Essential Commands or Dog Tricks

These commands are a must for any dog and dog owner and may even save your dog’s life.

*Sit

Usually the first “trick” people teach their dogs. Just knowing this “trick” will help you teach your dog not to jump on people.

To get them to sit, hold a small treat in your hand at their eye level, but don’t let them have it. Move your hand and the treat slowly over their head and behind them; they will look up to watch your hand, making their weight shift and their butt should touch the floor. If you do it too fast, your dog may just back up a couple steps to keep the treat in their sights.

*Down

Not to be confused with “Off” this is when the dog is laying on their belly. Down is a submissive position for your dog, so don’t be surprised if there is some hesitation at first.

To get them “down” start when they are sitting. Hold a small treat in your hand and let them sniff, then slowly drop your hand to the ground and then slide it along the ground, away from your dog. Again, if you do it too fast, they may just stand up and walk toward the treat. You want them to reach for it so you can guide their actions.

*Off

When your dog is on the couch and they shouldn’t be, tell them “off” instead of “down”. You don’t want to use two different commands interchangeably because this can confuse your dog. For example, if they are on the couch and you tell them down, and they lay down, in their mind they are doing what you want.

*Stay

As in “don’t move from that spot!”

With your dog sitting, slowly take small steps away from your dog. If they get up from the sit, ask them to sit again and start over. Once they hold the stay for a few moments, reward them with praise and a treat. Start with just a few seconds and gradually add more time and distance between you and your dog.

*Come

Meaning “get over here right now!” You never want to tell your dog “come” and then punish them; they’ll associate coming to you with bad things and never listen when you call them. “Come” should be equated with something good and fun so your dog will hear “come” and think “I wanna go over there!”

The importance of “come” can not be overstated. You may even want to come up with a special command that you know your dog will listen to (for example, I use my dogs nicknames when I want them to come running to me!) You want them to choose you over whatever else they may be doing!

A good way to teach this command, is to play a game of hide and seek with your dog. This involves two people and many treats. The first person should walk into a room at the other end of the house, away from the dog. Once there, call the dog’s name repeatedly until they come in and find you. Once they find you, give them the treat and affection. Then yell to the other person that you are ready, and have them call the dog back into a room on the other end of the house. Once the dog comes to person #2, repeat the steps over and over again by changing rooms or placement so the dog is always looking for you or the other person. Keep this game going until the dog takes off running to find you as soon as you call their name. With this game, the dog learns to come when their name is called and that doing so will end in a reward (treats and attention). Once perfected inside the house, take this game to the backyard to increase the skill even more.