Source: Christian Mueller/Shutterstock.com Whether you’ve just brought your pet home for the first time or you’ve owned your dog for a few years, it’s never too late to teach your furry friend some basic commands! Once they’ve mastered these moves, you’ll find that your furry friend is much more better behaved and you have to spend less money replacing furniture, toys or shoes. Here are some basic dog training commands that every dog owner should know. 1. Sit: Probably one of the most common and most used of all dog commands, “Sit” is a great way to teach your dog patience. When your dog understands the command to sit, then you will find how much easier it is to administer medicine, clip their nails or adjust their collars after giving them flea medicine. They’ll know to not flinch or move when you adjust their dog ID tags or when you give them a treat. Sit means patience in the dog world, so it’s important for them to learn this one early on. Shop Our Silicone Dog ID Tags 2. Leave It: Ever tried playing catch with a dog, but every time you go to pick up the ball, they reach down and try to grab it, too? That’s where “Leave It” comes in! Leave it is an ever-popular dog command that teaches your dog to leave objects alone. Of course, it doesn’t always have to be a toy you’re trying to pick up. Instead, it could be some harmful food, something that’s dropped to the floor or your favorite pair of sneakers. 3. Drop It: The cousin to the command “Leave It,” “Drop It” is for when the dog disobeys the “Leave It” command. Drop it teaches the dog to get rid of whatever it might be holding in its mouth – especially those expensive sneakers! Another important aspect to consider is that your dog won’t be in front of you 24/7, so they might get into something without you right there to command them to leave it. Instead, you’ll most likely end up sitting on the couch watching as your dog comes prancing out from your bedroom carrying a loafer or bed pillow in their mouth, prompting you to tell them to drop it. When teaching your dog to drop it, it’s important to have something to replace the item with, such as a treat. Source: InBetweentheBlinks/Shutterstock.com 4. Come: A command that will teach your dog to pay attention, “Come” will make sure that your dog knows to come by your side when you call for them. Whether it’s to call them away from a busy sidewalk, come inside from the yard when it starts to rain or to join you on the couch for some cuddles, the come command will make things much easier throughout the course of your dog’s life. 5. Stay: Dogs who “Stay” get the most treats! It’s important for dogs to understand the command stay because it reinforces patience. Dogs are easily excitable, so by teaching them to obey you when you say stay, they will learn to look for your voice to keep them grounded. Stay is a helpful command when at the dog park, out for walks or when answering the door. It’s also useful when guests come to your house for the first time. That way, your guests don’t get scared or feel uncomfortable as soon as the door opens and a dog comes running at them. 6. Look: Since dogs are so easily excitable, it’s important that you teach them commands that improve their focus early on in their life or your time owning them. “Look” is one of those commands. Once they successfully grasp the command look, then it will be easier to move on to other commands because they will know to pay close attention to you. Your voice will cut through the distractions. 7. Down: A difficult position because it requires the dog to give up its dominance, “Down” is the first step to teaching your dog to roll over or even go to its crate or designated lying down area. You should teach this by offering a treat in a closed hand, and when your dog gets close to your hand to smell it or take the treat from you, move your hand down towards the floor. At that point, your dog should move down as well. As with all dog training, there’s a couple of things to remember: Make sure to say the commands after you do the motions needed and don’t forget to have a word that reminds them the command is over. One of our favorite release commands is “Brake,” since it signifies the stopping or slowing down of something. So, grab the leash and collar with a silicone dog ID tag, and get to training!