Sit! . . . Down! . . . Stay! Maybe the most common training commands that we teach our dogs. We may add 'Shake!' or 'Roll Over.' . . and if we're very patient and dedicated we work on teaching our dogs to 'Stay.' All good and all important. Anyone having a dog has the responsibility of disciplining the dog (and themselves) so that their dog is safely under their voice command. The bigger and more active the dog, the more essential it is that the dog be well trained and good mannered. It's a lot of work but very well worth all the efforts required. It is part of our being a good and responsible citizen in our community.
Some time ago I had been studying about dog obedience training and obedience trials and I kept running across references to 'DOR.' I was curious and found out that in obedience trial lingo that refers to 'Drop on return.' When the handler calls a dog to return to them from some distance, as the dog is coming back the 'Drop!' command is given and the dog is to go directly to a 'down stay.' I thought that was pretty cool but it was only after I considered the practicle application of this command did I come to realize how very useful and potentially life saving this command could be.
While we like to think that we could have our dogs so well trained that they would never wander off from us and get into potentially dangerous situations we should recognize that mostly we have not arrived at that place yet. It is also likely that no matter how well we are disciplined and our dogs trained there is the potential that our dog could be distracted by something very appealing at the very moment that we ourselves have allowed our concentration to wander elsewhere. We look up, find that our four legged friend has crossed the street (following a rabbit, investigating the pretty blue ball in the yard, or enticed by a child's call or whatever . . . ) As we call our dog to return to us and it promptly obeys (being so well trained), to our horror we see a car racing down the road and our pup is on a collision course with a couple thousand pounds of speeding metal.
It is here were the value of the 'Drop!' command becomes obvious. You sharply yell 'Drop!', your dog goes to an immediate 'down stay' and the car whizzes by and your dog is safe. Hours and hours of work and (sometimes) frustration has come to fruit.
I started working with Mia on the 'Drop!' command at about 12 weeks of age. During our twice a day 15 minute training times I would insert the command at random times in our routine. I would always yell loudly and she would always be startled. (You are not likely to use the command in a situation that isn't some sort of a potential crises.) I would then quickly reach down to her and push her down to the ground and hold her there while I pet her and praised her and comforted her in her confusion. It is now a game to her and she drops right to the ground. She will stay put and I can walk away from her and she will not move until I release her from the 'Stay!'
Ironically Mia is one of the dogs that has shown the least interest (so far) in wandering too far away. I would like to think it is be because I have been more intense and methdical with her training but more likely it is her tempreament and the stage he is going through. I am not deluded that she isn't capable of getting into some sort of trouble so I continue to keep the 'Drop!' command in our workouts. I have come to think that this is so important for a dog to be able to do that I felt compelled to encourage all of you to begin to add this to your training work if you haven't already mastered this move with your companion.
May we never have to use this in a real life situation!
Until next time . . . Eliot
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