Start Here — Doggo101

Where are you starting from?

Pick the one that fits:

My dog has bitten, lunged at a person, or I'm worried about safety.
Go to Safety-First Management.

I just got a new puppy or dog.
Start with Look at Me, then Sit, then Come.

My dog knows some things but I want to fill gaps.
Go to the Command Index and pick what you need.

I've been training but something specific isn't working.
Go to Troubleshooting and find your symptom.

I want to understand how dogs learn before I start.
Go to How Dogs Learn.

Find Your Dog's Currency

Before you train, figure out what your dog will work for. Not what you think should work — what actually produces visible enthusiasm: ears forward, body loose and wiggly, immediate engagement.

The Micro-Experiments

Try each of these in a quiet room with no distractions. Watch your dog's reaction to each one.

Food: Try kibble, then a commercial treat, then something high-value like cheese or chicken. Note which level produces excitement.
Play: Offer a quick tug game or toss a ball. Does your dog light up? Some dogs will work harder for 5 seconds of tug than for any food.
Praise and touch: Offer enthusiastic verbal praise and petting. Watch carefully — many dogs tolerate petting without finding it reinforcing. Look for a dog who pushes into your hand and seeks more.
Environmental access: Put your dog on leash near something they want (a bush to sniff, a door to go through). Ask for any behavior they know, then release them to the thing. The Premack principle: access to what your dog already wants as a reward for the behavior you want.

Your Reinforcer Profile

After testing, complete this sentence:

"My dog works best for _____. At home, _____ is enough. Outside, I need _____."

This is your dog's currency. Every time a command page says "reward," you deliver what you wrote above.

Context Check

Now try your dog's top reward outside, on leash, with mild distractions. Does it still work? If not, you need a higher-value option for that context — or the environment is too intense and you need to reduce distractions first.

Over threshold: Your dog is too stressed or aroused to engage with any reward. Move inside, remove triggers, let the dog decompress. Try again in a calmer setting. See Won't Take Rewards Near Triggers.
Not hungry: If testing food, your dog should not have just eaten a full meal. Test before meals.
Stress or shutdown: A dog that won't engage with anything may be in a generalized stress state. Signs: whale eye, lip licking, yawning, turning away, cowering. See Reading Your Dog.
Medical: A sudden loss of interest in all rewards warrants a vet visit. Pain, nausea, and illness suppress motivation.

Truly unmotivated dogs are vanishingly rare. The apparent lack of motivation is almost always one of the above.

Read Your Dog

Three quick checks before any training session:

Can your dog take food right now? If not, they're too aroused or stressed to learn new things. Wait or move to a calmer spot.
Is your dog's body loose or tight? Loose body = ready to work. Tight body (stiff legs, hard stare, closed mouth) = stressed or over-aroused.
Is your dog offering you attention voluntarily? If yes, you're ready. If no, reduce distractions first.

For the full treatment on reading your dog's body language, see Reading Your Dog.

What to Expect

Most dogs learn basic commands in 1-3 weeks of daily 5-minute sessions.
If your dog is reactive, fearful, or aggressive, training takes longer and the approach is different.
Progress is not linear. Your dog will have good days and bad days. That is normal.

Where to Begin

Pick one command. Work on it until it's reliable at home. Then pick the next one. Do not try to teach three commands simultaneously.

If you're starting fresh, begin with Look at Me or Sit — both are foundation commands that introduce the core skills everything else builds on.