How To Teach Your Dog The Most Important Training Commands

How to teach your dog the most important dog commands

Training with your dog can be very rewarding for you and your pup. So how can you teach your four-legged best friend the basic dog commands? Get the best tricks and tips right now!

Welcome to Dog Works Radio. We teach our children the necessary, basic commands to keep them safe and stop them from running out in front of a car or putting something dangerous in their mouth. For the same reasons, dogs should also be taught specific commands. Whether you have a puppy or an older dog, there are specific basic dog commands that every dog should know.

Thanks to our friends from the American Kennel Club and the Dog Writers Association of America for helping us out on this episode.

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We teach our children important, basic commands to keep them safe and stop them from running out in front of a car or putting something dangerous in their mouth. For the same reasons, dogs should also be taught specific commands. Whether you have a puppy or an older dog, there are specific basic dog commands that every dog should know.

To ensure your dog is a good citizen and to keep him out of dangerous situations, he should know some essential dog commands. Each of these dog commands performs a specific function and will help with your pet’s daily routine. Whether you take your dog to the park, the vet, or for a simple walk, dangers can occur. Also, no dog is smart enough to realize every danger he can get into. There are automobiles, open wells, bikes, chocolate, and candy wrapper choking hazards, and he can get trapped in places where he cannot get out. For these reasons, dogs must learn to understand and obey specific basic commands. Here are some of the most essential dog commands your pup should know.

The important basics

• Sit is an easy command every dog should know. Many dogs get excited when they hear the doorbell, see it’s dinner time, or get ready to go for a walk. When you teach your pet to sit, you can tame the over-excitement and, without interruption, answer the door or prepare the meal. The “Sit “command is also useful when you have a large dog and don’t want him to jump all over you or someone else. Teaching your dog to sit helps you keep a sense of order and keeps your dog from jumping excitedly and uncontrollably around. Time required for “Sit”: 5-10 minutes 2-3 times per day.

• Stay or Wait can stop your dog from running in front of a car or grabbing something he shouldn’t grab. For some dogs, “Stay” is hard to do if they see something they want, like a cat or a bird. However, it’s an essential command every puppy and dog should know as the “Stay” command can prevent your dog from getting involved in dangerous situations. Additionally, teaching your dog to stay or wait lets him know that he must stand still and stay calm for a short time until you are finished with household chores, entertaining guests, or other tasks. Time required for “Stay”: 5-10 minutes 2-3 times per day.

• Drop it is quite a useful command if you see your favorite shoes sticking out of your dog’s mouth. Training your dog to “drop it” means teaching your dog to let go of whatever is in his mouth. This command can protect your pup from eating something dangerous and keep him from chewing up your possessions. The “Drop it” command also makes it easier for you to play with your dog. For example, if he catches a Frisbee but won’t release it, simply tell him to “Drop it.” Time required for “Drop it”: 5 – 10 minutes a day.

• Come means that your dog should stop what he’s doing and return to you. “Come” is probably one of the most important commands as it can protect your pup from being injured. In addition, the “Come”-command helps you control situations much easier, whether your dog is in danger or if he is the one causing danger to others. Time required for “Come”: 5-10 minutes, 2-3 times daily.

• No tells your dog to stop doing what he’s doing. The “No” command should be used to stop unwanted behavior like chewing, jumping, or biting. Time Required for “No”: 3-5 minutes, 2-3 times per day.

• Down is quite like “Sit” and has, in general, the same purpose. By teaching your dog to lie down on command, you have a tool to manage several common behavior problems, like jumping around frantically. Additionally, “Down” can serve as a stepping stone to further commands and training. For example, before you can train a dog to roll over or go to his place, he needs to know how to lie down. Time required for “Lie Down”: 5-10 minutes 2-3 times per day.

How to teach basic dog commands

Teaching your pup different dog commands can be a fun and rewarding experience for both of you. Daily training gives them an easier and less stressful life and can strengthen your relationship. The best time to start training your new puppy, or adult dog, is as soon as you bring it home. The younger dogs are, the easier it is to teach them, and the faster they learn. If you want your pup to learn the commands quickly and to get the most out of the training, follow these basic rules:

• Keep training sessions short. It’s better to do a few five-minute sessions than one half-hour session each day – young puppies often lose concentration quickly.
• Only train when you are in a good mood. If you have had a bad day, you may take your stress out on your pet.
• Always end training sessions on a positive note with an exercise you know your dog can do easily.  Finishing with success keeps your pet (and you) motivated!
• At first, train with no distractions. For example, teach a command in a quiet environment and only add distractions later when your dog masters the command. This way, your dog learns to respond in different environments.

Train your dog basic commands: A Best Practice Guide

We summarized some best practices on how to teach your dog basic commands:

Train your pup by playing games

Not only for doggie tricks but playing games is also very useful for dog training. Don’t overburden your dog, though. An exhausted dog cannot learn fast and will lose interest very soon. Playful learning works best with small rewards, such as hugging your dog or giving him a little snack.

Own the basic commands

While you don’t need a basic command for every trick, it’s still advisable that your dog knows all the basic commands. Many tricks are based on various basic commands, which is certainly helpful. Moreover, these are the easiest ones to learn, so they are always a good dog training idea.

Choose the right difficulty level

When choosing the next trick for your puppy, think of your dog’s capacities. If your dog just learned the “sit” command, don’t already try some very complicated tricks. Chances are that he will be overburdened and lose interest. Instead, take your dog step-by-step to a more difficult level.

Go for short sessions

Go for rather shorter training sessions because dogs get quickly mentally exhausted. Moreover, some tricks also exhaust your dog physically, so your puppy may get very tired soon. A rule of thumb: practice 15 min for a trick and then wait a few hours until you try a new one.

Many repetitions, small steps.

Do you want to teach your dog a trick? Repeat it as often as possible. Teach the trick in small steps and be creative with the spots chosen for your training.

Praise all the little achievements

Did your dog get it right? Always praise and encourage ahis achievement! Every little step can be praised, as most dogs react positively to appreciation.

Difficulty level 1: Cross paws

You’ve read the best tips and tricks, and now you’re ready to start! Here’s an example of teaching your dog the “Criss Cross” trick or “Good Lady.” Follow these three easy steps for a successful “Cross Paw” trick:

1. Your dog sits down, and you request from him a paw. Place a toy or a piece of paper on the opposite side of the required paw.
2. Practice long enough until your dog understands which paw he needs to give out.
3. As soon as your dog crosses his paws by doing this exercise, praise him and reward him with a little snack.
4. Now you’re all set! Don’t forget to have fun while teaching your pup the basic dog commands!

We will take a short break here, and when we come back, we will learn all about consistency.

Paws Up

The key to any training is consistency; if you’re not consistent, you will not get the desired result. It doesn’t matter if it’s dogs, cats, people, or even elephants– learning is achieved through identifying patterns. These few tips can teach you consistency in your dog training:

Consistent cues in dog training

If you repeat cues and say it one time one day and three times the next, you are not consistent. For more effective communication and training with your dog, try to make your verbal and non-verbal cues consistent. It makes learning new commands or tricks much easier for your dog.

Keep the daily rituals

Dogs are each day confronted with challenging and confusing situations: They must wait patiently for their food, stay calm in the traffic while walking, and sometimes stay home alone for hours. However, with fixed daily rituals, you can teach your dog that these situations are normal parts of the day and, with time, your pup will get used to these challenges as a part of his daily routine.

Stay on the same page

Make sure everyone in the family is on the same page with the “house rules.” If you don’t want your dog to jump on people, make sure he NEVER gets rewarded for jumping. If you don’t want your dog to beg for food while you eat, the whole family should know not to feed him from the plates. Dogs often get blamed for being “stubborn” because they are not behaving correctly. The problem, however, is not the dogs! It is often seen that each family member rewards different behaviors. What is the right answer? Make consistent rules and stick to them.

Dogs don’t generalize 

If you teach “sit” in the kitchen and then move to the bedroom, your dog will probably not perform the command. Why? Because it’s a new location with new distractions. Go back to the basics and consistently re-teach the behavior. Once you have trained your dog in numerous locations, success in a new location will occur faster.

Pay attention to word-use

Dogs are pretty simple. They try to react to the exact words you say. Therefore, you should know that “Come here” or “Come now” is not the same as “Come.”. Which one do you want your dog to learn? Choose the word(s) you want to use and ensure you are consistent with your word use.

Practice makes perfect

You must learn patterns and consistency as much as your dog. So, train your dog for at least 15 minutes per day, broken down into small 2–5-minute segments. And be consistent with your dog training!

Okay… let’s press pause for a sec…maybe ask yourself, why did this resonate with me? What aspect of my relationship with my K9 buddy could I apply this to? And what am I going to do differently this week to make my dog’s training a little easier? So, take time to mull it over, talk it out with a family member or trusted friend, put some ideas down in your training journal, and then check back next week for our next episode. And, as always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this episode. So, reach out and D.M. me over on Instagram at firstpawmedia, and let’s spark a conversation. Until then, keep going! You are doing great! It is time to create the relationship with your dog that you always dreamed of.

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