At what age can I start teaching my puppy commands?

You can start teaching simple commands like sit as early as 8 weeks old. Puppies at this age have short attention spans, so keep sessions to 2-3 minutes and focus on one command at a time. Formal training classes typically accept puppies from 8-12 weeks after their first round of vaccinations.

How long does it take for a puppy to learn a new command?

Most puppies can learn the basics of a new command in 1-2 weeks of consistent daily practice. However, achieving reliability in distracting environments takes 4-8 weeks of progressive training. Short, frequent sessions of 3-5 minutes produce better results than long, infrequent ones.

What should I do if my puppy ignores a command they already know?

If your puppy ignores a known command, they are likely distracted, confused, or the behavior has not been fully generalized to that environment. Move closer, reduce distractions, and use a higher-value treat to recapture their attention. Never repeat the command more than twice, instead, lure them into position and reward.

Should I use hand signals or verbal commands?

Use both. Dogs actually learn hand signals faster than verbal cues because they are naturally attuned to body language. Teach the hand signal first, then pair it with the verbal command. Having both gives you flexibility and improves communication with your dog.

How many commands can a puppy learn at once?

Focus on one or two commands at a time until your puppy performs them reliably. Once those are solid, add a new one. Trying to teach too many commands simultaneously leads to confusion and slower overall progress. Most puppies do well learning one new command per week.

5 Essential Commands Every Puppy Should Learn First

The five commands every puppy should learn first are sit, stay, come (recall), down, and leave it. These foundational behaviors create a communication framework between you and your puppy that makes every other aspect of life together easier and safer. Teaching sit gives you a default polite behavior; stay builds impulse control; come could save your dog’s life in an emergency; down promotes calm settling; and leave it prevents your puppy from picking up dangerous objects. According to the American Kennel Club, puppies can begin learning these commands as early as 8 weeks old using short, positive training sessions. When taught with consistency and reward-based methods, these five commands become the building blocks for all future training.

Why Should “Sit” Be the First Command You Teach?

Sit is the easiest command for puppies to learn and it serves as a gateway behavior that replaces jumping, pawing, and other unwanted greetings. Once your puppy learns to sit on cue, you can use it as a default behavior, asking for a sit before meals, before going through doors, and before receiving attention.

How to Teach Sit

Hold a small treat just above your puppy’s nose and slowly move it backward over their head. As their nose follows the treat upward, their rear end will naturally lower to the ground. The moment their bottom touches the floor, mark the behavior with an enthusiastic “Yes!” and deliver the treat immediately.

Practice this 5-10 times per session, keeping sessions to 3-5 minutes maximum. Puppies have short attention spans, and ending on a positive note keeps them eager for the next session. Within a few repetitions, most puppies begin offering the sit voluntarily.

Once your puppy sits reliably with the lure, begin fading the treat from your hand. Use the same hand motion without a treat, and reward from your other hand or a treat pouch after they sit. This teaches your puppy to respond to the hand signal rather than chasing food.

Adding the Verbal Cue

Only add the word “sit” once your puppy is reliably performing the behavior with the hand signal. Say “sit” just before giving the hand signal, then reward. After many repetitions, your puppy will begin responding to the verbal cue alone. This approach, recommended by the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, prevents the common mistake of repeating a command word before the puppy understands what it means.

How Do I Teach My Puppy a Reliable “Stay”?

Stay teaches impulse control: the ability to hold a position even when your puppy wants to move. Start with very short durations (1-2 seconds) at close range and build gradually. A reliable stay takes weeks to develop, but it is one of the most practically useful behaviors your dog will ever learn.

Building Duration and Distance

Ask your puppy to sit, then hold your palm out in the universal stop signal. Wait one second, then mark with “Yes!” and reward while they are still sitting. Do not ask them to come to you for the treat. Go to them. This reinforces that staying in place earns the reward.

Increase duration by one to two seconds per session. Once your puppy can hold a stay for 10-15 seconds at close range, begin adding a single step of distance. Return to the puppy and reward. The key rule is to increase only one variable at a time: duration, distance, or distraction. Trying to increase all three simultaneously sets your puppy up for failure.

If your puppy breaks the stay, simply reset them with no frustration. Ask for the sit again and try a shorter duration. Breaking a stay is information. It tells you that you progressed too quickly.

The stay command becomes invaluable in everyday life, from waiting calmly at the door before heading out for a walk to settling in place during daycare drop-off at Pawlington. It is also a key behavior practiced in our training programs.

What Makes “Come” the Most Important Safety Command?

A reliable recall (coming when called) is the single most important command for your dog’s safety. It can prevent your dog from running into traffic, approaching an aggressive animal, or eating something dangerous. Building a strong recall requires making yourself the most rewarding thing in your puppy’s world.

The Recall Training Protocol

Start indoors in a boring environment with minimal distractions. Say your puppy’s name followed by “come” in a happy, inviting tone. When they turn toward you, encourage them with open arms, gentle clapping, or moving backward to trigger their chase instinct. The moment they reach you, deliver a jackpot reward: several high-value treats given one at a time, combined with enthusiastic praise and petting.

Never call your puppy to come for something they perceive as unpleasant: nail trimming, bath time, or being put in a crate when they do not want to go. If you need your puppy for something they might not enjoy, go get them instead. Every time you call your puppy and the outcome is positive, you strengthen the recall. Every time the outcome is negative, you weaken it.

Proofing Against Distractions

Once your puppy comes reliably indoors, practice in your yard, then on a long leash (15-30 feet) in low-distraction outdoor environments. Use the long leash as a safety net, not as a tool to reel your puppy in. Gradually introduce more challenging distractions. The AKC recommends that recall be practiced daily for the life of the dog, because it is a behavior that needs ongoing reinforcement.

For more on the behavioral science that makes these methods work, read our article on the science behind positive reinforcement training.

How Do I Teach “Down” for Calm Settling?

Down (lying flat on the ground) promotes calm behavior and is the foundation for place training and relaxation protocols. A puppy who can lie down on cue is easier to manage in public, at cafes, during vet visits, and when guests arrive at your home.

The Luring Method

Start with your puppy in a sit. Hold a treat at their nose and slowly lower it straight down to the floor between their front paws. As they follow the treat down, their elbows should touch the floor. The instant they are in a full down position, mark with “Yes!” and reward.

Some puppies will pop back up immediately. That is normal. You are rewarding the moment of the down, not the duration. Duration comes later, using the same principles you applied to the stay command.

If your puppy tries to stand up to follow the treat rather than folding into a down, you may be moving the treat too far forward. Keep the motion straight down, close to their body. For puppies who struggle with the lure, you can also capture the behavior by watching for natural downs and rewarding them when they happen.

Practical Applications

Pair “down” with “stay” for a powerful combination: a down-stay at the door when guests arrive, a down-stay under your chair at a restaurant patio, or a down-stay on a mat during family dinner. This compound behavior is one of the most-practiced skills in our Puppy Foundations classes.

You can find comfortable, portable training mats and other supplies in our Cute Stuff collection. A designated mat helps your puppy understand exactly where to settle.

Why Is “Leave It” Essential for Every Puppy?

Leave it teaches your puppy to disengage from something they want, whether it is food on the ground, another dog’s toy, or a dead bird on a walk. This command prevents ingestion of toxic substances, reduces resource guarding tendencies, and builds overall impulse control.

Teaching the Leave It Foundation

Place a treat in your closed fist and present it to your puppy. They will sniff, lick, and paw at your hand. Wait patiently without saying anything. The moment they pull their nose away from your fist, even for a split second, mark with “Yes!” and reward with a different, better treat from your other hand.

This teaches a crucial principle: leaving something alone earns something even better. Repeat until your puppy consistently backs away from the closed fist as soon as you present it. Then add the cue “leave it” just before presenting your fist.

Advancing the Difficulty

Progress through these stages:

Treat in an open palm (close your hand if they go for it)
Treat on the floor covered by your hand
Treat on the floor uncovered (use your foot as backup)
Treat dropped from standing height
Items on the ground during walks

Always reward with a different treat. Never let your puppy have the item you asked them to leave. The reward for impulse control should always come from you, reinforcing that checking in with you is more valuable than grabbing things independently.

For guidance on how to practice leave it and other commands during real-world walks, check out our post on how to stop your dog from pulling on the leash. Loose-leash walking and leave it go hand in hand.

How Do I Put It All Together?

Once your puppy knows all five commands individually, begin combining them in short sequences and practicing in new environments. Ask for a sit-stay at the park, a down on a friend’s patio, or a recall across your yard. Generalization (performing known behaviors in new places) is a critical step that many owners skip, and it is the reason dogs who are “perfect at home” seem to forget everything in public.

Training Session Tips

Keep sessions short: 3-5 minutes, 2-3 times per day
End every session on a success, even if it means asking for an easy behavior
Vary the order of commands to prevent pattern training
Practice in at least 5 different locations before considering a behavior reliable
Gradually increase distractions as your puppy succeeds

If your puppy struggles with a command in a new environment, lower your criteria. Ask for an easier version and rebuild. This is not regression. It is normal canine learning.

Ready to Build on These Foundations?

These five commands are just the beginning. With a solid foundation in sit, stay, come, down, and leave it, your puppy is ready for more advanced training like loose-leash walking, place training, and real-world manners. Our training programs at Pawlington pick up right where this guide leaves off, offering group classes and private sessions that build on these essential commands in a supportive, fun environment. We would love to help your puppy reach their full potential.