Dog Training: Basic Commands

Short: Basic commands like sit, down, come, and stay form the foundation for a well-trained life together with a dog. Consistent, positive training with short, regular sessions usually leads to success faster than rare, long training.

In more detail: Dogs learn best through immediate positive association between behavior and reward, ideally within seconds.

In detail

• Sit: The most fundamental command is usually learned by guiding a treat over the dog’s nose and back until it automatically sits down.
• Down: Building on sit, the dog is guided with a downward-moving treat to lie down, which requires patience.
• Come (recall): The most important safety command should always be positively associated and should never end with unpleasant consequences after coming.
• Stay: The dog learns to remain in a position until a release signal is given, which trains self-control and patience.
• Timing of the reward: The reward must come immediately after the desired behavior so the dog can correctly form the association.
• Short training sessions: Several short sessions of five to ten minutes are more effective than one long, tiring session.
• Consistency at home: All family members should use the same commands and rules to avoid confusing the dog (katzen-verhalten-verstehen, aquarium-einrichten-fuer-anfaenger).