Blog - Not You command
Another command that I use a lot that you may find valuable with your dog is ‘not you’. It means quite simply that you don’t want your dog to come with you, but he doesn’t have to hold a set position. It’s great if you need to tie your dog up; you just walk away and say ‘not you’ – your dog is then free to sit, stand, lie or move around without getting into trouble for breaking a command.
Rather than say ‘stay’ when you leave a room and don’t want your dog to follow you (which will break the effectiveness of your ‘stay’ command) say ‘not you’, put your hand in front of your dog’s face so that you’re blocking him from moving forward and then move off without him. Likewise, when you leave a room and are planning on closing the door behind you don’t say anything, just leave otherwise you are ‘wasting’ a command.
It’s easier to train the ‘not you’ exercise at a doorway or when going from one texture to another as your dog will appreciate the doorway commands respect and will recognise the change in texture under his paws.
Walk into a room with your dog beside you, as you cross the threshold reach down with your open hand in front of your dog’s face, say “not you” and push towards your dog; your dog may continue walking in which case gently push their face backwards, say “not you!” and keep walking.
Your dog will stop at the threshold. If he crosses it then ‘herd’ him out of the room and again say “not you!” Your dog will very quickly get the message that when you say “not you!” he’s not allowed to follow you into the room. This is very different to ‘stay’ as your dog is allowed to do whatever he wants… providing he doesn’t follow you into the room.
An excerpt from The Pet Gundog.
https://lezgraham.com/Book/ThePetGundog
first published 27 May 2024
buy the book - https://thepetgundog.co.uk/Home/Books
join the club - https://lezgrahamonlinetraining.com/the-pet-gundog-club
Blog - Not You command
Another command that I use a lot that you may find valuable with your dog is ‘not you’. It means quite simply that you don’t want your dog to come with you, but he doesn’t have to hold a set position. It’s great if you need to tie your dog up; you just walk away and say ‘not you’ – your dog is then free to sit, stand, lie or move around without getting into trouble for breaking a command.
Rather than say ‘stay’ when you leave a room and don’t want your dog to follow you (which will break the effectiveness of your ‘stay’ command) say ‘not you’, put your hand in front of your dog’s face so that you’re blocking him from moving forward and then move off without him. Likewise, when you leave a room and are planning on closing the door behind you don’t say anything, just leave otherwise you are ‘wasting’ a command.
It’s easier to train the ‘not you’ exercise at a doorway or when going from one texture to another as your dog will appreciate the doorway commands respect and will recognise the change in texture under his paws.
Walk into a room with your dog beside you, as you cross the threshold reach down with your open hand in front of your dog’s face, say “not you” and push towards your dog; your dog may continue walking in which case gently push their face backwards, say “not you!” and keep walking.
Your dog will stop at the threshold. If he crosses it then ‘herd’ him out of the room and again say “not you!” Your dog will very quickly get the message that when you say “not you!” he’s not allowed to follow you into the room. This is very different to ‘stay’ as your dog is allowed to do whatever he wants… providing he doesn’t follow you into the room.
An excerpt from The Pet Gundog.
https://lezgraham.com/Book/ThePetGundog
first published 27 May 2024
buy the book - https://thepetgundog.co.uk/Home/Books
join the club - https://lezgrahamonlinetraining.com/the-pet-gundog-club