Everyone wants a dog that can do cool tricks. It’s fun to showcase your dog’s skills to family and friends. It makes your dog—and you—feel special.

But, safety training should always come first. Never neglect teaching your dog the three most important commands: sit, lie down, and stay.

Sit to Stay Safe

Teaching your dog to sit is the best way to ensure their safety. For dogs, sit implies stay—which is beneficial when you’re crossing a street, in a crowd of people, or have your back turned from your dog.

Lie Down to Calm Down

The lie down command is used to help your dog calm down. It can be used in situations where your dog is distracted, excited, or overly rambunctious. Once your dog learns this command, you’ll be able to keep him calm in any and all situations.

Come When Everything is Cool

Your dog will never learn how to stay unless you teach him to come. The command is best used when a situation is safe. Once you implement it, your dog will stay completely calm and collected when sitting or laying down—moving only when you say to.

Teaching your dog to sit, lie down, and come always comes first. Once your dog masters these commands, he’ll have a strong foundation to build on. He’ll easily catch on to any tricks you teach him. He’ll be safe and happy.