What’s a best way to teach a dog commands like “NO”?
You must be consistent in the way you give orders to your dog since dogs do not understand language, but respond only to particular sounds and hand signs. Since the hearing power of dogs is very good, do not yell; it is the tone of the voice that matters. Words trigger a process of reactions that can be called obedience.
As far as possible, single-syllable command words like NO and SIT should be used. The voice for commands should be clearly different from the voice used for praising. Words of punishment or rebuke, like NO should be said in a sharp tone. It is desirable to avoid talking too much during training lessons. The word NO should be used only as a reprimand and nowhere else in the training vocabulary. To emphasize a rebuke, you may hit the ground or something else near the dog, but the dog should never be hit by anything as this will only confuse the animal. Sometimes, initially, you may rebuke the dog by saying NO and give his leash a jerk, but this method is not so advisable as it can create a conditional response. The process has to be repeated several times and the dog will soon learn that NO means to stop what he is doing. This is one of the basic commands and a very important one.