Canine Care and Training Basics
"Teaching the 'Attention' and 'Here' Command"

The "Attention" and "Here" commands are the most basic of Basic Obedience.  They are the key building blocks that your canine will have to master when beginning obedience.  These commands can be taught to any canine: large, small, young, old or even deaf.  These two commands will be the first steps towards teaching your canine to learn.  Once your canine has "learned how to learn" you will find that his or her attitude towards the training sessions will be more positive, eager and progressive.

 The "Attention" and "Here" commands are great starting commands.  They can get your canine's attention and prepare him or her for a list of other commands you will later teach to them.  You can substitute the verbal commands to words that you are more comfortable using, such as "Look" for "Attention" or even your canine's name.  "Come" is a popular substitution for "Here".  To add a little fun, make it educational for both of you, by using another language to train in, such as German, Dutch, French or Czech.  Try to use one syllable commands, no more than two.  Dogs don't naturally communicate verbally; they respond better to short and simple commands such as "Watch" rather than "Look at me".  Accompany all verbal commands with a visual command.  In the long run, you can command your dog just by doing the command jester without having to verbally tell it.  Keep your training sessions short and repetitive.  You can have a session as many times a day as long as you keep them short, interesting and positive.  Getting frustrated and shouting only discourages your canine.  You want him or her to become eager to learn.  Dog's won't always get it on the first try, so don't lose hope.  It may take a few training sessions before your canine catches on to what it is you are asking from him or her.  Be sure you have a reward waiting for him or her once she has done what you have asked them.  You can use food, favorite toys or games as rewards, but be sure you accompany each with a super dose of praise.  Some canines respond to one thing better than another, and most dogs respond to praise. 

 The first, most important command of Basic Obedience is the "Here" command.  This command teaches your canine to come to you when asked.  This is an important command for your canine to master.  To begin, first decide which word and hand signal you are going to use to command your canine to come to you.  (We will use the word "Here".)  You can pick your own hand signals or make them up.  Many people use American Sign Language and edit them so they can be done with one hand, while a leash is held in the other.  The most popular hand signal for "Here" is to take your left hand and bring it from your side to the center of your chest (one time).  I would recommend that your training area be in an enclosed area, either in a fenced backyard or a room in your house.  Let your canine wonder around the training session, have your reward out of sight (behind your back, in your pocket) in a convenient, easy to reach location.  Squat down and in a nicer than normal calm voice, give the "Here" command and hand signal (you can say the canines name before you give the command e.g. "Simbad, Here").  You may need to say it again; most dogs will come directly to you because you have squatted down into a non-threatening position.  Some dogs may need a little more coaxing.  Present the reward so that the canine can see it.  In most cases the canine will come to you when you present the reward.  Once the canine has come to you, give him or her A LOT of praise.  Make a big deal over it by telling them "Good Here" and then give them the reward.  Telling them "Good" when doing something right lets them know they're on the right path once they understand that the word "Good" is associated with a reward.  If your canine isn't responding to your "Here" command, you can use a long line or leash to encourage him or her to come to you.  Squatting down again, show your canine the reward and gently tug on the line, kindly pulling the dog to you.  Give the command and signal as you are tugging on the line.  Once he or she reaches you (even if you had to pull and encourage the dog with the line) praise him or her and then give them the reward.  As I mentioned above, not all canines will get it the first time, but stay positive.  Be patient, a dog can since your mood.  If you get frustrated with your canine, they will be more incline to ignore you.  Instead of getting mad, take a break.  Come back and try it again later and try using even more praise, instead of just a food or toy reward.  After your canine has mastered the "Here" command from a short distance, try making the distance bigger with each session.  Use the rewards and praise every time.  NEVER use the "Here" command to call your canine to discipline him or her!  When you call a canine to you and then discipline it, the dog thinks you are disciplining it for coming to you.  This will cause the canine not to come to you when called, or even run from you.  Instead, consider why you are having to discipline your canine.  (Did it have an accident in the house?  Puppies can't open the door or know how to tell you when they have to go!  You don't want to discipline a canine for reasons that YOU, the owner, could have been responsible for.)

 The second command we will go over teaches the canine to watch you when asking him or her to perform a command.  This is a convenient command that will eliminate your dog's tendency to run around looking at distractions when you are shouting out commands.  To teach the "Watch" command, decide which word and hand signal you would like to use.  The most popular hand signal is to point at your left eye with your left hand.  To start, stand in front of your dog and give the "Watch" command with the hand signal.  As soon as the dog looks up at you, give him or her a reward and lots of praise.  Repeat the exercise a few times.  Increase the time limit you want the dog to look at your face by a second or two each time you repeat the process.  If your dog doesn't look at you when you give the command, hold a treat above their nose so that they can smell it and bring it up above your nose. Give the "Watch" command and hand signal.  The dog should be looking at the treat.  Hold it there for about three seconds then give the dog the treat along with lots of praise ("Good Watch").  Work with the treat in your hand for a few sessions until you are confident your dog will look at you without the treat in your hand.  This should only take a few sessions; the dog will eventually look at your face for the treat every time.  When you start giving the "Watch" command and hand signal without the treat, make sure you give the treat as soon as the dog looks at your face.  Eventually, you can start making the amount of time you want your dog to look at you longer. This command sets your dog up to follow through with a line of other commands you are going to teach him or her, such as "Sit", "Down", "Stay", "Heel", etc.

 Teaching these two simple commands are a good way to introduce your dog to training.  They are simple to teach in one session and master in only a few, yet they are extremely important building blocks for your dog when training in Obedience, Agility, Tracking & Article Search even Personal Protection.  These commands teach your dog how to learn, and that training can be a positive experience, as long as their teachers are encouraging, patient and positive.  Dogs can get as frustrated as humans, and they show it by pretending to be, or blatantly being, unconcerned with the efforts you are putting into the sessions.