To start crafting your dog’s behavior, we are going to start with the very basics.

To train your dog you only need 3 commands: Yes, Good, and Oops!

Yes- Yes means “That was great, that’s exactly what I wanted. Now you can stop and come get your reward.”

Step 1: Load your Yes.

I like to load my yes by waiting until my dog is calm and nearby. Bonus points if they’re Sitting or in a Heel position, but not too excited. Double bonus for eye contact. When your dog is calm and relaxed, especially if they are looking at your eyes, say Yes and treat them within 1 second. If your dog likes toys more than treats, you can offer a ball or tug toy. I find that after 5 or 6 of these reward sessions, the dog will be paying close attention, and should be looking for their reward right after you say Yes.

Yes is the treat command and should always be used with a treat. If the dog is listening and responding but you don’t have treats, try to use Good or Attaboy!

Step 2: Good

Good means “that’s what I like to see, keep it up!”

Step 3: Show, don’t tell.

We have a tendency to think our dog knows quite a bit of English. Try to remember that the commands themselves don’t mean anything to a dog. They’re just markers.

Teach your dog Sit, first. Lure him into the sitting position by raising your hand with a treat in your hand. Or if you happen to find him in a sitting position, that’s a perfect time to surprise him with “Good sit! Good Boy!”

The dog should soon learn “If I hear that particular marker, and my butt is on the ground, I will get praise/rewards.”

Dogs don’t generalize well. A dog taught to sit in the foyer may not repeat the behavior in the garage. As with any new marker, it’s important to train your dog in a controlled area, like a quiet living room, and then add distraction. Soon your dog will Sit even in a busy dog park.

Next, integrate the Look and Wait commands. Any time your dog catches your eye is a good time to give a Yes! marker and reward her. Once they know the marker, you can wait a few seconds while they maintain eye contact, and reward for “good” durations. Make sure not to reward your dog for looking at the treat in your hand.

Once your dog can sit and maintain eye contact for a few seconds, try stepping slowly away. If your dog stands up, “Oops!” and wait until they sit again. Try again to step slowly away, giving “Good!” praise. Step back and treat your dog for maintaining their sit. Start integrating “Good wait. Good wait.” when they’re responding.

We use Oops because No is usually charged unintentionally. If a dog has ever gotten in trouble, he’s usually been yelled at using NO! So it’s good to have an alternative which means “That was the wrong thing to do,” without the added note of “and the human is really angry.”

Do these exercises regularly. Switch it up so your dog understands that when they sit and get a Yes they can come get a reward, but when they hear Good, you will come to them.

To transition these exercises to a walk environment, find boundaries such as curbs. Have your dog Sit and Wait on the curb while you step slowly off into the street. If they break the sit, Oops! and get them to sit again.

If you’re consistent you should soon have a dog who will sit and wait for up to a minute. Try increasing their distraction. Wave your arms a bit and even give the leash a tug. If your dog breaks, Oops, and correct them. You’ll have a distraction free dog in no time.

These basic commands can be used to craft all sorts of behaviors in your dog. Be consistent and you’ll find you are teaching them behaviors almost automatically.