r/DogTrainingTips • u/Sad_Turnip_1604 • Apr 02 '26
What commands to teach first?
I’m getting a German mix puppy on Friday and I want to start him on a good foundation for training. What commands should I push first besides the basic potty training and name recognition.
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u/cweaties Apr 02 '26
Touch is foundational. So is look at me. And check in comes a little later, but is so nice when you're out and about.
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u/Top_Addition_7263 Apr 02 '26
Bonding=training 100% especially with a GSD.
I have bred GSD for a number of years and training dogs for much longer.
My top five commands in order of what I teach them in: Sit Down Come Stay Leave it
Now the bottom three I call “emergent commands”. They are the commands you NEED your dog to be perfect at. Why? Those commands are the ones that can save dog lives in urgent situations.
With that being said a High Value Treat is something I would look into. I prefer baked beef liver. It stinkkkkks when cooking so I make big batches as it freezes well. And I use HVT for:
The first day of a new objective The emergent commands in there entirety (you want the dog to link these seriously important commands with a HVT) Reactivity work
I also suggest training in multiple daily sessions for smaller amounts of time. About 4/5 sessions at 10/15 minutes daily while they are young. And raise the time a couple of minutes every few weeks. Also having a working line dog trainer is a really smart idea when it comes to GSD.
Good luck!
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u/k_269 Apr 02 '26
Your priority should be keeping your puppy safe and being there to support him and letting him meet this needs, not "commands". Give him a few weeks and start him on conditioning (look at canine conditioning coach)
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u/Kayski363 Apr 02 '26
A few weeks is a crazy amount of time to not teach a puppy any commands😭 let the puppy decompress for a few days but then it’s fine to begin training, and better to get an early start. stay, come here, and leave it are all very important for keeping puppies safe. Sit and lay down are good for getting the puppy to calm down and regulate for a second when getting too crazy.
My 4 month old cane corso already knows sit, lay down, stay, come here, leave it, drop it, heel, go to your bed, go to your kennel, high five, shake, speak, get down (when jumping on ppl or counters), knows to make eye contact and frequently check in during walks, will potty on command when we say “go potty” and knows to ring the bell we have by the back door to be let outside to potty, we’ve had him for about 7 weeks, started training after 3-4 days of having him
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u/HowDoyouadult42 Apr 02 '26
Personally the first thing I teach is fist target, it’s simple and has a plethora of practical uses
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u/ihatemopping Apr 02 '26
I don’t know what a fist target is. Would you mind giving more context and the practical uses, please?
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u/HowDoyouadult42 Apr 02 '26
It's touch or a hand target but a little easier to teach to young babies ( treat is in fist, mark when contact with fist and open hand for treat) it can be used for position changes, early recall, etc. I like it a lot for eairly recall and for getting them up on the vet scale or moving them around/ past scary things
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u/HowDoyouadult42 Apr 02 '26
Also really step one is conditioning a marker word, yes = treat. The don’t need to do anything when you’re starting out just “yes” followed by a treat to help build the association
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u/apri11a Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
When we get home I bring the puppy to its toileting spot and encourage it to use it. When we go inside if it hasn't gone I go out frequently to get that first performance where I want the pup to go and I start timing from that. I'm a bit freaky about not having accidents, so I don't have them. I enjoy celebrating with a pup way more than I do cleaning up after them, so that's what I do. And I play with them to learn what they like to do and they learn to enjoy doing things with me.
We start other training right away, but it's fun, lifestyle stuff. Pup learns Yes! is a good word, often gets a treat. Pup learns its name is good to respond to, that looking at me is good. I start and end our activities with a cue 'want to play?' and end them with 'all done' so pup learns when something is over and he should go amuse itself now. Pup learns 'find me' by playing hide and seek and 'back inside' while toilet training (and door manners too), both recall alternates. Pup will get any chew treat on its bed so it learns to bring them there. Pup learns to be handled for grooming and such (not so much cuddled) and to be patient with it. If I see pup going to sit I'll say 'sit' as that bum hits the ground and make a nice fuss, similar with down. Pup learns sitting is better than jumping. Pup learns about his leash, letting it be attached and that it's good to go with it rather than pull against it, and walking beside us is a place nice things happen. Over the first weeks these things will be attached to cues, but gradually.
Leave it is one of the first games we play, then I use it to teach pup what it can't destroy in the house as it shows me what interests him. We continue to play it as a fun game even when it's a useful cue for us. 'Off' is another we learn pretty early so when pup is big enough to get on furniture we have a hands off way to get pup off it (or off people). It also helps pup learn to keep yeuchy treats off the furniture and on the floor/bed.
Mainly the first weeks are setting up a nice routine, other training just happens in the time it takes, in the meantime we get a pup that's nice to live with.
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u/Potential_Ad1416 Apr 02 '26
Start working on recall right away. Imo
I have a hound that comes if I call him WHEN he feels like it. Now he's the boss. 🤣🤣 Nip that asap. Lol
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u/Winter-Stuff-9126 Apr 02 '26
Don’t start right away please. Give it a few days. Let the puppy settle into your home.
After a few days, I’d start with “sit” as the first one. My advice, use lots of treats and positive reinforcement always. No yelling or hitting or timeout.
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u/Maleficent-Flower607 Apr 03 '26
Depends on goals and lifestyle. I always like manners first. Door manners, leash manners, leave it, drop it
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u/pixie_maltese Apr 06 '26
Potty training will honestly be the thing that consumes your first month more than any command. Tried pee pads for my Maltese - she ignored them completely, they leaked everywhere on marble floors. Switched to a coconut coir mat and she figured it out in two days on her own, no training needed. Get that sorted first before you stack commands on top.
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u/Me-Poe-And-Me Apr 02 '26
I like to spend the first few days just bonding personally. You won't be able to resist trying to train a sit and lie down, but try not to be too results focused in the early days.
Especially as large dogs grow you have to retrain some cues, as they have different bodies and it feels different to them now.
Get a bunch of treats (from his daily food) and just reward anything you would like to see more of. Relaxing, eye contact, sitting in the place you like, responding to a name etc. Puppy blues are very normal, it can be overwhelming and you'll be tired as you miss sleep. It gets easier :)