We’ve all seen that person struggling to walk their untrained dog. The dog does not know how to act, and the situation can be dangerous. For example, the dog may decide it would be fun to eat that thing on the ground, chase someone’s child, or run into traffic.
As a responsible dog parent, you can use basic dog commands to ensure that your dog has the skills to interact socially and safely with people and with other dogs and pets. This way, you will protect your dog and everyone else.
We’re going to summarize eight simple yet powerful commands. There are, of course, many more, but these will give you a solid start.
How We Train
The best training tool is positive reinforcement. This is the basis for our way of training dogs. Your dog will remain motivated to learn if you focus more on rewarding good behavior than checking bad behavior. As you go through the training process, you teach, practice, and test.
8 Basic Commands
Here are quick summaries of eight useful basic commands—Break, Come, Down, Heel, Leave It, Place, Quiet, Sit. For complete descriptions of training a dog in basic commands, we recommend our book, Dog Training for Dummies, by Jack and Wendy Volhard.
1: The “Break” Command
“Break” is a release cue. It lets the dog know that they are released from a previously given command, such as sit, down, place, or heel. It’s implied that we want them to hold that command until permitted to leave that position. Through training this way, the “stay” command becomes implied. There is no need to give any other verbal command beyond asking for the already associated command to have them stay in that command.
To teach this command, we first ask the dog in training for a controlled position, such as place or sit. From there, we make a little bit of motion around them, ensuring that they hold their current position. We then give the dog the command “Break” and gesture with our bodies for the dog to come toward us. As the dog starts to move from the given position, we’ll toss a treat or a favorite toy on the ground and allow them to enjoy the moment.
2: The “Come” Command
If you want to let your dog off-leash in a park or wooded area, they must know to immediately come to you when you call them.
We use the Recall Game to teach the Come command. You put a leash on your dog and have someone restrain them across the room. Call their name and “Come,” then use the leash to gently guide them to you. Give them praise and treats. Repeat the exercise until they no longer need to be guided. You can later add distractions that they will often encounter.
3: The “Down” Command
There are times when you don’t want your dog to disturb you or others, such as at dinner time. You can use the Down command when you want your dog to stay in one place for prolonged periods. Have your dog sit next to you and hold the collar. Show them a treat and slowly lower it toward the floor in front of their nose while repeating, “Down.” When they lie down, give them praise and a treat. Repeat the exercise until they can lie down on command.
4: The “Heel” Command
To control your dog, sometimes you want them to remain close to your side. When you’re walking the dog, for example, you want them to walk at your side instead of running ahead or pulling on the leash.
We first teach the “Ready!” command, which gets the dog’s attention focused on you. Attach the leash and sit your dog next to you. Look at them saying, “Ready!” Once you have their attention, say their name and “Heel.” Then move a few paces forward with the dog in the heel position. Practice and reward.
5: The “Off” Command
You don’t want your dog to get their mouth on things that belong to someone else, that can be damaged, or that can harm or make them sick.
Hold a treat in your hand pressed against your leg. When the dog tries to get it, say, “Off,” and close your hand with the treat. Wait until they look away or at you, then say, “Good,” and give the treat. Repeat the exercise. Gradually, you will reach a point where you can put the treat on the floor and wait for them to look away. They will eventually learn to leave things you don’t want them to have.
6: The “Place” Command
What if you want your dog to be out of the way? Maybe you or someone else needs to do some messy work in your house, for example. You need a comfortable place to send the dog to. One common “Place” is a crate.
Teach your dog to stay in place by putting them there for gradually longer periods while giving treats and praise. Give them toys or other treats while in place.
7: The “Quiet” Command
“Quiet” is used to silence any constant whining or barking. This command is imperative for a dog to learn, as excessive barking can become a real nuisance. To teach this command, we first need to trigger the dogs’ barking behavior. Therefore, we take the dog to the area or environment where they usually bark, such as a crate, window, door, or park.
When on a leash and the dog barks, we interrupt the behavior with some small tugs on the leash paired with the verbal command, “Quiet.” The instant the dog pauses from barking, we want to reward that behavior. So we place a highly valued treat directly in front of the dog’s nose and repeat, “Quiet.” Then, as they remain quiet, we praise the behavior and offer several more treats.
For barking and whining in the crate, we completely ignore the dog’s excessive barking. The moment the barking calms down slightly, we reward with the same valued treats as before and say, “Quiet.” If they start to bark again, we immediately remove the treat and ignore them again. Once more, as soon as they pause, we reward them and say, “Quiet.” With some patience, the dog starts to associate the word “quiet” with not barking.
8: The “Sit” Command
When you need your dog to control themselves or calm down, use the “Sit” command.
Hold a treat in front of the dog and say, “Sit.” Move the treat up slightly, about an inch above the head, to guide them into a sitting position. Treat, praise, and repeat! By the way, reward only when they’re sitting still.
A Parting Reminder
Teaching basic commands to your dog can make all the difference in their behavior. Of course, there’s a little more to training each command than the summary we’ve given here, but many dog parents can handle these quite well. As always, when you need help, ask your veterinarian for recommendations for professional trainers.
It’s incredible how a few basic commands can turn your dog into a model citizen of your home and neighborhood. You are protecting them from potential danger, your home from destruction, and people and other animals from frustration and harm. You are giving your dog the skills to live a long, happy life.