How to Teach Basic Dog Commands: Sit, Stay, Down, Come & Leave It
Quick Answer
Teach basic commands using lure-reward: physically guide the dog into position with a treat, mark the instant they achieve it with a click or 'yes,' deliver the treat. Repeat 10–15 times before adding the verbal cue — adding the cue too early attaches it to an unreliable behavior. Practice in short sessions (5–10 minutes) twice daily, gradually adding distraction and distance once each behavior is solid at home.
Five behaviors form the functional foundation of any well-trained dog: sit, stay, down, come, and leave it. These aren't tricks — they are safety and communication tools. A dog who responds to these five cues reliably in real-world conditions can go anywhere, do anything, and be trusted in environments that would otherwise require management or restriction.
The good news: all five can be taught using the same basic method, and most dogs can learn them in days to weeks with consistent practice. The bad news: most owners add the cue too early, skip the proofing phase, or apply the behaviors inconsistently — producing dogs who respond in the kitchen but ignore you at the park.
This guide covers the mechanics of each behavior from first lure to real-world reliability.
What You'll Need
Small, high-value treats
Small enough to deliver 50+ per session without overfeeding. Use something your dog finds genuinely exciting — the more distracting the environment, the higher the treat value needs to be.
Treat pouch or pocket access
Treat delivery speed matters. If you're digging through a bag, the timing window for reinforcement has closed.
Clicker (optional but recommended)
A clicker creates a more precise, consistent marker than a verbal cue. See our <a href='/resources/what-is-clicker-training' class='text-brand-start font-bold'>guide to clicker training</a> for how to condition it.
6-foot standard leash
For proofing outdoors. Keeps the dog in the training environment without requiring off-leash trust before it's earned.
Step-by-Step
Teach sit: the gateway behavior
Sit is the easiest behavior to teach and the foundation for almost everything else. Teach it first.
1. Hold a treat against your dog's nose
2. Slowly move the treat backward toward their ears — directly over the top of their head
3. As their head follows the treat upward, their hindquarters naturally lower
4. The instant their hindquarters touch the floor: mark ("yes!" or click) and deliver the treat
5. Release them ("free" or "okay"), reset, and repeat
Wait until the dog is reliably dropping into the sit within 1–2 seconds of the lure, 8 out of 10 repetitions, before adding the word "sit." Adding the cue too early attaches it to an unreliable behavior.
Say "sit" one second before you begin the lure. After 50+ repetitions of this pairing, try saying "sit" without the lure. Most dogs will begin responding to the word alone.
Ask for a sit before the food bowl goes down. Ask for a sit before the leash goes on. Ask for a sit before the door opens. Sit earns privileges — this is more powerful than any training session.
If your dog jumps up to get the treat instead of sitting, your hand is too high. The treat should move backward toward their ears at nose height, not upward.
Teach down from sit
Down is more physically vulnerable than sit, so some dogs resist it initially. Build sit first so the dog is comfortable with you handling treats near their face.
1. Ask for sit
2. Hold a treat at the dog's nose
3. Slowly lower the treat straight toward the floor, between their front paws
4. If they follow the treat down, their elbows will reach the floor — mark and reward the instant elbows touch
5. Release and repeat
Some dogs pop up out of sit to follow the treat toward the floor. Try luring under a low obstacle (your leg bent at the knee, a coffee table) — the dog has to fold down to follow the treat through the gap.
Same timing as sit — say "down" one second before the lure, for 50+ repetitions, then try the verbal cue alone.
Mark generously at first — reward any elbow movement toward the floor, not just a perfect down. Build the behavior incrementally: lower and lower each session.
Never push a dog's shoulder toward the floor to force a down. This teaches nothing about the behavior, can be physically harmful, and erodes the trust the dog needs to engage with training.
Build stay in three dimensions: duration, distance, distraction
Stay is not a single behavior — it's the concept of maintaining a position until released. Build it across three dimensions, never extending more than one at a time.
1. Ask for sit (or down)
2. Wait 2 seconds → mark and reward → release with "free"
3. Gradually extend: 5 seconds → 10 → 30 → 1 minute → 3 minutes
4. If the dog breaks position before you mark: quietly reset them, go back to a shorter duration that's achievable
1. Ask for sit → take one step back → step back in → mark and reward
2. Build: 1 step → 3 steps → halfway across the room → leave the room briefly
3. Return to the dog to reward — don't call them to you from a stay (that's a recall, not a stay release)
1. Introduce mild distractions while the dog holds position: clap your hands, drop something, have another person walk by
2. Gradually increase: someone knocking, doorbell, other dogs in the environment
Use a consistent word ("free," "okay," or "release") that means "you may break position now." The dog learns that "stay" means remain in position until they hear the release word — not until they feel like moving.
The most common mistake in stay training is adding distance before duration is solid. A dog who won't stay for 30 seconds when you're standing right in front of them will not stay for 5 seconds when you're 10 feet away.
Build a reliable recall (come)
Recall is the most important safety behavior you will ever teach. It should also be the most fun and most richly rewarded behavior your dog knows.
Never call your dog for anything unpleasant. If you need to end their off-leash play, clip their nails, give them a bath — go get them. Never call them. The word "come" must be the most reliable predictor of excellent things in your dog's vocabulary.
1. Say your dog's name + "come" in a cheerful, excited tone
2. Back away from them as they approach (movement away is naturally exciting)
3. When they reach you: jackpot reward — multiple treats, enthusiastic praise, play
4. Never punish a slow recall. A dog who comes after 5 seconds still came — punishing lateness guarantees a slower recall next time.
Use a 15–30 foot long line for recall practice in unfenced areas. The long line allows real distance without off-leash risk. Practice in low-distraction environments first, gradually building to areas with other dogs, people, and wildlife.
Practice recall daily even when you don't need it. Random recalls during a walk, during play, in the yard — always followed by a great reward and then releasing the dog to continue what they were doing. The recall should never mean "fun is over."
If recall breaks down in high-distraction environments, go back to basics — more distance from the distraction, higher treat value. A recall that fails when it matters costs a life. Never advance to off-leash in unfenced areas until recall is solid on a long line in similar environments.
Teach leave it: the safety disengagement cue
Leave it teaches your dog to disengage from whatever they're approaching or fixated on. The real-world applications: dropped grape, chicken bone, dead bird, approaching dog who is stiff and uncomfortable.
1. Put a treat in your closed fist
2. Present your fist to your dog
3. They will sniff, lick, paw — ignore all of it. Do not say anything.
4. The moment they pull their nose away even slightly: mark and reward with a treat from your OTHER hand (never with the item they left)
5. Repeat until the dog backs off your fist immediately
Progression:
Say "leave it" as you present the item, once the dog understands the behavior reliably.
Never reward leave it with the item they left. If you call "leave it" for a chicken bone and then give them the chicken bone, you are teaching "leave it temporarily." Always reward from a separate treat source.
The real power of 'leave it' comes from pairing it with high-value items the dog desperately wants. Practice with things that genuinely tempt your dog — a slice of cheese on the floor is more valuable training than kibble.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Adding the verbal cue too early
Why it hurts: If you say 'sit' while luring a dog who only sits 50% of the time, you attach the word to an unreliable behavior. The dog learns 'sit' means 'maybe sit.'
Do this instead: Teach the behavior with luring until the dog performs it reliably 8/10 repetitions before adding any verbal cue.
Training sessions that are too long
Why it hurts: Dogs — especially puppies — lose focus and motivation within 5–10 minutes. Long sessions produce diminishing returns and can create negative associations with training.
Do this instead: Keep sessions to 5–10 minutes maximum. Multiple short sessions per day produce faster learning than one long session.
Practicing only in one location
Why it hurts: Dogs don't generalize behaviors automatically. A sit that's perfect in the kitchen is essentially a different behavior outdoors near distractions. Most owners discover this when their dog 'forgets' everything at the park.
Do this instead: Systematically train each behavior across multiple locations: kitchen → living room → yard → quiet street → moderate street → park. Treat each new environment like starting over with a higher reinforcement rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should I start teaching basic commands?
As young as 8 weeks — puppies can begin learning immediately upon coming home. Young puppies learn quickly with very short sessions (2–3 minutes) and high reinforcement. Basic commands should be started during the primary socialization window (8–16 weeks) rather than waiting.
My dog knows the commands but ignores them. What's wrong?
Usually one of three things: the behavior wasn't proofed in this environment (the dog is functional in low-distraction but not here), the treat value isn't competing with the distraction (try higher-value treats), or the cue has been repeated so many times without consequence that the dog has learned it can be ignored. Rebuild the behavior in a lower-distraction environment, then increase difficulty gradually.
Do I always have to use treats?
For teaching new behaviors, yes — food is the most efficient, precise reinforcer available. Once a behavior is solid, you can maintain it on a variable reward schedule that includes life rewards (permission to sniff, play, greet another dog), praise, and play. But the teaching phase requires a clear, fast, consistent reinforcer to establish the neural pathway.
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