Top 6 Dog Commands to Teach Your Pet

Do you have a dog who needs to learn a few commands? Are you unsure of where to get started? Do you feel overwhelmed by the idea of trying to teach your pet? If any of this sounds like you, don’t worry. You’re not alone, and many pet owners just like you struggle to figure out which dog commands are considered essential for pets to know.

What are the Important Dog Commands Every Pet Should Know?

In the article below, we’ll walk you through the six most important commands you can teach your pet. With the help of this information, you should have a better idea of where to get started teaching your dog her new commands, and you should know which areas might need a little extra attention from you as well.

Some important dog commands to teach your pet include, but aren’t limited to:

Sit

Sit is one of the first and most important commands any dog learns when training. Even young puppies can learn to sit on command, and this can be a crucial method of helping get your dog under control when she’s too excited or nervous at any age.

Teaching the Command

You can teach your dog to sit by waiting for her to sit naturally while you hold a treat. As soon as she does, say “sit,” reward her with the treat and tell her “yes!” or “good girl!” Repeat this process several times until she starts associating the word “sit” with the action and the reward.

Stay

Once your dog has mastered sit, you can start working on stay. Stay requires your dog to remain in the same position until you tell her she can get up again. It can further help calm down an excited dog, and it can help you cut down on jumping behaviors in your pet as well.

How to Teach Your Dog to Stay

To teach your dog to stay, first put her in a sit command. Then hold up one finger or the palm of your hand and say “stay.” Count to three in your head. If she stays the whole time, reward her, praise her, and give her a treat.

Repeat this process and increase the length of time slowly to teach your dog how to stay properly.

Wait

Wait is very similar to stay, but it isn’t the same. Wait doesn’t require your dog to remain in the same position, as long as she is not running or jumping to try to move forward. This is a good command to teach your dog for pausing when walking through doorways to prevent her from jumping on anyone inside.

Tips for Teaching the Wait Command

To teach wait, pause at a doorway and say “wait.” If your dog pauses with you and doesn’t lunge or pull on the leash, give her a treat and praise. Repeat this process at every doorway until she gets the hang of it.

Lay Down

Lay down may not be quite as beneficial as sit or stay, but it can still be a useful command to give your dog when you need her to get calm after something exciting has happened. Telling your dog to lay down can give her an indication that she needs to settle and remain in one place for a little while.

Steps for Teaching Your Dog to Lay Down

Teach your dog to lay down by first putting her in a sit command. Then hold a treat in your fist so that she can smell it but not quite get to it. Pull your hand slowly to the ground and then forward along the ground. Your dog should follow it with her nose and lay down as she tries to get the treat.

When she does this, say “lay down” and reward her.

Drop It

Drop it is a useful command that can also save your dog from dangerous situations. If she picks up something that’s known to be a common poison for dogs, or something she shouldn’t have in her mouth, you can teach her this command to make her let it go.

Best Way to Teach Your Dog This Command

Teach drop it by offering a treat when your dog has something she shouldn’t have, and saying “drop it.” When she lets go of the item, give her the treat and some praise.

Leave It

Leave it can make your dog ignore something she is trying to go after. She may stop lunging for items or people, and she might not pull on her leash as badly either.

Advice for Helping Your Dog Learn This Command

Teach leave it by telling your dog “leave it” when she wants to chase or go after something. When she moves her attention from the item to you, give her a treat.

Contact Our Team for More Information on the Best Dog Commands to Teach Your Pet

As you can see, there are plenty of useful commands you can teach your dog. Consider this list to help you figure out the best place to get started with teaching commands to your pet.

Remember to work slowly, focusing on just one or two commands at a time, for best results. With a little patience and practice, your dog should be ready to learn all of the above and should be a better behaved dog because of it.

If you have any questions, are needing additional help, or would simply like to know more about which dog commands are important to teach your pet, contact our team at The Village Vets today! Our team is always available help answer any questions you have about your pet, whether it be about their health or about their behavior.