" (stops whatever she is doing and sits)
"pretty girl" -- (she play bows)

"stick 'em up" --> she stands on her back paws and sticks her front paws WAY up!

she stops and sits on the mat as soon as she walks in the door

They are VERY smart, it's all a matter of repetition... that's how she learned to shake a paw...
everytime we came in the door and I wiped her paws I would say "paw" as I picked it up and then "other paw"... she caught on... :p

How'd you do "stick em up" and "bow"? I'd like to teach Daisy those ones. I'm trying to teach her "grumble", where she does this thing that sounds like the Hamburgler right now.

sammiec
December 9th, 2004, 12:27 PM
LOL, it took a long time.

you have to make her stand on her own for a treat first -- do this by holding a treat above her head and make her stand up, then say "stand" and praise and give her a treat. You have to do this for a while... then when she starts to stand without you saying anything, just hold the treat above her head and tell her "stick 'em up"... My SO now pretends to have a gun :rolleyes: (MEN) and tells her to stick 'em up....

Lucky Rescue
December 9th, 2004, 12:37 PM
Briggs sounds like a lot of fun! Of course we know pit bulls love to play the clown. :p

I'm too lazy to teach tricks, and the only one I taught Chloe is "High Five" which people find very charming.

She went to obedience school too and knows all her commands, plus "Go Home" and "Go to bed". She also knows "Wait", "leave it" "Stay close" and "nice!"(for taking treats) When I first got her and gave her a treat, I swear my arm would be down her throat up to my elbow! LOL!

She also knows "in a minute" which means "Dont' bother me and I'll take you out later"....."Coming right back" means she is not going with me and she sulks off to her bed in great sorrow. If I say, "Going in the car" she runs to the garage door.

She knows "Enough!" which means stop acting like an idiot and calm down.

sammiec
December 9th, 2004, 12:51 PM
She knows "Enough!" which means stop acting like an idiot and calm down.

LMAO!! EVERY pit bull needs to know that command!

Chloe is a sweetheart! Too bad stinkerbelle has to rule!! LOL ;)

Schwinn
December 9th, 2004, 01:01 PM
LMAO!! EVERY pit bull needs to know that command!

Chloe is a sweetheart! Too bad stinkerbelle has to rule!! LOL ;)

We use "Chill!". Once, my step-mom thought I was saying, "Kill!", which I find really funny...

Princesss04
December 9th, 2004, 01:04 PM
When you say "take it easy", I'm assuming you mean like take nice? If that's the case, what I did with Daisy was held a treat in my hand so she could see and smell it, but could not grab on to it. Everytime she clamped down roughly on my hand, I'd repeat, "Take nice". When she would gently put her teeth on the treat, I'd then let go. I recommend using gloves for this, or in my wife's case, a meathead husband who doesn't mind getting his hand a little chewed up! :)


Thanks Schwinn that is what I meant I am not sure why we taught Meat Loaf take it easy but it worked. LOL I will start doing that and maybe that will help him catch on a little faster. Thank you for all the tips you have been a great help. We will go home and start tonight. I will let you know how it goes. :D

Princesss04
December 9th, 2004, 01:06 PM
At eight months Briggs had completed doggie obedience training. She could/can do the following;

heal
sit/stay (and extended)
stand/stay
down/stay (and extended)
come
shake
creep
high five
"go home" (to her crate)
"go to bed" (goes to her bed)
"drop it"
"wait"
"leave it"
gentle
"enough" (stops whatever she is doing and sits)
"pretty girl" -- (she play bows)

"stick 'em up" --> she stands on her back paws and sticks her front paws WAY up!

she stops and sits on the mat as soon as she walks in the door

They are VERY smart, it's all a matter of repetition... that's how she learned to shake a paw...
everytime we came in the door and I wiped her paws I would say "paw" as I picked it up and then "other paw"... she caught on... :p


Oh I forgot to add that one, Meat Loaf knows drop it. Because he hears it all the time. He is my digger and he grabs everything he sees. So we taught that one at an early age. When you made your long list now I feel like a bad mommy. I feel like my boys are not where they should be... Mom needs to start working with them alot more I guess. They are not dumb by no means but I mean they have not been breed good so maybe that is some of it. I am not sure but it seems like some of the tricks we have been working on forever (like shake with Meat Loaf) and he does not want to have any part in it. LOL Thank you all so much for your help. I appreciate it so much and I will continue working with them until they get it.

sammiec
December 9th, 2004, 01:07 PM
When you say "take it easy"....

That's a good command too - for that we use gentle. That's one of the first things I taught her. My pet peeve is grabby dogs, when you don't even have the chance to open your hand and they're already knawing at you!

shihtzulover
December 9th, 2004, 01:24 PM
Sophie is now 7 months and she know - Sit, down, shake paw, dance, roll over, speak, stay, release, bed (go to her crate), No, and she can find either cat by there name. All this has taken a lot of time, but we really have nothing better to do every night :)
She also started obdience last Tuesday so hopefully she will learn more, she loves learning new things.

sammiec
December 9th, 2004, 01:38 PM
LOL, Briggs can find the cat by name too - I try not to use that one too often...

She can find me by "Mommy" and my SO by "Daddy" :o

doggy lover
December 9th, 2004, 01:51 PM
Tucker is 7 months and he knows the following:
sit
down
wait\stay
nicely
come(well most of the time)
walk nice\heel
leave it
drop it
dinner
bed time
do pee\poop
off(no jumping)
paw
bow
speek
roll over
crawl
beg
high five
and to get different toys by name
Tucker is a fast learner when you can slow him down, our last dog was not one to do tricks like Tucker, he would just lay there and look at you like "you want me to do what?". Alot just depends on the dog. :cool:

Schwinn
December 9th, 2004, 02:20 PM
My favourite one (besides "whisper") is "Get the cat!" I use that sparingly, since my wife really doesn't like that one (the cats pre-date both Daisy and I, and we're constantly reminded). She has one cat that likes to meow VERY loudly up the stairs after midnight. One night, I couldn't take it anymore, so I rolled over, "Daisy! Get the cat!" She chased the cat back downstairs, and I went back to sleep.

Daisy knows lots of words, like Truck, Car, bed, no, leave it (usually when she's giving people the old tounge bath), outside, walk, treat, biscuit, cookie, sit, down, over (to put her on her side so she'll stay in the "down" position), wait, stay, ball, "Fluffy" (her puppy shaped chew toy), shake, tire, Cheryl, and "Cheryl's home" sends her into a frenzy to the front door, and she's learning Jamie (that's me :D ). I'm sure I've forgotten some. Oh, like give, and open, for when we're feeding her a pill, she'll open her mouth, or at least not struggle when we open it. Usually she'll sit there, and when she feels our fingers touch her lips, she'll open her mouth. Oh, and she's quickly learning "Don't chase the cat!". She also knows, "What did you do?" which is wierd, because we only used that once, and when we did, she curled right up and put her tail between her legs, even though she didn't do anything.

Princesss04
December 9th, 2004, 02:29 PM
Oh yeah they also know, "you wanna treat" and they come running to the kitchen and sit beside the cabinet (where the treats are) they will sit and wait until I get in there to give them one. They are so rotten. :D

GsdDiamond
December 9th, 2004, 02:42 PM
At 10 months old Diamond's not as swift as the rest of your animals....but what she does know is kinda cute.

Sit (doesn't like long sit/stay...it's a bit of a fight)
Stay (working on long stay)
Down (working on down/stay)
Paw (& other repeatidly)
Come (when she wants)
Leave it
Ok (allows her to take her treat or food or just move again from a stay)
Take it nice
Off
Drop it (some times)
Heel (but still tries to pull)
Bring to me
Give (means drop it on my lap, hopefully)
Get your squeak (get any toy that makes noise)
Eat (will bark if she's hungry)
Water (will go to the sink if thirsty)
Go to beds (works well if you touch a treat bag)
Hush (mostly works)
Get down
Go see mom (will search for Terri)

and my favorite....

Move (standing...will take a few steps either backwards or sideways. Just "moves" out of the way)

If we had more time to work on things it would be better, but slowly & surely we're getting there.

mona_b
December 9th, 2004, 06:12 PM
I agree with Lucky.It does depend on how much they are taught.

With Tron and Yukon(R.I.P.),I did the basic commands.And since Tron was being trained for the Police K9 he needed to know them.And actually Yukon Picked up very quickly.Considering I was training both at the same time.Trons commands where also spoken in German.That was fun. :rolleyes: ..Once the basic commands such as sit,stay,down,heel,wait,off,leave it, where mastered,then the other ones where taught.

Paw
Find it
Where is it
Get the ball
Get Kyra up(meaning time to get my lazy daughter out of bed.LOL)
Enough(when they get to rambunctious when playing)
Take it
Wait by the door(when it was time to go out)
Time for bed(they would make it to the bedroom before me.LOL)

Freyja
December 10th, 2004, 12:06 PM
Can you really teach your dog "down" when there are rabbits or squirrels or other dogs or interesting people or a plastic bag or....as distractions? I am worried about the whole off leash thing. If Lindy saw anything interesting she would run off like a shot, what if we were near a road? ACK!!!

GsdDiamond
December 10th, 2004, 01:06 PM
Some dogs just can't be trusted off leash, whether we want them to or not. Maybe yours is one of the "must stay on leash" type.

mona_b
December 10th, 2004, 01:29 PM
It can be taught.But this is when you need to get their full attention.Especially when they are pups.This is why when training it should be done where there are distractions,this way you can make them focus on you and you only.I started the "down" command after they mastered the "sit"...It's much easier to teach them once they "sit" ...But if you have an older dog who is very easily distracted,then it may be a bit harder to train.Not saying it can't be done,but it just depends on the dog.But I don't advise dog owners who's dogs don't seem to listen to be off leash.It's just an accident waiting to happen.

Sadie's Mom
December 10th, 2004, 06:52 PM
By 4 months Sadie knew:

-"leave it"
-"sit"
-"lay down"
-"shake a paw"
-"go in your house"
-"wait"
-"gentle" - take something gently
-"walk nice" - heel

Her new one is "rollover".

I'm guessing all dogs learn at a different pace and it also depends on the method of teaching them. I found it so rewarding when she did something new and she just loves it. It's a big game for her.

Re-inforcing is really important. I ask Sadie to sit before she gets her dinner, goes outside, gets a toy...etc. This has taught her a lot of manners I think!

doggy lover
December 10th, 2004, 09:29 PM
Freyja my last dog Travis was great off leash, if we went for a walk up north or here in the city and we ran into something that made me think he would chase it I would tell him leave it and call him back. Now Tucker my pup I can't trust so when I walk him off leash (mostly when we are up north) I let him loose on a 20 foot leash, if he gets too far ahead I tell him to wait if he doesn't listen I have a better chance of catching him.

Batman
December 12th, 2004, 10:29 AM
Batman is 3 months so although he does 'know' most of these only half are down solid. We also have only 'trained' sit, stay, paw, balance. The rest he just learned because we use them while he does the action naturally.

1/ Sit
2/ Stay (will stay for a minute with me dancing around acting like an idiot, or if I go out of site. This week we are adding more time)
3/ Hurry Up! (go to the washroom)
4/ Gentle (for taking treat)
5/ Take it (he won't take a toy etc most of the time until we say take it if we are holding it)
6/ Paw (shake)
7/ Stay/ Balance (he sort of will let you balance a bone on his nose until we say 'OK' - the finace just HAD to teach him that)
8/ Come!!!
9/ Come-on (lets go)
10/ ENOUGH!!! ( he is a terrier and likes to terrorize that cats)
11/ He is learning the names of his 3 favourite toys (bone, pinkball & rope)
We hold two infront of him while he is sitting and say the name of the toy and he has to pick the right one. He LOVES this 'game')
12/ Kisses - he is starting to learn what this means
13/ NO!!!!!!
14/ 'OK' (his release word)
15/ Leave it - we have started this but I wouldn't say he really gets it yet.
16/ Drop it
17/ Bring it



We have been avoiding down because when we tried to start it he would NOT do it. In fact I have never really seen him in the classic down pose ever.


We expect that over time he will stay for longer times. Long enough to maybe go in a store to get milk etc. We want him to be EXCELLENT at leave it! He have cats and he loves to eat their poop. WE also love chocolate and I want to be confident if I drop a piece he won't gobble it up immediatly. I would also like to be able to say "find rope, or ball etc..." and for him to know my name and my finance's. But most importantly we just really want him to be well mannered!