Does your dog have disruptive behaviours when they want something?  Teaching your dog to say please with cues is an effective way to eliminate bad behaviour when your dog is asking for a walk, food, or a toy for example. 

Teaching your dog that nothing comes for free will develop good manners as habits to get what they want. Not only this, you will strengthen your bond in the process! Let’s find out how to teach your dog to say please.  

What Is Saying Please For Dogs? 

It is important to remember that saying please is not one universal action that dogs will know, like sit or lie down. There are a number of ways or cues that show your dog is committed to what they want. 

The most popular way to do this is through ‘sit’ or ‘touch.’ When your dog wants something, you can teach them to sit and hold your attention. You can choose if you prefer a different cue, however, if your dog already knows how to sit, all you need to do is develop the association. 

Benefits Of Teaching Your Dog To Say Please 

Teaching good manners is an important part of dog obedience. The benefits of a dog saying please include the following: 

  • Improve Self-Control: Your dog will remain calmer when asking for things they want. 
  • Reduced Attention Grabbing Behaviours: Lunging, barking, scratching or digging are some examples of behaviour a dog can do when they want a particular thing, such as jumping up at the door when wanting a walk. Saying please is an important cue to reduce these. 
  • Gain More Control: Responding to these attention-grabbing behaviours like giving your dog a toy when they’re scratching the box it’s placed in associates your dog with the fact that they will get it if they do this. If they’re saying please, you will not be seen as ‘giving in.’ 
  • Multiple Dog Households: Saying please is important within any household with a dog but particularly will keep stressful situations at a minimum with multiple dogs as you will gain time to respond to the cue and, in turn, teach other manners such as turn-taking. 
  • Build Positive Relationships: Relaxed environments and a mutual understanding with your dog increases your bond, as you can understand each other effectively. 
  • Teaching Polite Behaviours: Not only in the household but saying please when out and about can make walks better or make dog socialisation calmer. 
  • Reduce Fearfulness: Your dog can be fearful and have specific triggers. Patience and saying please can reduce their fears and anxiety. 

How To Teach Your Dog To Say Please 

When starting to teach your dog to say please, certain movements will make this process easier than first starting obedience training. Knowing sit and stay commands, for example, will make this stage more seamless. 

Our top tip before you start training is to identify and make a note of existing behaviours, why they do this and what your dog is hoping to achieve by doing this. For example, jumping and lunging at the worktops while preparing their meal. Knowing this will immediately give you the places you can implement ‘say please’ first and give positive reinforcement. 

  1. In the situation where you want to teach your dog to say please, ask your dog to ‘sit’ first. 
  2. Do not give them the item immediately. 
  3. Say the command ‘say please’ and if they continue in the sit position or go back into it, then offer the reward. 
  4. Repeat this method for other behaviours, and remember to praise your dog. 

If your dog isn’t getting this straight away, try with a treat first. Do not give them a treat for simply sitting, but let them get used to the pause after the say please command. Once your dog does this in familiar environments (like the household) try outside when they are doing attention-seeking behaviours. 

Teaching Say Please With Touch 

If you prefer to have contact with your dog as the cue, saying please through touch may be the better option for you. It’s important to understand this method may be more tricky to master in certain situations, as you need to be close to your dog to get the action. 

  1. Ask your dog to ‘sit.’ Once they are in this position, wait a moment so you know they are paying attention. 
  2. Show the treat close enough so they can see and smell it. Say to them, ‘say please.’ 
  3. Their paw will then come up to touch your hand. At this point, they can have the treat. 
  4. Give praise and practise this until they instantly know what to do. 

At the beginning of teaching your dog to say please in this way, you may have to help them with the motion. Your dog may show confusion as they don’t know what you are waiting for. Practice and repetition is key. 

Additional Tips  

There are some things you shouldn’t do when teaching your dog to say please. These include: 

  • Never say the command for things they don’t want – this will reduce the meaning of saying please and may disrupt the training for the things they do want. 
  • Be mindful if your dog has trouble with the cue you want to teach. Older dogs may struggle with ‘down’ or lifting their paw, particularly if age has affected their mobility. 
  • Understand your dog’s fears and triggers. If you have a particularly anxious dog, be careful to not ask them to say please for things they fear. 

It is important to be quiet and calm when training your dog. See our additional dog training tips. 

Manners Training With A&T Trained Dogs 

Saying please and good manners are important in dog training, as it will strengthen your bond and make life that little easier. If your dog is showing attention-seeking behaviours when they want something, and you need some additional help in creating good habits, our experienced team have extensive experience in dog behaviour training. 

With state-of-the-art facilities, our team creates tailored plans for your dog and also gives you tips to extend what they know into the home. Contact us online or call us on 01524 587 315.