Welcome to our first blog post of 2024! So, let’s start off with one that will keep you and your pooch busy… 20 training commands! If you’re in that situation where you’ve got down the basics and are just looking for something a little more exciting, this is for you!
In this post we’ll go through 20 fun commands to train your dog and explain what they would look like!
1. Wait
Now before you assume your dog already knows this one – it isn’t your classic ‘Stay’. Wait can be a good command to teach impulse control and you can change it to suit your dog’s level! In simple, you will have a treat in your hand in reach of your dog and they will not eat it until you give them a certain cue!
2. Shake
A commonly known command, shake is where you give your dog a handshake!
3. Fist Bump
Similar (but different) to ‘Shake’, fist bump would be you putting your hand out in a fist and your dog putting their paw on top like a fist bump!
4. Roll Over
And another self-explanatory one, roll over is quite simply a command where you teach your dog to roll over on cue!
5. Jump
Do we need to explain? Jump is a command where you teach your dog to, well, jump! It is also a good idea to train ‘down’ with this command to prevent it from becoming a habit.
6. 3,2,1!
Or 1,2,3, this command is like ‘Jump’. To do it, you will not be standing right next to your dog and then say your cue, they should run up to you, jump and then go back on the ground again. Please note this command and the previous one should only be trained on ground with grip for their paws like grass or carpet. It is also important to consider not training this (and Jump) with dogs that could easily make jumping up a habit!
7. On Your Mat
On Your Mat is simply a command where you teach your dog to go to their mat and lie down!
8. Catch
Catch is a fun command where you through a toy or a treat to your dog and they try to catch it!
9. Legs
Legs is a command where you stand with legs apart and get your dog to go through your legs like a tunnel!
10. Backpack
Backpack (although could be called anything) is where you sit down and from behind you, your dog jumps up with their front paws on your shoulders!
11. Spin
Spin is simply where you train your dog to spin. You could even take it the next step and teach them to spin left and right on cue…
12. Other One
Branching of ‘Shake‘, Other One is where you train your pooch to give you the other paw. It could go in a sequence like this: ‘Shake, Other One‘ or ‘Shake, Other One, Other One, Other One‘. So, if your dog gives you their right paw on shake, they should give you their left when you say, ‘Other One‘!
13. Back
‘Back‘ is where you teach your dog to walk backwards! It sounds simple but is a tricky one to train with some dogs so give it a go!
14. Stop
Used with ‘Stay – Come‘, stop is where your dog just stops! You basically want your dog in a stay and then say come. Whilst they’re coming, say ‘Stop‘ and they should just stop in place until you say come again!
15. Side
With the same idea as ‘Back‘, side gets your dog to literally walk sideways like a sidestep!
16. Take It
Take it is a handy command to challenge your dog and if you’re the dog owner that loves their cute dog photos! To do it, you want your dog to basically take something from your hand, like a toy, and hold it in their mouth! The hard part won’t be training them to take it from you but getting your dog to hold it for the duration you want!
17. Jump (Agility)
Let’s finish with some Agility fun! Jump (or you could say ‘over’) is like our previous jump command but instead your dog is jumping over an agility jump!
18. Tunnel
Tunnel is simply training your dog to go through an agility tunnel!
19. Pause Table
Quite a less known agility command that isn’t used in as many courses, a pause table is like a mini table your dog sits on for about 5 seconds before continuing an agility course. It also helps dogs concentrate better with other commands so you could incorporate it into your obedience! A simpler cue for this might be ‘Table‘!
20. A-Frame
Not the command for all dogs, A-Frame is getting your dog to go up and over an agility A-Frame and touching the contacts!
So that’s it for our 20 commands! We hope this will keep you and your pooch busy with lots of fun! Before starting these, it is also important to focus on the essential obedience commands like sit, down, stay, come etc!
Not all these commands will be suited for your pooch, but we hope you can find some fun ones!
And remember to take a break from your training session if your dog is becoming too frustrated… it can help to start your training session with commands they know well!
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