What every dog should know

    I believe that every dog owner should teach these basic commands to the dog they own. These commands will lay the foundation to more advanced obedience work and they will just plainly make a nicer, more obedient dog.

In my opinion these commands are, Sit, Down, Stop, Come, Wait, Stand, and Off.

    Each one of these commands is very important in its own right. While sit, down and come are pretty self explanatory, one might ask why would my dog need a Stop, Wait and Off command. Very simple, if your dog ever gets loose, tries to chase a squirl, charges through open doors, and doesn't want to leave something bad he found, you will be glad your dog knows these commands.

    I do not include heel command as one of these essential commands because in my opinion a dog on a leash does not have to be in heel position to be under the owners control. With every owner comes a different technique of controlling their dog, for some it can be heel, for other, more aggressive dogs a direct contact with collar is sometimes necessary.

If you dog knows all of these commands you can consider yourself a great dog owner, as sadly, most dog owners do not take time teach their dogs even these basic dog obedience commands.