Tails from the trail and tips on training your human

Commands Your Dog Should Know | Being a dog parent is a rewarding undertaking. You get to experience all kinds of emotions, whether it is companionship, joy, or unconditional love. They make the best pets, excellent protectors, and even great entertainers.

Moreover, dogs are also known to make the best hiking partner due to their stamina and intelligence. However, this experience can be easily spoiled if your dog doesn’t follow your commands. This is why it’s important to invest significant time and energy in dog training, so it follows your commands in one go.

While you can choose to train your dog in any way, here are some essential commands you should teach your canine:

Here Are Some Basic Commands Your Dog Should Know

Sit

Imagine you’re feeding your dog, but it still hasn’t sat up from its resting position. In this case, you should use the ‘sit’ command when you want your dog to sit upright, whether it’s for food or other tasks. One way to teach your dog this command is by using treats. Dogs tend to be food-motivated, making training a little easier.

Stay

The ‘stay’ command is important for daily use, especially when you’re running around trying to complete your chores. If your dog is too clingy, this command may allow you some space. Not only this, it is important because it ensures the safety and security of your dog, especially if you’re outside your home.

To practice this command, ask your dog to sit and slowly walk back. If your pet tries to move or walks near you, say ‘no.’ If they stop moving in your direction, repeat the ‘stay’ command and surprise them with a treat when they follow it.

Wait

This is an important command as it can be applied to any setting. Whether you’re outdoors or inside your own home, this command is an important one as it teaches your pet about boundaries. Moreover, it ensures your dog listens to you before carrying out any action. Practice the command when your dog is following you in your home. At a certain point, tell it to ‘wait’ and continue walking. If it follows you, repeat the command until it understands.

Come

The ‘come’ command is beneficial as it can be used anywhere, from busy supermarkets to hiking trails and even at home. It is one of the commands that ensure your pet’s safety from dangerous things such as a poisonous plant or a dirty item lying around. To make your dog understand this command, tie a leash around it and tug it slightly towards you. While doing this, keep calling out the command, so your dog learns the words too.

Look/Watch

The ‘look’ or ‘watch’ command is another way to divert your dog’s attention if it comes face-to-face with another pet dog or animal. You can practice this by holding a treat close to your face, enough to make the dog walk towards it. Repeat it quite a few times until your dog follows the command without a treat.

Easy/No Pull/With Me

If you find your dog pulling at its leash or it’s trying to run faster than you, then you should teach it these commands. Choose whichever term that’s easy and suits you because the ultimate goal is to let the dog enjoy the walk while on a leash.

Take It/ Drop It

These commands are fun to teach, especially when your pet is playing. If you play fetch with it, every time your dog catches the ball with its mouth, be sure to say the command ‘Take it.’ This ensures it associates the action with your words. Conversely, if your dog drops the ball, say ‘Drop it.’ Moreover, it doesn’t have to be a ball particularly. You can use any item your dog loves so that it can learn the commands quickly.

Stand

The ‘stand’ command is important when you want your dog to move or stand on all fours. You can practice this command when they are sitting. Hold a treat slightly above their heads, so they get up to take it from your hand. Keep holding the treat up, so your pet has no choice but to stand on all fours. As always, try this repeatedly and say the command out loud to associate the word with their action.

No

This is perhaps the most important command for a dog as they can create quite a ruckus with their curious nature and adorable gimmicks. However, these gimmicks may also turn dangerous if they aren’t stopped in time. One way to teach this command is by keeping their favorite treat in front of them. If they try to approach it (which they will undoubtedly), tell them ‘no.’ Repeat this a few times, and if they don’t move near the treat, reward them with it.

Settle Down

The ‘settle down’ command is usually given to calm a dog down. They could behave in an unruly manner due to several different factors. It could be a new place, strangers, or other dogs that it may perceive as a threat. You can practice the command by gesturing with your index finger to settle down in its kennel, a carpet, or any designated location of your choice. If your pet follows the command efficiently, give them their favorite treat right away.

Car

Another important command that is handy is ‘car.’ One way to make your dog understand this command is to take it outside, place a treat in your car, and wait to see if it walks up to your car or not. If it walks to your car, it is a good sign that your dog can identify it easily. This is important as it may prepare your dog to be alert in case of a potential danger to your car.

The Bottom Line

Although these are some basic commands, this list can be modified as per your needs and your dog’s learning abilities. But what remains true is that you should try to inculcate these commands from the get-go, so dogs are efficiently trained to listen to you no matter where they go.

by Maria A Davidson

We are in business to provide great products for the outdoorsy hikers, campers and their dogs; and to help clean our parks, rivers and oceans for a better planet earth for hikers and their dogs.

Parks Clean

Parks are high-traffic areas in most cities. This means that trash is bound to show up in and around your park and playground.

When discussing ways your family can help clean your local park, don’t overlook a literal cleanup! Picking up trash will make a huge difference in the appearance and vibe of your park. A clean area will encourage others to keep the park pristine. When picking up trash and debris, make sure to wear gloves to protect yourself, and put trash in appropriate receptacles or lawn bags. You can also contact your local trash company to schedule a pickup when you are finished.

Rivers Clean

The storm drain on your street collects the water from your roof, driveway, and sidewalk and funnels it directly in your local lake or river. Nutrients from grass and leaves, pet waste, and fertilizers “enrich” our lakes and streams — feeding algae blooms and harming fish. Chemicals from washing your car in the drive and household chemical spills add up, taking a nasty toll on our favorite swimming areas and fishing spots. Soil can also be picked up by runoff, reducing the clarity of water and hurting fish.

So as you prepare your lawn and garden, here are a few helpful tips to keep our lakes and rivers beautiful and safe for all of us.

Use mulch and vegetation to keep soil from washing away.
Sweep or rake grass and leaves away from street curbs.
Mulch and compost grass clippings and leaves.
Keep paved surfaces to a minimum.
Capture water runoff with a rain garden and rain barrels.
Wash your car on the grass, where the water will get filtered.
Keep chemicals away from storm drains.
Collect your pet’s waste.
Aim your rain-gutter downspouts onto grass.

Beaches Clean (do it for the ocean)

In 2007, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed the National Clean Beaches Week Resolution to recognize the value of beaches to the American way of life and the important contributions of beaches to the economy, recreation, and natural environment of the United States.

Clean Beaches Week, celebrated annually July 1-7, offers the perfect opportunity to encourage stewardship and volunteerism along our coastlines. But where do you even begin? Follow these tips to get started.

Identify a clean-up site. Choose a place that needs some TLC, making sure that volunteers can safely access the site. Get permission, if needed, for your clean-up event, perhaps from the local parks agency.
Choose a site coordinator. (That might be you!) A beach clean-up takes a lot of work and needs an organized person to keep everything on track before, during, and after the event.
Visit the site in advance. The coordinator will need to know where to set up a volunteer check-in station, where to leave trash and recyclables, and what area(s) volunteers will clean.
Gather supplies. Depending on your location, you’ll need supplies such as trash bags, a first aid kit, hand sanitizer, wipes, and large coolers of water. You should also provide (or ask volunteers to bring) items such as reusable work/garden gloves, reusable water bottles, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Plan how to handle the recyclables. Reach out to recyclers in your area (and perhaps your community’s solid waste departments) to make arrangements for accepting any glass, plastic, and aluminum that you collect.
Line up event partners. Contact local businesses for donations of drinks, food, and supplies. Ask a local solid waste hauler to donate their services for trash removal.
Plan for handling hazardous waste. Determine how you’ll dispose of any medical and sewage waste you might find. One solution: A wide-mouth container with a tight-fitting lid, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle. Clearly label that it contains hazardous waste.
Get volunteers to help. Recruit friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Create an event on Facebook and ask volunteers to sign up online. This will give you an idea of how many people to expect and will help communicate event details.
Stay safe. Be prepared for a variety of health emergencies, from minor cuts and scrapes to heat stroke.
Take photos! Post pics online to share the success of your event and recognize volunteers for their hard work.