One of the most exciting parts of being a new dog owner is working together with your new family member to teach them a variety of basic commands.
However, many dog owners find the training process enjoyable, and it is a great way to start building that initial bond with your new pet. After teaching the obvious basic commands, they want to carry on with more advanced dog training.
We’re going to cover what to teach your dog after the basic commands. We’ll start by doing a quick refresher on the 5 most basic commands, followed by 5 commands that you can work on together once the basics have been mastered.
The 5 Most Basic Commands
When you first bring your new family member home, there are two priorities – house training and teaching the 5 most basic commands.
As a quick refresher, these five commands are:
- Sit – Your dog should sit in place when instructed to.
- Lie down – Your dog should lie down on the spot when instructed to.
- Stay – Your dog should remain either standing, sitting, or lying down where commanded to.
- Come – Your dog should come directly to you when instructed, without hesitation.
- Leave it/drop it – Your dog should drop and leave an item (like a ball or stick) when instructed to.
Once your dog has mastered all 5 of these commands, they’ll be ready to move on to some more challenging ones next.
5 More Advanced Commands to Teach Next
After teaching your dog these 5 basic commands, you should be ready to move on to a few more advanced commands. With that being said, here are 5 more advanced commands, complete with a few helpful tips to make your training sessions as smooth as possible.
NOTE: With any training session, make sure to have a handful of your dog’s favorite treats on hand as a reward for obedience.
1. Heel
The meaning of the ‘heel’ command is to simply get your dog to walk alongside you properly. The dog should match your pace and consistently remain at your side. To teach this command, call your dog and point to your left-hand side (traditionally the heel side).
Once your dog comes to your side, immediately reinforce the behavior with praise and a treat. Repeat this process a few times before adding movement and different directional patterns; you should be aiming to ‘lose’ your dog for them to quickly reacquire their position at your side.
2. Watch Me
As your dog becomes more comfortable with the ‘heel’ command and remaining at your side during walks, you can begin to mix in the ‘watch me’ command.
Fortunately, this is quite a simple command to teach – simply hold a treat in front of your dog’s face and then slowly bring it up to your face. As your dog’s gaze follows the treat to your face, make eye contact and then immediately praise your dog and give them the treat.
Next, repeat this process with a treat in your opposite hand, followed by repeating it a few more times with no treat in hand. You can then begin to use the ‘watch me’ command for reinforcement.
3. No
Another critical command to teach your dog is a relatively simple one – the word ‘no.’
Luckily, it’s another easy command to teach and reinforce. You can simply use a treat set down on the ground that is just out of reach of your dog. When beginning, it may be helpful to guard the treat with one hand until your dog understands what is expected.
Not only do you want your dog to listen to the ‘no’ command, but they should then give you their full attention. To reinforce this behavior, after your dog ignores the treat you have set out of their reach, give them a separate treat as soon as they make eye contact with you.
4. Shake
Teaching your dog to ‘shake’ is another fun command that consistently delights the kids, is thankfully relatively straightforward. Many dogs catch on to this command quite instinctively.
First, hold your hand out towards your dog. In many cases, their curiosity will naturally lead to them extending a paw in return (remember to remain patient if your dog doesn’t immediately do so). As soon as your dog extends a paw, give them a treat and praise the behavior.
Once your dog can repeat this, gradually begin to hold their paw for more extended periods while also introducing the ‘shake’ command.
5. Roll Over
Finally, teaching your dog to ‘roll over’ can be a fun and engaging command for the two of you to learn together. Start by getting your dog to ‘lie down’ and then kneel down beside them yourself.
Hold a treat in one hand, and then use that hand to hold the treat to the side of your dog’s head. Gradually move the treat towards their shoulder; your dog should roll over instinctively to their side to follow.
Repeat this process a few times, praising your dog every time they roll to their opposite side.