Differentiating the commands

When the dog has good exercises in motion it reacts very quickly–meaning that it stops as though it had hit a wall. The animal has just a fraction of a second in which to discriminate which command it is hearing and decide what to do–sit, lie down or stand. It is therefore vital that the handler take pains to differentiate the commands, making them sound as different from each other as possible: The “Sit!” command is upwardly inflected. It is a gentle, high‑pitched command beginning with a distinct hiss. The “Down!” is guttural, compelling and authoritative in tone. It comes from the belly. The “Back!” is staccato and clipped‑off (“Bek!”).

^{The handler teaches the dog a close, straight come‑fore position, separate from the recall itself and also separate from the finish.}