Dog Training: Commands that Will Avoid Lawsuits

We live in an increasingly litigious society in which just about anyone can be sued for anything. What's worse, many of the frivolous lawsuits brought in U.S. courts are satisfied in favor of the plaintiff. Unfortunately, that cute little bundle of joy -- your new puppy -- is a lawsuit waiting to happen, so here are a few dog training commands that will avoid lawsuits.

No. The simplest and most effective command you can teach your dog is "No". This tells the dog that whatever behavior he is exhibiting is wrong, and although it won't work in all circumstances, your dog should become very familiar with "No" during training. Some dog owners prefer to add a little extra emphasis to "No" by swatting the dogs rear end or tapping him on the nose. This can work very well, though once your dog understands "No", it shouldn't be necessary.

Down. A dog really isn't trying to be bad when he or she jumps on people. Dogs do it to other dogs all the time as a way of saying "Howdy!" However, if you have a large dog or even a small dog with sharp nails, you could be facing a lawsuit just by having a dog who jumps. If he was to accidently scrape someone with his claws or hit a stranger in the mouth, a lawsuit could easily be on its way. To avoid this, teach your dog the simply command of "Down" and reinforce it with rewards when he obeys.

Stay. When a dog hears the word "Stay!", he should automatically stop in his tracks and wait for your next command. That is ideal. To get to that point, you'll have to consistently give him the stay command and then follow it with another command to relieve it. If you ever get into a situation where your dog wants to chase someone or get involved in a confrontation with another dog (a potential lawsuit), you can use the stay command to avoid those calamities.

Leave It. Another command that can help you avoid lawsuits is the "Leave It" command. This tells your dog to drop whatever he's put in his mouth, and should work whether the object is a piece of food or some unsuspecting stranger's finger. Leave it should be used to immediately loosen your dog's jaws, and he or she should be responsive no matter the circumstances.