Teaching Sit, Stay and Come: First Commands

Sit, stay and come are the three cues that make everyday life with a puppy easier and safer. The quickest way to teach them is lure-reward training: guide your puppy into position with a treat, mark the moment they get it right, and reward. Keep sessions short, finish on a win, and your puppy will be learning within days.

Before you start

• Pick a quiet spot. Start indoors, away from other pets and noise.
• Use tiny treats. Pea-sized and soft, so your puppy can eat them quickly.
• Choose a marker. A short word such as "yes" said the instant your puppy does the right thing. It tells them exactly what earned the reward.
• Keep it short. Three to five minutes, two or three times a day. Stop before your puppy gets bored or tired.
• Say the cue once. Repeating "sit, sit, sit" teaches your puppy that the first one doesn't count.

How to teach sit

1. Hold a treat right at your puppy's nose.
2. Slowly move it up and back over their head. As their nose goes up, their bottom usually goes down.
3. The moment their bottom touches the floor, say "yes" and give the treat.
4. Repeat five or six times, then stop.
5. Once your puppy follows the lure reliably, do the same hand movement without a treat in it, and reward from your other hand.
6. Now add the word "sit" just before the hand signal. Over time, the word alone will be enough.

How to teach stay

Stay is about the three Ds: duration, distance and distraction. Build one at a time, never all three together.

1. Ask for a sit.
2. Say "stay" with a flat palm towards your puppy.
3. Wait one second, mark "yes" and reward while they're still sitting.
4. Add a release word such as "free" and encourage them to move. This tells them when stay is over.
5. Slowly build the time to five, then ten seconds.
6. Next, take one step back, return, reward and release. Add steps gradually.
7. Finally, add small distractions, like bouncing a ball or turning around.

Always go back to your puppy to reward the stay rather than calling them to you, so they don't learn to break position early.

How to teach come

1. Start in a small room. Crouch down, say your puppy's name and "come" in a happy voice.
2. Move backwards a few steps to encourage them to follow.
3. When they reach you, mark "yes", reward and give plenty of fuss.
4. Practise with a family member, calling your puppy back and forth between you.
5. Gradually move to bigger rooms, then the garden.

Make coming to you the best thing in your puppy's day. Never call them to tell them off or to do something they dislike. For outdoor practice and a stronger recall, read our guide on how to teach your dog recall.

A simple weekly plan

Every puppy learns at their own pace, so treat this as a guide rather than a deadline.

Troubleshooting

• My puppy only listens when I have treats. Fade the lure early and vary rewards between food, toys and praise. Keep rewarding, though — just less predictably.
• They get it at home but not outside. Dogs don't generalise well. Go back a step in every new place and build up again.
• They break the stay. You've added too much too soon. Make it easier and progress more slowly.
• They lose interest. Sessions may be too long, the treats too dull, or your puppy too tired. Train before meals and after a nap.

Next steps

Once these three cues are solid, you can build on them with lead walking, settle on a mat and more. If your puppy is fearful or very hard to engage, a qualified reward-based trainer can help.