Dog Training Tricks Every Puppy Should Learn

Bringing home a new puppy is exciting, but it might be overwhelming to think of all you must do to prepare for your household’s new addition. While you spend your first days taking care of your new best friend, you need to consider training them as soon as possible. While this list isn’t fully comprehensive, knowing these dog training tricks can help your puppy feel more comfortable and understand more about their surroundings. Training affords your dog a wealth of benefits, and teaching them commands while they’re young can help save stress on both of you.

1. Sit

Sit might be the first trick you teach your dog. Since it’s a basic obedience command, you can work it into many areas of your life while your puppy is learning. You may make them sit for their food or a treat, or you might give them the command before playing with them or throwing a ball. Eventually, your dog will know this command like nothing.

The sit command is also a great way to help you learn how to teach a dog tricks. Whenever you’re training a dog, you’ll want to offer them positive reinforcement, like a treat or a toy, that will make them want to keep repeating the good behaviors so they get another reward. Punishment doesn’t work and only causes your dog to live in fear. Positive reinforcement can let your dog know what they’re doing is right.

2. Stay

Stay is another command that your dog needs to know, especially if you want them to stay safe in certain situations. A dog that can obey “Stay” relatively well is a dog that will listen to you and trusts you to know what’s best for them. It’s one of the dog training tricks that is the most crucial for your new puppy to learn.

Training a dog to learn to stay is a trying task. It requires a lot of patience and just as many rewards when your puppy makes the slightest improvement. Try to work up to this command. While your puppy is small, you can move them out of situations and spaces they don’t need to be. You can take your time with the stay command, but it’ll become the most valuable training your dog has once they’re older.

3. Down

The “Down” command can tell your dog anything from lying down where they are to staying off of something or someone. It’s a useful command that can save your dog from getting into dangerous situations or potentially hurting someone once they get older and larger. Excitable dogs are hard to control, but a well-trained dog will listen to your words and be content to do what you ask.

If you find this command or others like it too difficult to master, you can always implement the help of a trainer, who can teach your dog basic obedience commands and give you the tools you need to train your dog more effectively in the future. Even if training seems difficult, don’t forego it entirely. A trained dog is a happy dog, one that won’t risk injuring themselves because they don’t know what to do.

4. Recall

Having a dog who obeys a recall command is essential for any owner wanting to keep the dog off the leash. Some people choose to hike off-leash with their dog to build trust with them and fully enjoy the experience, and if that’s your dream, you should focus on ensuring that your dog knows to come back when you call their name or give a command.

Just remember to keep your dog on their leash in urban areas where they might encounter other dogs or dangerous situations. A recall command will ensure that your dog always returns to you, no matter the situation. You may have to train this over time. Once you think you can trust your dog being off-leash in an open space, start with few distractions. Over time, you’ll be able to work up to taking your dog anywhere with any number of distractions.

5. High-Five

This trick is less of a command and more of a fun technique that you can implement to impress your loved ones and add a dose of cuteness to your day. The high-five trick is easy to teach, and your dog may enjoy performing it as much as you love seeing it. You might ask them to give you a high-five before you set their dinner down. The possibilities are limitless, and if your puppy can master the high-five, they can learn countless other fun tricks.

Dog Training Tricks Keep Puppies Safe and Happy

Many people don’t like being told what to do, but dogs love knowing what they should be doing to keep themselves safe and please their owners. Teaching a dog training tricks will keep them healthy and happy, as they’ll know what they should be doing at any given time and can look to you as their trusted person to keep them safe. Training your dog might require lots of patience, but you have plenty of time to spend with your household’s new addition. Working together from the very beginning can solidify your bond and ensure that you’re best friends for years to come.