Do you know what DOG ESSENTIALS you are missing out? Find out now!
Zack Keithy, our author, is a certified veterinarian technician (UC Blue Ash) for over 6 years (contact him here). The articles written here are based on his expertise and experience, combined with a review by our expert vet reviewers including Dr M. Tarantino. Learn more about us here.
Hands up, anyone who loves the joy of dog ownership! Those furry little rascals can truly light up our lives with their unconditional love and adorable antics.
But let’s be real, folks – a well-trained pooch is the ultimate dream.
No more chasing them down the street like a madman or having your couch serve as their personal chew toy.
That’s where the magic of dog training commands comes into play!
In this article, I want to share my favorite commands to teach my dogs, and how you can implement them with your own doggy.
Check out my other dog training tips too.
What Are Dog Training Commands?
Dog commands are basically the building blocks of communication between you and your furry friend.
These verbal or gestural cues can teach your pup the rules of the game and set clear expectations.
As you should know by now, our dogs are incredibly perceptive, and they are well attuned to our tone and body language, which means they can learn an impressive vocabulary when taught consistently.
Imagine having a dog that understands over 170 words and responds accordingly!
Well, it’s not a pipe dream.
Consistency is key; and you learning how to do it properly forms the other part of the equation.
What Dog Training Commands Do I Need?
As someone who’s had quite a number of dogs, I can’t stress enough the importance of mastering basic commands.
These foundational cues are the bare minimum every dog should learn, but once you’ve nailed them, the possibilities are endless!
The list of essential commands starts with the basics – paying attention, sitting, staying.
But don’t be fooled.
They might be simple, but they lay the groundwork for more complex behaviors like holding an object or fetching items on command.
15 Dog Training Commands
I know you’re eager to start, but before doing so, you need to be prepared.
And by that I mean you need the right treats, and a treat pouch would be super handy.
Now that you’re ready, let’s jump right in!
1. Come Command
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen dog owners chasing after their dogs, leaving them panting and exasperated.
“If only they knew the come command!”
Getting your dog to come when called is so important, it can literally save their life.
Start by showing a really good treat that your pup can’t resist, like chicken or hot dogs.
Say their name happily and give the ‘come’ cue.
When they come to you, praise and give lots of those yummy treats one after another – we call that a ‘jackpot’ to make it really rewarding.
Practice this on a long leash at first without distractions, then slowly build up.
The key is making coming to you the best thing ever.
Never call them to you for something negative like a correction.
More detailed tips on dog recall training here.
2. Sit Command
Teaching ‘sit’ is usually one of the first commands people teach.
Have a treat in your hand and lure it slowly over their head – their butt will go down as they follow the treat.
Mark and treat as soon as that booty hits the floor.
Once they get it, you can just give the ‘sit’ cue without luring.
3. Down Command
Once your dog has learned ‘sit’, you can teach ‘down’ – lying all the way down on their tummy.
Have them sit first, then lure with a treat moving it straight down to the floor.
As soon as their elbows hit the floor, say ‘yes!’ and treat.
Don’t get too excited praising or they might pop right back up.
Go slowly and be patient.
4. Place Command
This one is so handy for getting your dog to relax on their own bed or mat instead of being underfoot.
Lure them onto the bed with a treat initially, then reward and treat while they stay there.
Gradually build up the time before rewarding as they get better at just chilling.
5. Leave It Command
Oh man, getting your dog to ignore that tempting thing on the floor is a crucial one!
Start with a treat in your hand – when they sniff at it, say ‘leave it’ calmly.
As soon as they back off, say ‘yes!’ and reward them from your other hand.
Practice with various objects you don’t want them getting into, on and off leash once they’ve got it down.
6. Loose Leash Walking
This one prevents injury from them pulling you down the street like a sled dog.
Have them sit calmly first, then give a ‘let’s go’ or ‘heel’ cue and take a step, treating if they stay right beside you.
If they pull ahead, just stop and wait for them to catch back up before moving again.
Treat like crazy when they’re doing it right.
I highly recommend using no-pull harnesses as part of this training.
7. Wait Command
Having a good ‘wait’ cue keeps your dog from bolting out doors or jumping out of the car prematurely and getting loose.
With your pup on a leash, stop and say ‘wait’ before opening that door.
Reward and treat when they pause and don’t move forward.
You can build up the time they have to wait patiently before releasing them to go ahead.
8. “Settle” Command
This one is super useful for getting your hyper pup to just chill out when they’re getting overly excited and rowdy.
You know how it goes – they start jumping all over you, nipping at your clothes, generally being a spazzy mess when they’re amped up.
Teaching a good “settle” cue lets you tell them to calm their doggy butt down in those overstimulated moments.
Having them lie down on their designated bed or mat helps too.
Here’s how you teach it:
Have them on a leash and when they plop down on their own, say “settle” calmly and give them a treat.
You’re rewarding that natural relaxed behavior.
Toss treats to them while they stay settled so they don’t pop back up.
Eventually they’ll learn that “settle” means relax and stay calm, and you can give the cue when they’re being nuts.
9. “Stay” Command
This one builds on the “sit” or “down” commands they already know.
You’re teaching them not to get up or move from that stay position until you release them with a “break” or “free” cue.
Start small by just having them stay for a few seconds while right next to you.
Gradually build up the time, varying it around so they don’t just start expecting to be released after X number of seconds.
Go from short to long stays randomly.
Once they’ve got duration down, start adding distance – take a step away, then return and release.
Increase the distance over time.
Then environments with distractions like the park.
The goal is for them to stay put until you say they can get up, no matter what.
10 & 11. “Take It” and “Hold It”
These are good ones, especially if you want a dog that can fetch your remote or slippers!
“Take it” means they grab an object you present, and “hold it” is having them hang onto it until you cue them to let go.
Lure them with a toy at first, praising and treating anytime they grab it when you say “take it.”
For “hold it”, keep that praise and treating going as long as they’re clenching that toy in their jaws.
You can up the difficulty over time by having them take and hold other household objects.
12. “Drop It” or “Give”
This one is crucial for getting your pup to let go of something they’ve got their mouth clamped down on, whether it’s your favorite slipper or a potentially dangerous object.
The easiest way is to do an exchange – let them grab a toy, say “give” or “drop it”, then lure with a high value treat right at their nose.
As soon as they release the toy to go for the treat, jackpot them with lots of praise and more treats.
13. “Spin”
This one is just a cute silly trick, but it’s good mental exercise and can help burn some of that zoomie energy.
Basically you’re capturing and rewarding them any time they spin in a circle, whether intentionally or just while chasing their tail like a doofus.
Lure turn by turn with a treat, marking and treating each completed spin in the same direction with your chosen cue like “spin” or “twirl.”
They’ll pick it up quickly and you’ll have an adorable new party trick!
18. “Shake” and/or “High Five”
This trick is such a crowd pleaser – who doesn’t love when a dog will high five on command?
It’s an easy one to teach too, once your pup has “sit” down pat.
Start by gently taking their paw while they’re in a sit, lifting it up a bit and saying “shake” or “high five” and treating.
Do a few reps of you lifting their paw and rewarding.
Once they get the idea, just give the cue and wait – as soon as that paw comes up, jackpot with treats and praise!
You can try tapping behind their elbow too to lure that lifted paw.
With consistency and positive reinforcement, they’ll quickly figure out that lifting their paw up equals treats and put that cute high five on cue.
Such an adorable trick!
19. “Wave”
Okay, this one is the next level after they’ve nailed “shake” or “high five.”
You can actually teach them to wave on command, which makes for such an impressive parlor trick.
Start the same way as high five – cue it, lift their paw briefly, and treat.
But then after they’ve got it, start just giving the cue without catching their paw. When they lift it on their own, immediately use a new cue like “wave.”
You can even wave your own hand as you give the verbal “wave” cue to help them make the connection.
Treat like crazy when they lift that paw in response to the wave command.
With repetition, they’ll start waving their little paw back at you when you wave and cue it.
Final Thoughts on Dog Training Commands
Look, I’m gonna be as straight as possible: Proper dog training takes time, patience, and guidance.
Without the right techniques, it’s easy to develop bad habits that frustrate both you and your pup.
My guide can give you a good baseline, but…
if you’re struggling to teach your dog basic commands,
or constantly dealing with behavioral issues like jumping,
pulling on the leash,
or not coming when called,
I don’t think you should be doing it alone.
Enroll in a professional online dog training course to learn proven positive reinforcement methods from certified experts instead.
It gives you on-demand video lessons which has step-by-step instructions for teaching essential commands and solving common problems.
Most importantly, you become better bonded with your dog with the training activities and cancel all your existing frustrations!
It also comes with a 60-day money back guarantee, so you’re basically gonna get it risk free.
