What commands to teach a puppy?

[Mamabear12]

Our beautiful puppy is now almost 15 weeks old. We had her since 8 weeks and I can not believe how fast she has grown! She is very smart and easy going dog. We have so far taught her the following commands: pee when we are outside, come, sit, down. The next one I plan to teach is drop (I suspect this will be a difficult one!). She has learned sit and down very easily, within me telling her 3 to 4 times. What other important commands should be taught? Also, what age do they start getting to old to learn new commands?

Our ddog is very well behaved, can respond to hand signals and voice commands.
Except for being able to let go of something she shouldn't have!! We do use the' exchange ' game but' drop it 'would have been much easier than trying to find an alternative when she has a toy car wedged in her mouth - she is a huge rotty and delving a hand in isn't pleasant!
So the' drop /leave 'would be up there in the ones to perfect ime!!

Dogs are never too old to be taught commands so don't worry that you need to teach them all whilst yours is a puppy. Mine is almost 2 years and he's still learning new commands for agility.

Sit and stay are perhaps the most important ones you want. So you say you have mastered sit but have you tried it outside in various places with different distractions? Also think about adding in stay for short periods gradually building up the time and the distance you move away from the puppy. So sit and stay and take a step back, then two steps then several then move about whilst dog has to stay sitting (obviously this takes a while to build up and also need to practice outside in the park etc).

My dog is around 14 and still able to learn new stuff!

For me a really secure “down” from a distance is a life saver. When he runs off somewhere and you need him to stop before the road or whatever. For him to come to you and down is less useful if the danger is between you and him.

Poo and wee on command is important too....for those wet cold days...

I am working on left and right at the moment, which he is getting quite easily, so I can shout left or right so he chooses the right path on a walk. I am sure it would have more uses!

The idea that you can't teach an old dog new tricks is... nonsense. Mine didn't even start learning until he was over a year old, is still learning lots of new things at 2, and has plenty of life left in him yet! I remember getting a rescue dog as a family when she was 7, and she learned lots.

Other things I have taught my dog include
Leave it (different from drop because they haven't already got it in their mouth)
Up (e.g. onto a bus, onto a seat)
Off (gerroff!)
Wait (aka stay)
Party tricks - paw, roll over, leg weaves, hand targeting, sit pretty, spin etc.

Are you taking him to training classes? I can point you in the right direction to find some good quality ones if it's helpful.

We have done beginner training classes with a puppy a few weeks older than yours.
The other things covered at this level and age are:

• stand (useful for when they are being examined by a vet etc.)
• leave it (to stop them picking up things they shouldn't)
• door management so that they learn to wait when a door is opened rather than rushing through
• basic recall training off lead (may be what you mean by come) I use name of dog come here!
• heel training using the word heel to stop them pulling on a lead

Thanks! I will teach her to stay next. I forgot about that important one. We practice her commands at home inside, in the garden, alone, with kids hopping around, in the park, off lead etc :) so she gets well rounded practice I would say. The come command is her recall. She is pretty good with it, except still gets a little difficult to recall when there are other dogs she is playing with. She is getting slightly better, that she will come to me briefly and then run back to play with the dogs lol. But I assume with more practice she will get better.

I am happy to hear that you don't have to teach all the commands as a puppy :) So next on my list for the next few weeks:

Stay
Drop it
leave it
Heel
Roll over (my two littles want her to learn this)

Forgot to ask, how long do you wait until introducing a new command? For example, my dog seems to understand after one training session (and of course we review all commands every day, morning, afternoon and evening). But for example, do you introduce a new command once a week or every other week?

We met with a trainer once and I think thats all we need, as I just look online how to teach the commands and she seems to easily learn it that way. If she doesn't seem to understand, I will get the trainer back. And she has had loads of socialisation with dogs in the park, as we live on the edge of a dog park, plus she has been good on lead and off lead. We have many regular dog friends and also daily she meets new ones :)

Walking to heel. most important that YOU lead the walk and not the dog.

Eye contact on you
Reflex to name so that it is conditioned

Then move onto other tricks.

I hate teaching a leave it - I hear owners yelling leave it in loud scary voices. What is a leave it command? You want the dog to come to you -just teach a fantastic recall all fun all happy and not so dominating for the dog.

Dogs continually learn my 15 year old is still learning new things and loves it.

I'm currently attending classes with our five month old beagle. Are you planning on any kind of formal training? I think it's vital for young pups not to just learn at home, but to be taught by someone who has qualifications and professional experience.

We've been attending for five weeks and he knows the following - sit, stay, lie-down, walking to heel and leave it. He also responds to his name for recall (inside, at home and in the garden but he's not so brilliant outside yet!), and he's been muzzle trained as well. He's also been taught how to meet/greet other dogs and people - four paws on the floor before he gets any attention (to stop him leaping up at everyone).

He's signed up to intermediate classes where they focus more on nice lead-walking and not pulling/lunging when they see other dogs.

Depending on the level of barkiness of your dog's breed, teaching your dog to stop barking on command is good - my dog's breed is known for it's yappiness so this was an important one for me.

She's allowed to have her say for a few barks when something happens outside, when she's in the garden for example, but will then stop when told; although as she's grown up she barks less and less, which is a blessing.

Not a trick as such, but get your dog used to having her paws touched. Most dogs seem to have an instinctive dislike of them being touched and it's an enormous help, if they need to have their claws clipped or have to have anything done to their paws, if they're used to them being handled.

I've never been able to teach her to roll over although she often sleeps on her back, so isn't averse to rolling. She just couldn't seem to understand the idea of doing it while awake.

What is a leave it command? You want the dog to come to you -just teach a fantastic recall all fun all happy and not so dominating for the dog

If I just called either of my dogs to me, rather than telling them to leave whatever it is they are trying to pick up/chew - they would pick up item and then come running over with it in their mouth. Both respond well to a short "leave it" and get that it means "do not put that thing inside your mouth - ever".

• Drop it (or "thank you" as my cocker responded better to)
• Stand
• Wait (very useful if you need dog to stop still somewhere - even if they are up ahead of you on a walk, or to wait to go through doors after you, or for when feeding so they don't dive at you as you put the food down and knock the bowl out of your hands).
• Watch / look at me - fantastic command.

Then I agree with the handling being very important. It's easy to forget to keep on having short sessions of generally tatting about with paws, ears, tails, etc, which if a dog isn't used to can cause problems grooming and at vets.

What is a leave it command? You want the dog to come to you

If my dog is about to get something he shouldn't and I call him to me, he just brings said item with him and tries to stuff it in his mouth before he gets there.

If I tell him to leave it, he'll move away and then I call him to me and he comes, with the forbidden item safely forgotten on the floor!

"Wait there!" has been useful with Eric. It means I can answer the door and go upstairs without him.
"Bring it" will get him to fetch his lead and collar.
"On the mat" will get him to take whatever I give him to the mat at the front door. He takes shoes that the dc leave lying about and rubbish to take out to the bin. He is actually better trained than the dc when it comes to tidying up tbh.

Wait
Leave it
Slowly (meaning walk behind me with no lead) it’s a very useful one!

As well as all the normal ones, we use:

"Close" (like bigsighall's command "Slowly") for walking alongside if off lead (in countryside, say) and tractor/horse is coming.

Very useful (and I believe unique (!)) is:

"FOUR PAWS !!!!!" which means no jumping up (all four paws on ground). Dog doesn't ever jump up now, but he did when he was a puppy. He is a big dog and it would be unacceptable for him to jump up. I don't know why everyone doesn't teach their dog to not jump up; it's irritating even when it is a small dog pulling threads in your clothes.

One I wish I had done is teaching dog to wee/poo in one spot in the garden. Our garden is covered in brown patches!

"Floor" my version of all four paws on the floor - dog will get down from sofa or stop jumping up.

Yeah we teach ours "paws on the floor" as well. He's still a puppy so learning but we're trying. He just loves people and wants attention from everyone!

My friends dog has learnt "bring it here!" for when hes gotten something he shouldnt have and runs away with it, followed by "drop it" to give it back once hes come back.

Adeline, we had a professional dog trainer come and visit us already for 2 hours. I planned on getting her again, however, now that I am training my dog, I really do not think we need her at the moment. She already knows her name, she knows recall. When we walk on the lead, she either walks next to me or sort of behind. When we are in the park, she is already able to go off lead and returns when I call her name or use the recall command, come! I taught her to sit and down. She is 14 weeks, which is just over 3 months. I do not think I need additional classes if she is doing well and no issues. Luckily she is not a barking dog. I hope it stays that way! She also meets loads of other dogs as we live on the edge of a dog park. If I have any issues I have no problem bringing my trainer back. I just think its a bit silly to spend the money, when at the moment I am able to teach my dog the commands myself. However, later when we get to the more difficult commands if she does not get it, I will ask the trainer to come back.

Percheron67, I agree the heel command is very important. However, she pretty much does this or she walks behind us. If she starts running ahead while on the lead I will move the heel command up on my list of things to teach :)

And also, as for the leave it command lol...its necessary as the park has all sorts around like tissues, or straws or socks etc. Basically random things that I do not want to touch really. I rather teach her drop it or leave it. She picks up these things when she is right next to me...so the recall command would not work. Luckily she does not seem to keep these items in her mouth long anyway. But I would like her to eventually understand when I do not want her having something in her mouth.

Bigsighall. I would like to teach that slowly command eventually. Was it easy for you to teach?

Part of the problem with teaching yourself is you are not a professional and your dog is not learning in a group situation. She is only young and will soon go through puberty where she'll forget everything you've taught her and will start rebelling and ignoring you.

Going to classes with a professional instructor and other puppies experiencing the same setbacks and problems can only be a good thing. I appreciate you can teach the basics yourself but that's not the same as your dog learning in a group environment with other puppies who are learning the same thing as they are.

Our instructor has also taught me stuff I've never read about online with regards to certain commands and how teaching dogs certain things in certain ways is confusing for them - if I'd just gone down the YouTube route of teaching him I'd have made so many mistakes.

I've seen so many dogs trained at home (by owners and not people who do it for a living and are qualified in dog behaviour and training) and you can practically always tell they've not been to classes. Classes also teach them correct greeting behaviours with other puppies and other people and it means they're learning in proper conditions where they won't get hurt if they do the wrong thing or get over-excited.

However it sounds like you've made up your mind so I wish you luck.

"Stop!" was an invaluable command when I had dogs, it meant when they were running free I could get the to stop, sit and wait for me even from a distance. The puppy trainer I used was very keen for all her pupils to learn it from an early age after one of her pupils was knocked down and killed when he slipped his lead and crossed the road after a cat.

I have been to several group training classes and not all of them have been great. In fact it took three for me to find one that was any good for my dog as the others just didn't get the 'breed' and therefore didn't work to their strengths and weaknesses.

The fact that you can call in a trainer when needed is a good thing and the odd 1-1 sessions I have had were invaluable and we learnt far more then we did in some of the 'group classes'.

“What is a leave it command? You want the dog to come to you -just teach a fantastic recall”

Well I don’t do leave it because I don’t add extra words to commands, otherwise I’d end up with it at the end of various ones and it’s confusing.

But leave isn’t a recall, if I wanted to recall I’d recall - it’s leave, as in, that thing is not for you.

Leave - I am aware I have just dropped an onion while cooking, don’t pick it up

Leave - the cat would prefer you not to lick her

Leave - don’t stick your nose in the chiminea

There’s no point recalling him then, he’s already next to me...