Although dogs are capable of learning over 1,000 commands, the average dog may only master as many as 40 commands in his lifetime
There are three commands your dog should definitely learn first, because they’re so critical to his safety. ‘Sit,’ ‘Come’ and ‘Off,’
Teaching these commands is easy. All you need is your dog’s leash and his favorite treat or toy.
“Sit”
“”Sit” is a critical command which is really the “stay” command in hiding.
Some training experts do not believe in the “stay” command. It is implied that if I a dog is told to sit, then he should stay there as well.
Hold a treat above your dog’s nose and tell him to “sit.” Reward him with a treat when he complies and repeat until he obeys without any incentives.
“Come”
“The “come” command is also critical because you want to be able to keep your dog out of dangerous situations. If your dog wanders too close to a street with high traffic, you want to be able to call him back to you where it’s safe.
Begin at the end of your dog’s leash. Tell him to “come” in a clear, joyful tone. Bend down, tapping your knees to make the command more inviting. When he obeys, reward him with a treat. Then repeat.
“Off”
To train the “off” command, use an unfamiliar treat as an incentive. Instead, tell your dog”off” when he goes near the treat. When he obeys, reward him with a familiar treat.
You want to train your dog to hear ‘off’ instead of ‘no,’ because the word ‘no’ is so widely used it will lose its value.