These commands are basic training to help teach your puppy discipline, manners, and to keep them and yourself safe. It's best to not try and teach too many commands at one time and to make sure they really understand one command before you start with the next. If you are trying to teach your puppy too many things at once, they may become burned out, frustrated, or bored. Remember, they are just puppies. Always try and make training fun and rewarding for your puppy. This will help greatly in the long run. I also like to use short, one or two word commands to make things as simple as possible and easy to understand. I guarantee saying "Jake, off!" will work a lot better than "Jake get off that couch right now!"

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• Name Recognition

  • Teaching your puppy their name is very important so that you can get their attention. Make sure when you say their name that you are making eye contact and use their name frequently. Reward them for acknowledging their name! They will surely catch on quickly.​

 

•      Leave it

  • This is an extremely important command for your puppy to know. Imagine there is something dangerous on the ground such as a pill or anything poisonous. There could be a snake, a rodent, you may drop food. You don't want your puppy picking up/eating everything they find on the ground or going to chase after a rodent or snake, This command can be taught by dropping a toy or food or even a treat on the ground and stopping your dog from going after it. As soon as they go after the item, say "AHHT" very loudly and block their way to the item. It's best to start with something that isn't very interesting and later use things that are enticing such as treats. This will teach your dog discipline and possibly save them from a life threatening situation. Always reward your puppy for leaving the item where it is and if you are using a treat to drop on the ground, never use that treat in particular as the reward. Give them a different one.​    

 

•      Here/Come

  • This is another very important command so that your puppy will come when called. It will save you from having to chase after them if they ever get off their leash, away from you, or run out the door or yard. Use your puppy's name and then say "come" or "here". An example would be: "Jake! Here!" in a happy tone. Reward with a loving happy tone and affection, treats, or a favorite toy. Do not overuse this command if they are not listening and always try to sound happy even if you are angry, scared, or sad. If your puppy is being stubborn or they are just not getting it, a 20 or 30 ft long lead will come in handy. Put this lead on them, say their name and come/here one time and if they don't come, gently pull them towards you and once they come all the way, reward them greatly. This works very well starting with a short distance and progressively increasing the distance. You can even add distractions such as other dogs, people, or toys once they really catch on. *This is very important* If your puppy runs off or away and has you either chasing them around or desperately trying to get them to come back, once they do come back or you do finally catch them, DON'T let your emotions get the best of you or scold them in any way. Reward them even if they ran off and it took a long time for them to come back or you spent time chasing them. If you scold them, they will not want to come back and the problem will get worse and worse because they will develop a negative association with coming back to you.​

     

•      Watch me

  • This command is great for getting your puppy to focus on you. It's also a good distraction for when there are cars or people nearby and you want their attention off of those things and on yourself. Say your​ puppy's name and "Watch me! as you are pointing at your eyes. When they look at your eyes, reward them immediately. Practice this until they get good at it and then you can increase the time between them looking at you and their reward. If they lose attention, repeat the command and they will start to look at your longer while waiting for their reward.

 

•        Off 

  • Obviously you don't want your dog to be jumping on furniture, other people, counters, the dinner table, etc. This is a good command to teach from very early on because if you allow your puppy to jump on people and furniture when they are young, they will not understand why they can't do it anymore when they are older. Off shouldn't be confused with down. A lot of people use the word down instead of off, but also use the phrase lie down. It may become confusing to your dog and I've found that "off" is a better alternative. When your dog jumps up on furniture or the counter, simply tell them "off" in a firm and assertive voice, not angry, and if they don't listen, place them on the ground. If they jump up on you, tell them "off" while turning to the side and move away. If they start to try and jump on you, you can even use a hand signal to stop them before they try. While they are in the process of jumping up, take a step back, place your palm in front of them like a stop sign and say "off". Practice at home first and it will be easier to stop them from jumping up on strangers in public or family and friends visiting.​

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•      Sit

  • I love to use hand signals for commands like these. This command should be said once and not repeated over and over. That is the mistake that most people make. Repeating a command over and over will just confuse your dog and they probably won't listen or learn as quickly. Call your puppy's name and say sit as you raise your hand palm up above their head. This will cause them to look up and a lot of times they will naturally sit. Reward immediately after they sit. If they don't sit right away, as they are looking at your hand, you can move your hand forward more and as they look further up, they will naturally sit so they can keep an eye on your hand. Starting with treats is great because it will give them motivation to watch your hand and they will associate hand signals with a reward.​

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•      Down 

  • For this command, I have my dog sit and then place my hand out flat with my palm down in front of their face and gradually bring it down while saying "down". Sometimes it is easier to use a treat first and start with the treat in front of their nose and bring it down to the ground pulling your hand back so they have room to lay down,

     

•      Stay

  • This command is great for discipline as well and to keep your dog from running off or after someone or some thing. I like to use the same hand signal for "off" as I do for "stay" because it is essentially a blocking hand signal. It tells them to stop what they are doing. I like to have my dogs sit or lie down first and then give them the command stay so they are already still when I give them the command. Put your hand out flat in front of them and say "stay" in a firm and assertive voice. Take a step back with your hand still out and if they move, step forward and repeat stay. Repeat this process until they understand that they shouldn't move when you give them this command.