What commands should a puppy know at 6-8 months old?

6-8 months is a great and very important period in a puppy’s life. Your pet has great potential, he is eager to learn and explores the world every minute. We are sure you are very proud of them!

What should be the upbringing during this period? What is special about it? What commands should the puppy know, and which ones will he have to master in the near future? Let’s take it in order.

At 8 months, your pet understands perfectly how to behave at home and on the street, plays with other dogs on the playground, knows how to walk on a leash, is not afraid to move in vehicles, masters self-control. He has already mastered all the basic commands. But do not forget to practice and strengthen them regularly so that skills are not lost over time.

An 8 month old puppy is old enough to move on to special training. If you need a professional guard or hunter, it’s time to contact the dog training center.

At 6-8 months, the puppy knows a lot of voice commands. First of all, these are commands: come to me, fu, place, next to me, sit, lie down, stand, walk, fetch. Now is the time to make them more complex by adding gestures and learn new, more complex commands such as “Crawl” and “Voice”.

By learning to interpret your gestures, the puppy will be able to follow commands given both with and without gestures. What gestures are used in the main commands? How to train them?

You can add gestures after the voice command is already well practiced and the puppy performs it accurately. For better assimilation of the command with a gesture, it is recommended to perform the exercise 2-3 times, then take a short break and repeat the exercises again.

After executing the command, be sure to praise the dog: say “good”, give a treat, pet it.

Do exercises in a quiet place and make sure that the dog does not overwork.

• Team “Come to me!”

Gesture: Raise your right hand sideways to shoulder level and lower it sharply to your right leg.

Practice the command on a long leash. Let the puppy run away from you, then say his name to get attention, and make a gesture. Command “Come to me!”. Praise your puppy when he comes to you.

• Team “Walk!”

You can go to this command when the puppy has already learned the command “Come!” with a gesture.

Gesture: Raise your right hand, palm down, in the direction the puppy should run. Tilt your body forward slightly.

The team is practiced on a long leash. Take the leash by the tip so that it does not hinder the movement of the dog. The position of the dog is at your left leg. Say the pet’s name to attract attention, make a gesture and command “Walk!”.

If the puppy ran, great. Be sure to praise him. If not, run forward with him. Let him walk on a long leash and be sure to praise him.

• Command “Sit!”

Gesture: Bend your elbow and raise your right hand to shoulder level. The palm looks forward.

The position of the puppy is in front of you. Make a gesture, command “Sit” and praise the dog.

• The command “Lie down!”

Gesture: Raise your right hand in front of you at shoulder level, palm down, quickly lower it to your right leg.

Practice the command on a short leash. The position of the dog is opposite, a couple of steps away from you. Attract the pet’s attention by calling his name, make a gesture, command “Lie down.” When the dog lies down, come up and praise him.

• Command “Place!”

Gesture: Slowly lower your right hand with your palm to the level of the belt in the direction of the puppy.

Go to the dog’s place and say its name to get attention. Make a gesture, slightly tilt the body forward and command “Place”!

If the puppy does not follow the command, practice it on a short leash. Command “place”, then make a few light jerks with the leash with your left hand to bring the puppy. As soon as the puppy lies down, praise him.

Do not chase a quick result and enjoy the process. Don’t overwork your dog and let him work at his own pace. We will be glad if you share with us the skills of your puppies at 6-8 months. Tell me, do they already understand the gestures?