Basic Dog Commands: How to Teach the 7 Essentials

Basic cues make everyday life easier and safer: a dog who comes when called, leaves dropped food alone and settles on a mat while you eat is a pleasure to live with. You don’t need to be strict or loud to teach them. Short, rewarding sessions work at any age.

Why teach basic cues with rewards?

Reward-based training teaches your dog what to do, rather than punishing what not to do. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends reward-based methods for all dog training. Humane World for Animals’ positive reinforcement guide also advises keeping verbal cues short and uncomplicated, and making sure everyone in the family uses the same words.

The 7 essential cues at a glance

Cue	What it means	Why it’s useful
Sit	Bottom on the floor	Polite greetings, waiting at doors, calm moments
Down	Lie down	Settling in cafés, at home, during visits
Stay	Hold the position until released	Safety at doors and car trunks
Come	Run to you	Safety, especially off leash
Leave it	Don’t touch that	Dropped food, rubbish, other hazards
Drop it	Let go of what’s in your mouth	Swapping stolen items safely
Go to mat	Go to a bed and relax	Doorbells, mealtimes, visitors

How to teach each cue

Keep sessions short and successful, as the AKC advises. Use very small, soft treats: Humane World for Animals suggests pea-sized pieces your dog can eat quickly. Say “yes” (or click) the moment your dog gets it right, then reward.

Start here: teach the marker word

Before any cue, teach your dog what “yes” means. The AKC’s method: in a quiet area, say “yes” (or click) and immediately give a treat. After a few repetitions your dog will start looking to you for a treat when they hear it, and you can use it in training. Only say “yes” when you have a treat ready, because that’s what your dog has learned to expect. Humane World for Animals adds that the reward must come within seconds of the behavior, or your dog may not connect the two.

Sit

Hold a treat at your dog’s nose and move it slowly up and back over their head. As their head goes up, their bottom goes down. Say “yes” and reward. After a few repetitions, use the hand motion without a treat in it, and say “sit” just before you move your hand.

If it isn’t working:

• Your dog stands up before the treat arrives. Mark and reward faster, while their bottom is still on the floor. The AKC points out that whatever your dog is doing when the treat arrives is what gets reinforced.
• Your dog seems “stubborn.” The AKC suggests checking the speed of your training and the value of your rewards: slow down and make the steps easier, or use a better treat.
• Never push your dog into position. The AKC warns this can be confusing or upsetting.

Ready to move on when your dog follows the hand signal reliably; then add the word “sit” just before the signal (AKC).

Down

From a sit, move a treat from your dog’s nose straight down to the floor between their paws, then slowly along the floor. When their elbows touch the ground, mark and reward. The AKC also suggests capturing it instead: in a small, boring room such as a bathroom, wait for your dog to lie down, reward, release, and add the word “down” once they’re lying down quickly.

If it isn’t working:

• Your dog won’t follow the lure to the floor. Switch to capturing, as above.
• Your dog pops back up before the treat. Deliver the treat while their elbows are still down.

Ready to move on when your dog reliably follows your empty hand to the floor; then say “down” as you move your hand (AKC).

Stay

Ask for a sit, say “stay”, wait one second and reward. Then say a release word like “free” and let your dog move. Build duration first (a few seconds more at a time), then distance (one step away), then distractions, one at a time.

If it isn’t working:

• Your dog doesn’t know when the stay ends. The AKC teaches the release word first: toss a treat and say the word as your dog steps toward it, until the word itself means “you can move.”
• Your dog gets up before you release them. The AKC says that’s okay: it just means they aren’t ready for that much time yet, so go back to a shorter wait.
• Your dog follows you when you step away. The AKC notes that stepping back while asking for a stay sends mixed signals; build time first, then take one step and come straight back to reward.

Ready to move on when your dog can stay sitting for several seconds; then start adding distance, one step at a time, and only later distractions (AKC).

Come

Say your dog’s name and “come” in a happy voice, encourage them toward you, and reward generously when they arrive. Never call your dog for something they dislike. Come has more steps than the other cues, so it has its own fuller plan below, with games and what to do when your dog doesn’t come.

Leave it

Following the AKC’s method: put a treat in your closed fist and let your dog paw and lick. The moment they stop trying, say “yes,” open your hand and say “take it.” When they start pulling back from your fist, try the treat on your open palm, closing your hand if they go for it. Then move to the floor: cover a treat with your hand and, when your dog stops trying, reward with a better treat from your other hand, never the one on the floor. Uncover it gradually, then practice on leash walking past a row of treats, and later with toys. The AKC stresses preventing your dog from getting the floor item at all costs, because dropped medication, for example, is never up for grabs.

If it isn’t working:

• Your dog lunges for the floor treat. Cover it quickly with your hand, or with your foot when you’re standing, and use the leash so your dog can’t reach it first (AKC).
• Your dog ignores the reward in your hand. Use a reward that’s clearly better than the item on the floor; the AKC recommends higher-value treats for this.

Ready to move on when your dog regularly leaves the covered treat alone; then start uncovering it, and when they ignore each floor treat individually, walk past a whole row (AKC).

Drop it

Play with a toy, then offer a treat right at your dog’s nose. When they let go, say “drop it” as they release, give the treat, and give the toy back. Your dog learns that dropping things leads to good trades, not losing out; Humane World for Animals describes “drop” or “give” as trading what’s in your dog’s mouth for a treat or toy.

If it isn’t working:

• Your dog won’t let go. Make the trade worth more: a tastier treat, or VCA’s two-toy game, where you stop animating the toy your dog holds and start playing with a second toy of equal value.
• Your dog runs off with the item. Don’t chase: VCA advises against games where you chase your dog, which teach them to keep away. Practice trades with low-value items first.

Ready to move on when your dog lets go as soon as you offer the trade; then say “drop it” just before you offer it.

Go to mat

The AKC’s steps: first make sure your dog knows “down” and a release word. Reward any interest in the mat, with the treat placed on the mat, until all four paws are on it; release them off it, and reward when they return by themselves. Then ask for a down on the mat, add duration, then distance, then distractions, one at a time. Add the cue word (“mat” or “place”) last, once the behavior is solid. This cue is the foundation for calm doorbell behavior, covered in our barking guide and our guide to stopping barking at the door.

If it isn’t working:

• Your dog struggles at any step. The AKC says you’ve likely gone too far too fast: move back a step and practice more.
• Your dog only goes to the mat in one room. Train in different rooms so your dog generalizes the behavior (AKC).

Ready to move on when your dog returns to the mat by themselves after being released; then add the down, and later duration, distance and distractions, one at a time (AKC).

Come when called: a fuller plan

This plan for “come” is built from the AKC’s recall guide (by Stephanie Gibeault, MSc, CPDT) and VCA Animal Hospitals’ guide to training puppies to come.

Teach it step by step:

1. Start with your dog on a 6-foot leash, a few feet away. Say their name, then “come,” and encourage them by patting your legs or clapping.
2. Mark with “yes” as they come toward you, then praise and reward with something special.
3. Add distance gradually, letting your dog wander to the end of the leash before calling.
4. Practice off leash in a quiet room, moving backward as you call, then in other rooms of the house.
5. Move outdoors only when your dog comes reliably indoors, and graduate to a 20- or 30-foot long line in safe places. The AKC’s advice: use the line to control the situation by gathering it up as you walk closer, not to reel your dog in. VCA likewise warns against using the leash to pull your puppy to you when you call.

Recall games:

• Round robin: a group of people take turns calling your dog, and whoever called rewards them (AKC).
• Find me: hide in another room, then call your dog (AKC).
• Go and come: toss a low-value treat away from you, and as your dog finishes it, call “come” in an excited voice and reward with praise and a better treat when they return (AKC).
• Restrained recall: a helper gently holds your dog while you walk away with a reward, then lets go as you call (VCA).

When your dog doesn’t come:

• Don’t repeat the cue or chase your dog. The AKC says repeating teaches your dog they don’t have to listen the first time, and VCA advises against games where you chase your dog.
• If your dog is ignoring you, the AKC says it’s time to troubleshoot: go back several steps, to a shorter distance or fewer distractions.
• Never scold your dog when they arrive, however long it took. VCA: if your dog comes when called, any past mistake should be dismissed.

Don’t poison the cue: the AKC warns against calling your dog only to end the fun, such as clipping on the leash to leave the park, or before something they dislike, such as a nail trim. Call often for good things, then release your dog to go back to what they were doing. VCA also suggests teaching a separate emergency recall: a new, unusual word paired with a scatter of high-value treats, practiced apart from everyday recall.

Track progress for each cue

The AKC recommends training distance, duration and distraction separately, and practicing in many places. A quick log shows where each cue stands. Copy it into a notebook or phone note:

Cue	Distance	Duration	Distraction	Location	Notes
Example: Stay	2 steps	10 seconds	None	Living room	Broke once at 15 s; stay at 10 s
Sit
Down
Stay
Come
Leave it
Drop it
Go to mat

A sample training week

This is an example, not a prescription. Keep every session short and end on a success, as the AKC advises; several short sessions spread through the day can fit into a busy schedule. Adjust the order to what your dog needs most.

Day	Session 1	Session 2	Session 3
Example: Mon	Charge “yes”; sit	Leave it (closed fist)	Come: name game on leash
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun

Add a new cue only when the last one is going well, and mix in easy wins your dog already knows.

Making cues reliable everywhere

The AKC’s list of common training mistakes includes not teaching dogs to generalize. A cue your dog knows perfectly in the kitchen may fall apart in the park. Practice each cue in new rooms, then the yard, then quiet streets, making the task easier each time you change location. Add one challenge at a time: distance, duration or distraction.

Common mistakes

• Repeating the cue. Saying “sit, sit, SIT” teaches your dog to wait for the third time. Say it once, then help.
• Sessions that are too long. Stop while your dog is still keen.
• Using “come” to end fun. Call your dog often just to reward and release them.
• Different words for the same thing. Agree on cue words as a family.
• Punishing slow responses. The AVSAB notes that dogs trained with aversive methods may be less motivated to engage in training. Make the task easier instead: the AKC suggests that if your dog is too distracted to respond, don’t give the cue; find another way and build up around distractions.

Training at different ages and with different breeds

Puppies can start with name, sit and hand touch from the first days. See our puppy training guide.

Adolescents: if a cue slips, go back a step, reward more and keep practicing.

Adult and senior dogs can keep learning: VCA Animal Hospitals includes training sessions that practice old tricks or introduce new, simple cues among its ways to keep senior dogs mentally sharp. For older dogs, choose comfortable positions and surfaces.

Know what motivates your dog. The AKC suggests building a reward hierarchy: find what your dog loves most and save the top rewards for the hardest tasks. Breed history can hint at it: retrievers such as Labradors were bred to carry and fetch, so toys can work as rewards; scent hounds such as Beagles and sled dogs such as Siberian Huskies were bred to follow a scent or run, so practice recall on a long line in safe places, as VCA Animal Hospitals suggests until your dog responds reliably. Every dog, including Poodles, learns best with the upbeat, reward-based approach in this guide.

When to get help

A reward-based training class can help you practice around distractions. Consider a certified trainer if cues fall apart around other dogs or people, or if your dog seems worried rather than just distracted. The AKC notes that hovering over a dog or crowding their space can cause stress and disengagement, especially in shy or anxious dogs.