Commands,
Corrections, Praise,
and
Marking phrases
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Meaning
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Leave it.
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A command (only say it once). “Leave it” tells the dog not to sniff, lick, bite, or grab at an object.
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Wait.
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A command (only say it once). “Wait” tells the dog to pause and wait for further instruction. NOTE: “Wait”
is different from a “Stay” or “Hold” command (see below).
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Off!
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A command (only say it once). “OFF!” tells the dog to remove its mouth, paws, or other body parts off of
what it’s touching; great for dog with the bad habit of jumping up on people, furniture, etc.
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Ah-ah!
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A corrective sound. “Ah!” or “Ah-ah!” tells the dog to stop what it is doing immediately. This sound should
be paired with a physical correction.
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NO!
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A severe corrective sound. "NO!" should be paired with a strong correction, and should only be used in
extreme circumstances.
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Release, At ease, Take a break,
Free, etc.
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Permission commands. These words or phrases are used to give the dog permission to be a dog – used on
walks to release from the ‘heel,’ and as a release from the “Leave it” and “Wait” commands. Do not use the
word "OK" as permission. It is too common.
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Good dog!, Good job!, Very good!,
etc.
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Praise/Reward phrase. “Good dog” tells the dog that you like what it is doing and he/she should keep doing
it.
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Yes!, Nice!, Clicker sound, etc.*
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Marker sounds. “Yes!” (or another marker sound) is used at the exact second a dog performs a command
to mark the moment in time. Markers are used in advanced training to communicate in split seconds and
increase a dog’s understanding of right action. Markers always indicate a reward is coming.
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Heel
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A command. Heel is the position with the dog on the handler’s left, keeping its head in line with the handler’
s left leg at all times – whether in motion or at rest.
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Sit
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A command (only say it once). Sit is the position with the dog with its rump on the ground, most often in the
heel or front location.
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Stay or Hold
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A command (only say it once). “Stay” or “Hold” tells the dog to stay in the exact location and position the
handler has put it in – regardless of duration of time, distance, or distractions.
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Stand
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A command (only say it once). “Stand” tells the dog to come from a sitting or lying position into a standing
position.
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Down
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A command (only say it once). “Down” tells the dog to lie down from a sitting or standing position. This is
NOT the command to get off of people or furniture. That command is “Off!” (see above).
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Come
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A command (only say it once). “Come” is the position of the dog sitting directly in front of the handler –
regardless of what motions or actions the dog had to take to get there.
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Finish*
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A command (only say it once). “Finish” is the traditional command (often the “Heel” is used instead) that
tells the dog to move from the come-to-front position to the heel position, by traveling past the handler’s right
leg, around behind the handler, and into the heel position.
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Swing, Flip, etc.*
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A command (only say it once). “Swing, Flip, Finish, etc.” is the command used to tell the dog to move to
the heel position from the come-to-front position, by traveling past the handler’s left leg and swinging into the
heel.
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Out, Drop*
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A command (only say it once). “Out” or “Drop” are used to tell the dog to relinquish a toy, food, etc., from its
mouth.
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