Tilly's Training Commands

Verbal		Description
Tilly (dog's name)		Name recognition, always use her name when asking her to do something, or when calling her.
Potty		When she urinates outside, say "good Potty", every once in a while give a treat (make sure she completes potty before treat)
Poop		When she poops outside, say "good Poop", every once in a while give a treat (make sure she completes potty before treat)
Outside		When about to take her for a walk, ring the bell and say "outside". Next, have her ring the bell either with her nose or paw when you are about to take her outside. The object is to eventually get her to tell you when she needs to go out.
Crate		Say "crate" and point to crate when you want her to enter crate, every once in a while give a treat
Snack Time		Say "snack time!" when preparing her meals. Have her sit before feeding. Also important to get her used to meal interruption so she does not become possesive or aggressive with food items.
Sit		Place a treat above her head/nose so she physically has to sit to reach the treat, and say "sit". Have her sit for meals, before asking other behaviors, when company comes, etc.
Down		From a sit position, lower a treat to the ground. As she follows, say "down"
Off		Use "off" when she jumps up (either on people, or furniture). When jumping on people, have them turn their back around and ignore the behavior, then ask for a sit before she receives affection/treats.
Come		Use "come" to call her to you. Give lots of pets and affections, or treats if available if she runs over to you. Have 2-3 people space themselves out, and practice calling her name attached to "come". Reinforce heavily, this is an important behavior. Once she is reliable, try it outside with distractions, or in a park setting.
Walk		When she is walking next to me on the leash (not resisting, or pulling ahead), say "good walk"
Close		If pulling ahead on leash, stop, say "close", if she comes over to your side, give treats/pets, and say "good, close" and begin walking again.
Drink		When offering a bowl of water say "drink". It is good for them to learn this in case you want them to drink on command (for example if you are on a car trip or long walk and they don't have free access to water).
No		Use no for any unwanted behavior such as chewing, jumping, picking up stick (or rocks). I often use no with "leave it"
Leave it		Say "leave it" when they grab something you don't want them to eat (ROCKS), chew furniture, approach someone inappropriate (for example a frightened child, a cat, an unfriendly dog, etc)
Cookie		"cookie" means treat, we use it mostly when she enters a crate, after a long walk, or when introducing a new treat.
Go Get It		Say "go get it" when throwing a toy/ball for retrieval.
Take it		Say "take it" when you want her to put something in her mouth, mainly used with toys for retrieval.
Bring it		After she retrieves toy/ball and is carrying it back to you, say "bring it"
Drop it		Say "drop it" once she is back and you want her to drop the object. At first if she refuses, grab the top of her mouth and gently squeeze, while saying "drop it". If she releases, say "good!, Drop it" and give a treat, then throw the ball again. Make sure when teaching retrievals that you make it interesting. Every once in a while let them have the object for a while, or get a new toy.
Car Ride		Say "car ride!" when entering the car with the pup.
Belly Rub		Say "belly rub" when rubbing the belly for reinforcement
Look		Say "look" and point to your eyes. Initially, may want to take a treat, and place it in your fingers in between your eyes. This is good for getting their attention in an emergency, or when you want them to do something.
Stay		From a sit position, put your hand palm out in front of her face, and say "stay". Gradually increase the distance between you, and the length of time she remains staying. Use "ok" to release her.
Kisses		Say "kisses" when she licks you. This may be useful in stopping biting.
No Bites		When she bites, grab her under the chin, so she has to look you in the eye, and say "No Bites!" If she continues to bite, leave the situation, completely ignore the behavior. If she still follows you, continuing to bite, put her in a time out in her crate until she calms down. If she listens when you say no bites, give her a chew toy and say "ok"
Up		Say "up" if you are inviting her up on the couch/bed/car, etc. Right now we say it when she is climbing stairs also.
Ok		Use "ok" as a release from certain behaviors. It's kind of like a "stand down", you are free to be a puppy again.
Note on Discipline		For discipline, never hit your dog, you will only create fear and withdrawal. If she is doing something really bad and you want to get your message across, grab her by the shoulders, and lift her front feet/legs off the ground and gently shake while saying "no!" or "No, leave it!" If she gets the message, she will probably go lay down and look ashamed, and not make eye contact. This is good progress (even though you will feel bad). We did this with Tilly the first few days we had her when she would chase the cats. She totally ignores them now! Another affective discipline is grabbing them under the chin and lifting their face upwards. They have to look you in the eye this way, and dogs are really good about reading your body language and knowing you mean business.