What are the most important basic commands my dog should know?

I think the most fundamental question ever is the knowledge to come. Because if at any time...there's a squirrel that ran across a yard, or a car coming by, or a child, or aggressive dog, or a rainstorm, then you need your dog to come back to you as quickly as possible. “Come” is the number one command they should know.

Sitting is so important for when you go to your front door to greet a guest; they might sit and behave. They might sit and behave before they get fed. You certainly don't want them jumping on you when you're eating your dinner. So “sit” is a very good command to know. I think another one might be “off”—off the bed, off the chair, off the wall, off the back seat of the car. Whatever it is so that they know that that wasn't where they were supposed to be.

And the last one I think is essential is teaching them to drop it. Dogs that pick up anything, they might pick up an acorn, a leaf, a grape that fell in your house, any type of plant, maybe a piece of gum on a walk. They need to understand that drop it means to drop that out of their mouth. And of course, we know it's for their safety; they don't know why we're asking them to do that. Those are the things I think are the four basic things for them to know.

“Sit”. If your dog can sit on command, they’re pretty well trained. You want your dog to lie down. That isn't quite as useful. “Come” is another crucial command for your dog to know. If your dog is running in the park and they see another dog, you need them to come back. “Heel” or “here” are also useful commands. When my dogs were younger, we taught them to go potty outside, so that was a useful command. If we go through the airport, I can find some grass and say to my dog, "Let's go potty." And we'll find a little patch. And hopefully, that means that he goes on the grass and not on the airplane, which wouldn't make him popular.

Some of the basic ones that most people think of are "sit," "stay," and even some target training, which can be really useful. Having them respond to those basic commands can be very helpful. For example, if you can teach your pet to sit and stay on command or go to a particular location and sit or stay, you can prevent things like your dog slipping out the front door when it's open, which can be really dangerous in some situations. So I think the elementary stuff is essential.

Sit, stay, heel, and off. Off is a good one. You want to make sure that they understand that no means no.

Some of the most important basic commands for a dog to learn include "sit," "stay," "come" (name recall), "off" (for getting off furniture or not jumping up), and "lie down." Teaching your dog these commands will help establish a strong foundation for their behavior and obedience.