Dog Training Command List | 2023

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Do you own a dog and worried that why it is not behaving well? Are you feeling annoyed that it does not listen to you? Are you wondering if you might find a way to train your dog properly? Whether you are a new pet parent or not, you must teach your dog an essential training command list. Physical, as well as mental drilling, is necessary for your pet’s healthy personality. Obedient pets are one of God’s blessings, but not every pet is obedient at first. You have to put effort into developing affection between you and your pet. Yes, affection, respect, and a little training using a command list can work like magic for disciplining your dog.

Why is my dog acting out?

Are you displeased with your dog’s misbehavior? Has it started acting weird? Well, dogs start acting differently due to various reasons. Dogs can’t tell themselves why they are acting out.

If you observe excessive barking, digging, jumping, chewing, or chasing, the very first step to follow is to analyze the cause of its odd behavior.

Lack of proper training, boredom, or anxiety might be some of the reasons. This behavior may also be due to some medical conditions. If so, seek a veteran’s help immediately.

How do I prevent my dog from misbehaving?

When you observe your dog’s ill behavior, the first thing that comes to your mind is how you will stop it?

Based on the type of root cause, numerous methods can be followed to treat your dog, including exercise and training.

Training your dog may feel irrelevant to serve the purpose, but it is the most suitable approach to teach your dog discipline. So, choosing the most appropriate training strategy for your dog must be considered first.

Brain Training for Intellectual Development

According to the experts, the main reason behind your dog’s bad behavior might be neglecting their intellectual growth. People mainly focus on training their dogs physically, that they forget to develop their intellect.

Just like us, mental stability also affects our pet’s behavior. Bad intellectual development might lead them to behave aggressively, rudely, or rebelliously.

A crucial step for teaching your dog manners is to promote brain training rather than just focusing on controlling its physical actions.

Once your pup goes through the brain training, it will become easier for your dog

to pay attention to your commands
to control its impulses
to concentrate
to use its senses reasonably

Dog Training Through a Command List Strategy

Are you looking for a training strategy to teach your pet some basic manners? No worries! We have got you covered.

Here we bring you an ultimate dog training command list that you may follow for schooling your pet physically and intellectually in the best way possible.

Dogs are considered to be intelligent creatures with good learning abilities. You can use different command methods to instruct your dog, such as:

Visual commands
Verbal commands
Mixture of both

Visual Dog Training Command-List

Some dogs tend to understand the human body language more efficiently. The best way to teach your dog to follow visual commands is to use simple and easy hand signals and rewarding it for its obedience.

You can use the following hand signals to communicate with your dog:

Point index finger to the eye – watch me.

If you want to teach your dog hand signals, then the prime mover is to make it observe you. As you will point your index finger to your eye, it will hint your dog to watch you.

Open your hand with palm up – sit.

Another important hand signal to teach your dog is for sitting. Open your hand while keeping your palm in an upside position and move it down from your shoulder to make it sit.

Point index finger down – lie down.

To command your dog for lying down, point your index finger down to the earth.

Open your hand with palm forward – stop.

If you want to instruct your dog to stop doing something, simply teach it to restrain itself as you open your hand with your palm forward and shoulders up, or you can point your index finger forward.

Keep your hand diagonally across the chest – come.

To call over your dog, open one or both arms perpendicular to your body and then move your hand towards your chest or just keep your hands diagonally across the chest.

Spin your index finger – roll.

Spinning your index finger will encourage your dog to roll over the floor.

Raise your hand in the air – stand up.

If you raise your hand in the air while moving it from the downside position, this hand signal will teach your dog to stand up.

Spin your hand in the air – turn around.

While playing with your dog, spin your whole hand in the air to instruct them to turn around.

High five gesture – high five

To instruct your dog, do a high five, bring your wide-open hand forward.

Open your fist – drop it.

For encouraging your dog to drop something, first close your fist in front of it and then open your palm.

Close your fist – take it.

On the contrary, you must teach your dog a hand signal to encourage it to take something from you as you close your palm into a fist in front of it.

Hold your hand near the hip – heel.

To make your dog heel, bring your hand near your hip and either tap it or move it in a circular motion. This will trigger your dog to come to you and heel.

Verbal Dog Training Command-List

Besides visual commands, teaching verbal commands is also a prime method to influence your dog’s bad behavior.

Some dogs do not know how to behave due to a lack of proper training. They might find it difficult to adjust to the new environment. So, as a dog parent, it is your responsibility to train your pup to adapt to its new environment.

Here’s a list of dog training commands expanding from the basic level to the advanced level. It is suggested to practice these commands with your dog twice or thrice a day for 10 to 15 minutes every time.

Name Recognition

The very first step to follow in the dog training command list is to make your dog recognize its name. It is suggested to train your dog 5 to 10 times per day to familiarize it with its name.

After your pooch learns to respond to its name, you may begin teaching it other training commands from the list.

Watch

“Observance” is one of the main factors in the dog training command list. You can’t command your dog unless it pays complete attention to you.

So, it is necessary to teach your furry friend the ‘watch me’ command for proper training. Simply hold a treat in your hand and take it near your dog’s nose. Then move it towards yourself while saying, “watch me.”

Repeat the training session a few times a day to catch on to the command.

Free

Once you complete your practice session, it is necessary to release your dog from that command. For this purpose, the “free” command is beneficial.

To instruct your dog to release from your previous command, simply hold your hands up around your shoulder with an open palm while positioned forward. This command looks like a shrugging motion.

Mind Your Business

Using the washroom is a necessity of life. A command to instruct your dog to do its business is a fundamental and essential command to teach it.

You can choose any word of your choice for commanding your dog to do its business. “Go pee,” “go potty,” and “outside” are the general terms used to command your dog for this purpose.

To teach your pup this command, take them outside more often and say your desired word to instruct them. Afterward, reward your dog with a treat for obeying the command.

Repeat this training session frequently. Just be patient, as teaching this command might take some extra time.

Sit

Another essential command from the dog training command list is to teach your dog to sit. “Sit” is considered to be a feasible command for disciplining your dog and works out ideally.

Just hold a treat in your fist near your dog’s nose and then slowly move it upward while saying “sit.” This will encourage your dog to sit on the floor.

Down

The “down” command comes in handy when you need to control your over-excited dog. This command is a tricky one to teach your dog, but you will easily supervise its unwanted behavior when your pooch learns this.

All you need to do is hold a treat in your hand, take it close to your pup’s nose, and then move it to the floor while saying “down.” Your pup will come after the treat and obey your command.

Off

Does your dog like jumping on people or furniture? Are you looking for a solution to make it stop? No need to worry. Train your dog by using the ‘off’ command.

“Off” is a go-to command from the dog training command list to prevent your dog from jumping.

Take a dog treat in your close palm and smell it to your dog. Your dog will become excited and try to snatch it from you, but you will not give the treat to your pup unless it backs off.

As your dog back down, then say ‘off’ and give it that treat. It will encourage your dog to restrain itself in the future.

Stay

“Stay” is an essential command to teach your dog discipline. This command helps you keep your dog closer to you either you are playing with your dog or want to prevent it from running away.

For instructing your pup to stay, first, sit in front of it and then slowly start moving backward. If it triggers your dog to follow you, make it stop by saying, “stay.” Eventually, when your dog obeys you, reward it with a dog treat.

Come

From the dog training command list, another tricky command to teach your dog is “come.” However, this command takes a lot of effort to be learned, but as your pup becomes familiar with this command, it will make your life easier.

The ‘come’ command helps to call over your pooch, either if it is running away, jumping, or lose his leash.

To train your pup to obey this command, you need to put your dog on a leash and instruct it to come to you by slowly pulling the leash. As it will move towards you, say “come” and gives it a treat for obeying.

It is suggested that you must not call your pup to punish. Otherwise, it will make him unlikely to come to you.

Drop it

Does your dog randomly pick up anything he finds fascinating? Do you want to teach your pup to leave things as you instruct?

Yes! Then train your dog to obey the ‘drop’ command. This command encourages your dog to leave your valuable things that it is holding and helps it learn games like catch and fetch.

To teach this command, take two toys and give one to your dog. Then, drop the toy while asking your dog to drop it, too, and say “drop.”

Another way to teach your dog the “drop” command is to take a toy in one hand and a treat in the other one. Then give the toy to your dog and hide the treat in your fist. Afterward, ask it to drop the toy in exchange for the treat.

Take it

Either you want your dog to pick something up for you or take it? Then promote them to obey the “take” command.

For teaching this command, take a toy and a treat in each of your hands and ask your dog to take the toy from your hand. Repeat this training multiple times a day.

Speak

If you want your dog to bark as you instruct it, then train it to obey the “speak” command. Besides fun, the “speak” command is also helpful in finding your hidden dog.

To train your dog to bark on your command, firstly, you need to observe its speaking style. As you understand its speaking pattern, say “speak” loudly before it barks. Then reward it with a dog treat.

Practice this “speak” command several times a day for a week to train your pup to respond to your instruction.

Quiet

As your pup learns to speak, it is necessary to teach it how to be quiet. For this purpose, first, ask your dog to speak and then teach it to be quiet as you say “quiet.”

The “quiet” command can come in handy when your dog barks excessively without any specific reason.

Heel

Regular walking with its pet parent is an integral part of a dog’s routine. Walking keeps your dog physically as well as mentally healthy. So, you can’t skip this part of its routine anyway.

However, when you go for a walk with your pup, it becomes tough to control your little pet. To avoid any harmful incident and encourage your dog to heel, you must teach it to obey the “heel” command.

To develop a healthy habit of heeling in your dog, take them out for a walk a few times a week while keeping their leash tight and allow them to rest once in a while.

Bed

Another helpful command from the dog training command list is the “bed” command. It is necessary to train your dog to go to bed when they feel tired or sleepy instead of lying all around.

The best way to instruct your dog to go to bed is by leading it to its bed, and when it reaches there, say “bed” aloud. Afterward, reward your pup with a dog treat for obeying.

Repeat this activity several times to help your dog recognize its bed.

Leash

Are you tired of your dog entangling itself while unleashing? Well, you should definitely train your dog the “leash” command to avoid an embarrassing situation.

To practice unleashing without entanglement, put a leash on your dog while wrapping it around its paw. Afterward, untie the leash slowly and release your dog. As the dog is unleashing, instruct it to lift its paw and say “leash” aloud.

Car

Just like us, some dogs love car travel. So, it is an important segment of the dog training command list to teach your dog traveling manners.

Firstly, put a treat on the pup’s seat in the car. Secondly, leash your dog and bring it near the car’s door or trunk. As the dog will see the treat, it will jump into the car. Let your pup move into the car while saying “car.”

Lap

Who doesn’t love cuddling with their pet? When you come home tired, you want your pup to lighten you up.

Either you want to cuddle or clean their paws, the “lap” command is the go-to dog training command. This command teaches your dog to come over your lap.

To encourage your dog to come to your lap, put a dog treat on your lap and say “lap” aloud. Practice this command multiple times and reward your pup for obeying your instruction.

Shake

One of the most enjoyable commands to teach your dog is “shake.” To train your dog to shake its paws, instruct it to “sit.” Then take its paws in your hand and shake them while saying “shake” and reward it for following your instruction.

Dog Training Command-List – Fun Commands

Fun commands are a bit complex to teach your dog, but once your dog learns them, it becomes fun. These playtime commands allow growing a firm bond of affection between a dog and its owner.

Following these fun commands are the ones you must practice with your pup.

Fetch – a playtime command to bring the toy

Catch – a playtime command to catch a ball or toy
High five – a modified form of the handshake

Wave – a fun command to welcome or forbid farewell
Roll over – a playtime command
Sit pretty – a fun command to show manners
Kiss – a fun command to show love
Hug – a fun command to show affection
Jump – a playtime command to target your hand

Tips and Tricks to Teach Your Dog a List of Commands

Teaching the dog training commands to your dog might be a little tricky. Sometimes it feels impossible to train your dog. Your pup might seem incapable of learning a new list of commands.

But with some extra care, love, and proper techniques, you can achieve your target within no time. So, before you begin to practice this dog training command list, consider the following points.

Use short and concise commands.
Use simple language.
Stay consistent. Use the same command every time for the specific instruction.
Be patient and calm. It might take some time for your dog to pick up the command.
Keep training sessions short and fun.
Don’t repeat the command. Wait till your dog do the command.
Don’t move to the next command immediately, or it will confuse your pup.
Keep practicing unless your pup becomes familiar with the command.
Reward your pup as soon as it obeys you.

Conclusion

Raising an obedient dog is challenging, but following the appropriate dog training command list, this task becomes very easy.

It is necessary to train your dog’s body and mind with affection to discipline your pet. The stronger the bond grows between the pet and its parent, the stronger its effect on the training.

You can teach your dog various commands from the ultimate dog training command list. Each and every command has its specific purpose of serving.