Most owners start with too many words and not enough repetitions. Ten commands practiced badly is worse than three practiced well.
So here is the list I actually use, in the order I build it, and what each word is really for.
For the first week, work on three things only: your pup’s name, come, and sit. That is it.
Those three carry more weight than the other seven put together. A pup who looks at you when you say their name, comes when you call, and can hold still for a second is already easy to live with.
Add the rest once those three work in an easy room.
Not a command, the most important word you own. Their name means look at me, and it should always pay. Never use it to scold. A name that sometimes means trouble stops working.
The one that can save their life. Only say it when you can make it happen, and make coming back better than whatever they left. Never call your pup to do something they dislike.
Your default. Ask for it before the door opens, before the bowl goes down, before you clip the leash. Sit becomes the thing your pup offers when they want something, which is most of impulse control in one word.
Sit is a pause. Down is a settle. Use it when you need your pup parked for more than a few seconds.
A bed or a mat your pup goes to and stays on. This is the one owners skip and then wish they had. It gives you an answer for the doorbell, for dinner, for guests.
Different from stay. Wait means hold on a second, something is coming. At doors, at the car, at the top of the stairs. It is short, it is everywhere, and it keeps your pup from bolting.
Do not pick that up. Say it before the thing is in their mouth. This is the one that keeps chicken bones and dropped pills out of your dog.
Give me what you already have. Build it as a trade, never a fight. If you chase and pry, your pup learns to run and swallow, which is a much worse problem than a chewed sock. More on that in how to stop a puppy from chewing everything.
Trading works at the start. If your dog starts refusing to trade, or starts grabbing things on purpose just to cash them in for a reward, that is the point where we have a more serious conversation with the dog. Work through that part with your trainer so you get it right the first time. It is usually one or two conversations and then you are past it.
Four feet on the floor. Off the couch, off the counter, off your guests. Keep it separate from down, so the two words never blur.
Your walking word. We start every dog on a slip leash, then change the tool or the leash as we go, because every dog is different and there are a lot of good options. We never walk dogs in a harness, because a harness shows a dog to lean into pressure, which is the opposite of what you want. The play based method I use is in how to be the squirrel.
Get the behavior first, then name it. Most owners do it backwards. They say sit twelve times while the pup wanders off, and now sit means nothing.
Lure or wait for the shape you want. The moment your pup does it, pay. Once it is happening on its own, start saying the word right as they do it. Then, and only then, use the word to ask.
Say it once. If you say it three times, you have shown your pup that the first two do not count.
Three to five short sessions a day, about 3 to 5 minutes each. That beats one long session every time.
Work in the easiest room in the house first. Add distance, then distractions, then new places, one at a time. If your pup misses twice in a row, you moved too fast. Back up a step and win.
Our puppy training schedule by age lays out what to add each month so you are not guessing.
This is the part that surprises people. You can run perfect sessions and still have a puppy who bites, chews, and ignores you. Here is why.
Your pup needs to play with other puppies. For a young pup, socialization is about 80 percent of the fix for biting. They have a real need to wrestle and use their mouth, and a toy cannot fill it, and neither can you. Only another puppy who wants to play can. When that need is met, your sessions land. When it is not, you are asking your pup to sit on that need all day and then be polite, and no word on this list will hold up.
Your pup needs naps. If the brain work is done and the dog play is done, and your pup is still wild, they are not underworked. They are overtired. Puppies do not put themselves to bed. Put them in the crate for a nap instead of adding more exercise, which only makes it worse.
We also show you how to get your pup to relax at your feet for longer and longer each day, so you are not leaning on the kennel so much. Some dogs pick this up in a few weeks. All of them can have it down by 6 months.
Dependable Dog Guarantee: All pups who train with us will reach their goal or we will add additional sessions FREE until the pup is finished.
We are a school, not a boot camp. Commands are the easy part. Living well with you is the real work.
Right away. An 8 week old pup can learn their name, come, and sit in the first week. Here is how long it takes to train a puppy.
To start, yes. Food is the fastest way to show a pup what pays. Then you fade it, and you pay with play, praise, and access to what they want. A dog who only works for food was never really working for you.
No, you do not need them. They do help though, especially in the beginning, and most dogs read your body before your voice. Pick one signal per word and keep everyone in the house using the same one. You can usually phase them out later.
Nothing went wrong. Dogs do not generalize the way we do. Sit in the kitchen and sit on a sidewalk are two different lessons. Practice it in the new place like it is new, because to your pup it is.
If your pup knows the words at home and falls apart everywhere else, that is normal and it is fixable. We train in Salt Lake City and we will tell you exactly where the gap is. Book a free session or call 801-516-4012.
You can also see everything we offer on our puppy training page.
Free Custom Training Plan
Answer 6 quick questions. See the best program for your dog, the price, and why it fits.