Teaching your puppy these 5 basic cues will help you control their energy level, while also helping them become more calm. These skills can be lifesaving in certain situations, including when they get separated from you or when you need to keep your pup safe while you’re out and about.
1. SIT
Teaching your puppy to sit is an important skill. It can prevent your dog from jumping up on people, chasing other dogs or animals, or running out the door when you open it.
A key to successfully teaching your dog to sit is to make the process as fun and rewarding as possible. Keep your training sessions short so your pup doesn’t get bored.
Start by using the lure method, which involves moving a food treat up and down over your dog’s nose, to encourage them to sit. Once they sit, click and reward them.
Once your dog is sitting consistently, you can move on to using a hand signal instead of the food lure. Choose a hand gesture you’ll use every time, such as a closed fist or a hand in a vertical position.
Repeat this until your dog has a light bulb moment that they’re “getting” the command. Then, fade out the food lure and only use your verbal “sit” cue to reinforce the behavior.
Step Five: Once your puppy is reliably offering the sit behavior without the food lure, begin adding distance between you and the cue. If they sit, you can then toss a treat a few steps away and then return to their sitting position.
This will reset them so they can offer the sit again and again until they’re comfortable with the sit cue in different environments.
If your dog hesitates, moves slowly or stiffly to the cue, or shows any sign of pain when you ask him to sit, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. Your doctor can diagnose the source of the problem and recommend a treatment plan.
2. DOWN
Laying down is an important skill to teach your puppy as they grow up. It can help them be more comfortable in public situations, especially when they are on a leash. It can also be useful for dogs with a tendency to get frightened and turn inward.
To teach your puppy to lie down, start by lure-training them with a food treat. Place the hand with the treat near their nose and move the treat slowly up and back between their front paws.
As their head follows the treat up and down, they will naturally fall into a down. After they’ve been lying down for a few seconds, mark it with the word “Yes!” or a clicker and reward them with a tasty treat.
When they are consistently doing this, add the verbal cue “down.” Repeat this in 3-5-minute practice sessions until your puppy is smoothly following your hand to lie down without the lured hand movement.
This is called shaping. Teaching something a step at a time is the best way to ensure your dog learns quickly and accurately.
If your puppy jumps up or backs up instead of sitting, you are holding the treat too high and should lower it to their nose level.
To teach them to lie down from a stand, lure them into a sit and then slowly move your hand to the ground between their feet, slightly inward towards their belly. They will fold back on their haunches and into a down position.
When your pup can follow this hand motion to lie down without the lure, start adding the cue “down” just before you move your hand. This will ensure they associate the verbal cue with their behavior.
3. LEASH
When you are leash training a puppy, it is important to keep the process slow and patient. Puppies have short attention spans and tend to lose interest in training sessions when they are bored or tired, so take your time to get them accustomed to the new collar and leash.
Start by desensitizing your puppy to a small leash attached to its collar. Put the leash on them and walk around the room with them, using a lot of positive reinforcement. You want them to enjoy the experience and associate it with something good, so make sure you reward them for staying in their desired position with treats or toys.
Once they can stay in their desired position without biting the leash, you can move on to a smaller leash and a tug toy. Adding a toy is an excellent way to encourage your puppy to focus on you, so be sure to use a safe, high-quality toy.
As you work with the toy, gradually increase the amount of time it takes for them to chase it. This will help them learn that being near you is the best place to be.
Then, start taking your puppy on walks around the yard and the neighborhood with you. This can be a challenge, as all the sights and sounds will be new and exciting to them.
Continue to practice this step until your puppy is consistently staying in their chosen location and if they go a little farther away from you, they come right back to you after you say “Let’s go.” This will ensure your safety, and make for a more pleasant walking experience.
4. LAP
To teach your puppy to lie down, start by using a luring technique. Hold a treat in your hand near their nose and lure your pup’s head down to the ground before clicking and rewarding. Repeat this a few times until they’re luring their head down consistently.
Once they’re luring their head down to the ground, start adding a verbal cue for lying down. Say the word “down” at the same time you click and reward them for lying down. This is called “intermittent rewards.”
You can do this in a variety of ways, such as with a lure or with a hand signal, but whichever you choose, make sure your puppy knows what the cue means. For example, you might hold your hand horizontally (palm down) towards them and sweep your fingers downwards in a sweeping gesture when you say “down.”
Next, practice this with a different marker every time you click and reward for a good sit. This helps your puppy learn that sitting is always rewarded.
Eventually, you’ll be able to ask for a sit without reward and give the command when the behavior is performed with or without seeing a treat or toy. This is a good way to get your dog to understand that they’re doing what you want them to do in a specific context and to make it easier to work with them on any other commands you may need.
For this basic training, it is best to keep sessions short and fun. If they seem long and tedious, it might be time to take a break or try something else that’s more enjoyable for you and your puppy.
5. OFF
When teaching a new cue, it’s important to train it several times in short but regular sessions. This will help the puppy develop a habit of responding to the cue and you won’t have to keep giving treats every time they respond to it.
One of the simplest cues to teach is “COME!” Use this to bring your puppy back to you when they want to play or go inside. Begin with a short game of tossing a treat a few steps away from them, then move a little closer until they can turn around to face you when you say their name.
Next, add a hand signal or a verbal cue to the hand gesture as you say the word “come.” Repeat this process a few times and increase the amount of time you wait between the hand signal and the verbal cue until the dog has learned to respond to both the hand signal and the verbal cue in short but regular training sessions.
Another cue you can teach your puppy is to lie down. This is a very useful command that can be used for many purposes, including relaxing with company or on a restaurant patio.
To teach your puppy to lie down, lower a food treat between their front paws and say “down.” They will most likely follow the treat down to the floor. When they do, click and reward them with the treat. As with other cues, it is crucial to practice lying down in a variety of locations and with different people. Once your puppy can lie down in a variety of places and with different people, it will be much easier to teach them other cues like “rollover” or “go-to-bed.”
