Dog Training Basics: Sit, Stay and Loose-Lead Walking
Three foundation skills, taught with rewards and short sessions that actually stick.
Dogs learn what pays. Reward the behaviour you want the instant it happens and you rarely need to correct anything.
Keep sessions short
Five minutes, two or three times a day, beats one long session. Finish while your dog is still keen. Use pea-sized, high-value treats and count them against the daily food allowance.
Sit
Hold a treat at nose height and move it slowly back over the head. The nose follows, the rear drops. Mark the moment it lands with a word like "yes" and reward. Add the cue "sit" only once the movement is reliable — naming it too early attaches the word to nothing.
Stay
Build one element at a time: duration first, then distance, then distraction. Start with two seconds at arm's length. Return to your dog to reward rather than calling it to you, or you teach it that breaking the stay is what earns the treat.
Loose-lead walking
- Stop the moment the lead goes tight. Wait. Move again when it slackens.
- Reward generously whenever the dog is beside your leg.
- Use a harness with a front clip rather than adding pressure to the neck.
Consistency
Everyone in the house should use the same words and the same rules. Mixed signals are the most common reason training stalls.
