Keep the sessions short. Five minutes, a few times a day, beats a long drill the dog quits on. Train before a meal, when a treat is worth something, and in a quiet room before you try it in the yard. Say the cue once. Repeating it teaches the dog to wait you out. Mark the exact second it gets the move right — “good dog” — then pay. If you are late, the dog thinks it was paid for whatever it did next. End on a success, even a small one.

These cues all work the same way. A treat shows the dog what you want. “Good dog” marks the moment. The treat pays for it. “OK” releases it. Once the dog can do the move with the treat in your hand, hide the treat and ask with an empty hand. Pay every time at first. Later, pay most of the time, not all of the time, or the dog only works when it can see the food.

For a sit, hold the treat at the nose and move it slowly back toward the ears. The rear should drop. If the dog backs up instead, practice with its hind end near a wall. Praise, treat, and release. Do it a few times, then quit.

Come only works on a leash at first. Wait until the dog is distracted, say its name and “come,” and walk backward. A light pull is fine if you need it. The second it looks at you, praise and keep backing up. Treat when it reaches you. Never call the dog to you for something it dislikes. If “come” means the fun stops, the dog will stop coming. Practice it in the house, then the yard, before you need it on a street.

On a walk, pulling stops the walk. Stand still until the leash goes slack, then praise and go on. You cannot make an exception. If you move forward while the dog is pulling, the pulling worked. The first walks will be short. A dog that already knows sit can be asked to sit before you move off again. Do not use a retractable leash for this. You cannot stop a pull you cannot feel.

Jumping gets nothing. Turn away. Do not pet, push, or talk. When all four feet are on the floor, praise and give a treat or a toy. Visitors have to follow the same rule, or the dog learns that jumping works on strangers.

For a down, ask for a sit first and do not treat the sit. Lower a treat slowly between the front legs until the elbows touch the ground. If the dog pops back up, you moved the treat too fast. Praise, treat, and say “OK” before it gets up. When that is easy, try it with an empty hand. Down is the cue to use when you need the dog settled, so practice it on a mat it can find later.

Shake starts from a sit. Hold a closed fist, treat inside, at the chest. When the dog paws the fist, praise and treat. If it noses the fist instead, wait. Once the paw is reliable, use an empty fist. When it paws, take the paw and praise. Keep it brief. Some dogs dislike having a paw held.

Rollover starts from a down, again without a treat for the down. Move a treat slowly around the neck and over the shoulder blades, and keep the nose on your hand. Praise as you go. When the dog falls on its side, rub the belly, treat, and release. If it stays relaxed, skip the belly rub and keep luring until it rolls all the way over. Skip this one if the dog is stiff, sore, or unhappy on its back.

Give and take is a trade, not a game. Hand over a toy the dog likes. Say “give” while you show a treat. The treat has to be better than the toy, or the trade is a bad deal. When it lets go, treat. When you hand the toy back, say “take.” If the dog tugs, let go, say no, and start the trade again. Once the release is easy, hide the treat and ask again. Practice with a toy you do not mind losing before you need the cue on something you do.