How to teach a dog the command "next"?

The “nearby” command does not belong to the category of compulsory teams that are part of the main training course, but it is a valuable skill that it will be useful for any dog ​​to master. Knowing the team greatly facilitates the management of the pet in public places and reduces the likelihood of negative situations.

The need to train a pet for a “nearby” team is due to some disciplinary issues. Large animals very often pull the leash and drag the owner along with them. This is especially often done by young dogs who, when they see another dog or cat, begin to behave very restlessly. It often happens that, when someone from his family sees on the street, the pet is very happy and, sweeping away everything in its path, rushes to the household.

As for dogs of smaller breeds, then they often need to master this skill. This is due to the fact that too active pets have a habit of getting tangled under their feet. They can run far ahead, quickly return to the owner and suddenly stop. Such dogs often become entangled in the leash themselves and entangle their owner in it. Therefore, too active pets, despite their small size, should also be trained in this team.

Another reason why an animal needs to know the team “near” is desire to attend exhibitions and other social events with him. Surrounded by other dogs, which often act as irritants, this skill is simply necessary. Besides, knowledge of the team will help the dog to better feel his master, slow down or speed up the step with him, adapt to it when changing the direction of movement and move safely in areas with active traffic.

Besides, having mastered the command “near”, it will be easier for the dog to learn related commands - “stand” and “aport”, suggesting that the pet is in a given location relative to the owner. And the last: the dog, walking along the street gradually with its owner, makes a very favorable impression and looks quite impressive, thereby causing admiration and a sense of security among others.

From the outside, the team seems quite simple, but in reality it requires good mental abilities and obedience from the pet.

The difficulty of memorizing is due to the fact that the team includes not one, but several consecutive actions at once, each of which has its own strict requirements.

So, having heard the command “nearby”, the dog should immediately run to the owner, if it is located at a distance from him, run it from the back in a clockwise direction and stand near the left foot. Moreover, the animal’s shoulder should be flush with the owner’s foot, remaining in this position during movement. The dog can change position relative to the owner only after the command “walk” sounds and not before. Otherwise, the skill may be considered unlearned, and the team loses its meaning.

It should be equal to the width of the dog’s croup, and the animal’s shoulder blades should be in line with the owner’s knees. In this position, the dog will not interfere with the person walking, but at the same time can be at a fairly close distance from him. At the initial stage of training, the distance between the owner and the dog can reach 50 cm. However, after the animal clearly assimilates and begins to execute the command, it is gradually reduced to the optimum.

Special requirements are also imposed on the setting of the pet's head. It should be located directly or be slightly elevated in order to keep the face of the owner in sight. To correct the position of the head and train the pet to it, you can use a special harness.

The next important point is the behavior of the dog during the owner's stops. In this case, the animal must also immediately stop and sit down, without waiting for a special invitation or gesture. Such a posture must be maintained by the dog until the owner otherwise instructs. If a person wants to turn around his axis, the pet must also turn around, go around behind him and sit down again.

As can be seen from the requirements, the command “near” requires complex and multi-step actions from the dog, and therefore not all pets are able to perform exactly all the moments.

For example, you should not demand from him the exact observance of the distance and the adoption of a sitting position during stops. In addition, if the owner of the dog is left-handed, then you can teach the animal to be on the right side. The main thing is for the dog to catch the general meaning of the team and perfectly fulfill the main points without going into the intricacies of the process.

Professional trainers are sure that it is very difficult to accustom an adult dog to the team "next". therefore training a puppy for this skill should be started as early as possible, approximately at the age of 6-7 months. This is due to the formation of conditioned reflexes, which are especially well fixed since 6 months of age.

This is due to the fact that the training of the team “near” is carried out according to the classical reward / punishment scheme, and a too small puppy is not ready for this yet.

Summarizing the above, it is worth noting that it is impossible to give an unequivocal answer to this question, since the start time of training depends on the breed of the pet, its temperament and mental abilities, as well as on the owner's experience in raising dogs. At the beginning of training, it is not recommended to overload the puppy with this team, and therefore you can spend 10 minutes on this skill in one training session. As the dogs grow older, the time is gradually increased and brought to 20 minutes.

You can train your dog near the team both with the help of a professional trainer, and independently. However, in the latter case, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the character traits of the breed representatives and soberly assess your pet's learning ability.

Training should be carried out in a quiet, non-crowded place with a minimum of irritating factors.such as people, cars, other animals. The dog should be focused only on the owner and not be distracted around. In addition, the animal should be on a leash, and representatives of large breeds - on a jerk chain.

The owner’s attitude is also important: he must remain in a calm mood and be serious. Just before training with a puppy, you need to take a good walk so that during classes you do not get distracted to redress your natural needs. Moreover, if you start to teach a pet at the beginning of a walk, he will experience psychological discomfort and wonder why, instead of playing and running, he is forced to do something unknown. Therefore, the final 15 minutes of walking will be an ideal time to practice this skill.

The first method is used to train puppies or large adult dogs, and animals are not fed before a walk. As a result, the pet forms a logical chain “command - correct action - food”, and the conditioned reflex is consolidated. To use this method, a piece of goodies is clamped in the hand and moved along the path along which the dog should walk. This method is called "Guidance", as the pet is inseparably monitoring the movements of the hand and thus is aimed at the target. After each correctly performed action, a piece of food is fed to the animal, and the dog himself is praised.

Trainers recommend split teamwork at several stages.

• So, on the first of them, the pet must learn to occupy the desired location on commandbypassing the owner from behind.
• In the second, the task is somewhat complicated and is achieved by the dog synchronous movement with the owner. In this case, the periods between tasty promotions are slightly increased, not forgetting to cheer and praise the puppy after each correctly performed action.
• In the third stage, the dog must learn to run in a straight line at an average pace, following the delicacy clamped in the owner’s left hand.
• After she starts to do well, go on to practice turns, turns, a sharp change in pace and a complete stop.

The second method is known as the “pushing technique” and relies on the animal’s self-preservation instinct. To develop skills in this case, they use not a treat, but a leash of a leash. The animal quickly realizes that jerking movements cause it significant discomfort, the only salvation from which is to clearly keep up with the owner.

In general, the training scheme for this technique is as follows: giving a command - change of position - a jerk. It should be noted here that it is the jerk up or to the side that is needed, and not the pulling of the leash along the dog’s trajectory. Only in this case will the dog understand that he is doing something wrong. A simple pulling of the leash will provoke more resistance and an even stronger pull of the leash. If the action is performed correctly, the jerk shall be replaced by approval.

As an encouragement, they give a treat and stroke the dog. When implementing this technique, it should be remembered that the jerk should never precede the team, otherwise the animal will be disoriented and will not understand what they want from it. In the process of developing the skill, the leash is left in a sagging state, as in a tightened state it signals a possible jerk and keeps the dog in suspense.

To do this, use a leash from 3 to 5 meters in length and command "walk". After the dog runs off to some distance, they give the command “to me”, and as soon as the dog runs up, the command “next to me” sounds. After the animal learns to perform the command well, running up from a great distance, you can proceed to the final stage of training - practicing the skill without a leash. If the dog refuses to come up and fulfill the command, they return to a long leash, and if everything is done perfectly, they will treat you to treat and treat them with a treat and say words of approval.

When training a team “near”, novice dog breeders make a number of mistakes that can discourage animals from any desire to practice. Below are the most common ones.

• Walk your pet on a tightly tied leash, because of which the jerk ceases to be something out of the ordinary for the animal.
• Saying a team with an evil or worse - threatening intonation. The dog will decide that she is guilty and will begin to associate the team with punishment.
• Fast and frequent changes in speed and direction able to disorient even the smartest dog.
• Frequent and unreasonable abuse of the team.
• Poor skill fixing and accelerated transition to a more difficult stage.
• Doing a big jerk before saying a command.

The following video tells how to teach a dog to walk nearby in 2 lessons of 20 minutes.