Week 5: Basic Obedience – Sit, Down, and Stay

Now that your puppy is gaining confidence in the world, it’s time to start building their basic obedience skills. Teaching sit, down, and stay will help with focus, impulse control, and general good manners. This week, we’ll cover how to train these behaviours positively, reward good choices, and avoid common mistakes.

Basic Obedience

Teaching Sit

Sit is one of the easiest commands to teach and a great way to encourage calm behaviour.

🎯 How to Teach It:

1. Lure: Hold a treat near your puppy’s nose and slowly move it upwards over their head.

2. Wait: As their head lifts to follow the treat, their bottom will naturally lower.

3. Mark & Reward: The moment their bum touches the ground, say “yes!” or use a clicker, then give the treat.

4. Repeat: Practise several times, then add the word “sit” just before they do it.

   
   

📝 Tip: If your puppy jumps up instead of sitting, move the treat more slowly or start with them in a smaller space (like a corner) to encourage sitting naturally.

Teaching Down

Down is useful for promoting calm behaviour, teaching self-control, and preventing jumping.

🎯 How to Teach It:

1. Start in Sit Position: If your puppy knows “sit,” start from there.

2. Lure to the Ground: Hold a treat near their nose, then slowly lower it between their front paws.

3. Encourage Lying Down: As they follow the treat, their body should naturally lower.

4. Mark & Reward: The moment their chest touches the ground, say “yes!” and give a treat.

5. Add the Cue: Once they’re consistently following the lure, start saying “down” just before they lie down.

   
   

🚫 Common Problems:

• Puppy pops back up? Reward them while they’re in the down position to reinforce staying there.

• Won’t lie down? Try luring them under your leg or a low object so they naturally drop into position.

  
  

📝 Tip: Never push your puppy into a down position—this can make them uncomfortable or resistant to the cue.

Introducing Stay with Duration

Once your puppy knows sit or down, you can introduce stay to build patience and impulse control.

🎯 How to Teach Stay:

1. Start Small: Ask your puppy to sit or lie down.

2. Add a Hand Signal: Hold your palm out like a "stop" sign and say “stay.”

3. Reward Quickly: After just 1-2 seconds, say “yes!” and give a treat.

4. Gradually Increase Time: Slowly extend the time before rewarding.

5. Add Distance: Once they can stay for a few seconds, take a small step back, then return and reward.

   
   

🚫 Avoid These Mistakes:

• Moving too fast: Increase duration and distance gradually to prevent your puppy from breaking the stay.

• Repeating “stay” too often: Say it once—if they move, reset and try again.

• Not rewarding enough: Frequent rewards help them understand that staying is the right choice.

  
  

📝 Tip: If your puppy struggles, go back a step—stay close and reward faster.

Rewarding Good Choices

Puppies learn best when good behaviour is reinforced. Here’s how to encourage success:

🐾 Use High-Value Rewards: Special treats (like chicken or cheese) help keep them motivated.

🐾 Mark the Behaviour: A happy “yes!” or clicker sound lets them know exactly what they did right.

🐾 Keep Training Fun: Short, 2-5 minute sessions throughout the day are better than long ones.

🚀 Bonus Game: The "Auto-Sit" Encourage your puppy to sit automatically for attention rather than jumping. Reward them whenever they sit on their own without being asked!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

🚫 Overusing Lures: Once your puppy understands a cue, start using treats as rewards rather than bribes.

🚫 Expecting Perfection Too Soon: Puppies have short attention spans—be patient and celebrate small wins!

🚫 Training When Overexcited: Practise when your puppy is calm and focused, not when they’re zooming around.

What’s Next?

This week, you’ve built the foundation for sit, down, and stay. 

In Week 6, we’ll move on to loose lead walking and recall—two essential skills for a well-behaved dog!