must-know commands to teach your dog

While some commands are more related to entertainment and tricks, others are very important for your dog’s safety. Here are some must-know commands to teach your dog sooner rather than later.

Recognizing Their Name

More of a learned skill than a command, teaching your dog to recognize their name and answer to it makes teaching other commands much easier and helps you grab your pup’s attention faster. You can teach your pup their name by using a clicker, praise, and/or treats whenever they look at your after you call them.

“Come Here”

Having your dog return to you whenever you’ve been separated is a safe command for them to know, just in case you’re out and about and your dog gets separated from you or you need them to remove themselves from a certain situation.

“Leave It”

Sometimes your dog might come across something you don’t want them to eat, or even something toxic to them. So, teaching them the “leave it” command is important.

“Sit and Stay”

The “sit” command is one of the ABCs of dog training, but also teaching them to “stay” can be a way to calm your dog down when they are rowdy or keep them safe and out of harm’s way. It’s important to teach them the “sit” command first.

The trick to teaching your dog commands is to train consistently, use treats they like in the proper way, and practice regularly to keep your dog’s memory fresh. If you’re having trouble with basic commands, you might want to refer to your vet to make sure there aren’t any underlying hearing or attention issues. You can also consult a behavioralist to help you sort out any major issues you might be facing with discipline and obedience.