5 Basic Commands to Teach Your Puppy First

Updated June 29, 2026 · Pup Playbook

Teaching your puppy a handful of basic commands does more than impress your friends. Sit, come, down, stay, and walking nicely on a leash are the everyday tools that keep your dog safe and make life together calmer. The good news: puppies learn fast when sessions are short, happy, and paid in treats.

Keep every session under five minutes, train before meals when your pup is hungry and focused, and always end on something they can do well. Here's how to teach the five that matter most.

Set up for success

Use small, soft, high-value treats your puppy can eat in a second — pea-sized pieces, not biscuits. Train in a quiet room with no distractions at first, then slowly practice in busier places once a command is solid. Mark the exact moment your puppy gets it right with a consistent word (“yes!”) or a clicker, then deliver the treat. That timing is what teaches the dog which action earned the reward.

Sit

Hold a treat at your puppy's nose, then slowly lift it back over their head. As their nose follows the treat up, their bottom naturally lowers. The instant it touches the floor, mark it and treat. After a few reps, add the word “sit” just as they begin to lower. Within a day or two most puppies will sit on the word alone.

Come

A reliable recall can save your dog's life, so make it the happiest word your puppy knows. Start a few feet away, say “come” in a cheerful voice, and reward big when they reach you — better treats than for anything else. Practice indoors first, then in a fenced yard or on a long line. Never call “come” for something your puppy dislikes (like a bath or nail trim), or you'll poison the word.

Down

From a sit, hold a treat at your puppy's nose and lower it straight to the floor between their paws, then slide it slightly forward. They'll follow it down into a lying position. Mark and reward the moment their elbows hit the floor, then add the word “down.” Down is great for settling an excited puppy in public.

Stay

Ask for a sit, hold up a flat palm, say “stay,” and reward after just one second. Build duration slowly — one second, then three, then five — taking a tiny step back only once they're steady. If they break, you went too fast; shrink the challenge and try again. Always return to your puppy to reward rather than calling them out of the stay.

Loose-leash walking

Puppies pull because pulling works — it gets them where they want to go. Flip that. The moment the leash goes tight, stop walking. When your puppy eases off and the leash loosens, say “yes” and move forward again. Reward generously when they walk near your side. It's slow at first, but it teaches that a loose leash is what makes the walk continue. A front-clip harness can reduce pulling while you train.

Make it stick in the real world

A command your puppy nails in the kitchen often falls apart at the park, and that is normal. Dogs do not generalize the way we do, so a skill learned in one quiet room has to be re-taught, briefly, in each new setting. Trainers call this proofing. Once a behavior is solid at home, practice it in slightly more distracting places: the backyard, the driveway, a quiet sidewalk, then somewhere busier. Lower your expectations a notch each time you raise the difficulty, and pay better treats when there is more competition for your puppy attention.

Keep training woven into daily life by asking for a sit before meals, a down before the door opens, and a quick recall during play. Always quit while your puppy still wants more, so training stays a game rather than a chore. When something stops working, it is almost never stubbornness; you have usually moved too fast, raised the distraction too high, or let the treats get boring. Shrink the challenge, make the reward worth it, and rebuild from the last point your puppy was succeeding.