yourpurebredpuppy logo

Words To Teach Your Dog – Training Your Dog By Teaching Specific Words

By Michele Welton, Dog Trainer, Breed Selection Consultant, Author of 15 Dog Books


Girl training her dog Doesn't it make sense that your dog needs to understand  what you're saying before he can DO  what you're saying?

Vocabulary words are the building blocks for getting your dog to do what you want him to do.

I've been training dogs and teaching dog obedience classes for over 35 years. I'd like to show you the techniques I've developed for teaching words to your dog that will make him the smartest, most well-mannered companion you've ever had.

dog training commands your dog should know

Some of the dog training commands every dog should know and obey.

Why it's so good to teach your dog words

Girl training her dog by teaching him wordsDogs who know what your words mean are the happiest, smartest, most confident dogs in the world.

Dogs who know lots of words fully understand what is expected of them.

They know WHAT  to do.

And they know what NOT  to do.

Dogs love the security of knowing what to do and what not to do.

And whoever teaches them these things is the person they come to view as their trusted leader.

They look up to that person. They believe in that person. They trust that person to do anything with them, to handle them in any way necessary.

You want yourself to be that person. Which is why YOU must always be the one to train your dog.

You've heard of dog training schools that promise to take your dog to their establishment and train him for you, then send him home to you?

Unless your dog has a serious aggression problem requiring expert evaluation and treatment, I wouldn't even consider this.

Dogs aren't robots who can be "programmed" by someone else to listen to YOU. Dogs listen to YOU and do what YOU say when they respect YOU – and they respect YOU when YOU are the teacher-leader who earns their respect.

No one else can do that for you. You have to do it yourself. In fact, each member of your family has to earn your dog's respect for themselves.

An educated dog is a true companion

Boy training his dog to listen to words

An educated dog is a thinking dog. He watches you. He pays close attention to you. He "reads" your facial expressions and body language. He listens carefully and pieces together individual words into complex actions.

"Where's your rope toy, Buffy? Where is it? Go find it. Oops, that's your hedgehog toy. Drop it. Good girl. Now go find your rope toy. Is it upstairs? Go upstairs. Upstairs. Get your rope toy. Good girl, you got it! Bring it here. Good! Now give it to me. Drop it. Good girl! Yay!"

Are you interested in a dog like that? Good for you! My dogs are like that – yours can be, too.

First, your dog has to learn the meaning of those words. That's where you come in.

You need to know the best words to teach.

And you need to know exactly how to teach them.

Dogs aren't born with any understanding of what a word  is. Dogs learn language just as babies do – by your saying "toy" over and over while holding up a toy. Until you connect a word with the correct object or action, words are only meaningless sounds to your dog.

When you listen to a conversation in a foreign language, the words are not connected to anything concrete and you have no idea what they might mean. In fact, all the words seem to run together; you can't even tell where one word ends and the next begins. It's one long garbled sound, isn't it?

But let's say a person from France repeated "pom" while holding up an apple. You'd get it, wouldn't it? You won't know how to spell it (it's actually pomme ), but you'll understand that the SOUND pom  refers to the red fruit.

In the same way, when you're teaching your dog what words mean, you need to use short, simple sounds and you need to immediately  connect a sound to its appropriate object or action.

In my FREE training books (scroll down to read), I show you how to teach words to your dog in specific ways that will encourage him to respect you. Then he will not only understand  what you say, but also DO  what you say. Every time.

Michele Welton with BuffyAbout the author: Michele Welton has over 40 years of experience as a Dog Trainer, Dog Breed Consultant, and founder of three Dog Training Centers. An expert researcher and author of 15 books about dogs, she loves helping people choose, train, and care for their dogs.

My best-selling books – now available  FREE  on my website


book coverRespect Training For Puppies: 30 seconds to a calm, polite, well-behaved puppy is for puppies 2 to 18 months old. Your puppy will learn the 21 skills that all family dogs need to know. Click here to read for free.
book coverTeach Your Dog 100 English Words is a unique Vocabulary and Respect Training Program that will teach your adult dog to listen to you and do what you say. Click here to read for free.
book cover11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy helps your dog live a longer, healthier life. Get my honest advice about all 11 Things before you bring home your new puppy, because some mistakes with early health care cannot be undone. Click here to read for free.