Training My Puppy: Tips On Teaching Basic Commands

 Training your puppy basic commands can be challenging.  However, my advice to you is – know the basics on how to house train a puppy and you’ll be fine. Here are some tips on how you can train your little ball of fur.

Training My Puppy To Sit and Stand

You will need to use a food treat while doing this command.  Hold the treat over his nose and carefully and slowly move it up and back above the puppy’s head. This action will make the puppy sit down as he follows the treat. As he does the action, say the word “sit”. Both the word and the movement of your hand (with the treat) serve as verbal and visual commands, respectively. Don’t lift the foot too high. A sign that you are doing so is when he lifts his front legs. Once he has sat down say “good boy” or “good sit”. Your puppy may not get this during the first few tries so it requires a lot of repetition. Do it over and over again and practice the command in many places in your home. Most importantly, it is vital that he learns to do the “sit” command by the front door. You can use the command whenever you have a guest so he won’t jump over them.

To train your puppy to stand on command you must start in a sitting position. Hold the food using the palm of your hand. Afterwards, move your palm (facing up) forward and away from him. Do this together with the command “stand”. The tendency of your puppy is to follow his nose and eventually stand up. Remember not to move your hand too far away that he will walk and follow you instead of just standing up.

Training My Puppy To Lie Down 
 
Again, your pup should be in a sitting position. Hold your food treat and put it between his front paws as you say the word “down”.  He should eventually lie down. If he doesn’t, try slowly pushing the food between his paws. When he does lie down, always give him a compliment by saying “good puppy” or “good boy”.

Training My Puppy To Stay

Training your pet to stay is a more difficult command. Therefore, this is usually done after he has been trained to sit even without the need for food treats.   So what can you do to train your pup to stay?

Start with the “sit” command. Your goal is to make him stay for as long as 1-2 seconds without moving while you stand beside him. Once he has sat down, say the word “stay” and use your hand as a stop sign. The hand will serve as your visual cue. The next thing that you need to do is to take a step away from him and return beside your puppy. If he didn’t move give him his reward.  Remember that when you give him treats, make sure that he didn’t move because he might associate the treats with “getting up” instead of staying. 

As he learns this command, you can gradually increase the distance that you take and the length of time the he stays until he has acquired the skill. Patience is a key ingredient here. Don’t expect him to learn the command after a day or two. Depending on the puppy, it usually takes a week or more to get him to stay or sit. As you go on with the training, he will be able to stay or sit in a room even if you leave him for 15 minutes without moving.

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