The following is a list of the French Ring dog commands, which dog owners can use to train any dog in French, whether or not you plan to pursue the sport.
The command to “sit” in French for a dog is “assis,” which is pronounced “ah-see.” This command is used in training and French Ring trials. For example, during the positioning portion of the French Ring dog trials, this is one of the commands the judge draws from a hat that the dog must perform.
To call a dog in French, you say, “vien ici,” pronounced “vee-en ee-see.” It is not a trial command. Instead, handlers typically only use this command in training to get the dog’s attention or get it into position for positioning exercises.
In English, to command a dog to bark, you say, “speak.” In French Ring, the command is “abois,” pronounced “ah-bwah.” Handlers usually only use it as a separate command in training.
The “bark” command used in training, “abois,” is combined with a search command in French Ring trials. The order “cherche abois,” pronounced “shersh ah-bwah,” instructs a dog to search for the decoy and alert by barking.
At the start of a trial or training session, the handler and dog greet the decoy. It would be unfortunate if the dog were in defensive mode during this greeting. The command to get the dog to sit while the handler meets the decoy is “bonjour,” pronounced “bone-jure.”