Dog's don't speak English. Give it a Name.
My name is Not a command.
You can train your dog using the dog's name before a command as in "Joe Come" or even use the dog's
name as encouragement after calling him but the dog's name itself should Never be used alone as the
command.
Say for instance, you always call your dog's name, "Joe", to get him to come to you. The word "Joe" has now
taken on the meaning of the command "Come". Likewise, if you yell the dog's name when he's snooping
through the trash can or about to steal your lunch off the kitchen table, the dog learns that his name means
1) he's in trouble or 2) he should get away from something. This can be very confusing for dogs as one
command cannot be associated with every action. Dogs become desensitized to their name.
Now imagine how confusing it would for the dog if he learned to come only to his name and now you want
him to learn Sit and Stay. As the dog is sitting you must be very careful to not say his name. Even in
encouraging ways. "Good boy Joe". To the dog "Joe" means "Come". The dog cannot sit/stay and come at
the same time.
The dog needs to learn "Joe" what? "Joe" followed by a command tells the dog what you want him to do. "Joe
sit". "Joe come". "Joe out". This way the dog learns each individual command and that his name is to get his
attention and get ready to respond.
Give it a name.
Dogs have the ability to learn or recognize hundreds of words. We all use Sit, Down, Come or variations of
these and other commands. We do this by associating a word with an action to get across what we want the
dog to do. You can do the same with everyday words using consistency, patients and enough practice to
build a clear association between the word and the action.
Name it!
"Kennel" as your dog is entering his kennel/crate.
"House" as your dog is on his way into the house.
"Outside" as you open the door for your dog to enter the backyard.
"ByeBye" as you gather the leash for a walk.
"Potty" as the dog is begining to urinate.
The opportunities are endless. Just be sure to use simple commands and use them each time your dog is
doing the action you want to name. Use tiny treats to motivate your dog if needed and have fun with word
play too. Just because a word means something in English doesn't mean it has to to your dog. It is just as
easy to teach a dog to lift his paw and associate the word "Pony" instead of "Paw" as the dog lifts his foot.