Basic dog commands every dog should know

On this page

1. Training basics that make everything easier
2. Sit
3. Down
4. Stay
5. Come (recall)
6. Leave it
7. Drop it
8. Fading treats
9. Adding distractions and new places
10. Putting the cues to work
11. Questions

A handful of basic cues covers most of daily life: sitting at the curb, lying down at a café, staying while the door opens, coming back at the park, and leaving dropped food alone. Reward-based training is the approach recommended by organizations such as the American Kennel Club, the RSPCA and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. It is effective, and it makes training something your dog looks forward to.

Training basics that make everything easier

• Short sessions. VCA Animal Hospitals recommends that early training sessions be no more than a few minutes long, a few times a day.
• Start where it is quiet. The RSPCA advises starting new skills in a quiet room. Add distractions later.
• Use rewards your dog loves. Small, soft treats work best at first. Toys and play are great rewards for some dogs.
• Mark the moment. Say a short word such as "yes" the instant your dog does the right thing, then deliver the reward.
• Add the word last. VCA notes that cues work best when introduced once your dog is reliably doing the behavior. Say the cue just before the behavior you can predict.
• End on a win. Finish each session with something easy.

Sit

1. Hold a treat near your dog's nose.
2. Move it slowly up and back over their head. As their head goes up, their bottom goes down.
3. The instant they sit, say "yes" and give the treat.
4. Repeat several times. When your dog is sitting reliably as your hand moves, say "sit" just before the hand signal.

Never push your dog's rear down. Let them work it out with the lure.

Down

1. Ask for a sit.
2. Hold a treat at your dog's nose and slowly lower it straight down to the floor, then a little forward.
3. When their elbows touch the floor, say "yes" and reward.
4. When the movement is reliable, add the word "down" before the hand signal.

The AKC also suggests "capturing" the down: reward your dog whenever they lie down on their own, and add the cue once they start offering it. Never force a dog into a down.

Stay

Stay has three parts, often called the three Ds: duration, distance and distraction. Train one at a time.

1. Duration. Ask for a sit or down. Wait one second, say "yes", and reward while your dog is still in position. Build to two, three, five seconds and beyond. VCA describes this as simply delaying the reward.
2. Release. Choose a release word such as "okay" or "free" so your dog knows when the stay is over.
3. Distance. Take one step back, return, and reward. Gradually add steps.
4. Distraction. Once duration and distance are solid, add small distractions, such as bouncing a ball or someone walking past.

The RSPCA suggests watching for signs your dog is about to break the stay and rewarding just before, so they succeed rather than fail.

Come (recall)

A reliable recall can save your dog's life. Make coming to you the best thing in the world.

1. Start indoors. Crouch, open your arms, say your dog's name and "come" in a happy voice, and praise as soon as they start moving.
2. Reward generously when they arrive, and sometimes gently hold their collar so being caught is never a bad surprise.
3. Practice in the yard, then on a long line in safe outdoor spaces.
4. Play recall games: two people call the dog back and forth, or play hide-and-seek indoors.

Never call your dog to punish them, give a bath, or end fun if you can avoid it. If coming means bad things, your dog will stop coming.

Leave it

1. Hold a treat in a closed fist. Let your dog sniff and lick.
2. The moment they back off, even slightly, say "yes" and reward with a different treat from your other hand.
3. When your dog backs off immediately, add the cue "leave it".
4. Progress to a treat under your hand on the floor, then uncovered, then dropped items, always rewarding from your hand.

"Leave it" is useful on walks, at the dinner table, and around anything your dog should not touch.

Drop it

1. Play with a toy. Hold a high-value treat at your dog's nose.
2. When they release the toy to take the treat, say "yes", give it, then give the toy back.
3. Add the cue "drop it" just before you present the treat.

Because the toy usually comes back, your dog learns that dropping things is a good deal, not a loss.

Fading treats

Treats are a tool for teaching, not a lifetime bribe.

• Once a behavior is reliable, stop holding a treat in the luring hand and use the hand signal alone, then reward from your other hand or a pouch.
• Gradually reward some repetitions rather than every one, and mix in praise, play and real-life rewards such as going outside.
• Keep paying well for hard things, such as a recall away from other dogs.

Adding distractions and new places

Dogs do not generalize well. A dog who sits perfectly in the kitchen may seem to have forgotten the word at the park. Practice in many places and add difficulty slowly. The AKC's advice on distractions is to make them easy at first, for example a ball lying still several feet away, then build up.

Putting the cues to work

• Sit for greetings to reduce jumping, and at curbs before crossing.
• Down-stay at the café or while you cook.
• Leave it and watch me on walks, which also helps with leash pulling.
• Come for safe off-leash time in secure areas.

For a structured follow-along obedience plan, our review of our top-rated dog training program covers a course with an Obedience 101 section built on the same food-lure and fading approach.

Questions

Sources

Checked October 28, 2026.

• American Kennel Club: Teach your puppy these 5 basic cues
• American Kennel Club: The five basic commands every dog should know
• VCA Animal Hospitals: Sit, down, stand and stay
• RSPCA: How to train your dog to stay
• RSPCA: How to train a dog to sit
• American Kennel Club: Training dogs to ignore distractions