When you get a little puppy, you always want to teach your puppy to sit. It is one of the first dog commands you should teach your puppy.
Everything starts with a sit. Now, while dogs can learn multiple commands, there are some you should always try to teach.
Today, we will talk about the most important basic dog training commands, and how they help you in real life.
Recall
Arguably the most important dog command in the world. Why? Because the ability to get your dog to come back to you when you call will allow your puppy to have a better life, and be safer.
First and foremost, without being able to call your dog, you cannot let him off-leash. And when your puppy is always on the lead, it cannot burn some energy, roam, play, and run freely.
Nobody wants a life on a leash. But for some puppies, that is the reality. And all because their dog owner didn’t practice recall.
I’ve talked about recall so many times, I’ve talked about recall tips, games you can play to get your dog to come, and more. Just type recall on that search bar, and you will find lots of ideas on how to get better at it.
Sit
Everything starts with sit. It is the essential command in dog training. Sit is the first command from where everything else comes, and the best command to get your dog out of a dangerous situation. Does your dog want to jump on people? Instruct it to sit, and wait calmly. Does he want to run after something? Get him to sit!
Some dog trainers will tell you sit is like recall. Emergency sit and sit at a distance are two dog commands that can help you get out of anything.
What I love to do is improve the reliability of sit. How do I do that? By making Milo sit before we play any game. This way, it teaches Milo that sitting is something fun. That when he sits, something fun will happen. He will either play with something, or get a treat, or get some food, or anything in between.
Make sure to work on the sit command every day. That is how you get your dog to glue his butt to the ground the moment you give a verbal cue or hand signal.
Learn its name
You might think your dog learning its name is nothing special. But this important command is another obedience training essential. Why?
Because when your dog responds to its name, you can instantly get its full attention. It is a basic command, but one that will help in a dog training session.
It is quite simple to learn the essential command, and I strongly advise you to start the moment you get your puppy home.
Call him by his name over and over again. And if you like a game for a good training session, play hot potato with a couple of family members. Call your dog by its name and see how he reacts, and then take it a step further and call him to come.
So, basically, during this training process, you teach your dog to respond to its name and to come when you call.
Pretty good, right?
Leave it
Ask any dog owner or pet parent, and among the top 5 challenges with a young puppy, they will tell you their dog eats things off the ground.
Well, how do you handle that unwanted behavior? By giving your dog a basic cue to leave things. As always, I recommend positive reinforcement, but with a twist. We can play a game here.
The trade up game comes in handy here. Why? Because your dog learns that he leaves something, he gets rewarded with an even higher-value treat.
Now, it is important not to let your dog learn the tricks and manipulate the game by getting something in the mouth just so that you trade up for a treat.
Shush
Now, you do not want to have a dog that barks, right? Well, while barking is a natural instinct and behavior, we want our dogs to bark only when they are allowed to.
And you can do that by teaching your dog to Shush, or be quiet if you like. But first, you have to teach your dog to bark on cue.
Once you can get your dog to bark on cue, you can teach it to shush. How? Basically, when your dog barks, put a treat right next to his nose, and let him sniff. Your puppy cannot bark and sniff at the same time. When he is quiet and calm, reward. Sounds simple enough for you?
Stay/Wait
This basic dog command is an extended aspect of the sit command. Sit-stay and wait are two important parts of impulse control.
When you are trying to teach your dog to wait, do it gradually. Do not expect a puppy to be calm for more than 5 seconds in the beginning. But gradually increase the length and challenges, adding a distraction as your puppy is getting better.
Watch me
Some people call it watch me, others call it look. But no matter the case, it is a basic command that should get your dogs attention. In a second, your dog should watch you.
Now, if you can get this behavior with the dog’s name, great. If not, add the watch me command. How do you teach it?
By holding a treat in your hand, and marking the behavior when your dog watches at you, not at the treat. Simple!
How do you combine basic dog commands?
I talked about seven essential dog commands you have to teach your puppy. But when you combine them together, that is when you have a well-behaved puppy.
Your goal should be to have a dog in a sit-stay position and looking at you when you call it. See? To get there, you have to combine sit, stay/wait, watch me, and come together.
Happy training!
