How to Train a Puppy: Free Tips for Teaching Basic Commands

For this Omaha puppy training session we worked with Miles and his family, sharing lessons on how to train a puppy.

Miles is an eleven-week-old Goldendoodle puppy. His guardians set up this puppy training and behavior session to make sure he gets off on the right foot. They wanted us to review some basic puppy obedience skills. This includes training the puppy to sit, lie down, stand, and come when called.

How to Train a Puppy

Miles’ family wisely cordoned off part of the house to keep him confined to the living room and kitchen. This is a wise strategy as it keeps the dog’s world small and puts the humans in a position to see the puppy at all times.

Redirecting a puppy before it gets into the wrong thing is the best way to train a puppy. I used the same approach with my Dalmatian, Quest.

I turned a bedroom into a puppy room. The improvement in quality of life for the puppy was amazing. I will never get another puppy without setting up a playpen.

Miles was curious when I approached the baby gate, but had a great laid back energy which makes raising a puppy so much easier.

I always say that a dog’s energy is the most important factor to consider when getting a dog. Most people select dogs the way they date; “thats a good looking dog! Let’s get that one.” But if you have a more relaxed lifestyle and get a Dalmatian, the chances for behavior issues go up dramatically.

Luckily, there are many dog breeds, with a wide range of energy levels.

Miles dozed for about an hour as I shared a number of puppy raising tips with his family members. We went over ways to stop chewing, stop nipping, stop mouthing and potty training. I also went over ways to redirect him before he did anything they didn’t want him to do.

After discussing puppy behavior, I took out some tasty treats that smelled strong. I tossed one on the floor, right in front of the puppy’s nose. It only took a few seconds before Miles opened his eyes, his eyes found the treat and bang, he was up and ready to go.

Tips to Teach a Puppy Basic Commands

I started out by training him to sit and training the puppy to come at the same time. Teaching a puppy to sit is usually easy for me. However, I could tell right away that Miles was a smart puppy. In fact, it only took me a few minutes to teach the puppy to sit, teach him to come, teach lay down, sit up and stand.

To teach a puppy basic commands like sit, lay down, sit up, and stand, start by using high-value treats to keep your puppy engaged. Start by enticing the puppy to sit with a treat near its nose. Gently guide the puppy into position. When it sits, say a verbal cue like “good” to mark the correct behavior.

Once the puppy sits, reward them immediately. For the “down” command, guide the puppy’s chest to the ground using a treat, and mark the behavior with the same cue.

As you teach the “sit up” command, be sure to use a different word to avoid confusion with the regular “sit.” Move the treat in an upward arc to help the puppy transition from the lying down position to sitting up.

The key is to move quickly between commands. This helps keep the puppy’s focus. Always keep the treat close to their nose, but not too high to prevent jumping.

Do not use commands like “sit” or “down” until your puppy can do these actions most of the time. Aim for about 90% success. You should only introduce verbal cues when the behavior is consistent. Early on, focus on using marker words like “good” or “yes” to help your puppy understand that it has done the right thing.

Puppy training should be done in short, frequent sessions. It’s important to practice all four commands in a row, repeating the exercises and marking each correct response.

To help with learning, practice the commands in various places. Start inside the house, then try different rooms or go outside. Varying your position—sitting, standing, or kneeling—will also help the puppy generalize the commands to different scenarios.

To further strengthen the training, involve everyone in the household. Each person should practice the commands with the puppy regularly.

Be sure to use this training in daily life. Ask your puppy to sit before feeding, opening doors, or putting on a leash. Over time, your puppy will start offering these behaviors on their own, like sitting before getting attention or treats. This is called “manding,” where the puppy learns to ask for things politely.

If your puppy has trouble with some positions, like lying down, try these tips; you can lure the puppy under your legs. You can also use a low stool to help guide them into the right position.

For puppies that are hesitant to follow commands like sitting, be patient. Make sure they feel comfortable and are not in pain. If the puppy suddenly stops following a command, they may be in pain or uncomfortable. In this case, you should see a vet.

Always end each training session on a positive note. Make sure the last repetition is successful, as this will be the freshest memory for your puppy when you train again. Consistent practice, positive reinforcement, and patience are the keys to helping your puppy master these four commands.

Once Miles understood what we wanted him to do, I had the members of the family take over. In just a few minutes, the family’s youngest son had Miles acting so well that I began to worry. I thought he might one day put me out of business.

We went over many puppy behavior tips and tricks during this in-home training session. To help Miles’ family remember it all, we created a roadmap to success video.