Training tips for humans
It is my opinion that there are three commands every dog should know. Not only are they the most basic commands, they can also save your dog's life in some situations. Those commands are: sit/down, stay and come. All of them are easily taught and every dog should have them in his or her repertoire.
It's important to remember that every dog learns differently and one training technique might not work for all dogs. I'm going to tell you how I learned to do things and, when possible, give an alternative method. Also, it is very helpful to put hand signals to different commands. If you do that, you can eventually tell your dog to sit from across the room just by holding your hand a certain way. I am on hand signals and Henry is in the process of learning sign language.
We started out by learning "sit" last time, so now it's time to move on to "down." This one is easy to learn if you have a good sit.
Start with the dog in a sit and hold a treat in your hand where the dog can smell it but not see it. Use that hand to make a gesture straight from the dog's nose to the floor. Hold your hand on the floor until the dog lays down then reveal the treat. My mom put a hand signal to this which is just pointing to the floor.
If your dog won't lay down or just doesn't get it, you can always move your hand from the nose to the floor then drag your hand slowly away from the dog. Some people also have success by gently pressing on the dog's shoulders while making the movement with their hand.
The command "stay" is one that should be in every dog's repertoire. For the more reactive dog, it can take a while and a lot of patience to teach. There are many ways to teach "stay" so I'm going to tell you how I learned it.
Stand in front of the dog and have him or her sit. It's not essential that the dog is sitting but since "sit" and "stay" are usually used together, it's probably best to teach it that way. Wait a moment then hold your hand up, palm facing the dog, and say "stay" as you take a step backwards. If the dog jumps up, go back to where you were and start over. If the dog stays, count to 3 and step back towards him/her and give a treat. Repeat this and after a few successful "stay"s, repeat the process and add distance, a step at a time. Also increase the time the dog sits before you treat. You can also begin calling your dog to you once it has a good stay in place.
With some dogs, this requires a lot of patience (HENRY!) but others pick it up pretty quick (ME). Eventually, you can walk away from your dog and he or she will stay until you call.