Your dog doesn’t speak English (or any language).
I often get asked by owners what word they should be using for a command. My answer is always the same – you can use any word you like! The word you use does not matter because to your dog it isn’t even a word – it’s just a sound.
You could use the word “pizza” for heel walking. Recall could be “spaghetti”. Sit could be “cheese”. You get the idea. It makes no difference to your dog because they have no concept of what these words mean until it they hear it paired repeatedly with something specific.
This is why many dog trainers can train their dogs in multiple languages.
If you want to make sure your dog is listening to your commands, you must be consistent in the word you use, make the expectations associated with the word clear to your dog, and hold them to those expectations.
