Basic commands that can prevent your pet from being injured

With all due respect to basketball-playing dogs and toilet-trained cats (as in cats who use the same facilities as their owners – complete with knowing how to flush), some pet tricks are more essential than others. "Knowing certain basic commands can prevent your pet from being injured or killed," says Dr. Miki Shibata, a small animal practitioner at Ottawa's Greenbank and Rideau Animal Hospitals.

Smart pet owners take a pro-active approach to their dog and cat training, says Dr. Shibata. "It's a good idea to take basic obedience classes with a new puppy or adult dog," she advises.

Start them off young, and use positive reinforcement (kind words, affection, treats) to get positive outcomes from your dog or cat. Here are the key commands every pet – and pet owner – should know.

4 commands that dogs should know
Dr. Shibata says there are four essential commands your pup should know.

1. "Off" or "Leave it"
These essentially translate as "Do not touch!," a key safety command indoors and out. "If you were to accidentally drop something that may be dangerous like medication, cleaning chemicals, hot or sharp objects, or toxic foods like chocolate, grapes or onions, this may be a life-saving command," says Dr. Shibata. It can also be used to stop your pooch from jumping onto a person or other animal.

2. "Sit-stay"
"If a dog is obediently sitting, she or he cannot be jumping on visitors or bolting out an open door," says Dr. Shibata.

3. "Come!"
"Inside and outside the house, it's important to train your dog to have a good reliable 're-call.' Most people use the command 'Come!.' It allows you to call them away from dangerous situations," says Dr. Shibata.

4. "Down-stay"
This slightly more advanced command is often accompanied with a hand signal like arm extended high up in the air where the dog can easily see it from a distance. "An example of when this would be useful is if your dog was on one side of a street and you were on the other side and a car was coming. You would not want to call the dog to you, but instead, would use this command to stop the dog in his tracks and make him lie down and stay until it was safe to call him to you," explains Dr. Shibata.

Three commands that can help protect you cat from harm on page 2.