What order did you teach commands?

[FuckingHateRats]

Feel like I'm posting all the time just now, sorry!

Am wondering if people would share the order that they taught their dog necessary skills, like sitting, sitting and staying, coming to heel, leaving interesting objects etc. Is there an order that makes sense to prioritise? And would you nail one before moving onto the next?

Maggie has already learned the sit command as I figured it was the easiest to start with 😂 she's nine weeks so perfect age for cooperating and learning fast.

[twistyizzy]

Not command as such but make puppy wait for you to go through every door/gate and this can then be built up to the wait command which is extremely useful when out on walks. Recall is the main thing they need, so work on this from the start and reward massively whenever they recall to you.
Walking to heel in the house and garden before you take puppy outside will also pay dividends and prevent any pulling issues later on. So many people don't teach a puppy where heel is and then expect them to know automatically.
Teach them all 4 paws on the floor when greeting guests to the house and then translate this into other dogs when out and about.
Other commands can wait until later in my experience, more important to get these basic manners under control.

[NotMyCircusNotMyCircus]

I got a totally untrained adult dog so apart from a bit of sit / stay / down I taught everything in a priority order determined exclusively by how much it was annoying me 😂

[KizboBaggins]

I've got a labrador so apart from the basics before we started walks outside (sit, down, paw) the biggest thing was "leave it" (cause he's a little trash bandit) and definitely recall and heel walking

[Billybagpuss]

Another useful one whilst still house training is to send to a boundary ‘on your bed’ ‘on your step’ so when people come to the house they stay and don’t greet them until allowed to,

[Bunty55]

When teaching my puppy to 'come', the 'sit down' request came when she was fed the treat for coming.
She's a Pug and by far the easiest dog I have ever trained. A joy.

[coffeecupsandfairylights]

I just did it based on priority - toilet training and recall came first, then it was a case of of sit, wait, lie down etc. as needed.

[Shannith]

Wait at all doors, especially yours on the way out and in. Recall. Literally the first thing I teach.

Those two are for you and the dogs safety and are all that really matters.

Recall I start from the moment I get them (I foster dogs). Always a word that is not this name. Heerrreeeee is ideal. Call it every time you feed them, use it from feet away to start with and always instant reward. Do it all day every day.

It might go sideways when they get to teenagers but eventually you will have a solid recall that works in any situation. I can recall my now 2 year dog from other dogs/excitement/anything. It means she can be off lead all the time (semi rurally) and I'm always relaxed.

[Shannith]

Also down. At first down next to you but then down from anywhere. They should stop what they are doing and down. This again is a softly thing.

Then heel - walking to heel on a loose lead. You need to train loose lead walking from the off. Lead goes tight you immediately stop

Also then basis of all of these is attention. You trim attention. Google "the art of attention" for dogs - you do this by hand feeding - and once you've got that nailed everything flows.

Teaching commands is about having a safe, trustworthy dog. It makes dog ownership so much less stressful.

Not being pulled about, no ineffectual calling back from an unfriendly dog, no panic in stressful situations, no dogs running out of the house into the road.

Always remember why you are teaching this and prioritise the ones that keep your dog safe and a pleasure to be around.

[Sitdowncupoftea]

I've always taught my basics straight away
Sit , stay , come , watch me and down . Once the pup or dog is walking on a leash I move up to the next level. Because my dogs are always on longline I always make sure they know wait , steady and gee & haw commands.

[OpenHeartCloseEyes]

I don't think the order matters too much as long as you work on the basics (sit, lie down, come, wait, place, drop it, leave it, etc.). I do think it's important to tailor training to a puppy's age and level of development as well as individual temperament. Some skills are beyond the ability of most young puppies, e.g. a long down-stay. Very short bursts of training are the way to go, gradually increasing the difficulty (duration, distractions) as the puppy learns and matures. "Touch" is a good cue for young puppies to learn early on. It isn't difficult and it helps with keeping their focus on you.

I have never taught my dogs to heel, just to walk on a loose lead. There's nothing wrong with teaching dogs to heel, it's just not something I've ever considered necessary.

[bishbashboshhhhh]

Get the easy peasy puppy squeezy book and work through gives you great ideas

[FuckingHateRats]

She's catching on so quickly!! She's already recalling to her name even when I'm in the garden and she's in the house, or she's in the middle of playing with my kids. She's got the 'come, sit.....wait' down too (well, she does today. Maybe she'll have forgotten by tomorrow 😂)

She won't come for my husband though :/

[Ylvamoon]

I usually teach according to the most useful commands to me in every day life.
Probably wait / come / sit / stay.
Others like down, leave and paw are more for fun & bonding to start with.


Your 9 week old pup should also still naturally follow you. Use it!
Walk a bit up and down your garden. Have her to your left, tap your leg and say heel (or whatever). She will learn to walk nicely by your side. - no lead needed for this.
Once she can go out on her lead, every time she walks ahead, remind her... tap leg & heel!
Granted, it will take a lot of time and consistency until she has masterd this to perfection, but if you work on the the foundations now, it will be easier to remind your dog not to pull on the lead.