6 min read

19 Basic Commands To Teach Your Dog

Nothing feels better than a dog who quickly obeys what you command. Make no mistake about it...dogs want leadership.

They want you to take charge...so do it! You don't have to be a drill sergeant about the way you train your dog.

Rather, be the type of leader you always wanted. You probably have a favorite family member, coach, teacher, or some adult at some point in your life who knew how to get the best out of you.

That's who you want to emulate when training your dog. So, let's take a look at the top 19 dog training commands to teach your dog, and how to do each.

If you've heard of different ways to teach the command, that's because there's many ways to train a dog to do the same thing. Simply make sure to choose your favorite way...and stick with the same way every time.

Anyway, here's how to train your dog to do some basic commands:

1. Sit

Sit comes in handy immediately in your dog's life. Use it before giving your dog a treat, before you give them affection, before you let them out of their crate, or simply to impress company when you have people over.

Here's one way to do it:

Hold a treat above your dog's head
Slowly move the treat behind your dog's head
Eventually, your dog will sit
When your dog sits, say,"Sit," and praise them for being a good dog

2. Watch Me

This command isn't well-known. But, it comes in quite handy. You use it to keep your dog's attention on you when you need it.

This might be when a squirrel runs by, if you're at a busy event, or if some other distraction presents itself.

This is how you do it:

Hold a treat near your dog's nose
Slowly move it towards your face
When the treat gets near your nose, say "watch me" and give the treat to your dog

3. Down

Make no mistake about it, this is a hard command to teach. But, it's well worth your time.

It comes in useful when your dog is getting overly excited and you need them to calm down. For example, you might use it when you stop to talk to someone on your dog's walk so you don't get their leash twisted around you. You might also use it when you have visitors so you don't have people with paw prints on their clothes.

There's many other situations where this command comes in useful. For now, you get the point.

Here's how to train your dog to do "down: "

Put a very high-value treat in front of your dog's nose and let them get a good whiff of it
Bring the treat to the ground, and eventually your dog will follow
When they put their belly on the floor, say "down" and give them the treat

4. Stay

This may be the single most important command you teach your dog. That's becuse it keeps your dog and others around him or her safe.

Here's how you teach it:

Put your dog in a "sit"
Slowly back away from them
If they move toward you, tell them "no" and put them back in a sit
When your dog stops, say "stay"
Reward them with a treat

5. Come

"Come" is another great command that keeps your dog safe. Imagine what you would do if they run off or go into an unsafe area. You'd have to chase after them and just hope for the best!

...But not if your dog knows to obey the "come" command.

To teach your dog "come: "

Leash your dog
Stand across from them, say "come," and pull slightly on their leash
Give your dog a treat when they come to you

6. Off

Don't want your dog on your furniture? No problem! Just teach them the "off" command.

Here's how you do it:

Put a treat in your closed fist and hold your closed fist in front of your dog's nose
Your dog will try to get at the treat
When they eventually back down, say "off" and give them the treat

7. Drop It

This command can help keep your household items safe. You can also use it to keep your dog from dragging things in from outside.

Here's one way to teach this command:

Find a toy
Give it to your dog
Say "drop it" and show them a treat
When they drop the toy, give them the treat

8. Leave It

You'll use this one frequently on walks. Dogs get easily distracted when they go on their oh-so-exciting walk. So sometimes, they'll want to go after things they shouldn't or put things in their mouths that they shouldn't.

Here's how you teach this command:

Hold one treat in front of your dog
Put another one in your hand behind your back
Keep saying "leave it"
Wait for your dog to lose interest in the treat
Now give your dog the treat you hid behind your back

9. No

Use "no" to keep your dog from getting themselves into mischief.

Here's how you teach your dog this command:

Put a treat on the ground
Leash your dog
Walk towards the treat
Once your dog goes to sniff the treat, say,"No," and pull their leash towards you slightly.
Reward your dog with a treat from your hand

10. Heel

This basic walking command is a must-have that you should practice heavily early on in your dog's life (as you should with all walking commands).

To teach "heel," do the following:

Take your dog for a walk
Periodically tell them to "sit"
As you walk, take out a treat, show it to your dog, and start walking again
Keep your dog tight on their leash
Keep the treat above their head
Repeatedly say "heel"
Give your dog the treat

11. Handle Your Business

Here, you can use whatever phrasing you want to get your dog to go potty. For now, we'll use the phrase "handle your business."

You teach the command like so:

Watch your puppy so you know when they need to go
Open your door
Keep saying "handle your business"
Excitedly feed your dog a generous amount of treats

12. Take It

This command may seem a bit like a novelty, but it does come in useful at times.

Fortunately, it's not a hard one to teach:

Get your dog's favorite toy or bone
Hold it in front of them
Say "take it"
Give your dog a treat when they take their toy

13. Bed

This command gets a bit tricky because you need to structure it as a reward and not a punishment. Your dog will not want to go to their bed if they feel it is a punishment. So, make this experience as positive and exciting as possible.

Here's how you teach your dog to go to their bed:

Show your dog their bed
Say "bed" and put their treat in their bed
Allow your dog to go to bed

14. Lap

While this is a cute trick, it's also helpful when you need to clean your dog's paws. This trick can be hard to teach if you've already taught your dog to not jump on people, but they'll get it.

First, sit in a chair and hold a treat on your lap
Encourage your dog by patting your lap and saying "lap"
Reward with treats and praise when they put their paws up

15. Speak

Ever have trouble figuring out where your dog is? Make them speak to find out!

Here's how to teach it:

Watch your dog closely
Figure out how they look before barking
Say "speak" loudly before they bark
Give them a treat after they bark

16. Quiet

Only teach this command after you teach your dog to "speak."

Here's how to do it:

Teach your dog to "speak"
When your dog speaks, tell them "quiet" in a loud voice
When your dog stops barking, reward them with a treat

17. Shake

Shake doesn't have much of a practical application. But it's a good opportunity to bond with your dog and reward them for obeying a fun command.

You teach it like this:

Put your dog in a sit
Pick up their paw and say "shake"
Hold their paw for two seconds
Reward them with a treat

18. Car

Nearly every dog enjoys a good car ride. You can even make a trip to the vet enjoyable if you include treats, toys, and maybe a bone.

Here's how to teach your dog "car:"

Put your dog on a leash
Make sure your car door is open so your dog can easily get inside
Put a treat where you want your dog to sit
Tell them "car" and let go of the leash

19. Belly

To learn this command, your dog first must master "down." Once they do, then you're good to go.

This command is a great way to bond and build high trust with your dog.